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.
