apon, where, by failure of
his provisions, he was obliged to turn back, leaving the main object
of the trip, the discovery of the Grand Falls, wholly unaccomplished.

It has been left for Bowdoin College to accomplish the work left
undone by Mr. Holme, to do honor to herself and her country by not
only discovering, measuring, and photographing the falls, but making
known the general features of the inland plateau, the geological
structure of the continent, and the course of the river.

On Sunday, July 26, a party of the Bowdoin expedition, consisting of
Messrs. Cary, Cole, Young, and Smith, equipped with two Rushton boats
and a complement of provisions and instruments, left the schooner at
the head of the inlet for a five weeks' trip into the interior, the
ultimate object being the discovery of the Grand Falls. The mouth of
the river, which is about one mile wide, is blockaded by immense sand
bars, which have been laid down gradually by the erosive power of the
river. These bars extend far out into Goose Bay, at the head of Lake
Melville, and it is impossible to approach the shores except in a
small boat. Twenty-five miles up the river are the first falls, a
descent of the water of twenty-five feet, forming a beautiful sight.
Here a cache of provisions was made, large enough to carry the party
back to the appointed meeting place at Northwest River. The carry
around the first falls is about one and a half miles in length, and
very difficult on account of the steep sides of the river.

From the first falls to Gull Island Lake, forty miles above, the river
is alternately quick and dead water. Part of it is very heavy rapids,
over which it was necessary to track, and in some places to double the
crews. Each boat had a tow line of fifty feet, and in tracking the end
was taken ashore by one of the crew of two, while the boat was kept
off the bank by the other man with an oar. At the Horseshoe Rapids,
ten miles above Gull Island Lake, an accident happened which
threatened to put a stop to further progress of the expedition. While
tracking around a steep point in crossing these rapids the boat which
Messrs. Cary and Smith were tracking was overturned, dumping
barometer, shotgun, and ax into the river, together with nearly
one-half the total amount of provisions. In the swift water of the
rapids all these things were irrevocably lost, a very serious loss at
this stage in the expedition. On this day so great was the force of
t