New-York tribune., 1906-04-15

nel-neglected. deserted. forgotten by the water
which indirerently flowed in a new and strange
path.
A mile below this point we reached the busy
and bustling camp Of the lower intake with store
bakery. large dining tents, doctors office steam
engines. pile drivers. centrifugal suction pumps
electric light plants all revealing the great activity
end determined pressure Of the work All the men
that can possibly be used working day and
night on the construction OF the permanent head
gate being built in the Golfer dam.
Here Indians Joined for the main part
OF the trip. Talk about Indians being fools! That
white man is the worst kind OF who took
either Of these dusky brothers for fools. They were
both keen. observing. wide awake. daring serene
in the face or danger, self-contained and hard
working. There's many white man who would
look down these "sayagcs" who could not begin
to compare with them in intelligence and practical
usefulness
Leaving the lower intake IN three boats with six
whites and these two Indians we started down the
Alamo-as the canal should properly he termed
For the first ten miles IL was plain easy smooth
floating the bosom Of a great river for as
have shown. all the water Of the Colorado was
pouring through the temporary cut into II. The
great volume had widened and deepened tho chan
mel until now It YVES no longer canal" but
mighty river. nearly 900 feet across
AT the end Of this ten miles our troubles began
as we had been warned we found the river left It's
bed and overfowed the country in every direction
IN all OF which was mesquite forest. Reader. do
you know what a mesquite is? Its proper
should be ''mescratch" If you within
Ieet OF one IL verify seems 20 reach out for you
snd scratch you somewhere Imagine your thOrn-
est rose bush multiplied by fifty and all concen-
uated and condensed into with thorns
much longer far more pointed and with poison
lurking on the end OF them. We were not familiar
enough with he'll 70 assert the truth OF the
ment that this hell boiled down. but be-
fore that day was over sure It was some
th'nG awful and very concentrated. For as the
diminished current bore we ran end on. stern
was in the front boat in the bow seeking the way
As the stream divided and subdvided It required
speedy observation 10 tell which was the larger
current and follow IT, and jim and kept
well busy. There was time given for decision.
for we were borne on into OF the waiting, dew
ish trees. ready 10 pierce US from stem 10 stern
with its poisonous thorns. I learned 10 take
them head On rs goat takes it's foes. Pulling my
broad-orimmed soTnbrero over my ears lifting my
coat collar and lowering my head I 'butted in"
But the fun came when stuck there Fun? on,
Il was great. TO find yourself lodged IN the heart
OF the branches OF a mesquite tho thorns making
fresh punctures IN your tires at every movement
and the uneasy current beneath svav.ng and
swinging you 20 ana fro. Many a time We had 10
resort 10 machete. hatchet or axe and literally
chop our way through. Then. the many divisions
and diversions OF the current reduced the flow OF
water. we ran TO sand bars in these rnesquites
and for hours az a time had wade IN the water
up TO our knees and higher. lifting. pushing pull