GRANITE REEF ACCIDENT
Eriberto Trasvina
Romaldo Leon
Antonio Durana
Feb. 19, 1909
A telephone message was received here late Wednesday saying
that a boat had capsized near the head gates and three men had
been drowned. Yesterday morning Acting Coroner Irwin left for
the scene of the accident and held an inquest over the bodies
of the three drowned men who were Mexican laborers in the
employ of the government. Their names were Eriberto Trasvina,
Romaldo Leon and Antonio Durana. Leon was from Tempe where he
has relatives. Trasvina came to the camp from Fuerte Sinoa
Mexico, Durana was a blacksmith of Phoenix. His family was
at the reef at the time of the accident which was due to the
breaking of an oar.
Soon after the day's work, two boats, each containing eight men,
started across the lake formed by the dam from the north to the
south side. Hardly had they got under way when an oar of one of
the boats broke, causing the two crafts to come together with a
jolt. This frightened the men in the first, causing some of
them to stand up. Durana called for them to sit down and be
quiet and all would be well. One, however, sprang into the
water, causing the boat to rock and ship water, which so badly
frightened the others that three more followed. The boat was
overturned and the strong current carried both the men and the
boat toward the sluice gate, through which the water is
returned to the river. R.C. Ochoa succeeded in catching hold
of the iron casing and drawing himself out of the water. The
others were drawn through the gates. Durana and Trasvina were
found clasped in each others arms, Durana having a scar on his
head, showing where he had struck the gates in passing through.
He is a man of powerful build and it is though the blow stunned
him so that he lost consciousness. The body of Leon was taken
from the river several feet below. Clark was pulled out by
those on the banks and the others succeeded in getting out of
the water themselves.
MRS. THERESA GRAY
April 17, 1909
Mrs. Theresa Gray, widow of the late Captain Gilbert D. Gray,
died last night at eleven o'clock at her home , no. 21 North
Sixteenth Avenue. The cause of death was probably cancer of
the stomach though she had for sometime been a sufferer of
Bright's disease. Mrs. Gray was sixty eight years of age and
had resided in Phoenix about fourteen years. She is survived
by three children, James Gray, Mrs. S. Palmer, both of Phoenix
and Mrs. L.F. Leyhe of Marshall, Mo. The body of Mrs. Gray
will be taken back to Missouri to be laid beside that of her
husband.
WALTER GREGORY
April 17, 1909
A telegram was received by the Republican yesterday, announcing
the death of Walter Gregory in New York, at noon, of pneumonia.
Nothing more is known here concerning the facts of his last
illness nor definitely of the length of time he had been in New
York. Walter was however an Arizonian where he was, and was
intimately known by many all over the territory. He was 37 years
old and his career has been rather an unusual one. Always
claiming Arizona as his home, in a sentimental way, no matter
where his actual residence was, he has spent as much of his life
outside the territory as in it, always returning at intervals to
greet his old friends and to live here for indefinite periods.
Since reaching the age of maturity his time has been divided
between the wielding of the pen and the wielding of the sword.
Most of his time has been spent either as a newspaper man or a
warrior. Incidentally the two professions made him a widely
traveled man and though the end, came prematurely he has seen
much of life and under the most varying conditions.
Walter Gregory was born in Cheyenne, Wyoming and at an early
age came with his parents to Arizona, the family residing in
Tombstone at first. Later Walter moved to Tempe where he spent
his boyhood. His first extended excursion that took him beyond
the realm of parental authority was to Colorado where he
remained for a long time and where he got his first taste of
the soldier's life. He enlisted in the state militia and was
all through the Bull Hill and Cripple Creek troubles, being on
duty there for three months or more.
Returning to Arizona he was connected at one time with all the
local papers of Phoenix of those days and in the varied
capacities of a reporter, solicitor, etc. When the Spanish
American war broke out he was among the first to enlist in B
Troop of the Rough Riders, under Colonel, then Captain, J.H.
McClintock. He served through the Cuban campaign, participating
in all the engagements his troop experienced and contracting a
severe case of Cuban Fever, an ailment of which he suffered at
occasional intervals during the rest of his life. He was in
the hospital at Montauk Point, NY for long time after the
return of the regiment, being mustered out in the fall of
1898 and coming back to Phoenix.
