Arizona silver belt., 1890-03-22
The Grand Canyen Ezslored.
Mohave AIiner.)

Engineer Robert E. Stanton reached
 Diamond Creek Canyon, twenty miles
 north of Peach Springs. on the 1st
 inst. The party is surveying route
 down the Colorado River for the Den
 yer, Colorado < Pacific Railway Co.
 The writer spent an eyenln. with Mr,
 Stanton, who-rsIated many .qe.dents
 of the periloas triptf tie psfsg :
 They left Denver on the 26th of No
 vember last, and by land and water reached the point in Marble Canyon
 where the expedition of last summer lost their leader and three members of the party.
 The boats in which the party made their trip are of oak strips, copper rlvited; and twenty feet long and feur and half beam, and contain ten air tight compartments, and are so con structed that 1t Is almost impossible to upset them. Three of these boats were made and they cost about S1 1000. All the supplies were placed in rubber bags. On the trip one of the boats was caught on the rocks and so badly in- jured that it was abandoned. The rIver through the canyon is full of rapids which vary in length from a few rods to two miles, but no abrupt falls exist. The water is very swift and in every bend in the river eddies occur, but no whirlpools or sucks were encountered. The great danger to the boats were the rocks under water, the boats either running agalnst them or catching on them. In many of the rapids waves twenty feet high were run over, the spray of the water drenchlng the men. All the party wore cork jackets and every precau- tion was taken against loss of life.
 The entire length of the canyon the scenery is grand and awe inspiring, and words are inadequate to describe its wonderful beauties.
 About thirty-fve miles above Dia- mond Creek Canyon, on the north side of the river, Mr Stanton discovered the crater of an extinct volcano. The whole country arUUndi ~ crater Is covered with lava, and the.overfow at one time choked up the Colorado River, and the flow of laval shown in the river bed within a few miles above Diamond Creek
 The walls of the canyon are not, as is generally supposed, preeipitous, but are bench upon bench until they reach the height of 6,00O to 1000 feet. The high water mark Tn the narrowestI portions of the canyon IS eighty feet.
 Since Major PowelI's trip through the canyon many changes have taken place. The rapids winch were de- scribed by him as dangerous, were not so. Bat other rapids not noted by him were found, and in number of places which required portage then there is plenty of water now. Of the half dozen pillars of lava winch Powell reported, but one IS standing. as the case of the three columns of sandstone, one only being left. With each great rise of waiter changes are made in the stream.
 Mr. Stanton is confident that he can take properly constructed steam launch safely up the canyon, and it may ae in years to come that pleasure parties may make the trip in this manner.
 The fall of the river from Grand | River Junction to Diamond Creek Is 4,000 feet, distance of less than 600 i miles. Some idea of the swiftness of the stream may be gained from this. The river Is something less than 200 | feet wide in the narrowest part of the canyon, and the boats would pass through many of the rapids wlth the speed ot an express train.
 Mir. Stanton Is reticent on the suB- ject of railroad down the banks Of the Colorado, and talks to no one about its practibility, although he leaves the impression that. so far as he has explored the river road can be built. But as to the cost he has no idea. He is just now making the sur vey and will, when he IS through and his data. be able to tell pretty nearly the cost, and as to the practibicability of the construction of the road, the projectors can determine when he makes his report.