Lewis: April 24, 1805
High winds kept the expedition from traveling all day, with waves splashing into the small canoes and soaking some of their cargo despite the shelter of tall timber. Hunters were sent out and brought back four deer, two elk, and some young wolves of the smaller variety. Sore eyes had become a widespread complaint among the party, blamed on fine sand blown in thick clouds from the river's sandbars. The pervasive sand contaminated food, drink, and air, and Lewis suspected it had even fouled his pocket watch, which would no longer run properly.
Wednesday April 24th The wind blew so hard during the whole of this day,
that we were unable to move. notwithstanding that we were sheltered by
high timber from the effects of the wind, such was it’s violence that it
caused the waves to rise in such manner as to wet many articles in the
small canoes before they could be unloaded. we sent out some hunters who
killed 4 deer & 2 Elk, and caught some young wolves of the small kind.Soar
eyes is a common complaint among the party. I believe it origenates from
the immence quantities of sand which is driven by the wind from the
sandbars of the river in such clouds that you are unable to discover the
opposite bank of the river in many instances. the particles of this sand
are so fine and light that they are easily supported by the air, and are
carried by the wind for many miles, and at a distance exhibiting every
appearance of a collumn of thick smoke. so penitrating is this sand that
we cannot keep any article free from it; in short we are compelled to eat,
drink, and breath it very freely. my pocket watch, is out of order, she
will run only a few minutes without stoping. I can discover no radical
defect in her works, and must therefore attribute it to the sand, with
which, she seems plentifully charged, notwithstanding her cases are double
and tight.
Read this entry in modern English AI-translated
Wednesday, April 24th. The wind blew so hard during the whole of this day that we were unable to move. Even though we were sheltered by high timber from the effects of the wind, its violence was such that it caused the waves to rise in such a manner as to wet many articles in the small canoes before they could be unloaded. We sent out some hunters who killed 4 deer and 2 elk, and caught some young wolves of the small kind.
Sore eyes is a common complaint among the party. I believe it originates from the immense quantities of sand which are driven by the wind from the sandbars of the river in such clouds that you are unable to see the opposite bank of the river in many instances. The particles of this sand are so fine and light that they are easily supported by the air, and are carried by the wind for many miles, at a distance exhibiting every appearance of a column of thick smoke. So penetrating is this sand that we cannot keep any article free from it; in short, we are compelled to eat, drink, and breathe it very freely.
My pocket watch is out of order; it will run only a few minutes without stopping. I can discover no fundamental defect in its works, and must therefore attribute it to the sand, with which it seems plentifully charged, even though its cases are double and tight.
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