Telegram-herald., 1889-09-11
COLORADO CANYON.
An Account OF Ia Dangers ead
Its Uniqus GrzndsQrA/
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TIE serouns q tne 1ttenps by Frsnk n
Bro@a - s-rssy t-s Co-sr4ao river ~ 40
esrt-ls ths feasibility u . .railro4a 6et~esa
"a slss ssaks. 4nd tAs ssa of tas eater
pr.s~ "a ths ss@11 u Bro-a &sd two a.sm
o~rs Il his party IA ths canyon. isd1esd
na. s4ys Ns~ YORK Trl5uas corrsspoDS-
sat, q make some inquiries II MAJOR J W
Po~sl. dlrsctor of tAs Geological Survey.
k1s cay lssa whose parties lave ever 49,
ceedec ia tFzsers.Eg tas deadly gorge
Asksd ~hy Brosn f4-ls4 Aslsr Powell
answered
-Esr tae sane rezson thinz ths other
parties have Always failed tie underesti-
E1atsd the perLs - Do encountered Tie
Colorado Canyon, - spe&x oi may e41y0as
as ons. Is aaigae Toero Is nothing else
lzs Il "a Ia world, noae oat Itself e2a be
its parallel, sad 50 Il Is cinc1lt Tor the
InzgiaatLen - foreses and appreciate its
furious war pools, dangerous rapids aad
tremendous ADysses. / tAiak that Brown
failed . comprehend ths signinoant fact
that notning caa get through The Colorado
Canyoa that caA not r04I Boats are re-
pestedly upset and Inferior boats are
mashed lixe eggshells."
did yoa Know Mr.. Brcwnf'
4
letters from various persons interested ia
locating = railroad route down the Colorado
river IL W4s believed that n water grade
Cor = railroad could be found, and that thus
the vast coal -deIcs OF Utah aud Colorado
could % connected with tide water 10 the
Gulf OF CaLfornia-a most desirable thing
20 accomplish The president OF the Den-
yer company. Mr. Brown, finally visited
Washington and called upon mo and made
inquiries about the best method Of making
tho survey. DO seemed courageous and
judJeloua Bat IN my Judgment tho plan
was quite ingracticable, and told him 50
and fully stated 20 him my reasons for such
. conclusion"
What were the reasonsr'
They can not DC repeated In limits more
brief than magazine article furnishes
But can OF tine them in a word no rail-
road can run along the rocks at the top
o, tbs canyon, because the whole region is
labyrinth OF stupendous lateral gorges
from half mile 70 a mile deep and rannin z
back from the Colorado for many miles on
both sides, and no engineering known 20
man can bridge them Ia the main canyon
the river often rises forty 10 sixty feet, so
that the road-oed would have 20 hang upon
the sides OF the cliff which much Of the way
Is perpendicular. The foods here surpass
IN size aud suddenress any others on the
globe"
Nv IS Browns party overwhelmed IN the
most dl1icuit part OF the descentf"
"Oh, no, By no means Brown had just be
gun 20 encounter the real difficulties when he
met with disaster in Marble Canyon. Il Is
a bad place, bu, he bad not yet reached the
most dangerous portion OF the river. He
had descended less than six hundred feet,
while tho fall OF the Colorado below was
more than two thousand feet"
sWas the boat a suitable onep'
''I would not have gone In IL, by any
means. was anxious about il even before
ne started. I. did not seem TO me adapted
20 canyen wateN. IL seemed too fiat-bot-
toned, aad must have been at the mercy OF
the swirling currents"
Major Powell was asked about the stories
that various parties had succeeded in de
scending tho Grand Canyon at different
times, and answered: .sas
Nobody has ever successfully traversed
the Colorado Canyon but my parties. The
story that raft once lived 10 get throug gh
Il prepostcrous and was long since ex
ploded Invariably al attempts have been
suspended or have met with disaster The
boat 20 20 down the Colorado Canyon must
be sturdly built on a pattern which expert
euce has proved the strongest and should
have three air-tight compartments the
men should wear life preservers at al
places OF danger, and al tools, clothing anc
rations should DC carried in air-tight ocear
mall sacks, so that they VIII foat- II these
conditions are fulfilled, IL the boats are
tough enough, and the men at once plucky
intelligent aud prudent enough, and at the
maximum OF their health and strength, III,
canycn may yet be run again"
l could not forbear saying: "You do no
seem 20 have been quite up 20 this mark
I for you first attacked the canyon long aftel
/ you had lost an arm a. Shiloh"
Major Powell smiled waimsicslly and said
uI was luckyn %