Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-07-10
NEW ATLAS SHEETS
First of a Series by the Ge0!ogi-
cal Survey
COVERING COLORADO CANON
Bright Angel One of the Most Inter
esting Sections.
P0WELL's FIRST EXPEDITION
Full Of Dangers and All Sorts Of
Hardships-A Trip Of
Thousand Miles.
col RAD0 CANON
PowELL's FIRST ExPED1T1o,

It IL matter of regret to all the older
members of the geological survey that
MAJ John w. Powell. more characteristic
cally known to all the survey people as
"the major" is not here to witness the
completion of the first Of series. OF new
atlas sheets that the survey has turned out
covering the Grand Canon of the Colorado.
The first OF the sheets is known as the
Bright Angel sheet and covers one OF the
most interesting sections of the canon and
one that thousands Of tourists have seen
from the old railing at Ell Tovah or from
the Bright Angel Hotel.
1t is a section out Of the heart of one of
the natural wonders of the world. and
serves to revive the memory Of the first
trip through the canon, not 50 many years
ago. when Mai. Powell and ten companions
made the trip from which it was not
known whether they would ever return. In
fact, three of them did not return, being
Killed by the Indians in trying to escape
the river. but the remainder of the party
came out all right. There are now survfv-
ing In WASHINGTON two OF the original MEM
bers-Prof. Thompson of the geological sur
vey and old Jack Killers. the veteran geo.
logical survey photographer.
First Expedition.
The honor of the first exploration Of the
Colorado really belongs to the state of I'LL
nois. Maj. Powell was at that time curator
of the State Museum of Natural History,
and there was $500 appropriated annually
by the state, s1,5OO of which went to make
up his salary and the 81 600 added for the
purpose OF increasing the collection. The
major was good deal of a lattudlnarian
when 1t came to appropriations so as he
thought the Colorado needed exploring, he
simply took his own salary. added to it the
II 600 for collection, got a little more from
the Chicago Academy of Sciences and 500
here and s10O there, making up in all about
5000. with which he plunged into the first
grand canon expedition.
The Colorado river was then an absolute
ly unknown quantity. This was in 1869
Even at that date the course of the Colo
RADIO was marked on the maps with a dotted
line where 1t was supposed to run, and all
that was known of 1t below the point where
the Green river enters in Utah was the low
er 600 miles upward from the gulf of Cali
fornia, which had been explored about two
years before. The government furnished
rations for the expedition, and that was the
only connection which the government had
with 1t.
Maj Powell had four boats. three of them
twenty-footers and another small boat
which was to be used in investigating the
side rivers. The small boat proved more
or less of a myth and was lost on the way
down. as was also one of the larger boats,
so that the expedition really finished up
with only two Of the big boats left. The
party entered the Colorado at its junction
with the Green river. 1t was the intention
to make a leisurely trip through the I'M
known section Of the river covering a dis
lance of about 1000 miles, but by the time
they had reached the mouth Of the Grand
Canon proper some of the provisions had
been lost and the rest were going rapidly,
SO 1t was necessary to make dash through
in order to reach eatables at the other end
1t was not a case in which they could
abandon the boats wherever they chose, for
there were only three crossings of the Col
orado in the whole Of that ! 600 miles and
once in the canon the party had to stay
there.
All Sorts of Hardships.
The members Of the party met with
all sorts of hardships, some of them
crippled up with rheumatism, and they
never knew at what moment they
might plunge into falls or rapids from
which 1t would be impossible to ex-
tricate themselves. In fact. once start
ed on the down grade with the river,
there was very little turning back. There
were some places where at low water
there were perpendicular falls Of ten or
twelve feet. These could usually be gotten
around, but there were long stretches of
sheer to the waters edge and where there
was nothing to do when once started but
to keep through and trust to luck for COM
ing out safe at the other end.
One of the worst stretches Of rapids was
measured roughly with an aneroid as they
went through. 1t was two-thirds of mile
and as near as the party could make out
the drop was eighty-lve feet. Lieut.. Stan
ton, who afterward went through with
more accurate instruments, asaid that the
in speaking of this part of the trip, said: