Arizona weekly miner., 1874-12-24
THE COLORADO RITER.

Our only navigable river, the great Colo rado of the West, the waters of which wash the Western edge of our Territory, for dis tance of 700 miles, and which divides Ari- pDna from Nevada and California, has been of immense service to all citizens of this Southwestern land, and would be of far more service if Congress would do half as much for its improvement as it has done for other rivers.
 It is now 21 years since the establish lishment, by our Government, of Fort Yuma and h of Mohave. The first fort being nearly opposite the mouth of the Gila and about lS0 miles above the head of the Gulf of California; the latter, 375 miles above Yuma These forts had to be supplied from San Francisco, and this fact gave reasons for sstocking" the Colorado with steamboats, which was soon after done by Messrs. John son, Wilcox and others. From this small beginning grew the Colorado Navigation Company of the present day,-an institution that has done we'll for itself and for the Ter ritory of Arizona, and which now owns and employs two ocean steamships, eight or ten river steamboats and numerous barges, and employ hundreds of men.
 uC luli iS oh lhS OSN"' route. between San Francisco and the mouth ot the Colorado,-a distance of 1,S00, or, as some say, 2,0OO miles. They are, we learn, first-class ships, in every respect, having good accommodations for passengers and freight
 The river boats have also good accommo- datons; but better class of boats might easily be created and run upon the Colorado if Government would spend some money in improving the navigation thereof.
 Prescott is, by almost any travelled road, 1S0 or 200 miles east of the Colorado; yet Prescott pcople-yes, two-thirds of the Americans of Arizona look to the Colorado river as the greatest and best ligament, If we may so express ourself, connecting the Territory with California. True, some Ari- zonans think they have a better and cheaper freight route through the Mexican State of Sonora but we doubt 1t and wonder why said Arzonans should so far forget their duty to the Territory as to throw off on it and waste their freight-money, etc, in foreign land. We hope all such Arizonans will soon see their folly in this particular, and at once take steps to build up their own Territory. They will, We think, find the Colorado Nav igation Company fully alive to the impor- tance of winning back lost trade, and we know that the citizens of Yuma City, of Maricopa Wells, of Florence and all other places on the road from Yuma to Tucson will be but too glad to offer greater inducements than ever before to merchants who have been in the habit of patronizing Sonora. In this way, the towns of Yuma and Tucson will mutually aid each other and cause good times for people living on and near the old Overland road.
 Prescott, the largest town north of the Gila river; Phoenix, the next largest, and all other towns and settlements in northern Arizona have always received the bulk of their supplies on the banks of the Colorado, from the Navigation Company, and their citizens take just pride in knowing that the citizens of Yuma, Ehrenberg and other towns on the Colorado have been benefited by their trade. Thfy find some fault with the Navigation Company; but they know that the Company are the surest, most careful and, in many respects. the cheapest public carriers on the Pacific coast. Again, they look forward to the day that will see the valley of the Colorado as thickly peopled as the valley of the Mississippi; and so they would hail win delight the passage of Mr. McCormick's bill, for making secure against the waters of the river costly government buildings now at Yuma City; also, a bill for the improvement of the navigation of the mighty Colorado.