Weekly Arizona journal-miner., 1907-09-04
PRESCOTT MINERS TO RUN CAN.
 TON.

and the desire for gold, three expert enced miners of the west, one n we'll known Prescott mining man, will start on one of the most perilous explora- tion trips ever undertaken in America, that of braving the untold and un. known dangers of the Grand Canyon of the Colorado.
 These vcnturcsome spirits of the western world, Bert Lopcr of Gold6cld, New, and Prescott, Ariz., Ed. Monett of Goldfeld ,and Charles Russell of this city, will begin their dangerous trip, in specially constructed boats and equip. ment, at Green River, Utah, today, if their plans do not miscarry and will journey through the Canyon distance of about 2l7 miles, the exploration trip 10 end at "Thc Necdles.'
 Mir. Russell, who left here some three months ago, at which time he gave the full details of his intended trip Co Journal Miner representative, stated that Mir. Lopcr originated the idea of the trip over thirteen years ago, but had never undertaken it until the pres. cnt time, owing to his inability to find companions sufficiently brave and ad. vcnturous to undertake the trip with nim. Mir. Russell stated the party ex. pected to prove or disprove the reports that the Canyon contains valuable min eral deposits of fabulous richness. It is also reported that the Canyon cuts through immense lodges of every known mineral and if this is true the cxplor. CTS can be expected to locate some of the most valuable mineral claims yet found by man.
 Several attempts to run the Canyon have been made in the past, and all have virtually ended in disaster. In 1867, James White made the first trip through the Canyon, being accompanied by companion, who was killed. cn route, by Indians. More dead than alive White was rescued from the Canyon by Callville, Cal, inhabitants. As soon as he recovered his strength he, disappeared and was never heard from again. It is thought the hardships he endured unbalanced his mind.
 Two years later, in 1869, J. W. Powell organized an expedition to explore the Canyon. The party consisted of twelve men and four boats. Three of thom became disheartened at the hardships and left the party, starting bomoward overland. They were never heard from and it is supposed they were killed by Indians. The other members of the party continued on 10 the mouth of the Colorado river, where the expedition disbanded. In 1872 Powell organized another party for the U. s. geological survey. The trip was made in two years, but before the party reached the Gulf of California it was met by n sec. ond party under Lieutenant Wheeler of the U. s. army, who was preparing war maps, and the journey was aband- oned about fifty miles from the mouth of the river
 Another attempt was made to cx- plore the Canyon by party under tho leadership of Feb Brown of Denver. Before the trip was fairly started, Brown was drowned. The following year Browns chief engineer, n Mir, stanton, organized another expedition, and traversed the greater portion of tho route, seeking n survey for a railroad. He made the trip successfully, and maintains that n railroad through the Canyon is practicable.
 Previous to these expeditions, and in the interim, others have tried to ex. plorc the Canyon. Some have never since been heard from, and others have abandoned the project before com. pleting the trip.
 The party which MT. Russell will accompany will be equipped with three steel boats, first class placer mining | outfit, mining tools and chemicals for assaying. Each of the boats will have
 five compartments, four air.tight and one open. They win be covered with sheet steel. In their placer mining they will use an amalgamating rocker,
 with silver-plated copper wires, as the
 gold in the Colorado is said to be SO fine that the amalagamation process is the only practicable method.
 
 That Russell and his companions arc prepared to encounter great hhrdships and privaiions is made manifest by his statement to a Journal Miner represent ative here just before he left. He dc.
 clared he expected to emerge from the
 Canyon wealthy man or "A corpse, and
 it was n dead even break which ono it