Arizona weekly miner., 1874-01-23
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rs. lFrom ,Wcdbvssay's no,,Y) .-..
 Mr A. J. Finlay, th. gsndensnly trer ai the Colorado Steam Nav .gatl0n Compe hss kindly furnished us the foliO sing:
 First freight was lowed up fToru thc 0 go of river to Yuma in 1850; lighters and ''a were employed to transport the cargC. " were towed up by hand along the bank of D.. river, canal fashion. Indians and white m employed The first steamer was put on the river in 1852. It was a small side. heeler called the General Jessup," of very limited power.
 It was at first thought impossible to trans port freight on tue ryer in barges lowed by steamers, owing to the strong currents, shift ing channels and sudden shosling in parts, and particularly at certain seasons of the year. Experiments, however, demonstrated the ial' acy of this belief, and iu 1884 the first freights were transported in barges lowed by power tu, light drsught steamers. Until 1862, the transporting of freights from San Francisco to the mouth of the river by sailing vessels was conducted very irreRu- | larly---intervals between the arrival of vessels were sometimes of three, four and five months daration. With and after '62, the sailing yes sells, up to time of putting on steamer at the mouth of the river, have averaged thirty day trips.
 The steamship Newborn was the first reg ular steam communication between San Fran cisco and the mouth of the river. She started on her first voyage from San Francisco to the mouth Of the river, July lst, 1871, and left the mouth of the river on the return trip of her twenty-third voyage, November 29th, 1873. During the time she has been running, no accident has occurred to her. Her trips have averaged ten days, up to her twenty. second trip, when, commencing 10 stop at Mexican ports, her trips are heightened by two days. Her Captain is, at present, Wm. Metzger.
 The steamship Montana was put on be- tween San Francisco and the mouth of the river last year. She started on her first voy- age from San Francisco October 25, 1875. Her Captain is X. N. McDonnough.
 These steamers will make regular twenty day trips, touching at Mexican ports both ways.
 The boats at the present time running on the river arc:
 Steamer Cocopah, built in 1867, of 23l 37 tons measurement. Capt J. A. Mellon.
 Steamer Colorado, built in 1869, of l7s.59 tons measurement. Capt Wm. Poole.
 Steamer Mojave, built in 1886, of l92,6l tons measurement. Capt L. Thorn.
 Steamer Gila, built in 1872 of 236.47 tons measurement. Capt A. D. Johnston.
 The bsrges are: No. l, built in 1865, of lO6.93 tons measurement. No. ?, built in 1866, 125.63 tons measurement. No. 3, built in 1867, l36F tons measurement. No. l, built in 1872, lS5.l7 tons measurement Black Crook, built in 1866, 3l.46 tons meas urement.
 Number of men employed ou the river and at their river agencies, about 40.
 About 7OO tons of freight are brought monthly to the mouth of the river.
 The Company's main office is at 40 Front street, San Francisco, Cal, in charge of Ed ward Norton.
 They have . river agency at Port Isabel slough, about ten miles down the Gulf of California. Here they have their machine shops, drydock, carpenter shop, &c. Agency is in charge of Benj. F. Williams.
 The Yuma agency is the point from which up the river way freights start, and the poiu, for receiving of Tucson and other interio, freights. Agency in charge of A. J. Finlay
 The Ehrenberg agency has supervisor oI the river above, and is the point for the re. ceiving of Prescott and other freigh,s. Ten. porarily in charge of P. M Fisher.
 Capt l. Polhamus, Jr., acts as General Su- perintendent on the river, supervising the movements of the boats and the general con. duct of the agents and other employes With him lies the appointing power on the river.
 The pioneers of the Company were: B. NJ. Hartshorne, A. H. Wilcox, Geo. A. John. son. The two last named ran boats on the river for some time.
 The Company was known as Geo. A. John. son & Co. till 1871, when they incorporated under the name of the Colorado Steam Nav. igation Company, the name which they now bear.