a large escort.  For some reason, Wheeler seems to have been disinclined to give Powell credit for his masterly achievement.  On the map published in his Report, under the date 1879, ten years after Powell’s triumph, he omits his name entirely, and he also fails to give Ives credit on the river, though he records his land trail.  In the text I fail to find any mention of Powell in the regular order, and only towards the end of the volume under a different heading.  As the book gives an admirable and detailed review of explorations in the West, one is completely at a loss to understand the omission of credit to two of the most distinguished explorers of all.  Wheeler accepted White’s story because one of his men who knew White at Camp Mohave, “corroborated” it.  How could a man who knew nothing about the canyons give testimony worth consideration, for or against?  Wheeler had also been informed by O. D. Gass, who, with three others, had worked his way up the Grand Canyon some few miles in 1864, that in his opinion it was impossible to go farther than he had gone.  Yet White had reported this whole gorge as having only smooth water; his difficulties had all ended at the mouth of the Little Colorado.  Gass’s experience was worth a good deal as a gauge of White’s story, and it proved the story false.  But Wheeler did not so consider it, and therefore prepared to make the attempt to go beyond Gass.  The latter was about right in considering it impossible to go above his highest point, but when Wheeler found himself trapped in the chasm, he was desperate, and, being at the time favoured by a low stage of water, he finally managed to get through.

Wheeler’s boats were built in San Francisco and sent by way of the mouth of the Colorado to Camp Mohave.  No details are given of their construction, but from Dr. Gilbert I learn that they were flat-bottomed.  They were apparently about eighteen feet long.  See page 302.  There were three, and in addition a barge was taken from the quartermaster’s department at Camp Mohave.  There were two land parties with supplies, and the river party, the latter composed of the following persons:  First Lieutenant George M. Wheeler, U. S. Topographical Engineers; G. K. Gilbert, geologist; W. J. Hoffman, naturalist; P. W. Hamel, topographer; T. H. O’Sullivan, photographer; E. M. Richardson, assistant topographer and artist; Frank Hecox, barometrical assistant; Frederick W. Loring, general assistant; six boatmen, six soldiers (one sergeant and five privates from Co.  G, l2th Infantry, stationed at Mohave) and “Captain” Asquit, and thirteen other Mohaves—­in all thirty-four.  It was the fate of three of these, after escaping from the dangers of the great chasm, to be killed by an attack of Apaches on the Wickenburg stage.  These were Loring, Hamel, and Salmon.  Loring was a brilliant young literary man from Boston, whose career was thus sadly ended.