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THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



into Colorado a kind-hearted woman 

 named Mrs. Chew informed us that they 

 had a ranch at the other end of Lodore 

 Canyon, which we were about to enter. 

 She had a great fear of this short but 

 dangerous canyon. Two of her sons had 

 once attempted its passage. They lost 

 their boat, and climbed out over the 

 mountains, narrowly escaping starvation. 



IvOdore; canyon^ n. w. Colorado 



Clouds had settled down into Lodore 

 Canyon, and it was raining when we en- 

 tered it. This canyon is the most won- 

 derful example in the known world of 

 a river cutting through a mountain (see 

 page 143). The river was here first. An 

 upheaval took place across its course, but 

 so slow that the sand-laden stream sawed 

 its way through the rocks, keeping its old 

 level. When we were one mile inside the 

 canyon, its walls towered over 2,000 feet 

 above us. 



A few miles further down is a rapid 

 which Major Powell had named Disaster 

 Rapid (see page 146). Here one of his 

 boats, although made of one-inch oak, 

 had been broken completely in two. We 

 ran the upper part of this rapid, but 

 found ourselves on some rocks below, 

 and could not proceed on account of the 

 low water. It was late and we had to 

 camp on a low, rocky island that night. 



The next day we proceeded to change 

 our camp, running our camp material 

 across on a trolley. The stream on this 

 side, while small and rather shallow, was 

 swift and difficult to cross. After all 

 weight from the boats was sent across, 

 we proceeded to line the boats across, 

 two men working on shore with the lines, 

 while the other clung to the boat and 

 maneuvered it. When ready to take the 

 second boat across, the sun broke through 

 for a short spell between the showers. 



making a motion picture under dlffl- 

 cultie;s 



This was our chance to get a motion 

 picture ; so I set up the camera and went 

 to work, while the others worked with 

 the boat. I was paying little attention to 

 what they were doing. Suddenly I heard 

 a call, and on looking up saw that my 

 brother had been carried from his foot- 



ing and was being swept down the rapid. 

 Jimmie had been holding the line on 

 shore until the end was reached, then 

 was instructed to go above to the cross- 

 ing and join me. There was not a mo- 

 ment to lose. I caught up a rope and ran 

 down the shore, reaching my brother, 

 when a rock stopped the boat for an in- 

 stant. That film was finished as he 

 climbed out over the rocks. 



It was fortunate he got out at this 

 place. At Lower Disaster Rapid the 

 stream almost disappeared under an 

 overhanging wall (see page 146). A 

 string, with one end attached to a rock 

 and thrown from the shore to the wall, 

 measured less than 25 feet. The re- 

 mainder of the stream, which had been 

 300 feet wide in the flat country above, 

 went under that wall. 



dange;rous rapids 



The next day we were not so fortu- 

 nate. The Defiance, as my brother's 

 boat was named, was thrown on her edge 

 on touching a rock, and was held there 

 by the swift-rushing river. My brother 

 saved himself by climbing onto the rock. 

 I was having some difficulty in a whirl- 

 pool below and could not see him, but 

 knew that something was wrong when a 

 rubber bag containing a sleeping-bag 

 came floating down the stream. Jimmie 

 had waded out in a pool at the end of the 

 rapid and saved the boat. Ellsworth 

 was quite close to the shore, and we soon 

 had a rope and life-preserver to him and 

 pulled him to shore. Every plank on the 

 bottom of the boat was split, and as I 

 had received a similar upset that morn- 

 ing we pulled out on shore for repair. 

 We had lost our two guns in the last tilt. 

 They were too long to go under the 

 decks. The cameras had all been in the 

 muddy water, likewise our provisions. 

 Some of our motion-picture film was 

 lost. We placed all of our material on 

 the shore to dry, as we were enjoying a 

 brief period of sunshine. 



But it was short, for a deluge of rain, 

 driven by a heavy wind, came sweeping 

 up the canyon. We put up a small silk 

 tent and got everything inside ; but it was 

 long after midnight when we retired, 

 after having repaired all possible dam- 



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