anyon to the Junction), except tourist travel and
the possible development of mines. These are manifestly insufficient at
the present time to warrant even a less costly railway, which, averaging
about four thousand feet below the surface of the surrounding country,
would be of little service to those living away from its immediate line,
and there is small chance to live along the line. In addition the
floods in the Grand Canyon are enormous and capricious. Sometimes heavy
torrents from cloudbursts plunge down the sides of the canyon and these
would require to be considered as well as those of the river itself. To
be absolutely safe from the latter the line would probably require, in
the Grand Canyon, to be built at least one hundred and twenty feet
above low water, so that for the whole distance through the Marble-Grand
Canyon there would seldom be room beside the tracks for even a station.
But Frank M. Brown had faith, and a company for the construction of the
Denver, Colorado Canyon, and Pacific Railway was organised. Brown was
the president, and in 1889 he formed an expedition to Survey the line.

On March 25th the preliminary party, consisting of F. M. Brown, F. C.
Kendrick, chief engineer, and T. P. Rigney, assistant engineer, left
Denver for Grand Junction, a station on the Rio Grande Western (near the
C of Colorado, State name on map, p. 51), and the next morning set the
first stake for the new railway which was to cost the president so dear.
Then they bought a boat from the ferryman, and after repairing it laid
in a supply of rations, engaged some men, and ran a half-mile down Grand
River. Brown then left to go East in order to perfect his arrangements
for this attempt to survey a railway route through the dangerous
canyons. The boat party continued down Grand River to the head of the
canyon, twenty-four miles, and then more slowly descended over rougher
water, averaging five or six miles a day. At a distance of forty-three
miles from the start the rapids grew very bad, and at one place they
were forced to make a portage for twelve miles. At the end of one
hundred miles they came to the little Mormon settlement of Moab. From
here to the Junction of the Grand and Green was a distance of sixty
miles, and the water was the same as it is just above the Junction,
in the canyons of the Green, Stillwater, and Labyrinth, that is,
comparatively smooth and offering no obstacles except a rather swift
current. Nowhere had th