The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-10-11
Down the Rio Grande-The Trip from Me-
siIla to Brownsville.

A party of four adventurous gentlemen
MIR. Louis Bucha, merchant; DR.. Bradshaw
dentist; Mr.. Bracket, distiller; and Mr.
Patchin, miner-arrived in this city on Sat
urday last from the town of Mesilia, i'll the
Territory of Arizona, after voyage of two
mon tbs down the Rio Grande. The party
left Mesilla on the 29th day of June last, and
have been on the river ever since, without
stopping at any place more than day un til
they arrived at Davis rancho, where they
stopped four days.
The experiment of navigating the Rio
Grande from Ell Paso, fifty miles this side of
Mesilla, has often been talked Of but no per
son has heretofore performed the hazardous
undertaking. The gentlemen who arrived
here on Saturday We're solely prompted 10
the voyage, which they have SO success
fully accom- mplished, by the desire TO do
what so many had talked of, and which was
pronounced an impossible journey. At pres
ent considerable bets are pending in Mesilla
on the result of the undertaking, and many
promises of reward Will have to be fulfilled
by the public spirited citizens of that place
towards the successful voyagers.
The party first constructed two willow ca
noes, which they lashed together and loaded
with their provisions and baggage. In the
next place, they erected about the sides of
their raft Il breastWork of hides, TO protect
them from the Indians, who We're the first
danger of which they were warned. Thus
fitted out, the party started upon their novel
trip. They hoated along with the current,
using the paddles but little, and directing the
NOuIse VI Llcli ldlt Will d lhcN
travelled during the day cnly, always max
ing fast to the shore and camping on terra
frma at night to avoid accidents in the river
The Rio Grande did not treat the party
xoughly until they came within sixty miles of
Eagle Pass, where, i'll descending the falls III
the river, the raft upset. The water was not
sufficiently deep, however, TO swamp their
baggage, consequently they soon rtghted
themselves at that place. A short distance
this side of Laredo, the raft capsized and in
descending some falls but without loss. At
what Is known as the Ten Foot Fails, near
Roma, the raft capsiZed. for the thlsu time,
and the party lost all their baggage, and DR..
bradshaw lost valuable set OF dental in
strulnents. These falls are commonly under
stood 10 lie a solitary fall, where the river
precipita ties itself over IA shelf ten feet high !;
but MIR. Bucha cOrrcctS this report, and says
that there ere three falls at THAI point, two Of
which are ten feet high, and one of which
Il only five feet.
1t is the i'm preston of the gentlemen com
posing the above party, that it viii never be
praetica ole 10 navigate the Rio q Grande above
the Ten Foot Falls rs the current of the
river is not oA,y very strong but the depth
OF water is very inconsiderable, and the bed
of the river is interrupted by frequent falls
and ledges of rocks which no rise of water
viii suffice TO overcome.
The impression which widely obtains that
there is point in the Rio Grande, above
Laredo ana below Eagle Pass, where the
river entirely disappears under the noun
tlns, IS incorrect, and the gentleman with
whom we conyersed accounts for il thus -
One or two parties have started from I'll Paso
To escen0 the Rio Grande, but they have all
failed at "A point below Eagle Pass, where
the mountains approach up TO the waters
edge, and where the bed Of the stream is very
rugged and the current very swift At
this point all other expeditions have
failed, and from the place where their boats
eapsized looking down the stream to
where the cliffs beetle over the stream which
makes a sudden bend, the appearance of the
.,<1in hxf
cliffs oyeriapped the river and forces the Rio
Grande to ma ke its way under the overhang-
ing mountains. But this is found to be de-
lusion in descending the river, as the stream
rough and muddy course between Instead of
under the mountains.
Wild game--such rs deer, turkeys, rabbits,
and birds abound Oh the river, aud even II