OCR Text |
Show :j . Charles Russell and E. H. i . iIoiiett Given Great Uecep- ! (ion at Needles. J : TWO NERVY ADVENTURERS BEAT POWELL AND STANTON .Albert Loner Attempts lo Explain Ex-plain Why He Didn't lie- .; join Companions. 1 ' Special to The Tribune, j XBEDLES. Cal., Fob. S. Fivo liun- ! drcd men .'ind women yelled a rousing .welcome cm tlio bank of tho Colorndo , river here today when Charles Tlussell ' ' and K. J?. Monelt. minors, cnino 752 pi ' miles through tho Grand 011113011, and ItJ in many respects beat the records ol ?i Injor Lowell and Robert B. Stanton, - j forty and twenty years ago, respec- j When they swung around the bend y and cnino in sight of their final des- I t iimtion, Russell answered the grecl- n 1 j'ng bv tiring two shots, from a shot- gun. 'Two strips of white cloth, ent 111 J 1 r.lic shape of pennants. Muttered from ; improvised masts at bow and stern. The two men vere seized by hospitable j f citizens as soon as the. boat Inuchod the 4 bank and wore escorted through the T ' i streets of the town "by a constantly nt- jl creasing crowd until half of Needles " followed iu the wake of the thoroughly embarrasseil adventurers. S.:jto Enthusiastic Crovrd. f l-fUj Xot until they had secured rooms .. fr fit in the Railroad hotel and eseaped to its J' 3hl1 ' acelusion did the crowd disperse. Then , 'W j . there was only temporary respite. To- rf night a reception has been planned in r ,'W , c the reception hall of the railroad ein- l-. 'w l nloj-eoa' meeting place and Russell will : yr9t't 1 ')0 "'"ined on to address the gathering. V '! 14 ' In Iho buiK'h of mail awaiting the mcu '' 'Eh A A . w:'3 a letter from Albert Loper, who hlv ;rjj. remained behind at Uiie, Utah. 120 I: i miles from the starting place, and who & 'Jiad been 'left, behind as a deserter by ; t ! Iiussell and Monelt. Loper dee.lnred in J? Iho lctt-M- that financial-conditions were j ," ' responsible for his failure lo eontinuo $ ilown the river to Leo's Fern', where :i i . his companions awaited him fortv-three j t (lays. 'lie wrote 'lie had no idea of 1.; deserting,, Jtfut was unable to buy pro- j j . visions. 11 As the boat which he had at Hito jl i .contained a full ipiota of provisions for f 1 ' a three months' trip his excuse seems a I hardly plausible lo Russell and 3douett. H. j A letter written bv John Hito, post- Jj master of llite, Utah, states that Jjoper tji! linaly started after his companions on - i i-lanuary I, two months after the' had 2 gone on before him. Io struck a rock u, before he had left .llite behind half a j1' mile, in Tniehvte rapids, a stretch of . . water described bv Eussell as a rif- f tic." i j To Leo's Ferry. U j After securing help from Hito and i vapairing his boat, Loper continued on !.- to Lee's Ferry, lie wrote Eussell ho j r could not go "further than this point 1 if his two comrades had left, there, as 'i 1 his provisions were insufficient. Xo tli word of his arrival at Lee's Ferry has jfl' t been received. It is probable that he In-j arrived there .January 6, the day on I which Rusbcll and Monett were starting I j , nvny from Bright Angel. 100 mile's fur- J' ' ther on. "I am sure Loper did not HJm- attempt to continue on from' Lee's , J Fcrrj:," said Eussell today. "Besides Iwj ,Jf his letter, I know 110 man'alouo in his M 1 right senses would ever tackle tho rap-J-V j ' , ids through Marble canyon. It is tough l:4 1 enough for two men. 1 suppose Loper i still is at Lee's Ferry. How ho could -A ) have expected us to. wait for him more yL .; 1 than two months when our agreement ftjSil was that he should rejoin us within miv three weeks at tho very outside is bc- E1' . yohd me If wo had waited that long yfi' for him our grub would never have nm lasted us through the trip.''' |