Morning cloudy and cool. At four o'clock the first division commenced
ferrying their goods over the river in the cutter and some time
afterwards commenced taking the wagons across on a raft which proved
to be very slow work. The second division also began to take their
goods over on a raft but the current was so strong they only took two
loads over in it and then quit. The second division then got a rope
stretched across the river from shore to shore and lashing two wagons
fast together to keep them from rolling over, they dragged them over
by the rope, letting them drift with the current to save breaking the
rope. When the wagons struck on the sand on the other side the upper
one keeled over, and finally rolled over the other one, breaking the
bows considerably and losing iron, etc., in the wagon to the amount of
$30.00 belonging to John Pack. The other wagon had the reach broken
and some of the bows. They next lashed four wagons together abreast
and dragged them over the same way. All got over well except the upper
one which turned on its side, but it was righted again without damage.
They next tried one wagon alone, but as soon as it got into the current
it rolled over and over, breaking the bows pretty badly. The plan of
taking one wagon at a time on a raft is the safest, no accident having
occurred with it and the wagons got over dry but it is very slow and
would take us three or four days to get all the wagons across. The wind
blows strong from the southwest which is much to our disadvantage. At
3:30 we had a very heavy thunder storm. The rain was heavy indeed,
accompanied by hail and as strong a wind as I ever witnessed. After
the storm was over the ferrying was continued, getting my trunk, etc.,
and the loads in Brother Johnson and Harmon's wagons over, and also
Harmon's wagon, Johnson's being got over just before the storm. It took
till nearly ten o'clock to get the loading into the wagons and get
regulated. The river has been rising all day and has risen very fast
since the storm. The men have tried hard, much of the time being in the
water and sometimes up to their armpits which is very fatiguing indeed.
When they quit at night the first division had got eleven wagons over,
the second division twelve, making twenty-three wagons after a very
hard day's labor. There was no difficulty in getting the freight over
for one man can carry it in the cutter faster than all the rest of the
camp can get the wagons over.