Year: 1871

In New York, recently, Major J.
S. Powell, the explorer, delivered a
lecture describing his adventures in
the Great Canyon of the Colorado,
of which the following is an epi-
tome:


He described the distinct portions
of the country on the Colorado,
stating that very little water fell in
the rim of the basin of one portion.
For hundreds of miles the river had
cut its way through narrow, winding
gorges-the whole place cut, as it
were, into a laybarinth. For days
and days you might go on and find
it impossible to select a place where
you could climb up. This region
Of the Colorado was a region Of
great wonders. Many curious tales
were told of these places-of per-
sons wandering along the cliffs and
perishing for the want of the water
which rolled below them, and which
they were unable to reach. When
the Indians found that he was going
through those places they looked at
him more as a devil than a man. In
some parts of the Colorado it fell
seven feet to the mile.


The lecturer referred to his adven-
lures with his four boats until he
came to the junction OF the Grand
and Green rivers. Here his party
took astronomical observations, and
he found the lateral canyon coming
in at the junction of the two streams.
1t was very narrow; in some places
not more than two or three feet
wide. They also found lateral
caves. There was world Of beauty
and grandeur above them; the lateral
canyon, ledges of rock stretching
high up, and the deep gorges, filled
with everlasting SHOWS, the whole
scene resplendent, in the nOon-day
sun, with the glories of Heaven.
Applause. The waters plunged
off, forming a series of waves differ
ent from the waves of the sea. They
went to Cataract canyon; the walls
of the canyon We're high, noun
tain of rock. He stated that where
they had great mountain ranges
there were wrinkles or holes in the
earth; and, pointing to his diagrams,
he showed that there were great
walls of rock, of sandstone, of lime
stone and of orange and vermllllon
sandstone, cut off from this range
in fact, nineteen thousand feet of
rock washed away from this range.
The Cataract canyon he alluded to
as region of native rock; there was
no vegetation to relieve the scenery
they came through. They then
came to Mound canyon, so called
from the mounds set on the walls of
the canyon. In other places, instead
of the rock being worn back, it was
cut out vertically with the lateral
canyon.


Major Powell described Monu-
ment canyon, and the chocolate and
vermillion sandstone. They passed
through there for days, until they
arrived at Marble canyon. The orange
and vermillion cliffs could be seen
from this place 1000 feet high, and
even some of those cliffs were $500
feet high. The water danced,
waltzed along the canyon, roll
ing down the cascades. One part of
the wall seemed to be set with ten
millions of flashing gems. The wa
ter was sent out of a thousand Jets,
and the spray, being exposed to the
action of the sun, set the entire
scene aglow with heavenly beauty.
The Grand canyon of the Colorado
was $50 miles in length. The rocks
would be cut in lateral canyons al
most everywhere. The southern
SenGa was cut through granite, and
the walls were 5000 feet, or about
one mile high. Looking down from
the top of one of those walls through
the dark gorge the river looked like
a silver thraed Yon cnnl1 not saa