New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-09-24

Major John Wesley Powell the eminent naturalist.
was born in Mount Morris, " V March 81 1s3. He
the of the Rev Joseph Powell nrea,bsr
of the Methodist Episcopal Church who had come
to this country from England. When the son was
ABOUT seven years Old his father removed to Jack
son, Ohio. where the 10y became interested in
scientific matters by the influence Of an old man
named Crooksham At the age of twelve wears
the boy went with his father to Wisconsin and
he had charge OF the farm which the family
lived while his father was preaching. He studied at
the intervals OF work, and when only sixteen years
old began TO teach in Illinois. whittier his father
had again removed. When his father became a
trustee OF wheaton College. young Powell attended
that institution for time and he also studied at
Oberlin in the intervals Of teaching and studying
natural science, in the course of which he exnored
Wisconsin. Illinois. Iowa ane part of Missouri In
1889 he became secretary of the Illinois Natural
History Society, and the outbreak Of the war
in 1851 he enlisted in the 2Otk Illinois Infantry and
was mustered into service as a second lieutenant
AS captain in the I'd Illinois Artillery he took
part in the battle OF Shiloh. At Pittsburg Landing
he lost his right arm, but he continued in
vice as chlef OF artillery, and active in the
siege Of V1cksoufg for iorty DAYS He was later
made major and chief of artillery in the Depart
ment OF Tennessee and took part in the operations
at Atlanta.
After the war he became professor Of geology
at Bloomington University. In 1861 he organized
expedition. with party of students TO Pixies
and they made explorations in other parts of
Colorado In the following year q more important
expedition was made. with the aid of the Smith
sonan Institution and authority from the govern
ment to be supplied with provisions at the frontier
military posts Longs Peak was assembled the
first time. and the entire mountain region of
Colorado explored Major Powell and his wife
spent the winter in a camp in the White River
Valley, and in the spring Of 1859 party Of eleven
IN four boats, started down the unexplored
canyons of The Colorado. From May 20 TO August
y nothing was heard Of the explorers In the
Grand Canyon the party three-quarters OF
mile below the level of the land and the last part
of the trip fastened by lack OF food
a government appropriation of $1,000 made
for a more extended explora ion of the region
dertaken in ISL y. The work conducted as
the Survey of the Rocky Mountains until 1873.
formed as part of the Interior Department
Major Powell appointed its head in 1850
and was Immediately confirmed by the Senate he
had been made head of the Bureau OF EthnotoSy
year before, and in his two offices he had con-
troll of the annual expenditure of $4,000 He gave
special attention to the arid regions in lsl4Is ana
vestigate these. He published The Lands OF the
Arid Region in 1857. ana in 1855 the subject OF fri
cation placed in charge of the Geological sur
vey. This work has become extensive. and ma ny
volumes a year on it are published covering the
Major Powell was the author of The ExplOra-
Tributaries Report the Geology of the l lnta
Mountains Introduction to the STUDY of In1lan
the Colorado" and Truth and Error. He resigned
from the Geological Survey in 1891. but was at the
head of the Bureau of Ethnology at the time OF
his death.
Maio Powell received the degrees of A. n and
Phi. d from Illinois Wesleyan University: LII u
from Harvard and Columbian universities ana
va married in 1851 to Miss Emma Dean. of De
troit His home in MIST. Washington