OCR Text |
Show Record it is not necessary to cross the San Juan River, but you go down along the river at Nokai and are frequently in eight of the river. I have never seen boats on the San Juan except those we crossed over in. I have crossed at Bloomfield, New Mexico, at Farmington, at Shiprock, at a point six miles below Shiprock, at a point fifteen miles below Shiprock, at Montezuma Creek, also at Butler Creek, which is located six miles below Bluff, also at the 1664 mouth of Comb Wash, at Goodrich and at Clay Hill Crossing. At Bloomfield, the mouth of Comb Wash and the mouth of Montezuma Crock I crossed in boats. We built the boat used by us in crossing at Comb Wash, loaded the goods and wagon on the boat, and the horses swam. At the other points we crossed on horseback and with teams. At Goodrich we crossed on the bridge, and I went across in a bucket on the cable. The year the river was dry the children crossed at a point about six miles above Farmington. I 1666 have waded the river at the mouth of Comb Wash. The dry year was 1902. In response to a question by the Special Master as to whether there would be a controversy concerning the fact that the San Juan River went dry during some year around 1901 or 1902, it was stated by the attorney for defendant that no question would be raised concerning that fact. I have never seen the San Juan River dry except on that one occasion, but I have seen it real low, so that it was only may-be three feet wide and six inches deep at different places where 1667 we would cross. Those places were above Farmington and below Shiprock. I can't tell how many different years that has occurred. I have had twenty- nine years contact with the Navajo Indian, 1608 and have never known them to use boats or travel on the river. Louis Wade Wetherill testified on cross examination as follows: On the other occasion beside that occasion when the San Juan went entirely dry, the river was three or four feet wide. |