tely on some rocks, and,
going along these to examine the place, the breakers had disappeared,
but as they stood in amazement there suddenly arose at their feet the
same huge waves, twelve or fifteen feet high and one hundred and fifty
feet long, across the river, "rolling down-stream like great sea waves,
and breaking in white foam with a terrible noise." These waves, as was
later ascertained, were the result of a cloudburst on the headwaters of
the Little Colorado, and indicate what might be expected in here in the
event of a combination of such waves with the highest stage of water.
The next day they were diminished, and the river fell somewhat, but it
was still so powerful they could barely control the boats and had a wild
and tumultuous ride, sometimes being almost bodily thrown out of the
boats. By this time their rations were getting low, but by pushing on as
fast as possible they reached Diamond Creek on March 1st, where supplies
were planned to meet them. Remaining there ten days to recuperate they
went on with only eight men, three concluding to leave at this place.
The Second Granite Gorge begins about eighteen miles above Diamond
Creek, and is about thirty miles long. It is much like the First Granite
Gorge, being the same formation, excepting that it is shorter and that
the declivity of the river is not so great. From Diamond Creek down to
the end of the canyon is about fifty miles. It is a bad stretch, and
contains some heavy falls which, as the river was still somewhat high,
were often impossible to get around, and they were obliged to run them.
The stage of water in both these Granite Gorges makes a great difference
in the character of the falls. For example, in the Second Gorge, when
Wheeler made his precarious journey in 1871, he was able, coming from
below, to surmount the rapids along the sides with two of his boats,
because the water happened to be at a stage that permitted this, whereas
Stanton found it impossible to pass some of them without running, and
Powell found the one that split his party the same way. So it appears
that one day finds these gorges easier or harder than another; but at
their easiest they are truly fearful places. At one of the worst falls
Stanton's boat suddenly crashed upon a rock that projected from the
shore, and there she hung, all the men being thrown forward. The boat
filled and stuck fast, while the great waves rolled over her and her
crew. Stanton tried to straighten h