o bury him in the Canyon near the place where he lost his
life. After conferring with the Superintendent by telephone, Miss Catti,
Landscape Engineer Ferris, Rangers West, Peck, and myself selected a
spot considered proper from the point of landscape engineering, high
water, surface wash, and proximity to the trail. This place is about
five hundred yards west of the bridge in an alcove in the Archaean Rock
which forms the Canyon wall. We dug a grave there.

"The carpenter made a very good coffin from materials at hand, and we
lined it with sheets sent down by Mrs. Smith for that purpose. She also
sent a Prayer Book and a Bible to us by Ranger Winess, who accompanied
the coroner to the scene of the accident. An impaneled jury of six
declared the death to be due to unavoidable accident. After the inquest
the coroner turned the personal effects of Rees over to me. They
consisted of a gold watch and two hundred and ninety dollars in a money
belt. I hold these subject to instructions from the widow. The body was
prepared for burial by wrapping it in white according to Mormon custom.
The coffin was carried to the grave, and, while our small company stood
uncovered, I said a few words to the effect that it was right that this
man should be laid to rest near the spot where he fell and where he had
spent a great part of his life; that it was fitting and proper that we
who had known him, worked with him, and loved him should perform this
last duty. Then the services for the burial of the dead were read, and
we left him there beside the trail he built."

In the meantime I had been hovering anxiously at the phone, worried
about the dark, icy trail White Mountain and Nurse had to travel, and
fearing to hear that Rees was seriously injured. As soon as they reached
camp they called and said he had gone before they could get there. He
told me to wire the doctor at Williams and tell him he was not needed;
also to see that a message was sent to the wife and children of the dead
man telling them he would have to be buried in the Canyon where he was
killed. These errands were to be attended to over the local phone, but
for some reason the wire was dead. I was in a quandary. Just having
recovered from a prolonged attack of flu, I felt it unwise to go out in
several feet of snow, but that was my only course.

Dressing as warmly as I could, I started up through the woods to ranger
quarters. The snow was above my waist, and I bumped into tree