r name was suicide. Then not a life-preserver had been brought. This
neglect was another shock to the members of the party and their friends.
Stanton was urged to take one for himself, but he declined to provide
this advantage over the other men. Since then he has been disposed to
blame Powell for not telling Brown that life-preservers are a necessity
on the Colorado. It was also said that Powell declared to Brown that
they were not imperative and consequently he is censured for the
subsequent disasters. There was certainly a misunderstanding in this,
for Powell, knowing the situation from such abundant experience, never
could have said life-preservers were not necessary, though on his first
trip there was but one. In this connection Thompson writes me: "The
Major sent for me at once when Mr. Brown called at the office. I think
we talked--we three, I mean--for half an hour, then the Major said,
'Professor Thompson knows just as much about the river as I do, and more
about what is necessary for such a trip; you talk with 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 interviews 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 precaution. 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 possible precaution must be taken. The first of these is the right