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Show Record built a boat about 16 feet long, 7 foot beam that drew 8 or 10 inches of water. Jim Joe's boat was about 16 feet long, 4 or 5 feet wide and drew about 7 or 8 inches. After I finished building my boat, I purchased about 1000 pounds of supplies from Frank Hyde at Bluff and took them 4458 down in the boat to my camp. I built the boat right on the bank at Bluff and took the boat and my supplies down to camp alone. I remained at my camp between Chinle Creek and Mexican Hat until about March, 1906. We moved our camp up and down the river as we worked and we used nothing but our boat in transporting 4459 our camp and our supplies. In March we decided to take a trip down the river. Another gentleman by the name of Philpot came and joined our camp. We went up to Bluff to build a boat for my pardner, and Philpot went up and built one for himself. Philpot built a boat about 18 feet long by 6 or 7 feet wide, and my pardner built a boat about 16 feet long and 5 feet wide. We then had three boats. We loaded our supplies and camp outfits, rockers, tooks and wheelbarrows on those boats and started down the river. The river was extremely 4460 low. Each boat was loaded with supplies and equipment. We went down as far as Mexican Hat, our first stop. Mr. Raplee had a party in there from Colorado Springs. They were testing some placer bars. We remained with them for a week or ten days. We then continued our trip on down the river to the Mendenhall Gooseneck, and remained there for a short time prospecting and working the bars, and when we got down to Honarker's Trail I sprained my ankle and could not get around on the rough gravel and I had to quit the river. I left my boat and supplies with my parners. Before I left I had an agreement with them that my boat would be left some-where between Slick Horn Canyon and Grand Gulch should I come in 4461 later. After my ankle got better I can back to the river and found my boat below Slick Horn Canyon, right where they had left it. We were in there with the three boats before high water, the month of March and the fore part of April. |