Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1916-01-03
lie POWELL MEMORIAL ON RIM OF GRAND CANYON

Gus battle with rapids ana WatefIdlls
md the still more laborious explora-
ION Of innumerable side canyons they
rad reached, with scant provisions, the
supreme test Of strength and courage.
What falls there are" says his
diary, I'VE know not: what rocks be-
set the channel, we know not; what
walls rise on the river, we know not.
All. we'll. we may conjecture many
things. The men talk as cheerfully as
ever; jests are banded about freely
this morning: but to me the cheer is
somber and the jests are chastity"
The following day comes the first Of
many tests. The diary goes on:
First Of Many Upsets. 49,.
about II o'clock we hear. q great
tiously. The sound grows louder and
louder as we run, and at last we, find
ourselves above a long, broken fall.
with lodges and pinnacles Of rock OBJ
structing the river. There is a descent
of perhaps Is or so feet in a third Of
a mile, and the rushing waters break
into great waves on the rocks, and
lash themselves into mad, white
foam. We can land just above, but
there Is no foothold on either side by
which we can make portage.
1T is nearly thousand feet to the
top of the granite. so it will be i'm
possible to carry our boats around,
though we can climb to the summit up
side gulch, and, passing along mile
or two, can descend to the river. This
RyxJ o;,,o h,,%
portage would be impracticable for: us,
and we must run the rapid or abandon
the river. There is no hesitation.
We step into our boats, push off, and
away We go, first on smooth but swift
water, then we strike a CLASSY wave.
7 and ride to its top, down again into
| the trough, up again on higher wave,
and down and up on waves higher
land still higher, until we strike one
just as it curls back, and a, breaker
rolls over our little boat.
Still, on we speed, shooting past
projecting rocks, till the little boat is
caught in whirlpool and spun around
several times. At last we pull out
again into the stream. e.'
Hurled back from a rock, now on
into an eddy, in which we struggle for
few minutes, and are then out again,
the breakers still rolling over u.s."
How Bright Angel Was Named.
The many thousands who have de-
scended the Bright Angel Trail at the
Grand Canyon will be interestedin this
e.ltry under date Of August 16:
"The little affluent which we have
discovered here is a clear, beautiful
creek-or river, as it would be termed
In this western country where streams
are not abundant. We have named one
| stream away above in honor of the
great chief Of the Bad Angels and,
as this is in beautiful contrast to
that, we conclude to name it Bright
Angel" ~
On August II he writes: 49,
1T is especially cold in the rain to-
night. The little canvas we have is
rotten and useless; the rubber ponchos
| with which we started from Green
City have all been lost; more than half
the party is without hats and not one
Of us has an entire suit of clothes, and
| we have not a blanket apiece. So we
gather driftwood and build fire, but
after supper the rain, coming down in
torrents, extinguishes 1t, and we sit up
all night on the rocks shivering. and
are more exhausted by the nights dis
comfort than by the days toil.''
On August FL:
Below, the river turns again to the,
right; the canyon is very narrow, and
we see In advance but a. short distance
The water, too. is very swift, and there
is no landing place. From around this
curve there comes a mad roar. and
down we are carried, with a dizzying
velocity, to the head Of another rapid.
On either side. high above our heads.
there are overhanging granite walls,
and the sharp bends cut of our view.
So that a few minutes will carry US
into unknown waters.
Away we go on one long. winding
chute; stand on deck, supporting my
self with q strap, fastened on either
side to the gunwale, and the boat
smooth, or, striking wave. she leaps
and bounds like a thing OF life. and
we have a wild. exhi}arating ride for
10 miles, which we make in less: than
an hour. The excitement 10 3d.. great
| that we forget the danger until we
hear the roar Of a great fall below:
then we back on our oars, ana the car
ried slowly toward its head. and sue
coed in landing just above. and md
that we have to make another port
age"
Dsssrtsrs Never Returned.
And so on. The diary recountS, q
continual succession Of exciting hat-
tles with fate. Meantime, In repeated
upsets, one Of their boats Is lost aud
most Of their -four destroyed. ThSy
are down to few dayS Tetions. prin-
cipally Of dried apples.
On August % three Of the party lSft
them, preferring 10 take their chances
Iof climbing the almost reifpendi6daar
(Centinusd on Page Scelumn o