Charles H. Spencer Hulk
Encyclopedia
The Charles H. Spencer was a steamboat that was briefly used on the Colorado River
to transport coal for gold refining operations at Lee's Ferry
, Arizona
.
In 1910, Charles H. Spencer arrived at Lee's Ferry in search of gold hidden in the Chinle shale. The company processed the shale by creating a mud and then removing the gold deposits by mercury amalgamation, which required a steady source of power. Finding a coal seam up river, Spencer commissioned a San Francisco company, Robertson-Schultz Co., to build the paddle boat, Charles Spencer, for the American Placer Corporation. James Robertson and Herman Rosenfelt built the ship. A 110 horse-power marine boiler powered a 12' stern paddle. The various parts were manufactured in San Francisco, shipped by rail to Marysvale, Utah
, and conveyed by ox-cart to the mouth of Warm Creek, where the boat was assembled. The boat averaged 5-6 tons of coal on each trip. But by the end of the summer the operation was curtailed. The boat was docked. During a flood in 1921, the boat sank in shallow water. Later the superstructure was stripped of its lumber.
Colorado River
The Colorado River , is a river in the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, approximately long, draining a part of the arid regions on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. The watershed of the Colorado River covers in parts of seven U.S. states and two Mexican states...
to transport coal for gold refining operations at Lee's Ferry
Lee's Ferry
Lee's Ferry is a site on the Colorado River in Coconino County, Arizona, United States, about 7.5 miles southwest of the town of Page, Arizona and the Glen Canyon Dam, and about 9 mi south of the Utah-Arizona border. It is the former location of a ferry established by John D. Lee, a Mormon...
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
.
In 1910, Charles H. Spencer arrived at Lee's Ferry in search of gold hidden in the Chinle shale. The company processed the shale by creating a mud and then removing the gold deposits by mercury amalgamation, which required a steady source of power. Finding a coal seam up river, Spencer commissioned a San Francisco company, Robertson-Schultz Co., to build the paddle boat, Charles Spencer, for the American Placer Corporation. James Robertson and Herman Rosenfelt built the ship. A 110 horse-power marine boiler powered a 12' stern paddle. The various parts were manufactured in San Francisco, shipped by rail to Marysvale, Utah
Marysvale, Utah
Marysvale is a town in Piute County, Utah, United States. The population was 381 at the 2000 census. Marysvale is a trail head for the Paiute ATV Trail.-Geography:Marysvale is located at ....
, and conveyed by ox-cart to the mouth of Warm Creek, where the boat was assembled. The boat averaged 5-6 tons of coal on each trip. But by the end of the summer the operation was curtailed. The boat was docked. During a flood in 1921, the boat sank in shallow water. Later the superstructure was stripped of its lumber.