The Utah. Near the rim of the Canyon, at El Tovar Hotel, is a steel boat,
sixteen feet long, scarred and battered, showing signs of the roughest
usage, named the Utah. Here is its story:
Loper Plans to Explore the Canyon. For ten years after Galloway's first
trip was made, no one was found venturesome enough to risk the dangers of
the Canyon journey until the man who built the Utah and his two companions
resolved to "dare and do." These men were Charles S. Russell, of Prescott,
Arizona, Edward R. Monett, of Goldfield, Nevada, and Albert Loper, of
Louisiana, Missouri. Russell was thirty-one years of age, Monett
twenty-three, and Loper thirty-eight years.
The plan originated in the mind of Loper, in a mine in Cripple Creek, in
1899. Six years later, Loper had been attracted to the San Juan River, a
tributary of the Colorado in Southeastern Utah, by the excitement created
by the discovery of placer mining there. He confided to Russell his belief
that the Colorado River offered much greater chances of richer placer
mining.
Difficulty in Finding Companions. The men planned to make their start in
the spring of 1905. But they presently discovered that the undertaking they
had faced so lightly presented almost insurmountable difficulties. At the
outset, the men found it was necessary to have at least one more companion
if they were to accomplish their undertaking, and four men were preferable
to three. But the most daring of the men they met in the mines refused to
consider such a trip.
Plans Begin to Materialize. It was consequently not until April of 1908
that their long-laid plans began to materialize. Loper met Monett, a boy in
appearance, seemingly not strong, and unusually quiet, as he did his day's
work in the Mohawk mine in Goldfield. But that Monett was not a boy--in
courage at least--and not as weak as a casual glance suggested, was
presently evidenced. Loper notified Russell, then foreman of the mine near
Prescott, that the third man had been found. A meeting was arranged at
Green River early in September.
Boats Are Made. Three boats were made, with stout wooden frames, covered
with hulls of steel plates. Each boat was decked over, fore and aft, with
sheet steel covers, bolted down by means of a row of small bolts along each
gunwale. Covers, on decks, reached from each end to the bulkhead placed
near the center of the boats, thus leaving an open compartment, three and
a half feet long, for the oarsman. All the loads were placed under cover,
and securely lashed to prevent shifting. The boats were also provided with
air-tight compartments in each end, and under the seat, containing
sufficient air to float both boat and load, should all the other
compartments be full of water. The boats were named the Arizona, the Utah,
and the Nevada. Each was equipped with provisions for three months.
The Start. The start was made down the Green River, September 20. Four days
later, the trio had reached the junction of the Green and Grand Rivers, the
beginning of the Colorado, having covered a distance of one hundred and
twenty miles. From this point to Hite, a small town near the Arizona line,
the first bad water was encountered in the forty-one miles of Cataract
Canyon. Loper's boat met with disasters here dashing on a rock and tearing
a long rent in its side--and giving warning of the inferiority of these
thin metal boats to the stout oak craft used by the Powell party. The party
managed to reach Hite, however, towing the damaged boat, and there made the
necessary repairs.
Loper Stays at Hite. Loper had acted as photographer of the expedition, and
had the camera and the plates in his boat, when it was filled with water.
Examination showed that the plates were ruined, and the camera shutter
badly rusted. It was decided that Loper should remain behind at Hite, and
await the arrival of a new shutter for which he had written. It was agreed
that he need not be thus delayed more than two weeks, and should be able to
rejoin his companions at Lee's Ferry, a Mormon settlement of three
families, one hundred and forty miles below Hite, within twenty-one days.
Russell and Monett Start. Accordingly, Russell and Monett pushed ahead, and
put in many days prospecting along the shores of Glen Canyon. After
forty-three days of waiting at Lee's Ferry, Russell and Monett decided that
if they were to complete the trip before their now rapidly decreasing
supply of provisions was exhausted, they must start on without Loper, for
whom they had waited more than twice the time agreed on. Friday, December
13, had no terrors for the intrepid pair, and on the morning of that day
they started on down the river, with the sixty-six miles of Marble Canyon
in front of them, an introduction to the two hundred and seventeen miles of
the Grand Canyon below.
