At the worst point of all, one of the boats, while being lowered by lines, was struck by an eddy and run tightly in between two rocks.  It became necessary for men to go into the water to liberate the boat.  With lines tied securely to their bodies, some of the boldest of the explorers ventured into the water and tried to loosen the boat, or at least to secure the invaluable provisions and blankets on board.  It was January, and the water was so intensely cold that no man could endure it more than a few minutes at a time, so that the process was a long and tedious one.  Finally the boat was got out, but it took five days to repair it, and even then it was a very poor means of navigation.  A few days later, a still more powerful and dangerous rapid was encountered.  Some idea of the force of the water can be gleaned from the precautions that were necessary.  A line 250 feet long was strung out ahead, and the boat was swung into the stream.  It went through apparently the most dangerous places without much difficulty.  The line was loosened slowly and the boat held under control, but when it reached the main eddy it began to get contrary, and finally swung round, and seemed to have struck a back current.  Several hours’ work got the boat to shore, but the next one was dashed into a thousand pieces while crossing over some of the sharp-pointed rocks.

The forty miles of the Granite Gorge are replete with wonders.  The strangely misnamed section, the Bright Angel Creek, is absolutely dark, even at midday.  It has been described as a sentinel of the great canon, and few people have dared attempt to pass through it.  Farther down, the granite walls become less steep, and black granite relieves the monotony of color.  Here and there, at side canons and sudden bends, the vast rear view of the gorge, with its sandstone cliffs, is brought into view.  These are benched back several miles from the river, with huge mountains here and there intervening.  Above the dark sandstone there are flattened slopes of yellow, brown, red, green and white rock, rich in mineral.  Through these the force of water for ages has cut narrow, trench-like waterfalls, most remarkable in appearance and attractive in their variety of coloring.

It is difficult to imagine an upright wall a thousand feet high with red the predominating color, and with brighter hues near the summit.  Benches of marble, with tufts of glass and bush, appear here and there, while occasionally there is a little tract of faultless green.  Above all this, there is something like two thousand feet of a lighter colored sandstone.  This is beautified by spiral turrets and domes, and wherever the slope is gradual enough, pine and cedar trees abound in large numbers.  Behind all this there is the background of snow on the summit of the mountains, and when an unexpected view can be obtained from the river below, there is so great a profusion of coloring that the eye rebels, and a feeling not unlike headache is produced.