“Each day,” writes Wheeler of this portion, “seems like an age, and the danger of complete disaster stares one so plainly in the face that a state of uneasiness naturally prevails.”  On the 18th, at one of the descents, a boat was again torn loose, and Gilbert and Salmon were thrown into the raging waters.  They fortunately succeeded in getting out, and the party pushed ahead, making three and one-half miles.  The boats were now in a dilapidated condition, leaking badly.  On October 19th two messengers were started, by way of the summit of the granite, to Diamond Creek to catch the relief party there, and return with some food.  Meanwhile Wheeler planned, if no relief came, to abandon the river on the 22nd, but on the evening of that same day, having made six miles up the river, the party had the joy of finally reaching Diamond Creek with the two boats.  Wheeler had succeeded in a well-nigh hopeless task.  “The land party had left at ten in the morning,” so Gilbert writes me, “and their camp was reached by our messengers on foot at 1 p.m.  These facts were announced to us by a note one of our messengers sent down the river on a float.”  A number of the boat party were then sent out to the rendezvous camp, while the remainder turned about and began the perilous descent, having now to do just what would have been necessary if the start had been made from Diamond Creek.  Mohave was reached in safety on the evening of the fifth day, whereas it had required about four weeks of extremely hard work to make the same distance against the current.  This is all the comment necessary on the two methods.  The whole party that reached Diamond Creek was as follows:  Lieutenant Wheeler, G. K. Gilbert, P. W. Hamel, T. H. O’Sullivan, E. M. Richardson, Frank Hecox, Wm. George Salmon, R. W. James, Thos.  Hoagland, George Phifer, Wm. Roberts, Privates Drew, Flynn, and Keegan, and six Mohaves, making twenty in all.

“The exploration of the Colorado River,” says Wheeler, “may now be considered complete.”  The question may fairly be asked, Why was the exploration now any more complete than it was before Wheeler made this unnecessary trip?  Powell, two years before, had been through the part ascended, and Wheeler, so far as I can determine, added little of value to what was known before.  If he thought Powell had not completed the work of exploration, as his words imply, the exploration was still not complete, for there remained the distance to the Little Colorado, and to the Paria, and so on up to the source of the river, which Wheeler had not been over.  If he accepted Powell’s exploration above Diamond Creek, why did he not accept it below?  His nerve and luck in accomplishing the ascent to Diamond Creek deserve great praise, but the trip itself cannot be considered anything but a needless waste of energy.