Arizona republican., 1912-08-22
MESA
ROUND TRIP VOYAGE
 OF THE RIVER FLEET
La Primera' With Two Small Boats in Tow Sails to Consolidated
 Heading and Return.

La PrImera, with Capt. Le Baron in charge, C. c. Jacobs at the helm, load ed with passengers and having in tow two smaller boats carrying passengers left the dock at the division gates Tuesday evening for a trip to Con- solidated Heading and return. La Pri- mera had as passengers, Dr. TrimbIe, and son, representing the Phoenix Ga zette, Ben Blanchard, Geo. S Irwin. and Misses Willie Bates, Ola Hereford and Fay Merrill.
 On board the first boat in tow were Clarence Pomeroy, Misses Doris Rob i ertsOn, LeOna POmeroy, Willie Le Bar on and Violet Ellsworth; on the sec ond boat Dudley s. Lewis and Misses Allene Lewis, Lelan Brack, Eleanor Roberts and Josie Trinkle, the latter representing the Mesa Free Press. It was about o'clock when Engineer Jacobs threw on the power and the | sturdy vessel headed up stream, against a strong current, with the two | heavily laden small boats attached to La Primera by cable. Several large | watermelOns stored in the hold to be
 used as refreshments along the way, ! or for life savers should the vessel be- | come grounded on a bar and the pro- visions ran short
 To all of those on board the experi-
 ence was novel one. Here were
 eighteen people, none of whom, with
 two or three exceptions, had ever made
 a voyage on a gasoline power boat in
 Arizona. Few had ever ridden on any
 boat, and a large part of the passen-
 l., T
 water supply for the Consolidated ca
 nal would hardly dampen a 6x9 door
 yard. Only a few years ago and the
 idea of a boat ride in what was then
 called desert would have been ridi-
 culed.
 A trip to a point near the C1nsOlidat- l ed heading was d very pie tsaht one
 the moon shining brightly and the air cool The ladies in the small boats ad-
 ded to the pleasure of the occasion by
 singing appropriate nautical songs. A
 beaver at work, unmindful or the re- ward offered by the government for
 its scalp, paused in it's labOrs 60 gaze , on the unexpected sight and I occas-
 iOnal coon, night hawk and oWi sought
 to make themselves invisible. Ar $ rived at the landing the entire party went ashore and the ripe, toothSome melons were cut and eaten with relish
 by the happy passengers. It was . . moonlight picnic unique in character f one probably never before held in this
 section since the white men became
 possessed of the Salt River valley.
 On the return trip the two smal boats were cut loose and came dOwT lrt-itI th ha hxr iY
 the hands of Messrs. POmeroy anC
 Lewis. The motor boat made quicl s time to within a short distance of the I return landing when tEe engine became
 surIey and refused to work The boa
 then drifted in and was tied up at the D wharf. Some of the ladies got ther q feet wet and when the boats took or water from Sch rolling waves and some
 of them no doubt had little thrills o f fright when the boats rocked in the l rapidly flowing stream: but tLere is
 one fact certain and that is, that al l enjoyed the ride to the fullest extent , Messrs. Le Baron and Jacobs were , the hosts at the first voyage but they have purchased the boats as business ! proposition and will, it is understood , place them at the disposal of the pub
 lie for picnic and business trips-fol 1 a consideration. Their plans have nO , yet been fully given out