Show t ver Boats Boats- Crowd River To Exceed All AI Expectations JJ The greatest river rl boat trip ever attempted came to a n happy I conclusion Monday evening when the last of oC the modern adventurers adventurers ad ad- straggled Into the tho docks of oC the Moab Boat club on the Colorado river rl bringing down the curtain on the first act of oC the Canyon Canon Country marathon Over boats shook the walls of oC Utah's two great rivers as aa they left Green RIver niver Saturday morning traveled miles down the Green river and up the Colorado and arrived with with witha a few exceptions In Moab Sunday evening The few Cew exceptions exceptions Hons spent Sunday I night on the river due to motor trouble and slow progress caused by brief but fierce Clerce rain squalls They were assisted to Moab Monday by Boat club members who took extra motor parts gasoline and motors down the river to the tho stranded boats When all noses were counted at p pm p.m. m. m Monday and only one boat boa t had been claimed by bythe bythe bythe the river In a freak Creak mishap that caused no Injuries members of the sponsoring organizations took time out to give well deserved de de- deserved served pats on the back to the many persons contributing to the success of oC the event The entire account of oC the trip was revealed re to the crowd of Lions Rotarians and Chamber of oC Commerce Commerce Com Com- merce members assembled at atthe atthe atthe the Towne and Country club on Monday night The trip was billed as a publicity publicity publicity pub pub- trip and It exceeded all expectations Two I nights previous pros pre to the mass embarkation estimates of oC the number of boats participating ranged near the sixty mark About ten publicists publicists were expected Both figures could have been doubled and been closer to the actual turnout turn turn- out The trip was completely covered with mixed emotions by the press The Mariners Mariner's Leg Preparations began Friday when Mil 1111 chamber manager manager manager man man- ager embarked by jeep to Mineral Min Min- Mineral eral canyon to deliver the food for the Saturday night barbeque T il THE HONORABLE W. W R. R WILLIAMS British member of Parliament Parliament Parlia Parlia- ment Is I. shown being greeted by Senator Gordon Allott of Colorado Colo rado In Vice President Richard Nixons Nixon's office prior to his se so- venty-day venty tour of the United States Mr Williams will wirt visit three days In Moab during which time he ho will address a Chamber Chamber Chamber Cham Cham- ber of Commerce dinner group at noon on Tuesday May 20 i f fat at the Miller ranch at Anderson Bottom To make malte sure the meat had an appropriate flavor the thO Green river swamped the boat boatIn In which the meat was loaded right at the outset of oC the at at- temps to get It to Anderson Bot Bot- tom With an assist from Crom Carl of Moab and barbecue chefs Bates Wilson and George Burck delivered the meat to the ranch where It was prepared for Saturday I night Surprise The embarkation point at Green River Saturday morning was enough to astound the most optimistic promoter of oC the event The parking area was packed with cars and boat rigs At the rivers river's edge rigs were lowering boats Into the water at a rate of oC one a minute Motors were roaring on the river as pilots revved their powerful units to test the current and see If their craft would plane with the huge loads of gasoline and gear aboard It looked like every type boat was making the trip Members of the Green River lUver chamber led by President Jim Hurst were registering boats and passing out twenty penny nails for shear pins and linIng lining lining lin lin- ing up drivers to take the boaters boaters boaters' boaters boaters' boat boat- ers' ers cars and rigs to Moab Some of the more eager drivers slipped stipp ed out without registering but most were very cooperative It was impossible to find where where- everyone everone came from Crom but they were apparently from every every- I where By twelve o'clock the the- docks were deserted except for a afew afew few Cew spectators and late arrivals I On The Green The Green river dropped about eight Inches during the morning hours so that debris was less of ofa a problem to those leaving late Several boats sheared pins four miles below the docks and at least one returned with motor trouble Other than that everything everything everything every every- thing was peaceful as boaters poured on the speed through the tf flat co country try along the i. i ty miles It was a beautiful day with just enough clouds to delight the camera fans and cool enough to tomake tomake make it very pleasant As might be expected due to the strangeness strange strange- ness of the course to many boaters boaters boat boat- ers minor mishaps on occasion One boat picked the wrong chann channel f. f wh where re the the river threaded its way between Islands is islands islands Is- Is lands ran aground and was swamped by its own wake An Another Another Another An- An other ran into a log and picked up a generous amount of water Both were able to continue how how- ever After Arter the river entered the red bluffs and green bottoms of the lower Green many boats cut down to trolling speeds and broke out lunches Many floated sometimes in the company of other patties parties pal ties and shot the breeze about what they had seen A A common sight was the 4 camera Quite ort often n the were using each other for tor subjects sub sub- Refueling Stop StopA A large and luminous marker flagged boats down at Mineral canyon for Cor refueling from a tank truck that had been driven down the previous day Carloads of oC sleeping and camping gear also made the trip via Mineral canyon and were taken down down- river to Anderson Bottom The Barbeque A solid mile or more of the river was clogged with boats tied to the shore along the Miller Miler Mil Mil- ler er ranch