348 
The Colorado River 
him.’ I took Mr. Brown to my room and we had a long talk. 
I think the next day Mr. Brown came again. I had two inter¬ 
views with him alone. I told him distinctly that life-preservers 
were necessary. I probably told him we did not wear them 
all the time, but I told him we put them on at every dangerous 
rapid, and I showed him the picture in the Major’s Report 
where we were wearing them. I clearly remember telling him 
to have one arm above and one below the preserver. I am 
positive about this, for after we received word of the loss of 
Brown we talked it over and I recalled the conversation. He 
impressed me as thinking we exaggerated the dangers of the 
river. He made a memorandum of things I said. I think he 
also talked with Hillers, and I have no doubt the latter told 
him to take life-preservers. But he had the Report, and there 
is no excuse for his neglecting so indispensable an article of the 
outfit. He was warned over and over again to neglect no pre¬ 
caution. I distinctly remember that the Major told him in so 
many words, ‘not to underestimate the dangers of the river, 
and to never be caught off guard.’ ” On a previous page 
I have remarked that proper boats and a knowledge of 
how to handle them are more important than life-preservers, 
but that does not mean that a party should leave the life- 
preservers behind. In descending the Colorado every pos¬ 
sible precaution must be taken. The first of these is the 
right kind of boats, second, proper arrangement as to food- 
supplies, and, third, life-preservers, etc. The New York Tri¬ 
bune, after the collapse of this Brown expedition, quotes Powell 
in an interview as saying that he would not have ventured in 
the boats Brown selected and that he thought Brown “failed to 
comprehend the significant fact that nothing can get through 
the Colorado Canyon that cannot float. Boats are repeatedly 
upset and inferior boats are mashed like egg-shells.’’ Brown, 
undoubtedly, was rather inclined to look upon the descent 
somewhat lightly. Being a brave, energetic man it was hard 
for him to believe that this river demanded so much extra prud¬ 
ence and caution, when Powell had successfully descended it 
twice without, so far as the water was concerned, losing a man. 
However, the ill-fated expedition went on its way. 
