The Arizona champion., 1890-05-17
The Colo. .ado Canyon Survey

The Times was accorded an inter
 esting interview by Robt. B. Stan
 ton, Chief Engineer of the Denver
 Colorado Canyon and and Pacific R
 R. Go. Mir. Stanton has just com
 pleted perilous trip down the Col
 orado from the Green River to tht
 Gulf of California, being the only
 man in charge of party making
 the trip since it was performed by
 Major Powell many years ago
 The voyage was consumated in the
 interests of the company represen.
 ted by him, the object being to as
 certain by surveys the feasibility O
 a proposed railway route from Den
 ver tc San Diego and incidentally
 branch to the Gulf. Despite tn, most thorough examination no great difficulties have yet been encounter ed from an engineering standpoint
 while, financially speaking, the com pany is possessed of ample mean, to carry the project through, an0 are, besides, very enthusiastic over
 its practicability. Originally the Gulf branch was intended as a deer, water outlet for the great coal de posits of the north whereby this fuel could be laid down at the end of the route very cheaply, and coke at low figure of nine dollars pei ton. However the country traver- sed has shown so much mineral everywhere, including gold, silver, copper, lead, iron coal, etc., that, says MT. Stanton, the enlivening of the mining industries will in them
 selves offer so large a tra6c to the road as to surpass the most sanguine expectations of its promoters. The total distance will involve the con- struction of some twelve hundred hundred miles of railroad, standard guage, and the Colorado river cross ing will be considerably north of Yuma at a point not yet selected or, at any rate, not communicated to the reporter. More than one thousand photographs of scenery were taken along the Colorado at intervals not greater than fIom one mile to one mile apart, through the canyon portion of the river thus covering nearly every foot of the wly, which will afford a panoramic picture that will demonstrate, when taken in conjunction with the showing the results of the surveys, beyond cavil, the overwhelming ad- vantages and comparative simplicity of the construction of the road. It has not yet been deciyed when building will commence, as the company Is waiting for the complet- and receipt of the engineers report.
 Relative to the trip through the canyon it may be explained that last December Mir. Stanton, Mir. J. Hissop, Assistant Engineer, and and ten others started to complete the surveys through the lower DOT tion of the marble canyon and down to Yuma, the party becoming less by several leaving before reaching the latter place. During previous explorations further north, Pres. Brown and two others lost their lives, and pains were taken that a similar calamity should not again occur. The three boats used were models of careful workmanship, de signed especially for the trip. The passage through the Grand Canyon was drought with peril, owing to the rapids everywhere formed by the deposit of immense boulders in the river from side canyons. Speaking of the gorgeous surroundings every where visible in this, the most won derful of all Natures marvels, Mir. Stanton says: 'The scenery of the Grand Canyon was not alone grand
 but it was surprisingly and almost indescribably beautiful. Imagine gigantic walls towering thousands of feet above you reacb;no fron, bench to bench and from plateau to plateau, each receding further away until lost in the distance, Far above at the sumit is the virgin snow cold and white in the sun- light. Then comes the timber,