The Romance of the Colorado River : $b The Story of its Discovery in 1840, with an Account of the Later Explorations, and with Special Reference to the Voyages of Powell through the Line of the Great CanyonsDellenbaugh, Frederick Samuel
History
The Romance of the Colorado River : $b The Story of its Discovery in 1840, with an Account of the Later Explorations, and with Special Reference to the Voyages of Powell through the Line of the Great Canyons
Dellenbaugh, Frederick Samuel
Colorado River (Colo.-Mexico) -- Description and travel; Colorado River (Colo.-Mexico) -- Discovery and exploration; Colorado River Valley (Colo.-Mexico) -- Description and travel; Colorado River Valley (Colo.-Mexico) -- Discovery and exploration; Grand Canyon (Ariz.) -- Description and travel; Gran
Hawkins, Andrew Hall—_Maid of the Canyon_.
Canyon of Lodore—The Wheatstack. Canyon of Lodore—The Wheatstack.
Photograph by E.O. BEAMAN, U.S. Colo. Riv. Exp.
Powell, as noted, had been a volunteer officer in the Civil War. After
that he was connected with the Wesleyan University at Bloomington,
Illinois, and with the Normal University at Normal, in the same state.
Sumner, generally known as Jack Sumner, had also been a soldier in the
late war. He was fair-haired and delicate-looking, but with a strong
constitution. Dunn had been a hunter and trapper. Walter Powell was
Major Powell’s youngest brother. He had been in the late war and had
there suffered cruelly by capture and imprisonment. Bradley was an
orderly sergeant of regulars, had served in the late war, and resigned
from the army to join this party. O. G. Howland had been a printer.
Seneca Howland was his younger brother. Goodman was a young Englishman.
Hawkins had been a soldier in the late war, and Andrew Hall was a
Scotch boy nineteen years old.
The spring was chosen for the beginning of the voyage because the Green
then is at flood and there would be less trouble about floating the
boats through the shoal places and amongst the rocks. The river in some
respects is safer at a lower stage of water, but the work is harder.
This, however, was not known then, and Powell had to take his chances
at the flood. On May 24, 1869, the boats were manned and soon were
carried out of sight of the haphazard group of houses which at that
time constituted this frontier settlement of Green River. They were
heavily laden, for ten months’ rations were carried, as Powell expected
when winter came to be obliged to halt and make a permanent camp till
spring. He calculated the river might be filled with ice. It has since
been ascertained, however, that the Colorado proper rarely has any ice
in it. I remember once hearing that a great many years ago it was
frozen over in the neighbourhood of Lee’s Ferry, where for a little
distance the current is not rapid. Powell was providing for every
contingency he could think of, and trouble with ice was a possible one.
But even without ice the water in winter is so cold that, as men who
make the descent must continually be saturated by the breaking waves
and by the necessity of frequently jumping overboard in avoiding rocks,
the danger of pneumonia is really greater than that from wreck. They
had an abundance of warm clothing for winter, plenty of ammunition, two
or three dozen traps, tools of various kinds, nails, screws; etc. In
the line of scientific instruments there were two sextants, four
chronometers, a number of barometers, thermometers, compasses, etc.
With the exception of the _Emma Dean_, which had on board only
instruments and clothing, the boats were loaded in such a way that if
one should be lost the expedition would still possess a variety of
articles and food.
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