The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1908-01-11
Two Men Fight Rapids Of
Colorado River
IN A SIxTEEN-FOOT ROWB0AT
Three Started from Green River,
Utah. on September 20-Destination
The Needles, Cal, 200 Miles Away.
Feat Only Done Twice I'm History.
Christmas on the Trail.

l0.-Somewhere in the bottom of the |
Grand Canyon, below the foot of Bright |
Angel trail, two men in one sixteen-foOt /
rowboat are being hurled through the 1
rapids of the Colorado River, with their |
destination. The Needles. Cal, more than
500 miles distant. and their starting point, |
Green River, Utah, more than 400 miles
at their backs In this fimsy craft these
two men are attempting TO perform a
feat which has been accomplished sue
cessfully only twice in history. and then
by large, well-equipped parties, with
much heavier and bigger boats.
Behind them, up the river, five miles
above Bright Angel is one of their boats.
wedged fast between two powders, at the
foot of the famous Sockdologer Rapids
where the river plunges down in CON
tinuous series of cataracts for ten miles,
with a drop of 30 feet. Two hundred and
fifty miles farther north is a third boat
with which the little expedition started.
It's occupant, the organizer Of the trip
has disappeared where the river has
claimed for its own almost every man
who has ever dared to attempt It's fearful
rapids. Travelling overland to the nearest
habitation in Southern Utah, the fate OF
this third man is as yet unknown 10 his
two former companions.
Three Men Started, Two Left.
The two men who started on down the
river from here are Charles S. Russell,
of Prescott Ariz and T. R, Monett' OF
GoldfeId. Ney. The third man was Ebert
Loper, a native Of Louisiana. Mo. When
Monett's boat was smashed into frag-
ments in the rapids five miles above mere,
the mon at first thought they must aban-
don their trip, which beginning at Green
River. 40 miles north Of here. has already
lasted for more than three months.
The men entered the Grand Canyon
proper on December %. and spent Christ
mas Day fifteen miles above Bright Angel
trail In the fifteen miles between their
camping place and the foot Of this trail
they consumed ten days in fighting the
worst stretch OF water In the 40 miles OF
rapids they had encountered According
/ to Stantons measurements. the river
drops at this point 90 feet in ten miles.
[ II was I'm this stretch Of continuous rapids
/ that M0nett came 10 grief His boat
struck a partly submerged rock and was
completely demolished.
/ Russell. who had shot the rapids first
made his boat fast 20 the bank, and
/ clambering along the almost perpendicu-
/ lar clitfs. managed to reach a point oppo-
site his companion. After several at
/ tempts Russell managed to throw a rope
! 10 Monett and the latter let go his hold
. on the rock on which his boat had struck.
and to which he had chung for twenty
minutes, and was dragged through tho
rushing torrent 10 the shore. From this
point 70 the foot OF the trail, distance
/ Of five miles, Monet rode astTide Of the
/ steel-inclosed deck Of Russelfs boat.
Final stretch in FOrty-twO Days.
With only one boat left, the two men
have room for only six weeks provisions,
Already they have been more than 100
DAYS on the trip, which is but little more
than half finished As there is not d
house on the shores Of the Colorado River
between here and The Needles. and as
there is no likelihood OF their seeing hui
man being until they reach that point, il
is necessary for them to make this
stretch of more than 800 miles within
! forty-twO days.
known at Green River.
Green River. Utah. Jan. ia party
headed by Bert Lopez started down the
river in boats toward the end Of Septem-
Der. They left word that their address
! for forwarding any communications would
be Hite, Utah.
II is stated that the party started from
I o. ont reached
/ the junction Of Green IA. frand rivers. a
distance of 100 miISz ,ember "A; pro-
/ ceeded through CdTd- ICt Canyon dis
lance OF forty-one miles. and stopped at
/ Hite. Southeastern Utah, october ?. OctO-
i her 4 Loper deserted. They proceeded
| through Glen Canyon, a distance of 16
miles and stopped November l at Lee E
Ferry Utah. where the7 remained for
forty-three days, waiting or Lopez.
Then they proceeded through Marble
/ Canyon, a distance Of siyty-siX miles
Leaving Friday. December Is, they en-
tered Grand Canyon December 70, reach
ING Rright-Angel December q They
climbed out Of the canyon there and re
ceived mail at the Tourists Hotel.
The Grand Canyon Of the Colorado was
drst reported TO the world by the Spanish
! explorers about the middle OF the SIX
teenth century. Up to the middle OF the
nineteenth century. however, the region
was visited only by Indians and trappers
who left no account Of their discoveries
In 1851 Capt. Sitgreaves, Of the Topo-
graphical Engineers, conducted an eXpe-
dillon to the mouth Of the canyon. and
made the first authentic survey OF the
region. In 1857 Lieut.. Ives, OF the Engi-
neer Corps, assembled the river as far as
the mouth Of the Rio Virgin, thence ex-
ploring the eastern bank of the TIVer
ascending the plateau through which the
Grand Canyon is cut, and in an adven-
turous Journey, obtained views of The
canyon along its lower course. The de
scription of the canyon, as written bl
DR.. J. S. Newberry. the geOlogist Of the
expedition, is a classic in geology.
Mai. POweII's Explorations.
, Explorations by Mai. John w Powell
of the United States Geological Survey
which contributed our first real knowl
edge Of the Grand Canyon, began in 1863
when, with four rowboats and nine men
he descended the Colorado from Greer
River. through the whole series of can
yons to the mouth of the Rio Virgin. u
1871 he descended part way into the Crane
Canyon. and in 1871 descended the Marbl,
Canyon to the Grand Canyon, anC
, through the greater part of the Crane
+ Canyon itself In 1852 DR.. c. d. Walcott
now director OF the Geological Survey
. sDant the winter in the CANYON conduct