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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuck Finns of the Brazos]WGiern Huck Finns To Drift Down The Brazos By BOB STEWART Shads of Huckleberry Finn! Seven spring graduates of A &111 Consolidated High School take to the Brazos River early Sunday morning in an attempt to reach the Gulf Coast port of Freeport via water. Bearing the impressive title Of 'The Lord Invader and the Seven Penetrators," the boat to be used in the nautical jaunt is J a surplus 10 -man army landing craft purchased for $85-- chgaper by $365 than the raft's original prsce. CASTING OFF at the crack of • dawn Sunday will be Steve Parker of 81141 Hereford. Kelly Parker of 311 Walton, Hen Jack- son of 301 Francis, Virden Smith of 1212 Winding Road, Dee Smith of 1004 Ashburn, Joel Stilts of 500 Gilchrist and Fred Brison of 802 Dexter, All the boys are 1S with th. exception 're 13�';Q!EL'YWsRltiwevx:sc.. ;:,star <�s.•.3+ of Virden who is a year older. The advenwrers, who admit they aro making the trip "for kicks," say tide will be the first time for such a craft to snake a try at cxt»sing down the Brazos. The 8 by 13 foot rubber craft will Barry about a ton, includ- ing the boys, their food and equlppMmt. Some of the difficul- ties they expect to encounter will be shooting the Hidalgo Falls between ldiilican and Nay. viols and getting through the Navasota locks. THE LOCKS, built to make the Brazos navigable, will serve just the oyposite effect as the College Station youths will have to deflate their craft and h aul overland past the locks. They do not contemplate much diffi- culty in this since the dense: d raft will weigh only about 450 pounds. The way for the trip, which had been iu the thinking stage for only a couple of weeks, was cleared Friday when a local boat and motor deatcr provided them with a 15 horsepower Mary 15 -A Mercury outboard motor. The motor, one of the largest put out, should give the flat- bottom- ed boat enough power to cope with the Brazos' tricky currents, say the boys. WHAT DO THE boys' pta'- ents think about the adventure? "They're a1i for it," say the modern Huckleberry Finns. They plan to call their parents every night each of the five to seven days which will be re- quired.to navigate the 284 miles. And do they intend to tura 1 around and come up rive against the current when they get to Freeport? No thanks, they say, They will deflate the boat, toss it in a trailer or truck and ;. come home by highway. 3 The original "Seven Penetrators" pose on a spring evening in the year 2000, shortly before venturing toward the back rooms of "T -Bone Jones," to drink beer, eat salads, and reminisce about great conquests and pleasures long past. Inevitably, memories turn to their greatest adventure: the 1960 Brazos River trip aboard "Lord Invader "! The "Lord Invader" landing craft, fully inflated and rigged, in preparation for the trip down the Brazos River. "Lord Invader" on the way to being launched in the Brazos River. With the help of friends and family, the fearless crew loads up for the trip. "Lord Invader," loaded and ready The newspaper reporters were out in force that fateful morning to watch the "Seven Penetrators" embark. Their every move was eagerly reported by the journalists (as can be seen in this ancient photo)! NEA Foaturss BRYAN. TEXAS, MONDAY. MAY 30. 1900 ANCHORS AWZIGH — "The Lord Invader and the Seven Penetrators" Outs its maiden voyage down the Brasos Hives _ Freeport about $ AM Sunday from Kopp* Bridge. Despite the craft's impressive name, :f is s rather unglamorous Army .; plus 10•mon landing raft. The young men. down here getting under way. were reported to be pies ? veiota at 3 PM Sund, Ail the boys are spring graduates of A&M Consolidated and Admit they ue making the 2$4-mile trip "for kicks." The , venturers ass Steve Parker, Kelly Parker. Ban Jackson. Virden Smith. Dee Smith. Joel Mins end Fred Srison. Mr Photo by Gene Donnie) u taiiiiaru.1..,, WIWI o FI6 11...IN OMAll 1 I. ,uii.W,l LG :ri +rd :''n=-. Xi. ..+.x.... ...m......r ■._.. ..• ...