Further down a cove was port for Cor about twenty five craft Cooking fires tires spotted the flats lats adjoining the river and It looked live every square Inch Continued on Page B 8 W 7 W Over Boats Continued from Pays ag 1 vas iU covered with a camp Some Some- i tow now everyone found a sleeping I jag and a place to put It U. I Ralph Miller Sr along with I tes Wilson and George Burck Durck announced dinner for eight o o'clock o'clock o 0 clock an announcement believed believed be be- by no one An appreciative diner was the Moab cham chamber r of commerce guest from Venezuela Venezuela Vene Vene- zuela Orestes Di Dl Giacomo who was flown In by Jim Hurst Second Day Colorado A few of the people who managed managed man man- aged to evade the noisy parties left early Sunday The remainder remain der made more leisurely departures departures departures depar depar- tures down toward the confluence con cone fluence of the rivers The final miles of the Green are beautiful beautiful ful beyond description with additional additional ad ad- thrills provided by ancient an an- dent clent Indian ruins Nearly all boats reached the confluence by 10 am a.m. Th The Th Slide Slid After three miles of smooth water on the Colorado the slide came Into view marked by a throng of people portaging supplies supplies sup sup- plies and equipment over the rocks and watching the boats I dash through the narrow trough caused by some long-ago long rock slide This was the most spectacular spectacular spec spec- part of the trip The tiny craft dashed toward the rapids struck it with spray flyIng flyIng flying fly- fly Ing paused an exciting Instant then pulled into the placid waters wat wat- waters ers above The movie cameras ground out outa a small fortune in film as a powerful cruiser pulled another craft with a malfunctioning motor motor mo mo- tor through the rapids in slow motion Twelve footers with ten skimmed over the breaking breaking break break- ing water to shouts of encouragement encouragement encouragement from the bank i The area above the slide was clogged with boats whose occupants occupants occupants pants had returned to watch the fun The crowded conditions resulted resulted resulted re re- in the only serious serious' mishap mishap mishap mis mis- hap of the run A boat carrying Jack Payne Dick Allen and Don I Robinson of Moab after running I Ithe the rapids ran into trouble pulling out from the rocky area above the slide A submerged rock tangled with the motor prop damaging it to the extent that power was lost The fourteen fourteen fourteen four four- teen foot boat drifted around a arock arock rock drawing water through a ahole ahole ahole hole smashed by the submerged rock and dropped into the slide where it was swamped Payne stuck with the boat while it rolled through the rapids AlIen Allen Allen Al Al- len Ien and Robinson were swept under for an instant by the current current current cur cur- rent then bobbed into sight as the rescue boats streaked to help Robinson swam to the south shore where he was picked up by Al Martin of Salt Lake City Allen and Payne the latter still I holding the boat were rescued by another boat driven by Basil Holly of Salt Lake I Both boat and motor were recovered recovered recovered re re- re- re covered although the boat was damaged beyond practical 1 re re- re- re pair The occupants wet and minus some expensive equip equip- ment were put aboard other boa boats ts and the journey resumed One other boat was damaged when it struck a log and was split spilt open It did not capsize however And the Rains Came A sudden squall spoiled for some the remaining sixty miles of river Winds slowed down boats with smaller motors to a snails snail's pace and many banked to wait walt out the storm The rest bucked the wind and the rain all the way Into Moab arriving with more optimism than might have been expected from thoroughly thoroughly thoroughly thor thor- wet people It was on the final inal stretch to the last refueling refueling re red fueling station that most of the troubled happened Motor trouble trouble trouble trou trou- ble and rough water forced smaller craft to the shore where some swamped in the shallow water Fortunately they were wise enough to keep their heads and lost little other than time A Salt Lake City boat with two I men and one woman aboard capsized capsized capsized cap cap- sized at the bottom of Moab val val- ley Wind driven waves were the cause All AH hands and the boat were quickly picked up Mud and th the End Volunteer workers drenched to the skin hauled the boats out i of the water waler as fast as possible at Moab while taxi service took the coldest to where they could get warm A flurry of questions Did you see so and greeted greet greet- ed every boat The pilots chattered chattered chattered chat chat- out answers as best they could As night fell tell a quick count showed nine boats unaccounted unaccounted unaccounted un un- accounted for but in the rush no one could be sure Finale FInal Success Finale Success Monday morning was bright and clear and the boatmen oCth of oC th the Moab club were on the river ri river river ri- ri ver some with no sleep but all of them with a lot of oC intestinal fortitude Jim Hurst flying out of Green River niver and skimming th the water at low Jow altitude brought back the news that he ho could see eleven boats some of them the rescue boats on the river Confirmed Con Cone firmed checking dwindled the list tut to five boats hoats still not checked check check- ed in In n the late afternoon the news newa came that all had been picked up and were on their way to Moab in good flood shape and hap hall Ii py At in the evening i finis While radios and new news papers all over the nation screamed disaster the tardy were quietly eating dinner at a table of honor with witha a 11 good flood portion of the Moab population population pop POP- illation as company |