The San Francisco call., 1895-05-21
TRIP IN A BOAT,
Gustave Schultz and Two Com
paniOnS Shoot the Colorado
River Rapids.
Battle for Life on the Treach-
erouS Waters.

SAN DIEGO, CAL, May 2o.-A remarka-
BILE trip was made recently by Gustave
Schultz, the well-known marine and land
scape artist, with two young companions,
L. Foster and John William keenan,.
They left here March 2S and have spent
the intervening time in a five weeks trip
down the Colorado River, Schultz in quest
of striking landscapes and the young fell
lows IN search of adventure. ALI got more
than they bargained for, as the river was
ten feet higher than usual ON account of
melting SHOWS.
They went above Needles, made boat,
stocked it with provisions and started
boldly down the river. None had much
experience in shooting the rapids, but they
are now veterans in the business. They
made their way quite well the first day,
but trouble began early and danger was
their companion all the way to Yuma.
| One of the first dangerous experiences
was in White Canyon, where a sudden
| turn in the river revealed the gloomy can
yon walls and. the, water running like a
millrace. A solitary rock was in the mid
die of the boiling waters. and the men saw
| a monstrous eddy on either side. They did
| their best to keep in the middle, but the
unwieldy craft failed to answer the helm
and began to circulate so swiftly that the
occupants were rendered dizzy and nothing
could be done.
| Following the current, the boat swept
around the rock and up On the other side,
when the men were astonished to see the
struggling waters forcing them upward
| against the current to the place of starting.
Then down again they plunged, only to re-
peat the operation, when the boat struck
the edge of the rock, swerved its nose
aside and, like fash, was shot out of the
| influence of the eddy and into the still
water. All was done in few moments,
| but the men fell back exhausted and
| hoated down stream.
| The next exciting experience was in Red
Canyon, where the mad waters had cut an
immense cave in the solid rock wall, in
which a whirlpool gathered trees, snags
and the boat with its three occupants.
There similar fight was made, with SIM
| liar result. After reaching smooth water
the boat was run to the bank and keenan,
jumped ashore to make fast. The treach-
erous bank, though bearing big trees and
apparently solid, gave way, and the young
fellow fell into the deep water, almost
uEOWnlHg DeIoTe OCuulZ anu OSIer
| reached him.
| Schultz said the river was treacherous
above any other quality. There is an i'm
mense quantity of soluble matter in the
water, and the constantly changing chan
mel made the work of irrigation uncertain,
and Schultz predicts that the mouth of the
great canal now under construction to irri-
| gate the Colorado Desert will be choked
with mud and that the project can never
| be made success.
During the trip the voyagers found a
petrifed forest. witnessed the cremation of
an Indian at friendly rancheria, had nu-
merous hair-breadth escapes, passed the
famous deserted city of La Paz, formerly
containing $1,000 inhabitants, and Schultz
secured twenty sketches for paintings of
what he says is the most picturesque wild
country he ever saw.