The Men Planned To Make Their Start In
The Spring Of 1905.
But they presently discovered that the undertaking they
had faced so lightly presented almost insurmountable difficulties.
At the
outset, the men found it was necessary to have at least one more companion
if they were to accomplish their undertaking, and four men were preferable
to three. But the most daring of the men they met in the mines refused to
consider such a trip.
Plans Begin to Materialize. It was consequently not until April of 1908
that their long-laid plans began to materialize. Loper met Monett, a boy in
appearance, seemingly not strong, and unusually quiet, as he did his day's
work in the Mohawk mine in Goldfield. But that Monett was not a boy - in
courage at least - and not as weak as a casual glance suggested, was
presently evidenced. Loper notified Russell, then foreman of the mine near
Prescott, that the third man had been found. A meeting was arranged at
Green River early in September.
Boats Are Made. Three boats were made, with stout wooden frames, covered
with hulls of steel plates. Each boat was decked over, fore and aft, with
sheet steel covers, bolted down by means of a row of small bolts along each
gunwale. Covers, on decks, reached from each end to the bulkhead placed
near the center of the boats, thus leaving an open compartment, three and
a half feet long, for the oarsman. All the loads were placed under cover,
and securely lashed to prevent shifting. The boats were also provided with
air-tight compartments in each end, and under the seat, containing
sufficient air to float both boat and load, should all the other
compartments be full of water. The boats were named the Arizona, the Utah,
and the Nevada. Each was equipped with provisions for three months.
The Start. The start was made down the Green River, September 20. Four days
later, the trio had reached the junction of the Green and Grand Rivers, the
beginning of the Colorado, having covered a distance of one hundred and
twenty miles. From this point to Hite, a small town near the Arizona line,
the first bad water was encountered in the forty-one miles of Cataract
Canyon. Loper's boat met with disasters here dashing on a rock and tearing
a long rent in its side - and giving warning of the inferiority of these
thin metal boats to the stout oak craft used by the Powell party. The party
managed to reach Hite, however, towing the damaged boat, and there made the
necessary repairs.
Loper Stays at Hite. Loper had acted as photographer of the expedition, and
had the camera and the plates in his boat, when it was filled with water.
Examination showed that the plates were ruined, and the camera shutter
badly rusted. It was decided that Loper should remain behind at Hite, and
await the arrival of a new shutter for which he had written. It was agreed
that he need not be thus delayed more than two weeks, and should be able to
rejoin his companions at Lee's Ferry, a Mormon settlement of three
families, one hundred and forty miles below Hite, within twenty-one days.
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