Their Remarkable Nerve. In telling of this stage of the journey, Russell
seemed to lose sight entirely of the remarkable nerve both men showed in
starting down through what is admittedly the wildest stretch of continuous
bad water in the whole river. And that, too, without the third companion,
who at the outset had been considered absolutely indispensable to the
success of the party. Instead, he emphasized rather his belief that Loper
had elected to face no more dangers, and had voluntarily remained behind at
Hite.
First Seven Days Passed in Safety. In seven days they had passed the length
of the roaring stream, in its descent through perpendicular walls of
marble, reaching up to an average height of two thousand five hundred feet,
and had come through the worst rapids to that point, without damage to
either boat. At one stage there are fifty-seven falls of from sixteen to
twenty feet in a distance of nineteen miles, according to Stanton's
records, in which was kept an accurate count of all the rapids in the
river.
Enter the Grand Canyon. They entered the Grand Canyon December 20. For the
first fifteen miles below the entrance of the Little Colorado, and the
beginning of the big Canyon, they found comparatively quiet water. But from
this point, on to the beginning of the first granite gorge, their way was
threatened with the worst falls they had met thus far. The good luck which
had attended them from the start, however, still prevailed, and they
managed to shoot their way safely down over the almost continuous cataracts
for five long days. Christmas found them only fifteen miles above Bright
Angel. In describing the manner of their celebration, Russell remarked
casually that they certainly "hung their stockings"--to dry. From beginning
to end of their journey, the adventurers were obliged to depend entirely
for fuel on such driftwood as they could find lodged in eddies and on the
rocky shores. More than one night they spent in clothes soaked through with
the icy water of the Colorado, with no fire to warm them. Their Christmas
camp, however, was on a narrow strip of sand, with a greater supply of
driftwood at hand than they had found at any point along the river.
Dangerous Rapids. Beginning immediately below this camping place, and
continuing for ten miles, the river dashes madly through that stretch of
foaming water called by Stanton the "Sockdologer." To make matters worse,
Russell found it impossible to follow his usual custom of "picking a trail"
through the rapids. Ordinarily the elder man climbed along the precipitous
sides of the Canyon beside each cataract, leaving Monett above the rough
water in charge of the two boats. From his vantage point, Russell could
pick out the most dangerous places, and chart a course through the rapids
accordingly. But throughout these ten miles of granite, the walls are sheer
and smooth for the first fifteen hundred feet of their rise. Russell could
find no foothold, and the men for the first time faced the necessity of
"shooting" unknown waters.
Russell's Method of Shooting Rapids. As always, Russell led the way in his
boat, swinging it into the boiling current stern first--his own method of
taking each cataract making the frail craft respond to his will, when
possible, by a forward pull on one or the other of his oars. For half an
hour the men were hurled down the seemingly neverending length of tossing
waters. After the first minute, the cockpit in which each man sat was
filled to the gunwales with icy water, in which the oarsmen worked, covered
to the armpits. Hundreds of times great waves totally submerged them, the
little boats each time staggering out from under the weight of water, only
to plunge into more.
Russell Gets Safely Through. With less than a quarter of a mile still to be
covered, before the less turbulent water below was reached, and just as
Russell was sweeping around the last great curve beyond which he could see
the placid water, he heard his companion in the rear cry out in alarm.
Before he could turn to see the cause of the cry, he was driven round the
curve. Mooring his boat to the bank as quickly as possible, Russell half
climbed, half waded along the shore of the river, and made his way back up
the side of the rapids.
Monett in Danger. Monett, his boat wedged tight between two jagged rocks,
a foot below the surface of the sweeping water, was hanging desperately to
the gunwale of the little craft, his body straightened out horizontal by
the rush of the water about him. The boat was completely wrecked. But
Russell, when he threw a rope to his companion, was astounded to see the
boy work his way slowly nearer the boat, and begin to tie its contents
securely with the line intended for his own salvation.
Rescued with Difficulty. Against the roar of the rapids, it was useless for
Russell to call to his companion to let the provisions go and save himself.
