Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1869-09-02
Gtmrral Jutclli9eMcf,
THE POWELL EXPEDITION.
Letters up to June 23-Runnihg the
Nnpihs-Scenery Of the Cnnons-Ac-
ci.ie nts and Exciting Adventures.


Correspondence Of The Chicago Tribune
CoLoRApo RIVER EXPLORING ExrEpIr'os,
EcHo PARK. MOUTH OF BEAR klvNH'
Juno Is, 1869.
On the 9Th our boats entered the Canon
of Lolore-a namo suggested by one OF
the men, and it has been adopted. We
soon came to rapids. over which the boats
had to be taken with lines. Wo had Il sue
ccssion Of these until noon. Unjust explain
the plan of running these places. The l'gh'
lunt Emma Dean, with two good oarSm'i'
and myself, explore them, then with Il flag |
Isisrnl the bouts to advance. and guide.
them by signals around dangerous rocks.
When We como to rapids filled with boul-
lcrs. sometimes find it necc sstry to walk |
along the shore for examination. II t'i
Thought possible to run. the light boat pro-
goods. Ii not the others are ilas;SSod to
come on to the head OF tho dangerous
place, and we let down with lines, or make !
II portage.
At the foot Of one of these runs; early i'll
the afternoon, I found ~ rlac" where it |
would be necessary to make portage" and
signalling the boats to come down
walked along the bank to
examine tho ground for the portage, and
left one of the men of my ho,t to signal
tho others to land ut the right point l
and felt no moro care abont them. But
five minutes after heard shout, and,
! looking round, saw ono Of the boats COM
ing over the falls. Captain Rowland, OF
| the No Name, had not seen tho signal IN
time, and the swift current hal cnrried
! him to tho brink. I saw that his going
over was inevitable, and turned to save the
third boat. In two minutes more l saw
that turn the point and head to shore, and
so went after tho boat going over the
falls The first fall was not great, only two
or three feet, and we had often run such,
but below it continued to tumble down
twenty or thirty feet more, i'll channel
filed with dangerous rocks that broke the
waves into whirlpools and beat them into
foam turned Just to see the boat strike
rock and throw tho men and cargo out
Still they chung to their sides, and Chamber
cd in again and saved two of the oars bnt
she was full of water, and they could not
manage her. Still down tho river they
went, two or three hundred yards to an
other rocky rapid inst as bad, and the boat
struck again amidships, and was
dashed to pieces. Tho men were thrown
into thS river and carried beyond
my sight. Very soo,, tlrned the point
and could see q mans head above the Wa
tiers seemingly washed about by whirl-
pool below rock. This was Frank Good
man clnging to the rock, with a grip on
which life depended. AS l came opposite
| saw Rowland trying to got his aid from
| tls :@land. He finally got near enough to
Frank 10 ;e@.h him the end of pole, and
letting 90 the rock. he grasped it. and was
pulled ont. Seneca nowlaa.u, the captain
| brother was washed further down the ISL
and on to some rocks and managed to get
on shore in safety, excepting some bad
bruises. This seemed a long time, but
| twas quickly done. Aud now the three
! men were on the island with a dangerous
! river On each side, and falls below. The
| Emma Dem was soon got down, and Sum
| ner, one of tho men of my boat, started
with it for the island. Right skilfully he
| played his oars, and few strokes set him
at the proper point, and back he brought
his cargo Of men. We were rs glad to
shake hands with them az if they had been
on voyage round tho world and wrecked
on distant coast.
Down the river half mile we found that
the after-cabin of the boat, with part of the
bottom ragged and splintcred, had floated
against rock, and stranded. There were
valuable articles in the cabin, but on ex-
kamination We concluded that life should
not be risked to save them. OF course,
the cargo of rations, instruments and
clothing was gone So wo went up to the
boats and made Il camp for the night. No
sleep wonld come to ne in those dark
hours before the day. Rations, instru-
ments, &C., had been divided among the
boats for safety, and we started with dupli-
Gates OF everything that was a necessity to
success; but in the distribution there was
one exception, and the barometcrs were all
lost There was possibility that the bar
! L. IL 4 ~
rock on the island-that was the cabin in
which they had been kept But then how
to get to it? And tho river was rising
would it be there to morrow? Could go
out to Salt Lake and get barometers from
New York? Well, l thought of many
plans before morning, and determined to
got them from the island, if they were
there.
After breakfast, tho men started to make
the portage, and walked down to look at
the wreck. There it was still on the island,
only carried fifty or sixty feet further on
A closer examination of the ground showed
me that it could be easily reached.
That afternoon Sumner and Hall volnn
teered to take the little boat and 90 to the
wreck. They started. reached it and out
came the barometcrs. Then the boys set
up shout. I joined them, pleased that
|
strnments. When the boat landed on our
side, found that the only things saved
from the wreck were the three barometers,
the package OF thermometers and /. two gal
lon key OF whisky. This was what the men
were shouting about. They had taken it
it OH board unknown to me; and | am glad
they did, for they thinkit does them good
as they are drenched every day by the
melted snow TINT runs down this river from
the summit OF tho Rocky Mountains and
that is positive good ITSELF
Three or four days were spent in making
this portage, nearly mile long, and letting
down the rapids that followed in quick sue
cession On the night of the 18th, we
campcd in beautiful grove Of box elders
on the left bank, and here we remained two
days to dry our nations, which were in e
spelling condition. A rest, too. was needed.
must not forget to mention that we
found the wreck of a boat near our own,
that had been carried above high-water-
mark, and with 1t the lid of bake-oven,
IN old tin plate and other things, showing
that some one else had been wrecked there
and camped in the canon after the disaster.
This, think, confirms the story OF an at
tempt to run the canon, some years ago,
that has been mentioned before.
I On the 14th, Rowland and I climbed the
walls of the canon, on the west side, to an
altitude Of two thousand feet. On looking
over to the west we saw park five or six
miles wide and twenty-five or thirty long.
The cliff formed wall between the canon
and the park, for it was eight hundred feet
down the west side to the valley. A creek
came winding down the park twelve hun.
bred feet above the river and cutting the
wall by Il canon, it at last plunged a thou
sand feet by broken cascade into the riv
er below. The day after, while wo made
another portage, n peak on tho east side
was climbed by two Of tho men, and found
to be twenty-seve hundred feet high. On
each side of the river, at this point, vast
amphithcatre has been cut ont. wit deep,
dark alcoves and massive buttressea, and
in these alcoves grow bca utitul MOSES and
ferns.
While the men were letting the boats down
the rapids, the Maid Of the Canon got her
bow out into the current too far aud tore
away from them, and the second boat was
COMO. So it seemed. but she stopped q
couple OF miles below in nm eddy, and we
followed close after. She was caught
damaged slightly by thump or two on the
rocks.
Another day was spent on the waves,
among the rocks, and we came down to AL
cove Greek, and made al early halt for the
night. With Rowland, went to explore
the stream, II little mountain brook, COM
ing down from the heights into al alcove
filled with luxuriant vegetation.
The camp was made by " group Of ce-
dars on ono side and mass of dead will
L.. ~