Journals of the
Lewis & Clark Expedition

[Lewis]

The morning was foggy but bing informed by my pilot that we had good water for several miles I ventured to set out before the fog disappeared; came on seven miles to the old Town Bar, ^[1] which being a handsome clean place for the purpose I determined to spend the day and to open & dry my goods which I had found were wet by the rain on the 15th notwithstanding I had them secured with my oilcloths and a common-tent which I had as well as it was possible and the canoes frequently bailed in the course of the day and night    I found on opening the goods that many of the articles were much Injured; particularly the articles of iron, which wer rusted very much    my guns, tomehawks, & knives were of this class; I caused them to be oiled and exposed to the sun    the clothing of every discription also was opened and aired, we busily employed in this business all hands, from ten in the morning untill sun seting, when I caused the canoes to be reloaded, having taken the precaution to put up all the articles that would addmitt of that mode of packing to be put in baggs of oil-cloth which I had provided for that purpose and again returned to their severale casks, trunks, and boxes—

my bisquit was much injurd    I had it picked and put up in these baggs—this work kept so busy that I ate not any thing untill after dark, being determined to have every thing in readiness for an early start in the morning; the evening was calm tho' the wind had blown extreemly hard up the river all day—    It is somewhat remarkable that the wind on this river, from much observation of my own, and the concurrent observation of those who inhabit it's banks, blows or sets up agains it's courent four days out of five during the course of the whole year; it will readily be concieved how much this circumstance will aid the navigation of the river—   when the Ohio is in it's present low state, between the riffles and in many places for several miles together there is no preseptable courent, the whole surface being perfectly dead or taking the direction only which the wind may chance to give it, this makes the passage down this stream more difficult than would at first view be immageoned, when it is remembered also that the wind so frequently sets up the river the way the traveler makes in descending therefore is by the dint of hard rowing—or force of the oar or pole.