The Topeka state journal., 1911-08-05

holes in the rock in which the blasting
powder could be inserted Then when
everything was ready for the blast We
would be pulled up out OF harms way.
Fortunately there were no accidents
during these operations but we had
many narrow escapes
I'm building around What IS known
as Cape Horn we had to crawl up
crevices in the rocks ard while sup
porting ourselves with our knees press
ed against the sides drill the blast
holes Fifteen hundred feet of the
trail, known as the Devils Corkscrew,
had to be blasted out and this is what
consider the best engineering feat of
the work
while the trail was puilt without
loss of life one of the workmen named
James Murray had an experience that
would have turned gray the hair of an
ordinary man. We had blasted a
large boulder, part of which had fallen
into the place we had located for the
trail and before we could proceed with
the work it was necessary to remove
this. We drilled holes ir two sides of
it and set off the blasts Murray natur
ally expected the charge 10 go off sim
ultan eously and after the first explO-
sion approached the rock. was sat
iShed that there had been but one ex-
plosion and warned Murray to keep
away. Jim however, lau ghed at my
tears anu Sealing IliLl56lA On the IOCA
proceeded to roll a cigarette. 1 called
to him to jump, as L was satisfied but
one blast had gone off and for some
reason he did so. He was not an in
slant too soon either for as nc left the
rock the powder exploded and pieces
Of the stone flew in aH directions.
Murray, of course, was lDocked down
and covered with rock but fortunately
he was not badly hurt The boulder
weighed between 8 and 9 tons.
zone of the greatest hardships we
had to endure was the getting of our
supplies into the camps at the rim and
into the Canyon. Everything we ate
or used IN the construction g the trail
had to be hauled by teams rs miles to
the rim. frequently the teams became
snow bound and we ran out of proViS-
ions. Then it would be necessary for
us to go on snow shoes and bring the
stuff in. From the rim it had to be
packed into the Canyon by the men
This was hard work and dangerous
work, too, for false step meant in
stant death.
Another privation WIS the lack of
water. There was no water in that
section of the country except. of course
the Colorado River which flows at the
bottom Of the Canyon ard which we
could not reach until the trail was
completed. When VIC first started
work on the trail We used melted snow
at the rim. After the snow went off
we had to haul water about Is miles
from a tank on the rim of the Canyon.
Owing to the contracted space on
the trail we could not set up tents and
so we had to sleep in the open. A man
would throw q tarpaulin on +he ground
and stretch himself upon it. using a
blanket for cover Then he would
draw the ends of the tarpaulin over
that, forming a kind of sleeping bag
II ha77 F..
lots of times we would awake in the
morning covered with a foot or two of
snow from which we had to dig our
selves out.
Our cooking utensils, of course,
were of the crudest kind AMI our fare
consisted principally of bacon, beans.
bread and dried fruit such as apples
and prunes.
Long before the work was finished
my partners got cold feet on the
proposition and I bought them out.
had trouble, also keeping workmen.
appeal to them and changes were fire.
quent
Trouble With Railroad
1.-The obstacles of nature were not
the only ones 1 encountered. After
the trail had been completed the
Santa Fe railroad was built to the rim
of the Canyon, about 8 years ago, and
in a short time the officials decided
that they wanted the trail for them
selves. BY that time it was being used
by tourists.
The railroad officials asked through |
the Forestry bureau at Washington
for a free right of way through what
was then known as the Bright Angel
Trail and the bureau granted this per-
nit without any intimation to me- The |
Forestry bureau was then under the |
supervision of the Secretary of the In
terror and I appealed to him from this |
decision. The secretary decided that |
the bureau had no jurisdiction over
this trail as it had been built by NY
self and associates prior to the procIa- |
nation of President Harrison, creating
the Forest Reserve, which was issued |
March 20. 1893.
The railroads then proceeded to in |
stitute quo warranto proceedings ia |
the courts to GUST me from possession |
of this trail claiming my franchise was
not legal, but after a number of years
in the local courts, it vas finally de- |
cided by the Supreme Court of the |
Territory that my franchise was valid |
and my rights were legal
"Theu began an interesting contest |
at the rim of the Canyon between the |
railroad and myself. had established |
a hotel at the rim, at the terminus of |
the railroad track, and ~ catering to /
the trOurists was raising the money |
with which to prosecute the work on
the trail, such as changing the grades, 1
etc When the courts decided in my
AMERICANS SOON TO &C