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In my teens, besides
girls, we discovered boats. Some of us had them, and the ones who
didn't, rode along. Buddy McClung and I had a little 8' boat built by
one of the carpenters down at the lumber yard, between Alderson and Glen
Ray. This was probably my first financial venture with another person.
Like others, we took the boat below the bridge from time to time, and
when the river was low, and we would have to get out and pull it back
up the river. We decided to wait until the river got a little higher so
we could row it up. We kept the boat tied up just below the Snack Shack
and the river got up until you couldn't see the small shoals almost
under the bridge.
Buddy, my dog Sam, and I got in the boat and started
rowing up the river, close to the north side of the bank. But the
current was too strong, the boat turned sideways and sank in a second.
Then things started to happen very fast. After the boat disappeared we
were in the water instantly. Buddy headed for the bank and climbed up. I
caught my T-shirt on an overhanging limb and was trying to rip it loose.
The water was going over my head and I remember seeing my dog
Sam paddling for his life.
I finally broke loose from the limb and swam
to the bank. My dog was carried down the river a piece and he made it
to the bank unaffected. Here we were, standing on the river bank,
soaking wet and the boat wasn't in site. We went home and changed
cloths and came back to look for the boat. We found it not too far below
the bridge with its bow sticking out of the water and pull it out. At
that point this boating wasn't up to what we thought it would be. Then
one of us suggested we would see if we could get our money back...they
did. |
