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SCOWS AND RAFTS AT EDMONTON 



heavy sweep. Over the greater part of 

 the small boat was stretched a piece of 

 heavy sail cloth to protect the flour, 

 sugar, etc., with which this boat was 

 loaded Tied to a rope from the front 

 scow was a small, flat-bottomed boat, 

 built for the occasion, to use in case of 

 accident. 



"Are we all ready?" said my father. 



"Oui," said the Frenchman. 



The thick, strong tie or snub ropes 

 were loosed and thrown in, a few vig- 

 orous heaves, and we splashed through 

 the water and scrambled aboard ; we 

 were off at last. The sweeps were 

 manned at once, and we worked out 

 near the centre of the river. In a very 

 few minutes we came in sight of the big 

 stone-] )iered bridge spanning the river 

 from Edmonton to Strathcona. There 

 arc large pointed structures of masonry 

 just upstream from the bridge piers 

 proper, built to protect the latter from 

 the ice jams in the spring. I was a lit- 



tle afraid we might collide with one of 

 these, and thus wreck our boat at the 

 start, but luckily we found the proper 

 current and swung through all right. 

 From the bridge, high above, a few 

 people watched us languidly. A scow 

 there has little novelty. A little distance? 

 below the bridge we passed the second 

 sawmill and yard, where we saw nu- 

 merous scows and rafts in various 

 stages of construction. In passing the 

 mill we took good care not to get near 

 the pier holding the outer end of their 

 boom in place. In a little while the mill, 

 bridge and other evidences of civiliza- 

 tion passed from sight, and we seemed 

 to be alone, floating down a great, lone- 

 some river. Not quite alone, though, 

 for after a time we noticed here and 

 there rough frame-like chutes and one 

 or more dark holes where the soft coal 

 in the river banks is mined and loaded. 

 At one mine a flat scow-like coal barge 

 was under the chute, and a small, pad- 



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