Lewis: August 6, 1805

Tuesday August 6th 1805. We set out this morning very early on our return
to the forks. having nothing to eat I set Drewyer to the woodlands to my
left in order to kill a deer, sent Sergt. Gass to the right with orders to
keep sufficiently near to discover Capt. C. and the party should they be
on their way up that stream, and with Sharbono I directed my course to the
main forks through the bottom directing the others to meet us there. about
five miles above the forks I head the hooping of the party to my left and
changed my rout towards them; on my arrival found that they had taken the
rapid fork and learnt from Capt. Clark that he had not found the note
which I had left for him at that place and the reasons which had induced
him to ascend this stream. it was easeist & more in our direction, and
apd. to contain as much water he had hoever previously to my comeing up
with him, met Drewyer who informed him of the state of the two rivers and
was on his return. one of their canoes had just overset and all the
baggage wet, the medecine box among other articles and several articles
lost a shot pouch and horn with all the implements for one rifle lost and
never recovered. I walked down to the point where I waited their return.
on their arrival found that two other canoes had filled with water and wet
their cargoes completely. Whitehouse had been thrown out of one of the
canoes as she swing in a rapid current and the canoe had rubed him and
pressed him to the bottom as she passed over him and had the water been 2
inches shallower must inevitably have crushed him to death. our parched
meal, corn, Indian preasents, and a great part of our most valuable stores
were wet and much damaged on this ocasion. to examine, dry and arrange our
stores was the first object; we therefore passed over to the lard. side
opposite to the entrance of the rapid fork where there was a large gravly
bar that answered our purposes; wood was also convenient and plenty. here
we fixed our camp, and unloaded all our canoes and opened and exposed to
dry such articles as had been wet. a part of the load of each canoe
consisted of the leaden canestirs of powder which were not in least
injured, tho some of them had remained upwards of an hour under water.
about 20 lbs. of powder which we had in a tight Keg or at least one which
we thought sufficiently so got wet and intirely spoiled. this would have
been the case with the other had it not have been for the expedient which
I had fallen on of securing the powder by means of the lead having the
latter formed into canesters which were filled with the necessary
proportion of poder to discharge the lead when used, and those canesters
well secured with corks and wax. in this country the air is so pure and
dry that any vessel however well seasoned the timber may be will give way
or shrink unless it is kept full of some liquid. we found that three deer
skins which we had left at a considerable hight on a tree were taken off
which we supposed had been done by a panther. we sent out some men to hunt
this evening, they killed 3 deer and four Elk which gave us a plentifull
supply of meat once more. Shannon had been dispatched up the rapid fork
this morning to hunt, by Capt Clark before he met with Drewyer or learnt
his mistake in the rivers. when he returned he sent Drewyer in surch of
him, but he rejoined us this evening and reported that he had been several
miles up the river and could find nothing of him. we had the trumpet
sounded and fired several guns but he did not join us this evening. I am
fearful he is lost again. this is the same man who was seperated from us
15 days as we came up the Missouri and subsisted 9 days of that time on
grapes only. Whitehouse is in much pain this evening with the injury one
of his legs sustained from the canoe today at the time it upset and swing
over him. Capt Clarks ankle is also very painfull to him.we should
have given the party a days rest some where near this place had not this
accedent happened, as I had determined to take some observations to fix
the Latitude and longitude of these forks. our merchandize medecine &c
are not sufficiently dry this evening we covered them securely for the
evening. Capt Clark had ascended the river about 9 miles from this place
on a course of S 30° W. before he met with Drewyer.

we beleive that the N. W. or rapid fork is the dane of the melting snows
of the mountains, and that it is not as long as the middle fork and dose
not at all seasons of the year supply any thing like as much water as the
other and that about this season it rises to it’s greatest hight. this
last appears from the apparent bed of the river which is now overflown and
the water in many plases spreads through old channels which have their
bottoms covered with grass that has grown this season and is such as
appears on the parts of the bottom not innundated. we therefore determined
that the middle fork was that which ought of right to bear the name we had
given to the lower portion or River Jefferson and called the bold rapid an
clear stream Wisdom, and the more mild and placid one which flows in from
the S. E. Philanthrophy, in commemoration of two of those cardinal
virtues, which have so eminently marked that deservedly selibrated
character through life.