g to the top of the granite they discovered it was
comparatively level, and they believed they could travel over it, if
necessary, as far as Diamond Creek. The rations for some time had to be
dealt out on allowance, and at night, for safety, Wheeler put the entire
stock under his head as a pillow. On the 17th they met with particularly
bad rapids, one with a fall of ten and a half feet where the river was
only thirty-five feet wide. The force of such pent-up waters may be
imagined. The party had here one advantage over the river farther north,
at this season; it was much warmer in this part of the Grand Canyon.

"Each day," writes Wheeler of this portion, "seems like an age, and the
danger of complete disaster stares one so plainly in the face that a
state of uneasiness naturally prevails." On the 18th, at one of the
descents, a boat was again torn loose, and Gilbert and Salmon were
thrown into the raging waters. They fortunately succeeded in getting
out, and the party pushed ahead, making three and one-half miles. The
boats were now in a dilapidated condition, leaking badly. On October
19th two messengers were started, by way of the summit of the granite,
to Diamond Creek to catch the relief party there, and return with some
food. Meanwhile Wheeler planned, if no relief came, to abandon the river
on the 22nd, but on the evening of that same day, having made six miles
up the river, the party had the joy of finally reaching Diamond Creek
with the two boats. Wheeler had succeeded in a well-nigh hopeless task.
"The land party had left at ten in the morning," so Gilbert writes me,
"and their camp was reached by our messengers on foot at 1 p.m. These
facts were announced to us by a note one of our messengers sent down the
river on a float." A number of the boat party were then sent out to the
rendezvous camp, while the remainder turned about and began the perilous
descent, having now to do just what would have been necessary if the
start had been made from Diamond Creek. Mohave was reached in safety ON
THE EVENING OF THE FIFTH DAY, whereas it had required about four weeks
of extremely hard work to make the same distance against the current.
This is all the comment necessary on the two methods. The whole party
that reached Diamond Creek was as follows: Lieutenant Wheeler, G. K.
Gilbert, P. W. Hamel, T. H. O'Sullivan, E. M. Richardson, Frank Hecox,
Wm. George Salmon, R. W. James, Thos. Hoagland, George Phifer, Wm.
Roberts, Priv