, 1869-08-20
Letters from Major Powell to
June 23,
Running the Rapids.
4 Chapter Of Accidents aud Ex-
citing Adventures.
shtpWrcck, Fro and Loss OF
Utensils.

Cbr7es7endersce ~ The Chicago TFtbun<,
ColnlLApo ItITER EXPLORING EXPEDITION, |
Ef1In Ill 401tffd HxA1 ItcHE L

over which the boats hnd 10 be taken With Hnes.
We had succession Of these nuti! poon- mast
explain the plan Of running these places. The
light Lost, Emma Dean, with two good oarsmen
and mTselr explore theE- then with L da4 signal
the boats to advance, AMI guide them " signals
around dangerous rocks. When we come to
snp.ds flied With houders. l sometimes ind II
necessary to Taik along the shorr Tor exnnInA-
tton. It 1iH thought possible 10 run, the light
boat pToCrctlA II mot, tho Others arc Tagged to
come on 10 the head Of the dangerous place, and
wc let down with lines, or make portage.
At the loot OF one nj thcgo Tuns, early In the
afternoon, I found j place where II would lie
signalling the boats to come down,
walked along the bauk 70
examine tho ground for the portage. an,f len one
Of 1hs men oi my boat ~ stgnal the ot1ets to
land At the Right point soon Saw one Of tue
boots innd all right and felt 40 more care about
them. 1Iut i've muntea ritter beard BnouL
aud, looking round. saw one Of tie boats coming
over Tho falls Captain iIoHisnd Of the No
Stmc, hah not seen tho signal IN time. and the
swift current bad carried hIm to tht brink.
FAM tha. his golnx over WIS VtRtle, and tunnel
TO save the third boht In tTo mlnute9 moro
saw that turn tho point aud head to Shore nnd ~
went after the t0es going over the falls. Tue
nfxt fall wa1 not great only two or three feet nnl
VIC Enr! often run such, but bcow It continued to
Tumble down twenty UT thirty feet 1nore IL
ctnuurl f'lctl with dangerous rocks that hEoke tbs
wAsrA int, whirlpoots and tcnt them Into fonnl.
tnrncd tuBt TO Hco tho bont strike rock aud
throw tho men and cargu uut. SIN they chung 10
her Htcs nt c'asulcrrA In ngaln ami saved part
u the unrs, but shy WAS full Of water, aud they
r0uIi not manage hoE. Hill down tho river thrJ
wcut, two or thr,.o hunGtetl yafl1 10 Anokhtr
rocky rupld Just ~ tHd anl the inlat htfuck again
2mIdsl!Ips, md was dashed u pleceA Tho men
were thrown into tho rtyCE and rarEtGd beyond
tuy sight, Very suun l turned tho ro!ut, anI
could seS tnAn's head aLoyG tic Hatrt1 seeming.
" washed Abpus hy ~hlrpool 1plow A fotk.
7hlE wAa Frank Goo'lsnAn cinglug 10 tho rpcf'
with grip III which liTu dcpenltd. Ar caMc
0ptUsltu rhw ffoHtAud lr3!nK to ~ " hls AH
iron, thr island. lin finally got boAr ononyh 10
lrnHk 10 reREh tin thu cnit OF puIc, anh luttnR
W ule toek, hs XFnprcA It, sal wax put!eat oHt
Kuirra lIowIand, tho Captains hr,ther, wa*
wIAhuh lur,hur down the taiAnA On to aolne roctl
u1ll managed 10 grs On ahoTu In Hnirty. excepting
x0lne ta1 hrulsrs. THIS seemed long t!ne tut
'twss quickly done. Aud now tho three lnen
wrEo oh tho Island with \ dangerous river un
each Hlde. and falls below, The Emma
bran WIS Aoon got down, and sumner, onc
uI tho Mtn OF my boat, RthrtcA with II Tor
tue Inland Hight ak!!ul'y ho played llla oars, mud
u few strokes sci t!ln a ihe proper point, hn'i
lack he brought lii ea1Xo of men. We Were A.
on voyage roun'l the world aud wrecked on
distant coast.