Four times the lad let Russell drag sides of bacon and sacks of beans
through the thirty feet of roaring water between him and the shore, before
he finally caught the rope and was dragged to safety. He had been in the
water for more than twenty minutes, and was nearly exhausted when Russell
lifted him to his feet.
Loss of Boat. The loss of the boat seemed at first to mark the end of their
attempt to equal the record of their predecessors. But Monett insisted
that they try his plan of straddling the stern of the remaining boat. "If
we strike too rough water, I can always swing overboard," he urged. "And
we've needed a drag that wouldn't get fouled on the rocks all along."
Reach Bright Angel. It was noon, January 6, when the trail party from the
hotel on the Canyon's rim at Bright Angel, forty men and women, eating
their luncheon at the river shore, saw two men swing out of the rapids two
hundred yards up the river, and row leisurely toward them. In the thirty
years that tourists have visited the bottom of the Canyon at this point, it
is safe to assert that not one ever saw a sight like this.
Rest for Three Days. Two horses were placed at the disposal of the miners.
Their clothes were torn and soaking wet, their faces covered with an
undisturbed growth of beard of one hundred and ten days' accumulation.
While they had planned to climb out of the Canyon at this point to mail and
receive letters, they had no intention of remaining. With all their
provisions now confined to the limited quarters of one boat, and with other
incentives to push on with all speed possible, it was with difficulty that
they were persuaded to remain at the hotel three days.
A Fresh Start. January 9 the entire community, guests and employees of the
hotel, accompanied the two men to the river edge, and bade them an
enthusiastic farewell. With a responding shout, the miners pushed off into
midstream and headed down river. For the first time in their four months'
fight against the river, the adventurers faced water too wicked-looking for
them to dare. It was out of the question for both men to try to ride in the
little rowboat, and the shores on each side afforded no foothold, after
half the length of the rapids was passed. Russell would not leave Monett
behind to shoot the rapids alone in the boat.
Attempt to Lower Boat through Rapids. Accordingly they took out all the
provisions and camera (the latter obtained at El Tovar), and tried to lower
the boat through the rapids by means of along rope, to which they clung
from their station on the shore. The force of the current was so great,
however, that to save themselves from being dragged into the water they
were forced to let go the rope. The little boat shot down the whirling
cataract, and the men saw it pounded against two sharp rocks below.
Boat Is Lost. To lose their boat at this point meant death. They could not
climb out of the Canyon. Their only chance was to follow and overtake the
boat, now floating slowly down the still water below the rapids, the
forward air-tight compartment filled with water and only the stern showing.
Russell made the plunge first, followed quickly by Monett. How they managed
to live through these rapids is a mystery. But they struck the still water
together, neither having suffered a scratch. The shores continued to be so
steep they could not climb out of the water, and they kept on in their
chase of the boat. When they were within one hundred yards of it, they saw
it swept over the top of Boucher Rapids, and at the same time discovered a
landing place on the south shore. They gave up the boat as lost, and spent
the night where they were, with no matches with which to light a fire.
Boat is Recovered and Men Resume Journey. Thursday morning, as Boucher came
down his trail to go to work, he found the two men, who had climbed down
beside the rapids at daybreak, engaged in hauling the badly battered boat
out of the water. They had found it being swept round and round in a big
eddy at the foot of the cataract. Two holes in the boat's bottom amidships
bore witness to its trip over the rocks. The men persuaded Boucher to go to
the blacksmith shop at El Tovar, and secure the necessary material for
repairs. He did so, and after everything was again on good order, the
intrepid fellows pushed off again, and continued their wild and exciting
ride down to tidewater. Past Bass's Trail and under his cable crossing,
past the mouth of Havasu Creek, and Diamond Creek, where over forty years
before, Wheeler's party had camped; down the gorge up which Wheeler had
climbed with incredible labor, they finally reached the Grand Wash, and
entered the placid water below Black and Diamond Canyons, soon to find
themselves at the town of Needles, where they were welcomed by the cheers
of practically the whole community. A banquet was tendered them, and the
one remaining boat of the expedition secured as a memorial of their
adventurous trip.