296 
The Colorado River 
to understand the omission of credit to two of the most dis¬ 
tinguished explorers of all. Wheeler accepted White's story 
because one of his men who knew White at Camp Mohave, 
“corroborated" it. How could a man who knew nothing 
about the canyons give testimony worth consideration, for or 
against? Wheeler had also been informed by O. D, Gass, who, 
with three others, had worked his way up the Grand Canyon 
some few miles in 1864, that in his opinion it was impossible to 
go farther than he had gone. Yet White had reported this 
whole gorge as having only smooth water; his difficulties had 
all ended at the mouth of the Little Colorado. Gass’s experi¬ 
ence was worth a good deal as a gauge of White’s story, and 
it proved the story false. But Wheeler did not so consider it, 
and therefore prepared to make the attempt to go beyond 
Gass. The latter was about right in considering it impossible 
to go above his highest point, but when Wheeler found himself 
trapped in the chasm, he was desperate, and, being at the time 
favoured by a low stage of water, he finally managed to get 
through. 
Wheeler’s boats were built in San Francisco and sent by 
way of the mouth of the Colorado to Camp Mohave. No 
details are given of their construction, but from Dr. Gilbert I 
learn that they were flat-bottomed. They were apparently 
about eighteen feet long. See page 302. There were three, 
and in addition a barge was taken from the quartermaster’s 
department at Camp Mohave. There were two land parties 
with supplies, and the river party, the latter composed of 
the following persons: First Lieutenant George M. Wheeler, 
U. S. Topographical Engineers; G. K. Gilbert, geologist; W. 
J. Hoffman, naturalist; P. W. Hamel, topographer; T. H. 
O’Sullivan, photographer; E, M. Richardson, assistant to¬ 
pographer and artist; Frank Hecox, barometrical assistant; 
Frederick W. Loring, general assistant; six boatmen, six sol¬ 
diers (one sergeant and five privates from Co. G, 12th Infantry, 
stationed at Mohave) and “Captain" Asquit, and thirteen 
other Mohaves—in all thirty-four. It was the fate of three of 
these, after escaping from the dangers of the great chasm, to 
be killed by an attack of Apaches on the Wickenburg stage. 