Down the river half nll1e We found TINT the
A1ier-cabln OF tho boat, With part OF tho bottom
ragged and BplluttFed, had nouted against r0ck,
aud stranded. There were valuable arttcses Ia the
rabIi, but on examination We concluded that lie
should not be risked 10 save theIn Gf courne,
The carRo of rat!oas. instruments anti clothing
Tas gauc. 10 We went up to the boAt1 md unttt
f%nF&kFt f0v fhA Int n AxHn
the In those dark hour before tho day. RatioEs,
i1slrumelie, &C., had been divided atuonX the
uoate for safety, and We started wish duplicates
OF everything that WIS necessity TO sHeceas;
but In the distribution there WAS one exception md
the taromescTB WCre all lost Thoro Waa Posa,-
hlIity that the b4fpneteT EeE8 IN the cablu
lodged ag1inst rock On the island-thAt wan the
cabin In which tEsy had becnkcp. But then how
to get to III AMI tho river wAs s'stnS-wousd 1t
bc thoro to-morruw7 Could go out tu Salt Lake
and get baI0meterH from New York: Wel
thought Ut many plans before morning, and de-
termined 10 get them from the lAland, Il they were
there.
Alter breakfast, the mon started to make the
portage, and walked down to look at the wreck.
There II was Fill On lhc ls1an. only carried IftI
or sixty foct fursbur on. 4 cioaef examination OF
the ground showed me that it could caB!ly he
Irnched.
That afternoon Sumner and Hail y0lunteesed
to taks tho little boat 4nd 20 10 the wrrck. They
started, reached II AMI out came tho harometeEs
Tneu the boys set ur shout. joined them, ,pleaeed
thu. they should bc SO glad TO save the tnatru
rnents. When the boat landed on Our s1Ae4
found TINT the only th.ngs saved from the wreck
were the three basoneteFa, the packase Of tier
noineteEs aud tno-ga1lon te2 OF Nhiskcy. This
WIS what The men were Shouting about 1hey had
taken II Oh board Unknown to the. and AM glad
tley did, for they think 1t does them Epod-as
they arc drenched Grefy day BY tho melted SHOW
that runs down this river rrom tbs summit of the
Rocky AonntaIns-Aud that II a positive good IT.
ktl.
1hree or four days wcre Erent in making this
portage, nearly mile long, and letting down tho
rapids that followed In quick succession On the
night Of tho 18th. ne camped In = beautiful grove
OF box elders on the ielt bank, And here we 70
u!Atued two days to dry our ratlons. which "ese
In hpolllnE condition. A rest, too, Waa needed.
mat not forget to mention that VIC found the
wreck of bcat ncA our Own, that haa been
carried shove high -WRter-pare, and With It the
| I'D OF q bake-oyen. m old lin plate and other
th!ngr, showing that some one else lad peen
wrecked there and cAnpsd IN the canon after
the disaster. This, l think. confirms tie stoFI Of
an attempt TO run the canop, some years ago. inst
has been mentioned before ...
On the l4th, UoWlnnd and climbed the wall8 Of
the canoD on the wett side, to An altitude Of tFo
thousand feet On looking over to the west VIC
eaw park 1rc or stx miles vide ana t~cut5-nFe
or thirty long. The cli0 formed q *all oei~een
The canon anti the park, for t'was eight hundrs'!
feet down down tie west side to the valley. A
creek came winding down the park twelve hun.
tfred feet above the nser and cutting tie vail by
\ canon, Il At last plunged ihpuBand feet by q
broken cascade into the river below. Tue Gay
after, while We made another portage, peak on
e:s, side was climbed ty tNoos the men hnt
found 10 be twenty seven hundred feet high tn
each side u the river, at this point, vast Hn-
ph.theatre has lecn cut out with deep dark al
coyea Rnl nRssre ulttrtsees and In these a1cofes
grow beautiful MOSES and feEnA ..
