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Show Record exhibit being admitted for no other purpose than to locate the pictures. Mr. Allen, resuming his direct examination, testified as follows: I was with this expedition from the time it left Green River, Utah, on June 26, until I left the party on October 14. I had the opportunity of observing the San Juan River at both low 2239 and high water. The depth of the river depends quite a bit on its width; however. I would say that the minimum depth I observed was about six inches and maybe slightly over that in the center of the stream. Where the canyon is narrow the river is usually narrow, which of course affects the depth of the water. At low water in the more open stretch the river is perhaps twenty or thirty feet wide at most, and say six inches deep. At Clay Hill Crossing the ordinary channel of the river was three or four thousand feet, which was completely covered at flood times; and at other times it wouldn't be over twenty or thirty feet wide. 2240 We had to cross the river several times a day on an average and these crossings were ordinarily made by boat because I did not want to cross on the quicksand afoot. However, we would have to push out and the boat was mainly a means of support in case we we got into quicksand, as we often did. At Clay Hill Crossing, for example, one of the party walked across the river; but I didn't want to walk so we took the boat, and it meant in every case going part way across walking, pushing the boat; If the stretch of water was deep enough, we'd get in the boat for a short distance and then walk the rest of the way. There are a number of place besides Clay Hill Crossing where you could have walked across during low stage if you wanted to. I principally refused 2241 to walk across without a boat because of the quicksand. We were continually combatting sand waves in the sense that we had to fight the at all times. The river will be perfectly quiet when suddenly a slight wave or a series of waves will appear; this wave |