For a brief period he was again connected with the local press
and was on a tour of the territory for a Phoenix paper when he
dropped into Fort Grant and found K Troop of the Fourth Cavalry,
preparing to go to the Philippines. At once the spirit of
adventure overcame him again and he enlisted without even
coming back to Phoenix, went to San Francisco and in a few
days was riding the western seas. His enlistment was for three
years and his troop spent most of it in the Philippines
returning to Jefferson Barracks, Mo. shortly before it was
mustered out. During his service in the Philippines he was
with that first memorable march of the American troops across
the island of Luzon, commanded by General Franklin Bell, now
chief of staff. this was a taste of warfare in its most
virulent form, involving constant conflicts with the natives,
travel through a road less country of alternating swamps,
bogs and hills, often with but limited rations or none at
all, facing disease and death almost constantly. Many
succumbed to the desperate conditions but Walter seemed
to escape danger. He returned home and apparently without
physical injury, thought still suffering at times with Cuban
Fever.
After his discharge at Jefferson City he went to New York City
for a time and then again returned to Arizona being called
through the death of his father, Tom Gregory, at that time a
resident of Tucson. Subsequently he came to Phoenix and was
attached to the local papers again until the following summer
when Governor Brodie, his former Rough Rider commander,
appointed him to the position of Secretary of the Territorial
Prison. He served in that office three years until Ben Daniels
was appointed U.S. Marshall and Mr. Gregory was made a deputy.
He served for about a year, having a short time before married
Miss Gussie Russell, then a resident of this city.
Mrs. Gregory's parents, in the meantime moved to Sierra Madre,
Ca. and were then joined by Mr. and Mrs. Gregory. He filled the
office of asst. postmaster in Sierra Madre for a time and was
the appointed postmaster but after a year or two he resigned
and went to New York where he became associated wit his brother,
Will H. Gregory who is the owner of one of the largest theater
booking agencies in the country.
Walter is survived by his wife who resides with her parents,
his brother, mentioned above, and a sister who it is understood
is married to a French nobleman and divides her time between
France and New York and it is believed by his mother who lived
in San Francisco when last hard of by Phoenix friends.
VINCENTE GRIEGO
April 23, 1909
Again, the treacherous, dangerous Salt River has claimed another
human sacrifice. Vincente Griego, a sheepherder in the employ of
Clarence Morrow, while attempting to cross the stream with his
burro train went down in mid-stream and neither man nor beast
has been seen since. According to the best information
obtainable it appears that the force of herders went over
on the north side of the river at a point about twenty five
miles east of Mesa to the sheet, while the river was at a low
stage on account of the water being held back at the
reservoir. The men passed over in safety but when they went
to return to camp, they discovered that the stream had swollen
considerably and none of the herders save Greigo would
undertake to cross. He, however, made the statement that he
was not afraid and he rode in. He struggled with the swift
water in mid-stream and was making little headway, according
to those who witnessed the tragedy, when he suddenly went
down. It is the general opinion of those present that he went
into a deep hole in the river and that the remains of the man
and also the burro will be found at the spot where they went
down.
H.L. GRIMSHAW
July 19, 1909
H.L. Grimshaw who died on his ranch about fifteen miles from
Phoenix on July 9 was a pioneer and for five years a resident
of Goldfield Nevada. Concerning his death and his life in
Goldfield, the Goldfield News says:
"Mr. Grimshaw and his son Hal, left Goldfield about two weeks
ago for the ranch near Phoenix and stopped off on the way
down at Prescott Arizona for a visit of a few days with Mrs.
Grimshaw's sister. While there, his son, Hal, suffered an
injury to his knee which put him in bed for five days. After
the son recovered the trip to the ranch was continued.
The news reached Goldfield in a telegram to Mrs. Grimshaw,
who remained in this city, from her son Hal. The first
telegram was received last night saying Mr. Grimshaw had
that day been stricken with sunstroke and that the best
care possible was being taken of him. The attack was so
sudden, however, that before physicians could arrive from
Phoenix, Mr. Grimshaw died.
A telegram was received this monring by Mrs. Grimshaw telling
her of her husband's death and stating that preparations were
being made to take the body to Los Angeles for burial in which
city Mr. Grimshaw, a year ago, expressed his wish to be
buried. The body of Mr. Grimshaw is under the care of Hal
and Mrs. Grimshaw's siser, Mrs. E.S. Clark, he wife of the
attorney general of Arizona.
Mrs. Grimshaw left at 1 o'clock today over the Las Vegas and
Tonopah Railroad for Los Angeles and will remain at the Hotel
Lankershim pending arrangements for the funeral. She is
accompanied by Mrs. C.E. Redman, wife and general agent of
the Las Vegas and Tonopah.
Mr. Grimshaw had been married twenty two years and leaves his
widow and 15 year old son Hal and relatives in Arizona and
Brooklyn.