While tnc men were letting the tsoats down tho
rapids, tho Maid Of the Canon get her low out
into tho current TOO Tar aud tore axnT from them.
| and The secund boat Was Eune. 30 IL geeEleu
but she atpppcd couple Of miles below III au
eddy. aud We followed close after. she HAs
| cauEAt-.1aEased slightly BY thupr Or Two On
the rutkA ..
Another t,ay was spent on the wavcs. among
| the reeks and We came fown to Alcos- Creek.
| AMI EuRde au enrlJ halt for the night With How
| land went to explore tho stream. l!ttlo monn-
| ,ain brout. coming down from tic httahtA Into
an alcovs hllcd with 1nxurIant vegetation.
| Thr camp wRs mate 1J group Of cciar' OF
pnc side AMI mass OF ,lest Willows 0n tho hshns,
| While usA sway Whtfl"lnd cAne aud scat
trrtl1 tir nfr amonR the fica0 Willows *hd rct'af
| anay n1l1 puun shcsc was rnflnhRratI1n. TnF
mel, su,Ar1 TOR thr tsoas, lrarinx all tnhinf that
,tr{ could not cnrrJ ut first. Even then. shrJ Gtt
| ttcr rIutheA burned nnd half s'nEef. Aua llta'1.
| Icy Yut biz ear sCurChesl. ...
| The cVuk Dct hts zrIus with tho rncas XII. AMI,
| m,rrlnr IN II tAr saIAt. stumbled ana shf"z u
pyert,uaih. ht1 tia 1uRl NaA fp', t'ir ptsFe mr.
n,,ue, OUT SPOONS afr 0o1,c. otf An!tcE ALL s"fk'
IRA Kune. "watcE hu,ch rm," "1toAr ATtes
e.u." 1t,osc are 3ri aorno TIL tupa ha'tuB Ra'
camp kettles. Aud ra tlo !aas ~ wcil sever.
| Whrr Ut. thu boats tho nlrn tA1 s0 cut looan. ~
| tho nreshsngtnx wll'ous would hare vi tho 1r"t
on nfu Aid lnosa I'll Tin ssEva'n TINY hai IN 81
| down, fur they wufp IuAl VI lhr lcG1 VI sapiaa
that carried thou ne1Et, mild whern ! foua'
! Them. This morning va came down to this point
| Tblx had tcru \ chhpics u! dtssaters aud tolls
but the CAuou of loIoro MA mol teSeld of scetlit
| 1Atc1cs,. T~aa grand hey ond tic power u PER
| 10 tell ItA waters ruaft! uhteA4!nEtJ fnim ths
hour We entered II uu1tI VIC iAnhs]1 hers Nc
uu1t, In Ill thht time: hut ia walls AMI cll14 III
| pcxls and erBgx, III Aurhttneatses aud Alcoset
;o,d story that hear yet, aSd ahaH MaF, afr
.AaH htat, Of beauty and grandeur
| June -, 1850.
Al tho point where tho Bear, OF with grratcl
| corrrctncs. tho Tampa River entcrs the Grrea
| the river funs Aong rock about seyen hundred
| feet h.xa aad m!le loaS, theu turuR Aha5p!y
around 10 the right md funs hack parallel TO It's
former course for anothDE rnllc, with the opposite
sides O! th.s long n11rnw rock for its hank. 0I
| the csss EIDE OF TIE river, opposite the rock AMI
| be;oH the YAMpa, Is little pAfk JUST Afg'
| enough for 1aru1-
The river las worn ous hollow doCaes IN tal
sandstone rock, and standing opposite, you
worrs IRE repeated with strange eleAEuess ba
! softeped. mellow tsne- ConTert3f1on II lout