El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1901-01-09

that in the Semi-Open country along a
portion of the river below Preside
there were murderers. thieves. and
bandits, who would destroy any one
invading their domain by shooting
volleys at night into sleeping camps.
These stories of danger. apparently
from authentic sources, grew in mag
nitude as we neared our destination.
so that when we finally reached the
river two men who had engaged to go
upon the expedition packed out rom
sheer fright.
Many obstacles had TO be overcome
in order to undertake the journey.
Lumber for the boats, purchased at
San Antonio, was shipped one hundred
and fifty miles by rail to Del Rio,
where it was made into three strong,
1at-bottomed r~ow-boats. each thirteen
feet long and three feet wide. their
bottoms protected with longitudinal
cleatS to provide against the constant
scraping yer rocks The finished
boats were sent nearly two hundred
miles by rail to Maria. where they were
placed upon hay wagons n hauled
overland seventy-five miles due south
across h desert to the river at Pre-
sidio del Norte.
For the trip a crew of men who
could shoot as we'll as row a boat had
to be provided. By great good for
tune we secured n services of James
MacMahon, an old-time trapper. and of
Henry Ware, both of whom were from
tiersmen of great strength. Injured to
hardships. skilled with oar, and gun
and capable of unlimited endurance.
These. with my nephew Prentice Hill.
a lad of nineteen who was in for any
venture, an extra boatman. a Mexican
cook, and the writer. made a party of
six. two men to a boat
At Maria, tents and other camp lux
uries were packed n shipped back
to Marathon. We carried only pho
%tographic and surveying apparatus,
guns, ammunition. n supplies. No
personal baggage was permitted eX-
cept such as one could roll in his bed
ding. Tents may seem s%uperfluous in
the arid region, but strange to say, it
rained for five nights in succession af-
ter We disposed of them. These rains
prove a blessing, for they caused a suf-
fcient rise in the river to save us an
~incalculable amount of drudgery in
dragging boats over the shoals.
AS far as Shafter our road to Pre-
sidiC was owe grass-covered but
waterlesS plains of not unpleasing as
pect. Beyond Shafter the road sud-
denly descends from the upland gras-
sy plains to n of the horrible ocotil-
10 deserts characteristic OF the outer
basins of this portion of the Rio Gran
de valley. These basins are old allu-
vial plains. covered with gravel and
yellow adobe soils. extending far aawy
from the river in successive terraces
and reaching five hundred feet above
it. They are covered with a spiteful,
repulsive vegetation, the chief feature
of which is the ocotillo. a plant with
small green leaves on long INT slen-
der stalks that reach abov a sub
of lechugilla. cactus. sotol.
and other thorny plants. like serpents
rising from a Hindu juggler's carpet.
In this belt lies Preside del Norte. a
with a few miserable adobe
houses. opposite the older and larger |
town of Ojinaga.
Just above Preside the Rio Conchos
enters the Rio Grande from Chihua-
This is a long stream. and brings
first permanent water to the main
river. In fact. the Conchos is the
stream of the Rio Grande.
Above the mouth of the Conchos the
Rio Grande was a dry sand bed. Be-
low it was a good stream n hundred
feet wide. with a strong current. which
was to carry us along at a rate of
three miles an hour. AT this season
Of the rear the Conchos is fiooded by
summer rains that come from the
Pacific. Our plans were based upon
the assistance of one of these rises,
and we were not disappointed. Two
days after our arrival at Preside the
rose a foot. giving exactly the
desired stage of water.
At noon. October ,. 1899. we pushed
out into the river at Presidio, and
started On u long journey into the
/ do not claim to be the
only nan who has traveled the tor !
tuouS and dangerous hanne of the
stream; for one man. and one
only, James MacMahop. has made at
least three trips down the river. Mine,
however. was the first exploring expe-
iition to ass the entire length of the
and. with the exception of
was the only attempt
hat succeeded. Others like Gano and
have passed the fearful twelve
miles of the Grand Canon de Santa
The only government expe-
1ition, the International Boundary
Survey, pronounced the canons impas-
.able, n gave up the attempt to sur
vey them. except the lower hundred |
miles of the ours which Lieutenant
Micheler passed through.
MacMahOn was interested neither in |
exploration, nor travel. He |
h stream without knowl-
of its dangers, and merely be-
cause as a lifelong hunter and trap |
per. he knew that the beaver probably |
ived along its unmolested banks. !
These animals alone interested him. |
NJ a map mad by him. if he could
make such a thing, would note only
beaver banks and dangerous spots, |
or these We're all that we saw. I'm
and alone. he loaded his boat
traps, placed it in the stream, and
drifted down to Del Rio, brav-
ing a thousand dangers and making
first successful passage. This