rock men removed some of the larger obstructions from the steamboat channel here and at other Fraser rapids. Although not limited to the canyon, 80 were reported drowned prior to the river freezing in 1912. That winter, hundreds of horse teams hauled freight to the canyon. Railway advancing Following the 1913 thaw, wrecks and drownings continued despite the improved river flow. During the spring high water, a whirlpool sucked down and destroyed a FW&S scow carrying a mile of steel cable, a hoisting boiler, and steel rails, but the crew reached shore safely. When a J.M. Olsen & Co. scow struck a rock, the impact sent Mike Johnson overboard and knocked the steersman unconscious. Sucked under, Johnson, a strong swimmer, managed to reboard. Clearing the canyon, they completed the journey without further mishap. On its first round trip for the season, the sternwheeler B.C. Express required three lines to navigate the canyon going upriver, but when returning ran the canyon untethered and without difficulty. This steamer carried the mail between Fort George and Tête Jaune, the only vessel offering a scheduled service. From June, an onsite police constable ensured each scow doubled its crew to eight men and offloaded for portaging any cargo in excess of 15 tons. Large warning signs were placed above the canyon at this time. FW&S stationed a boat in the lake for rescuing survivors from upper canyon mishaps. Of the 12 drownings reported for the period to early August, the only body recovered was at Mile 176, three miles below the canyon. From August, the low-level rail bridge erected at Dome Creek blocked steamer traffic, ending an era. Charles S. Sager operated a barber shop/bathhouse on a good-sized scow from September 1913, prior to establishing a bathhouse in Prince George in early 1915. Later years Around 1911, all drowned from a raft carrying about 20 Chinese. During summer 1936, an inexperienced adventurer in an inflatable canoe survived the rapids. In 1937, a capsizing canoe almost resulted in drownings below the canyon. From the 1920s to the 1960s, sawmills drove logs through the canyon. Ray Mueller of Longworth was one of the most experienced canyon users. In 1966, he blasted the top off Green's Rock. In 1961, a helicopter carrying three people struck an unmarked cable and plummeted into the river, with one fatality. Up to 200 people are believed drowned over the years. Some scenes