Oxford Democrat., 1916-01-25

the trough, up again on q higher wave.
and down and up on waves higher and
still higher, until We strike one just a. 1t
curls back, and breaker rolls over our
little boat.
"Still, on We speed, shooting past pro
jecting rocks, till the little boat 10 caught
in whirlpool and spun around several
times. At last We pull out again into
the stream.
"Hurled back from rock, now on
this side, now on that, we are carried
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 Interested in this
entry under date of August 18:
"The little afluent which we have dis
covered here is clear, beautiful creek
or river, as 1t 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:
'sIt is especially cold In the rain to-
night. The little canvas We have Is
rotten and useless; the rubber poncbos
with which we started from Green City
have all been lost; more than half the
party is without hats, and not one of rs
has an entire suit of clothes, and we have
not blanket apiece. So We gather drift.
wood and build fire; but after supper
the rain, coming down in torrents, ex-
tinguishes 1t, and We cit up all night on
the rocks shivering, and are more ex-
hausted by the nights discomfort than
by the days toll"
On August 21:
"Below, the river turns again to the
right; the canyon 10 very narrow, and
we see in advance but short distance.
The water, too, is very swift, and there
is no landing place. From around this
curve there comes mad roar, and down
We are carried, with digging velocity,
to the head of another rapid. On either
side, high above our heads, there are
overhanging granite walls, and the sharp
bends cut off our view, so that q few
minutes will carry us into unknown
waters.
Away We go on one long, winding
chute; I stand on deck, supporting my
self with strap fastened on either side
to the gunwale, and the boat glides rap
idly where the water is smooth, or, strik.
ing a wave, she leaps and bounds like a
thing of life, and We have wild, exhil-
aratng ride for 10 miles, which we make
in less than an hour. The excitement is
so great that we forget the danger until
we hear the roar Of great fall below;
then We back on our oars, and are carried
slowly towards its head, and succeed in
landing just above, and find that we have
to make another portage"
pEsERrERs NEVER RETURNED.
And 80 on. The diary recounts con-
tinual succession of exciting battles with
fate. Meantime, In repeated upsets, one
of their boats Is lost and most of their
-four destroyed. They are down to few
days rations, principally Of dried apples.
On August 2S three of the party left
them, preferring to take their chances
of climbing the almost perpendicular
walls and finding their way to some set
Element.
These men were never heard OF again.
And the very next day the party, after
most exciting passage over series of
rocky cascades, swept out Of the Grand
Canyon in safety.
he repeated the passage, for scientific
research, two years later and then be
used boat into which he was strapped.
Several times this boat rolled over In the
rapids and once nearly drowned him.
Maj. Powell's desire to continue in
work of similar nature prompted him to
seek annual appropriations for conduct
ing an independent survey Of the Terri
tories. In this work he continued until,
through his agency, the Geological Sur
vey was organized in 1879.
At his solicitation Clarence King ac-
cepted the position of first director. The
same year the Bureau of Ethnology un-
der the Smithsonian Institution was or
ganized through bis efforts. OF this he
was appointed director.
In 1881 Clarence King resigned the d.
rectorship of the Geological Survey and
Maj. Powell was appointed as bis sue
cessor by President Garfield. Maj
Powell continued in charge of both bu-
reaus until bis resignation as Director OF
the Geological Survey in 1894 Subse-
aueut to that he devoted his attention
entirely to the Bureau Of Ethnology, Of
which he was director until his death In
September, 1902.
The Geological Survey was built into
an efficient organization under the per-
sonal direction and guidance of Maj
Powell.