| Show Drama Packed Into Hunt For Lost Prospectors on n River A lot of drama a movie script rescue from the air some pain and hunger was wrapped into four h hec- hec c- c c- c tic Ic days extending from Thursday tl to o Monday over a stretch of the Colorado river below Rite Kite It all ali started out with a prospecting prospecting prospecting pros pros- trip by three Monticello men setting out by boat from Rite lite toward the Utah-Arizona Utah bor bor- der It ended up with everyone reported safe but a little roughed up by the experience Arnie Buster Hammond and Charles Dickenson started out about 10 days ago in a 14 with a 25 horsepower motor from Rite Kite heading for Marble canyon near the state line Trouble started when they ran out of gas last Friday I Dickenson was injured in getting getting getting get get- ting the boat to shore hurting his leg and Hammond started out on foot for Rite Kite leaving Dickenson Dickenson Dickenson Dick Dick- enson with the boat They purchased purchased purchased pur pur- chased supplies and mote more gas at Hite Rite and Hammond headed back to pick up Dickenson and the boat and continued on to Monticello Monticello Monti Monti- cello to get help Families of the three men had hac become concerned and Mrs JaskIa Jask Jask- la Ia had decided to start start a search She hired a charter plane from Cortez Colo Cola and flew to Hite Rite where the plane crashed on attempting attempting attempting at at- tempting a landing Mrs Jaskia and the pilot were picked up by y y another charter plane from Cortez and flown there for treatment o of what was reported as only minor injuries Meanwhile Dickenson waited for the return of his companions until late last Friday with pangs of hunger growing Exploring the area he found a sign pointing out the Baker ranch o on Hall creek With his leg still painful but much improved Dickenson hiked 15 miles to the Baker ranch only to find it now a ghost ranch an and abandoned for many years While Dickenson was on his 33 30 mile hike to the abandoned ranch and back Hammond reached the scene of the first trouble He found bund the boat but no companion Hammond debated the best step and not knowing if it Dickenson had bad been picked up he ht decided to leave a few supplies and a note nd took the boat toward Lee Fer Per Ferry Ferry Perry ry in Arizona Meanwhile Dickenson returned to o the spot where the boat had been teen left only to find it missing Re He le remained there thele until Saturday when a group of two women and andone andone andone one man on an archeological survey survey survey sur sur- sur- sur vey from Arizona State college at Flagstaff picked him up and started on downstream Included In n the group were Jean Foster Jo 10 Miner diner and Dick Meyers An appeal was sent to the ci civil ci- ci vii vil air patrol unit In hi Moab late Sunday Sunday Sun Sun- day night and sanction of the hunt w was s obtained from state head head- q quarters ot the of-the the CAP CAR I Archie Swenson unit command commander er and Pete Bird Byrd of Byrd A Aviation took off from the Moab airport early parly Monday in Byrds Byrd's super cub plane and sighted the party on the river after about four hours and 20 minutes of flying The Moab pair dropped food and anda a message to the boat then Byrd returned to Hite left Swenson and anel hen made a daring landi landing g on a a. and bar in the river to pick u uj up and fly him out to safey safe- safe y y- Word was received late Tues Tues- ay night that Hammond was safet safe safe- t Lee Ferry and awaiting pick pick- ip in a truck Hite is 65 airline miles south south- vest of Moab and Marble canyon canyons s Ii about Consequently the Irama was enacted along a lonely nd ad desolate airline miles of he river The meandering river involves many more miles |
