Arizona republican., 1895-08-07
Of Raising Vegetables
 on the Colorado.
They Had Capital They Wanted
 to PrOfitably Invest.
The Investment Was All Right but They Lost 1t All in the River
 Where 1t Still Remains.

A story is told of Jim Robinson and Gus Horning of this city whereby they lost their capital and had an unenviable experience on the Colorado river.
 A year ago they went to Yuma and there met with another young fellow. All three had money and the joint cap ital amounted to about $4OO. With the wealth they determined upon entering some business. About sixteen miles above Yuma on the river are several basins, or river. made land, created by the high water. The soil is rich and the boys knowing of the place thought It would be an admirable scheme to cultivate the land and raise vegeta bles.
 The plan was no sooner thought of than it WAS carried into execution. They purchased several burros and started up the river to Ehrenburg. At that place they bought couple of houses, which they tore down. The lum Der was for the purpose of erecting house on their land.
 They built raft of the lumber and when that was ompleted they next obtained large piano box. which they set up in the center of the raft. The box was filled with groceries, nails, chains and everything else they fancied they would need on their river ranch. When the day for departure came Rob. inson and Horning jumped aboard the raft and started down stream.
 The remaining man was to ride back with the burros, but all the parapher- nalia was aboard the xaft and he carried nothing but his Winchester.
 The boys on the raft at times did not make any headway for the Colorado is an cratic rIver. In places they would get hung up on a snag and at other times would travel at terrific speed and were constantly in danger of coming in contact with submerged rocks. No serious trouble was en- countered until within a few miles of their destination where the river had narrowed and the stream was swift and | treacherous. At that place point of rocks extended half way across the river. The boys noticed the dangerous locality and tried. to push the raft away from the reef but the current was per aistent and despite their efforts they bore down on the reef.
 | They managed to avoid one ugly rock but the raft was damned against an. other and the boys had barely time to jump off onto rock before the raft dis appeared from sight. A strong under current had caught the raft and held it at the bottom of the Colorado as well as all the effects that the box contained. The boys aited some time tor the raft to make an appearance but it failed to do 80 and they were painfully reminded that their $400 worth of supplies were gone and that they were not overclad with evening wearing apparel.
 Nothing remained to be done but for them to get ashore and wait for the man with the burros to come up. He shortly made his appearance and to him their tale of woe was related.
 They were miles from civilization and no supplies on hand. Nothing re- mained of their wealth but the burros and the rife but with the aid of the weapon they managed to kill game enough along the road to subsist on until they arrived at Yuma after hay. ing for several days lived on baked, cot tontail and hah no cooking utensils save an old can picked up on the road. They disposed of their burros and having de- cided that raising vegetables on the Colorado was a dismal failure they came back to Phoenix.