Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-03-16
CAN0N'S PERILS.
lence of the Exploring Eypedi-
tion in Granite Gorge.
s BOAT MASHED TO SPLlNTERS.
scenes on the Bosom of the Colorado Be-
tween Walls 5000 Feet High.
MOST EXCITING RIDE OF TIE TRIP
! BOAT MASHED TO SPLlNTERS.
MOST EXCITING RIDE OF TIE TRIP
CORRESPONDENCE OF THE D1sPATcH.l


the mouth of Diamond creek Saturday
March l, and yesterday my faithful friend
Mr.. Elmer Kane, and myself came up q
miles to this little railroad station to repor
and to find out what the world had been
doing for the past three months. Until last
night we had not seen daily newspaper
of later date than November 26, and you
can imagine we had many surprises.
Ny last letter was written from point
Just above the head of the noted and yet un.
known Granite gorge of the Grand canon.
We started into its depths January "a.
This section of granite extends from point
IS miles below the mouth of the Little
Colorado river to the southern part o
POwell's plateau, a distance of about 4C
miles, though there are patches of granite
OF more or less extent all the way down the
Grand canon.
1t has a peculiar form all of its own. Un.
like the towering masses of granite of the
ROYAL gorge and Clear Creek canons, its
walls start from the waters edge with gen.
erally few feet-10 to 50-of vertical cliff
and then slope back in a ragged, irregular
slope 800 to ], 200 or more feet at an angle
VARYING from few degrees to 45O from YER
tical, with some small patches jutting out
boldly into the river and towering hundreds
of feet high. forming almost perpendicular
cliffs, or rather more accurately speaking,
they form buttresses and towers to the gen.
orally sloping walls.
SERIES OF MIsHAPs.
Here in this granite gorge all the mishaps
10 our expedition occurred. The fall of the
river in the first ten miles averages 81 feet
per mile (the greatest average fall except in
portion of Cataract canon) and this is con-
traeted into individual falls and rapids, oi
greater depth and more powerful in the con-
centrated strength of their raging waters
than any upon the whole river.
We worked on slowly and carefully,
making but short distances each day, run
ming such rapids as were considered safe,
letting our loaded boats down by lines from
rock to rock over some, and portaging our
whole stock o supplies and lifting our boats
over the rocks in others. We moved on
thus till January 90. when we came 10 the
greatest fall in the river-put down in Gov
ernmentreportsa as so ieet in One-third of "a mile
Over the upper end OF this rapid we let all
three boats down by lines in saiety-but as
|, we started to repeat this, for a further
distance down, boat No. was caught by a
cross current, swept in against the rock,
turned half on her side, filled with water,
and was jammed tight between two sunken
boulders.'
With line tied around their waist and
two men holding it, first one man and then
another (for the water is so cold one can
hardly stay in it but a few minutes) went
out upon the boat and with graphing hook
and line secured nearly all the load of pro-
visions, bedding, etc. Only two sacks of
provisions were washed awav by the cur
rent. But the boat, although we worked
hard at her till dark, we thought lost, and
lay down to sleep, literally upon the sharp
edges of the broken granite rocks.
That night the river rose two feet and
lifted the boat loose, so that early the next
morning 5y little hard work we got her out,
and in five days hard work we had new
boat.
AN EVENTFUL FIVE DAYS.
Five days! Shall we ever forget them!
Not a moment without the awful roar OF
that mighty torrent in our ears, with hardly
wood enough to cook our meals-the last
two days' cooking done with the shavings
left from the broken boat, and the ever re-
turning question, which boat will 60 next?
On the 4th of February we were on the go
again. The lower part of this rapid was
run in safety, and many others. February 5
we passed Bright Angel creek, and on the
9th came to the most powerful and unman-
ageable rapid we have met on the river. We
portrayed our supplies and followed our
usual method of swinging the empty boats
down by lines. My boat, No. 1. went first
and we came within an ace of losing her al
the start, the current being too powerful for
even five men to hold the empty boat. She,
however, after diving twice under the water,
completely filled, came ashore in safety. To
prevent this occurrence again, we adopted
Major Powell's plan in such cases of shoot
ing the boat through alone and catching it
below. No. 3, the rebuilt boat, was started
first. In the middle of the rapid, she
turned, partially filled with water shot to
one side, stuck against the cliff, sank in the
worst part of the rapid and came up in
pieces about the size of toothpicks
NEXT morning we carried one other boat,
No. 2, over the rocks and got her down in
safety. We started once more, IL men and
two boats. We had good water for two
days and went into camp for our Sunday
rest after week OF most trying labor.
That portion of the Granite gorge from its
head to Bright Angel creek has a peculiar
interest Of its own. Narrow, dark and
gloomy, it stands at the very gateway of the
great canon as if by its very irown to keep
back the intruder and guard from vulgar
ewes and sordid greed, the grandeur, the
beauty and the hidden treasures of the lower
canon.
A SUDDEN CHANGE OF SCENE.
At the Bright Angel creek everything
changes-the granite slopes are f1atter, thev
are of softer black granite, cut into sharper
pinnacles and crags and seem more as if
formed of very coarsely strati6ed slate. The
canon is much more cut up by side washes
and the whole country opens back into the
widest portion of the Grand canon, where
the width at the top is from 6 to 13 miles.
Above us rise great wondrous mountains
of red. capped with cathedral domes and
spires, pinnacles, ,turrets and towers, in such
intricate forms and flaming .colors rnat words
fail to convey any idea of their beauty and
sublimity. l copy for you leaf or two
from my notebook, under date of Friday,
February7: 49, --.-.--- o
picturesque and beautiful the further we
proceed. The granite has lost its awful and
threatening look and slopes back in beauti-
full hill sides OF variegated black, gray and
green. Above this, next to the river, is
stratum OF dark sandstone cut into sharp
horizontal LAYERS, standing in an almost
perpendicular wall, jutting out in places to
the edge of the granite, and studded ali over
with points standing out in the air darker
in color than those behind them and the top
edge cut into smaller points and creyIces
through which the light shines giving a
rough, beaded appearance.
As we look down the river or up low
side canon, with the placid water between
its polished walls of black aud gray and
green for a foreground, there rises above the
dark sandstone tier upon tier, bench upon
bench. terrace upon terrace, stepping back
further and further and higher and higher,
aud in their immensity of height and pro-
portions seeming to tower almost over our
heads. First above the darker sandstone