The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1875-03-18
DOWN THE COLORADO,
The Story Of Trip Through the Cnuyous
rs Told by Major Powell.

The story Of n Trip Through the CANYONS
ns Told by Mnior Powell.
When Major Powell and his party set
out i'll their boats to descend the Colo
RADIO river, which dashed over falls and
precipices and througha narrow channel,
with walls of solid granite or marble,
in some places fully a mile in height, on
each bank, the expedition was looked
npon as full of dangers. The Major
and his party went through and the
story is told by the leader of the party
in ScriGncr's magazine. While told
III vein of exceeding modesty it is vet
full of thrilling interest.
Major Powelltells us that they encoun-
tered dangers along the whole route,
but the men of the party showed no
signs of holding back, however dark and
dismal or full of terrors the new canyon
they We're about to enter might be,
until the perilous voyage was near its
end. Then they came to one CANYON
that was evidently more full of dangers
than any they had passed.
Capt. Rowland, of the party, and
three men declared that they would not
attempt its passage. Major Powell
fully comprehended the danger before
him, but he felt that unless the
passage of this canyon was attempt
ed his long and perilous trip
was not accomplished, andhe determined
ogo on. The night before the leader did
not and could not sleep, so important
seemed the occasion, and so great the
excitement within him.
He made his preparations as though
feeling that he and his party were not to
come out of the abyss alive. One set of
the records was given to Capt. Rowland
and his men, who were to go around by
land. Letters were given them to friends
at home, and keepsakes were intrusted
toCapt. Rowland. Major Powell says, too,
that some tears were shed at parting,
each party believing that the other was
taking the most dangerous way, and that
they would not meet again. Now let
Major Powell tell the story of the trip:
My old boat having been deserted, l
went on board "The Maid of the Can
yon." The three men climbed a crag
that overhung the river, to watch us off
The -" Maid pushed out, we glided
rapidly along the foot of the wall, Just
grazing one great rock, pulled out a little
into the chute of the second fall, and
plunged over it. The open compartment
was filled when We struck the first wave
below, but we cut through il, and then
the men pulled with all their power to-
ward the left wall and swung clear of the
dangerous rock below.
We were scarcely a minute in running
it, and found that, although it looked
bad from above, We had passed
many places that were worse. The
other boat followed without more diff
Guilty.
We landed at the first practicable
point below, fired our guns as a signal to
the men above that we had gone over in
safety, and remained a couple of hours,
hoping they would take the smaller boat
and follow US. We were behind q curve
in the canyon and could not see up to
where we left them. AS they did not
come we pushed on again. Until noon
we had succession of rapids and falls,
all of which we ran in safety.
Just after dinner we came to another
bad place. A little stream came in from
the left, and below there was fall, and
still below another. Above, the river
tumbled down over and among the
rocks in whirlpools and great waves, and
the waters We're white with foam. We
ran along the left, above this, and soon
saw that we could not get down on that
side, but it seemed possible to let down
on the other, so we pulled up stream for
two or three hundred yards and crossed.
There was bed of basalt on this north
ern side of the canyon, with a bold escarp-
ment that seemed to be a hundred feet
high. We could climb it and walk along
its summit to q point where we were
iI1Cf ot fl,a hoo1 Of ho fo1l l.
basalt seemed to be broken down again,
and directed the men to take line to
the top of the cliff andlet the boats down
along the wall. One man remained in
the boat to keep her clear of the rocks
and prevent her line from being caught
on the projecting angles. 1 climbed the
cliff and passed along to point just over
the fall, and descended by broken rocks,
and found that the break of the fall was
above the break of the wall, so that we
could not land, and that still below the
river was very bad, and there was no
possibility of portage. Without wait
ing further to examine and determine
what should be done, 1 hastened back to
the top of the cliff to stop the boats from
coming down. When / arrived found
the men had let one of them down to the
head of the fall; she was in swift water
and they were not able to pull her back,
nor were they able to go ON with the
line, as it was not long enough to reach
the higher part of the cliff which was
just before them; SO they took blight
around crag, and L sent two men back
for the other line.
The boat was in very swift water, and
Bradley was standing in the open COM
partment holding out his oar to prevent