Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-09-04
COLLEG|ANS BRAVE
COLORADO RAPIDS
Boat Is Damaged as Party
Begins Perilous Trip
Through Canyon.
BY CLYDE l.. EDDY.

.jince 1911 to go by boat through
Grand Canyon and the other canyons
OF the Colorado River between Green
river, Utah. and Needles. Calf. Only
two got through.
One was an elaborate'y equipped OK
pedit on of the United States &c, pg-
ical Survey. accompanied by four ex-
pert boatmen and river guides.
The other was my own expedition,
consisting at the start of IS men. only
one of whom had ever been on the
| river before. and he had not been
through the canyons we proposed to
penetrate.
Nine of the thirteen who started
and seven of the ten who finished.
were college boys who had volun-
| teered for the sake of adventure. And
! the fact that we traversed 75S peril
! Gus miles in the record time of ~
| days. running all but 10 of the GOO
rapids that obstructed our way.
speaks well not only for the inteili-
| gence and skill. but also for the
courage, strength and endurance of
the men whose self-appointed task it
was to get themselves and three boats
| through.
Roster of Party.
We hear it rumored that the
younger generation" is going to the
dogs. l am now convinced that this
rumor is without foundation.
| point to the men who matched
their minds and muscles against the
fury of the Colorado River-at flood
tide-and won: w. Gordon Adger of
Shreveport, La: o. A. Seager. st.
James. Mimi: Robert F. Bartl, La
Crosse. WIS, Vincent F. Carey, Du-
1,,tI a,.I I.,1f pln ri,
ard. Iowa; Vincent F. Galloway.
Grundy Center. Iowa: Robert II.
Weatherhead. Cleveland, Ohio: John
II. Marshall, Chestnut Hill. Mass,
and Frederick l.. FELTON,. West New
ton. Mass. Northwestern, Notre
Dame. Coe College and Harvard.
| had wanted for years to make the
Colorado River trip. From my home
in Port Washington, near New York
City. l had watched other expeditions
try and fail I followed the Govern
ment party through in 1923. Then.
this year, I saw a way to realize my
dream. had three boats built. laid
my final plans, and sent to the col
leges of the country a call for
volunteers.
More than 100 notwithstanding
young men responded, and from that
group J selected nine. Late in June.
1 assembled my expedition at Green
river.
Warned Against Trip.
The river was high with late
Spring floods. and we were assured
it was suicide to attempt the trip
through Cataract Canyon while the
water was high. People told us how
Brown had tried to get through in
1889. and had been drowned with two
of his men. They told us that Charles
Smith started through in November,
1918. and disappeared forever. They
described the dismal experiences of
John Vartan.
They gave US discouraging details
of nine expeditions wrecked in recent
years while trying to navigate the
snarling waters of Cataract Canyon,
and told us that if we escaped from
the river when our boats were
wrecked we would surely starve to
death trying yainly to climb the i'm.
passable walls of the canyon.
But the men stood firm in their
decision to go through. / engaged
Farley NJ Galloway. trapper who
had been through the canyons above
Greenriver. to serve as guide. At the
last minute / granted the request of
Chris McGregory. wandering soldier
of fortune, to accompany us, and at
noon of June q we showed out into
the muddy stream.
We had two 22-foot boats. planked
with Mexican mahogany. and one t.
foot boat. planked with five-eighths
inch of cedar. Each boat had heavy
oak ribs and keels, and the large
boats had three closed cabins in
which we stored our provisions and
equipment. The large boats were
called the Coronado and the Powell,
in honor of the discoverer of the Colo
RADIO River and of the first man to ex-
plore its canyans. The small boat was
christened the Dellenbaugh, as mark
torian.
Highest Water I'm Nine Years.
When we left Greenriver the water
was 1915 feet deep at the Government
gauging station. The river had
dropped a foot in four days. But
within "a hours after our start the
water began to rise, and five days
later the river had attained the high
est level in nine years.
This favored us at first by sweep
ing US rapidly through the 100 miles
Of Labyrinth and Saltwater Canyons.
oIiS VI iii &c SlTclCflSS III Tie river
free from rapids. We arrived at the
junction of the Green and Grand at
noon. June 80, and fioated out upon
the broad expanse of the Colorado
River. $50 feet wide at this point and
probably % feet or more in depth.
We made A landing and Galloway
and l walked down the bank three
quarters of a mile to look over Rapids
No. l in Cataract Canyon where
Brown lost a raft containing most of
his provisions.
/ stood watching the drift-laden
flood waters plunge through a mar
row gorge-pitfless, irresistible, death
dealing. The muddy waves were many
feet high. many of them boiling over
backward. And / was going through
them with my expedition.
Why do men seek out danger? Why
did so many men volunteer to go
with me? Why did nine men go all
the way through with me. risking
their lives in 900 bad rapids when.
especially after one of our boats was
wrecked, four of them at least could
have withdrawn without dishonor?
Frankly l cannot say.
At first the thrill of the adventure
holds man: then after the thrill
wears off and true realization of the
danger comes. he regards it as grim
fight he must win at any cost. The
youngest Of my men, Weatherhead,
had just turned 20. The oldest Adger
was %. Apparently they breed
good fighting spirit in our American
collcges-or homes-or wherever the
spirit is bred.
Sing for Last Time.
We had songs in camp that night
college songs some Of them. They
were parodies, too. of "Hinky Dinky
Dink," and close harmony when they
came to Sweet Adeline." Bartl and
Carey managed finally to get together
on their harmonious.
/ looked forward to other nights of