®.....P r....._ One last "photo op" for the journalists before the adventurers strike out for the unknown... After the deafening roar of the crowd dies down there is nothing to be heard but the ominous rush of the river, and the expedition fades off into the distance... The Seven Penetrators are jubilant as Lord Invader's huge 15 horse outboard motor is throttled up to maximum power. The more adventurous newspaper reporters tried their best to keep up with the mission. ,r The Seven Penetrators aboard the landing craft Lord Invader were reported to have spent last night in the Belleville vi- ` :: cimity on the Brazos River, r ; about 100 miles downstream. had encountered no trou- ble, and were ahead of sched- ule. Sunday we changed the sex of ft the landing craft in which those College Sation boys are float- ink down the Brazos. . . or at least of the motor. . . from Mark to Mary. . . the. boat it- 1 self is bound to be feminine... all water borne craft are. . we learned that In the Navy. After a hard day on the river, it was good to find such a lush campsite! Joel prepares to fix one of the many gourmet meals we had on the trip. The newspaper reporters were right there on the job -- keeping our public informed! 7 Drifting Down Brazos =To Freeport a COLLEGE STATION — Seven graduates of A and M Conson- .dated high School, just out of school. are drifting down the x Brazos River hike modem-day, - Huckleberry Finns. They shoved off from ahorel !sear here early Sunday morning! -and hope to end their trip at Freeport where the river empties =into the Gulf of Mexico. It is 381; river-miles from here. "!heir craft, impressively titled! "The Lund Invader and they - Seven Penetrators," Is a surplus -army landing craft purchased for o mere $35. The boys are Sieve Parker, ;Keay Parker trio relation), Ben jJachaon. Vire.'n Smith, fare pith inn ,relation) Joel Mills ' Fred Bytom. All are I8! 'except lharea void Virden. - The rubber inflatable raft 15 equipped with a 15 . .. outboard motor which. the boys figure, will allow them to drat .with Use tricky currents of the 13raxoe River. Despite the powerful motor, the boys do not intend to come up the river against the current They will just let the air out of r their boat. toss kin a truck and cams bons by highway. Even with Lord Invader's top cover, on those days with no wind and a merciless sun, it was HOT. If you're tired enough, anything is a pillow! No, Fred, Kelly and Ben aren't dead. They just look like it. Every perilous mission has it's setbacks, but our support came through! `Huck Finns' Hit A Snag in The Brazos College Station 's modern "Huck Finn" hit a snag In their i 284 -mile trip down the Brazos River Tuesday in more ways than one. The adventurers, who are Steve Parker. Kt iv Parker, Ben Jackson, Virden Smith, Joel Mills, and Fred Benson, have completed almost three - fourths of their tourney and are now tied up in Rosenberg. Tuesday their Army surplus I0 -man landing craft ca 1 1 . ' d., "Tha Lord Invader and the Sev- en Penetrators" ran into troub;e. The craft's engine hit a sub- merged log end suffered consid- erable damage. The motor was brought to Bryan for repairs and was on its way buck to Rosenberg this morning. I Rosenberg is only 61 miles by road from their destination -- Freeport — but the twisting and winding of the Brazos River { may stretch their journey to 100 miles. Dee Smith, who started with the crew, dropped out yesterday to join his family on a trip. In some places it was so shallow we could walk! Aiwidawamegam mat, ` P enetrators' Are Due At Freeport Today The six College Station youth besting down the Brazos River - to Freeport are scheduled to wind up their journey todey ;and be back home tonight, - Parents of the A&M Consols - dated High School graduals, -said they received • cats Thurs• day night saying the adventur- _ _ ers were in West Columbia sad expected to reach the Gulf to- day. They will drive down and pick their sons up tonight tf 'they make Freeport on sched& 3 ule, 3 The protect, dubbed "The Lord Invader and the Seven Penetrators." was a post - grades uation excursion down the riv. cr aboard a 10-men Army land' ireg raft, the first time such a craft has road* the journey. Army 44111411174tArt Are we there yet? Looks like Larry is ready to start dinner... Mission Success!! `Lord Invader' Crew Is Home After Excursion Members of an expedition which navigated the Brazos `_; River from Bryan to Freeport aboard an Army surplus land - ing raft were back home in Col - si lege Station Saturday night. Except for temporary difficul- ty when the boat's ,motor struck a submerged log, the trip was uneventful. The trip aboard ``The Lord Invader and the Seven Pene- trators" was a graduation ex- cursion following the lads A&M Consolidated High School cora roencement. The photographers went "all out" with this color portrait of the surviving crew member! Here the fearless band of Brazos River adventurers pose for the photographers, again, some 40 years and about a million river miles later... Hmmmm... "A more perfect world "... (according to Virden)