Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1899-08-30
HE SAVED A MULE
r1r. A. r Messengers EnIivening Ex-
perienCe at fhe Canyon.

A F. Messenger who went to the
Grand canyon a couple of weeks ago
| to take a collection of Photographic
views of small section of that mighty
chasm, returned on Monday night
after a very successful trip. He used
about 800 worth CT plates. He de-
veloped some Of the negatives on the
ground and others yesterday. So
far he has discovered none that have
been spoiled or that were even slight
ly defective The most valued photo
graph is a panoramic view in four
sections. The picture is twenty in
ches deep, almost eight feet long and
covers n section of the canyon forty
miles in length.
Mr.. Messenger made four trips down
into the canyon with his parapher-
MALTA. From one of them he nearly
failed to return. The outfit, consist
ing of Photographic apparatus and
provisions was loosely strapped on a
mule with a sore back. The load
shifted so as to touch the sore and the
animal rushed down the trail which is
sc steep and rough that it can only be
followed safely with deliberation. Mr.
Messenger had taken the precaution to
wind a rope around the mules nose,
for the purpose of obtaining the
greatest possible leverage. That was
all that saved the outfit, the mule,
and possibly Mr. Messenger, who
chung desperately 70 the rope and
rested heavily on his heels as he slid
down the trail in order to produce the
F,.so
ance Twice hs turned the mule
around and stepped him, but the ami
NAL taking a fresh scare, would slide
down the road to perditiC1 again, like
fabricated lightning. The last halt
was made ON the face Of a smooth
rock which inclined to the chasm at
an angle of forty-f1ve degrees. The
edge of the rock hung over the abyss
which reared a thousand feet below
There the pack was disintegrated and
the rock was strewn with lenses,
film, canned peaches and timed meats
The wreck seemed hopeless, so that
Mr.. Messenger devoted himself to the
salvation of the mule, which had
thrown himself on the rock 50 near
the verge that his tail cast a shadow
into the abyss. His life hung not by
a thread, but by enough threads
twisted together to make a quarter
inch rope.
At this point the guide, w. W. Bass,
the owner and proprietor of the mule,
descended and predicting the destruc-
ton Of his property, Indignantly Ia
mented that so ligh5 a rope had been
used. Mr.. Messenger whose fingers
were being slowly cut eff by it, said
he thought it was strong enough to
hold the weight of the mule; any ad
ditionai tensile strength would be
super1uous, for it would never break
SO long as he was holding to the end CT
it for he was about to let go unless he
speedily received reinforcements.
This is no time said Mr. Messenger,
for argument, recTimination CT regret
Action, urgent and immediate action
and plenty of it is required if that
mule is to be pulled out of the jaws of
death" Mr. Bass took hold and the
mule was drawn slowly back from the
edge Of the precipice until he nc
longer gesticulated with his tail at
the rocks below which had been
hungering for his mangled flesh and
crushed bones and thirsting fer his
blood.
In all subsequent trips into the can
yon Mr.. Messenger packed his appa-
ratus and supplies on his own back,
Speaking of the man from Syracuse,
Neb., who was lost in the rapids
above Bass trail a couple of months
ago, Mr.. Messenger said that all search
for him had been abandoned. To one
who is familiar with the character of
that mighty stream the hoplessness of
finding even the fragment of human
body is apparent. Boulders ten
feet in diameter. dance in the
water like corks and are swept
over cataracts as lightly as i
they were feathers. This is the stu
pendous force that has been engaged
in digging a channel a mile deep. A
frail human body thrown into it is
melted like a snowflake.
THE OCTOPUS SONG