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Show Record bars in either high or low water. In going downstream when we struck a sand bar we would merely reverse the engine and the 5266 current would generally help us off. The first year the barge operated was 1935. While I was working on the barge, we frequently traveled at night. Where we were making round trips we would travel at night, probably every other night; we made two round trips every three days and one of the nights we would have to travel late or else camp on the river somewhere and generally we would travel late that night. We have left points down the river and started upstream with the intention of tying up on the stream 5267 over night and concluding the journey next morning. Most of the time we would figure on doing that. On a moonlight night we have on two or three occasions got into the dock as late as 9: 30 or 10 o'clock. We have at times had delays when operating the big barge, these delays usually occurring in low water. I would say that on half of our trips during the time I was working on the barge we 5268 were not delayed in getting up or down the river; of course we might be delayed on account or machinery or something like that, but from sand bars or other causes we did not encounter any delay on more than half of our trips. There was a point between Mill Creek Wash and Kane Springs and at one other place called the Can-yon Wash, just about a mile and a half below the upper dock where we met with difficulties if we had any. I don't recall more than two occasions when we were hung up at Canyon Wash for any length of 5269 time. On each of those occasions there had been a big flood come in from the side wash and kind of clogged the channel, pushing it farther out in the river than it had been before because of bring-ing in sand that would extend further out. After one of these floods we would generally find a channel if we would take a little time and would go right on through. If we didn't find the channel we would be hung up. The longest delay I remember of during the 5270 time I worked on the barge was not more than two or three hours. I |