The Arizona sentinel. [volume] (Arizona City [Yuma], Yuma County, A.T. [Ariz.]) 1872-1911, 1894-12-22
A Ten Days Trip Down the
Colorado River,

| VIC Ouu VI OdIllOIllId Will d party
of Los Angeles sportsmen.
The members of the party were
Judge J. D. BicknelI, DR.. F. T.
Bicknell, Jas. Gunner, J. Reese.
Lleewllyn, Jr., J. E. jackson. T.
S. Van Dyke, D. Horrigan, J. H.
Stevenson of Chicago, E. H. Show
ers of San Bernardino, N. R. Fol,
som and III. Spence. The object
of the party was hunting and fish
Ing.
The following article appeared
in last Mondays Los Angeles
Herald:
The vessel pulled out from the
wharf during the drizzling rain
with a heavy mist overhanging
the water and obscuring view of
the shore. The second morning
out there were bright skies and
magnificent panorama was spread
out in view, the coast range of
mountains, the tops of which were
tipped with snow, forming a pict-
uresque background.
The shore line is made up of
sand and gravel, debris from the
river bottom and the result of the
wash of floods. Innumerable la
goons cut into the banks and
these swarm with wild fowl of
every description.
Frequent stops were made and
the voyagers donned rubb er boots
and hunting coats and went in
search of sport. AS the first boat
entered the lagoon a flock of geese
that darkened the sky took wing.
There was no need of taking aim,
all that was necessary was to point
a gun skyward and fire. 1t was
slaughte. of the birds. In addi-
tion 10 geese there were countless
thousands Of ducks, white pelicans,
sand hill cranes, etc. In fact, to
use the expression Of one of the
gentlement, the lagoons along the
river are hunters paradise. There
is every conceivable kind of wild |
game, but nothing in the shape of |
animals, except wild hogs, and |
they are cowardly and will not
show fight even when cornered. |
No attention was paid to these by |
the hunters.
In the way of fish, the party
found great sport in chasing and |
turtles. Some of them
are large enough to harness and
drive, and Messrs. Folsom and
were chief engineers in
the capture of two of the largest
species, one weighing 400 pounds
and the other 200 pounds. Green
turtle soup and turtle steaks form
ed a pleasant addition to the menu
during the next few days.
CLAIMS by the barrelful were pro-
cured from the Indians, and if the
epicurean tastes of many of the
excursionists can be relied upon,
the Lower Colorado river clam ex-
cells its brothers of other localities.
AS the steamer nears the mouth,
the river widens considerably, but
the channel is constantly shifting.
This is due to the excessive high
tides, or as they are called, bouers,
which reach height of 20 feet at
some seasons of the year. These
tides, with the floods or spring
freshets have banked the stream
in with solid walls of mud and
sand, ard in some places they stand
out, where cut into by lagoons, like
outtes.
Entering the gulf the steamer
plowed her way down 70 within
sight of Sail Rock, a huge white
boulder which stands out of the
water with an elevation of about 80
feet, and seen at a distance of 10 or
II miles resembles fullrigged ship
under sail. It was proposed at
first to visit Tiburou island, where
and a companion of the
Examiner exploring launch were
killed and eaten by the natives.
the Mohave party feared
a similar fate or whether the dis
tance was too great matters not
The Island was not visited. After
south in the gulf for abJn.
60 miles the steamer was put about
and the party headed home.
The return trip, with the excep-
ton of two days during which it
splendid weather was en-