Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1869-10-14
dtt iSo(tal W0tfr.


I've O3wv ~ - sGe ~ 800 -
The Colorado Of the west, which
flows through portions Of Utah, Colo
,rado,e Eevada, ARIZONA and Ca!ifor
mia. is in length TIC sixth river o
soas continent, but it tTaserses thu
mort desolate and sterile regions tina
lie uaders the American flag. 1t is
phenomenon in physical geography
n car, hardly be said to have. an,
xn,esy,AAbut -fr at1ye fiwt stSsousana
miles II runs through an almost Tn
broken succession Of gorges. II iss
wonderful example Of Natures Ell.
cheering. II receives no great
lateral streams to WEAK down The
fsoe OF the adjacent country; bn'
through ages 50 long that our SIX
thousand years OF recorded history
form no appreciabie unit Of their
sum. the great river has been slowly
cutting q channel as clean as that Of
the Ehe Canal, down through sue
ceEive strata OF hard rock, and bear
inx away the particles in its red,
muddy current, 90 form tracts OF
Isnd hundred. OF miles square, along
ire Gulf Of California.
fnss vxss gorge o. canon has 81
w.vs fsen q ssyva uncocsac- Indians
sad fs1pyesS reported that the I'M
zzs-z.<.i stream, from which the
sunlight was shut ont BY rock wall
q msse high, famed angrily along
rs bed In q series 81 rapids, whiri-
pocAx. and ez.zr2ctz- and as II the
tevyrrx Of Nature were not enough,
liz. the es.On was the abode OF evil
spirs.1. and that 10 man could pass
isrsGgh IL and live. Last year
living skeleton upon raft appeared
II CassvsEfe, Nevada, near the lower
cod Of the canon. bis hair and beard
ss white a. snow, bis limbs 80 weak
that be conid no. stand, his clothing
nearly all torn of, his whole frame
bruised and blistered, and his reason
lettering. When restored by rest
and nursing he gave his name as
James White, and reported that In
d.ans had attacked his mining party
OF the Upper Colorado; that he and
two companions had taken TO the
raft; that one Of his comrades had
hesea drowned, he had killed the
other In a quarrel, and that he had
foated for fourteen days through the
canon. almost without food, bruised
agaiEst the jutting rocks Of scores OF
waterfalls, and escaping death by a
series Of miracles. But his accounts
ofthe canon were necessarily inaccu-
rate, and it is even doubtful whether
he passed through more than small
portion or 1t. a...#.,a...,
Last Spring, Col. J. w. Powell,
Professor Of Geology in the State
NORMAL University of Illinois, organ
lied interpolation for the thorough
exploration OF the unknown region.
Col, Powell had already deserved
well Of the country; through the war
ho, was brave and modest soldier,
at the head Of an Illinois battery, and
he left his right arm on the field of
Shiloh. To this new enterprise, for
which two years Of geological studies
in the mountains had afforded good
preparation, no carried "a soldiers
zeal and daring. The War Depart
ment furnished rations for his party;
the Illinois Society of Natural Hlsto-
~, endowed by the State, contribut-
cd the outfit; tho railroad companies
gave free transportation, and Powell
himself became responsible for the
wages Of his nine men, who were al
hardyand experienced mountainecrs.
On the oath Of May these ten adven-
turers, embarking in four little boats
nt the Green River crossing OF the
Union Pacific Railroad, disappeared
from civilization on their pcrilous
Journey. A few weeks later the
whole North West was startled by a
painful and circumstantial report,
from ono who protested to have be-
l;nged to the party, that all except
himself had been lost at one Of the
first cascades. But just after the
leaders, obituary had been widely
published, there came letter from
him announcing that all were safe.
The object OF the vagabond who cir
cilated the falsehood seems to have
boon to procure railway passes from
Utah to his home in Illinois. For q
long time there were no further It'd
fhgs, but finally, on the last OF Au-
gust, seven OF tho party emerged In
safety from the lower end OF the
porac.n Their three comrades were
niIsslng. Believing that the. passage
Of ~ peculiarly formidable cascade
,ust before them would be certain
death, these three had attempted to
ieavs the canon ON foot, and they
wore probably killed. by Indians. Y
Col. Powell, who has returned to
ills home at Normal, ILL.,, now gives
10 the Tribune tho outline Of his OK
,,osionces, in y sketch which Is sin-
gularly clear, concise, and graphic.