The Arizona sentinel., 1878-09-28
The Arizona Fleet.

the only merchant marine 10
| which the Territory CAN lay claim.
| Twelve of them were built on
this river, down near its mouth,
except the present, or No. 2, Col
OradO, which was built at Yuma,
during the rebellion, for fear Of
Confederate cruisers coming. up
the Gulf of Cortez. These twelve
were the Geii Jessupj a. side
wheeler; the Colorado no. L; the
COcopah No. 1: the Colorado No.
2; Barge No. 1, the Mohave No. 1;
B arges Nos. z and 3; the Coco
pah No. 2; Barge No. 4; the ella;
and the present Mohave No. 2.
Besides these the company at
different times bought the Ex-
plorer, the Esmeralda, the Nina
Tilden, the Barges Black Crook,
White Fawn and Pumpkin-Seed,
and the four-masted schooner Vic=
tOria. The Jessup was the first
steamboat that ever went up the
river to Hardyville; the Explorer,
a little iron stern-wheeler, in
Lieut.. Ives exploring expedition,
was the second; they met near
where the Picacho quartz mill is
as the Jessup was coming back.
When the Jessup was condemned
her machinery was sent to San
Francisco; her hull was fOated
into Minturn Slough, where it
probably lies yet. The Explorer
got unmanageable as she was
coming out of the Gila river with
ten cords of Wocd in 1864; she
drifted past Yuma and got nearly
to Pilot Knob before she was
pulled up and made fast to the
bank. A little later the bank
caved in, carrying away the tree
to which the Explorer was tied,
and she fiOdted down the river.
She was tOwed into a slough about |
eight miles below Soldiers Camp. I
Subsequent changes in the chan |
mel of the river have left her
away out in the woods, high and
dry, and with great trees. one !
and two feet thick, growing all !
around her. The machinery Of |
Colorado No. was put into Colo !
RADIO No. ., and her hull stranded !
down by the Gridiron. The Co
copah No. ] was hauled out on
the bank at the ship-yard, near |
the mouth of the river, and "a
warehouse was built on her, which |
burned up. Her ma
chinery was sent to San Francisco
and put aboard the Hattie Flick
EFT; George Wellington ran it
there for two years. The Colo
RADIO No. 3 is still in commission,
though now moored below the
Quartermaster's depot, and sell
dom used. Barges l, 2, 3 and 4,
are all in use. The MOhave No.
l was hauled out at the ship-yard,
at right-angles to the COcOpah.
Her machinery was put aboard
the Onward, q Stern-Wheeeler,
now running between San Fran
cisco and Stockton; she is a boat
100 feet long, or five feet longer
than the present MOhave. The
COcopah No. 2, the Gila, and the
Mohave No. 2, are now running
on the river. This last boat was
for a long time known as Struc-
ture No. H." from the fact that
she was got out at San Francisco ,
and shipped piece-meal down to
the mouth of the river; her future
name not having been deter
her pieces were marked ]
No. II, though, in fact,
she was Structure No. II. The
Black Crook was the first barge {
to bring freight to Yuma. She !
was 128 feet long and 2Sfeet beam. '
She was built at the mouth of the
river, IN just nineteen days, by {
Charley Overman, Charley Tyson, I
Jack Mellon, and two others. t
She was not built in California i
md shipped down here to be put
but she was built right .
)ut Of the lumber pile. Quick S
work. She has been hauled out
iown at Port Ysabel. The White S
Fawn was built in 1864, and i
in 1867. She Is the ]
gharf-boat down at Port Ysabel. /
81 4