fort. When the Patterson arrived at the mouth of the Colorado, she was
able to sail easily up the river for thirty-three miles because Turnbull
was met by some of his men who had been left here to take soundings,
and for the first time a vessel was sailing with some knowledge of the
channel. The river, however, was unusually high, which was an advantage.
The wide flatlands on both sides were inundated to a distance of fifteen
miles. The current ran at a seven- or eight-mile rate and was loaded
with floating snags and tree-trunks to repel the invader. In proceeding
in a small boat to the fort, Turnbull, in a distance of 120 miles, found
but two dry spots on the bank where he could camp.

A new steamer was soon afloat on this fickle and impetuous tide, the
General Jesup, owned by Captain Johnson, who had now had three or four
years' experience in this navigation had been awarded the contract for
transporting the supplies from the mouth, to the fort. His new boat,
however, exploded seven months later, and it seemed as if the Fates had
joined with the treacherous river to prevent successful steam navigation
here. But Johnson would not give up. Before twelve months had passed he
was stemming the turbulent flood with another steamer, the Colorado,
a stern-wheeler, 120 feet long. As if propitiated by the compliment
of having its name bestowed on this craft, the river treated it fairly
well, and it seems to have survived to a good old age. The Jesup was
soon repaired.

The northern part of Arizona was crossed by Captain Sitgreaves, in
1851, about on the trail of Garces, reaching the Colorado in the Mohave
Valley, and following the river down to Fort Yuma. In 1854, another
government expedition under Lieutenant Whipple, with Lieutenant Ives as
chief assistant, explored along the 35th parallel for a railway route,
and when they arrived on the Colorado at the mouth of Bill Williams
Fork, they followed up the river, through the beautiful Mohave Valley
to a point some eight miles above the present railway (A. & P.) bridge,
where they crossed. Their experience was interesting. Lieutenant Ives
directed the operations, using for a ferry-boat a singular combination:
an old rubber pontoon, with the box from a spring waggon attached to the
top of it for a receptacle for the goods. This was arranged at night.
In the morning the pontoon was found in a state of collapse and the
waggon-box filled with water, but the concern was resuscitated b