The San Francisco call., 1895-11-05
Dangers of Exploring the Grand
Canyon of the Colorado
River.
A BOAT LOST IN THE RAPIDS
Thrilling Events of the Recent Expe
dition of Lieutenants Potter
and Davis.

First Lieutenant Charles l.. Potter, En-
gineer Corps, and Second Lieutenant Mil
ton f. Davis, Fourth Cavalry, U. S. A.,
were recently ordered to make an explora-
ton to ascertain if the Colorado River is
navigable from Yuma to the mouth of the
Virgin River. They completed the ex-
ploration from Yuma to the Needles, a
distance of 275 miles, and found the stream
navigable. Above the Needles the stream
is rapid, and the officers decided to enter
the canyon 100 miles or so above the Vir-
gin and 60 down with the current rather
than tow up the river $50 miles above the
Needles.
According to the reports of the Powell
expedition and the observations of the
Stanton party of railroad surveyors-the
only white men who had previously ex-
plored the river-the lower part of the can
yon is the most dangerous to navigators,
but the army officers resolved to accept the
perils of the stream. They came out Of
the canyon alive fortunately after they had
been in nine days.
At the Needles the army officers pro-
cured a boat twenty feet long, engaged
two white men to accompany them on the
hazardous expedition, and took supplies
properly packed for an outing of two
weeks. The party left the Atlantic and
Pacific track at Peach Creek and entered
the canyon, twenty miles distant, by that
route. They launched the boat and sup
plies in the canyon without much diff
Guilty.
For seven days they descended the
stream, encountering many obstacles in
the way of rocks in the current. On ac-
count of the low water the navigation was
extremely difficult. Twenty-Five rapids
were encountered, and in many places the
men had to carry the boat and supplies
around the distractions.
Navigation at night was not attempted
When darkness began to appear they
sought sandy places on the shores and
turned in for sleep and rest until daylight.
At the expiration of the seventh day s
journey down the stream they came to
great and impossible rapids. They took
ashore supplies to be used in case the
boat should be wrecked or lost, and then
allowed the boat to go down the long
rapids and over the great falls. That was
the last the navlgators saw of their boat.
They hoped to find it in the smoother
water or eddies below the falls, but in this
they were doomed to disappointment. No
sign of the craft could be again found.
The explorers, having lost their boat
and noted that their supply of food was
very nearly exhausted, resolved to leave
the canyon and make across the country
for the railroad track. This was the be-
ginning of the real peril and hardships OF
the expedition. Finding place to ascend
the walls of the Great Canyon was not an
easy task. 1t seemed simple enough to
enter SIDE canyon and SO get out that
way, but every side canyon abruptly ter
minated in sheer perpendicular walls ris-
ing to the height of 5000 feet. Still above
and beyond that were heights of 1900
feet more.
Fortunately for the explorers they had
fair idea OF a known path of egress, and
after following down the stream for three
days emerged forty miles from blackberry
on the line of the railroad. The first two
days travel on foot knocked out Lieuten-
ant Potter's shoes and he had to wall
barefooted over rocks up the side of the
canyon and go forty miles across the
cactuscovered plain with pierced and
bleeding feet.
The surgeon who attended him at the
Needles said that he had the sorest pair OF
feet that ever came to civilization.
When the half-eXhausted and footsore
travellers signaled the Atlantic and Pacific
train to stop there was great excitement
among the passengers, who fancied tha
the explorers were train-robbers of thu
most desperate character.
Lieutenant Potter says the immensity O
the Grand Canyon is beyond description
The Yosemite could be placed in some O
the great gorges and not be noticed. Fo
vast preciplces and scenery of towerin.
loftiness the canyon is not equaled on thi,
continent. The explorers were not mo
Tested al night by wild beasts, but they
saw daily abundant signs of mountain
sheep on all sides. In the canvon the night
were not cold, but 5000 feet higher th,
temperature was disagreeably chilly. TIL
exploring party went into the canyo1
October IA and came out ten days later
During the time they were in not person
outside OF their own party was seen and n,
sign of human habitation was visible.