Archive All Issues March 1938

SHOOTING THE RAPIDS-

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FOR SCIENCE AND THRILLS By Harry G. Franse

Featured in the March 1938 Issue of Arizona Highways

Merril Spencer, third boatman, pilots his craft through Badger Rapids. He appears to be in difficulty, as the boat is swept, out of control, down the plunging current. No damage was done, however, and the expedition went through without an upset.
Merril Spencer, third boatman, pilots his craft through Badger Rapids. He appears to be in difficulty, as the boat is swept, out of control, down the plunging current. No damage was done, however, and the expedition went through without an upset.
BY: H. G. Franse

FOR SCIENCE AND THRILLS

Is “Old Man River” of the West, the treacherous Colorado, getgetting soft? If so, how come? In the sixty-nine years since Major Powell blazed his way by boat down the Colorado, only twelve expeditions have succeeded in navigating that rapids-infested stream. That is, there were but twelve until October when not one, but two expeditions were on the river at the same time, and both of them got through.

Dr. Ian Campbell and Dr. John H. Maxson of the California Institute of Technology, under the direction of that institution and in cooperation with the Carnegie Institute of Washington, for the past four years have been studying the Archean rock formation, the oldest substance known to man, exposed in theinner-gorge of the Colorado in Grand Canyon. It is extremely difficult to reach the Archean stratum from points on the rims, and it was thought that the logical way was to come down the river by boat.

The sinister reputation of what has been termed “The world’s most dangerous river,” did not deter Dr. Campbell and his associates. They were scientists and when a scientist wants information, he sets about getting it. If the data he wants happens to be in the stratosphere, he hooks himself to a balloon and sailsaway to the upper layers of atmosphere to have a look around. Or if what he wants is at the bottom of the sea, he bottles himself in a bathysphere and down he goes.

“The successful expeditions that have gone through the canyons in recent years have demonstrated that there are no serious hazards for well-equipped and well-managed expeditions,” is how Dr. Campbell casually disposed of the hazards in that tough old stream that has wrecked more expeditions than ever weathered its fury. So they substituted boats for balloons and diving gear and shoved off into the Colorado at Lee’s Ferry to complete their mission.

The members of the expedition were Dr. Ian Campbell, in charge, and Dr. John H. Maxson, both of the California

GENERAL HIGHWAY AND TRANSPORTATION MAP MARICOPA COUNTY ARIZONA

PREPARED BY THE

ARIZONA STATE HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT

IN COOPERATION WITH THE

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

BUREAU OF PUBLIC ROADS

DATA OBTAINED FROM

STATE-WIDE HIGHWAY PLANNING SURVEY

SCALE IN MILES

With careful research and painstaking effort a comprehensive study and analysis of the entire road system of the state is being made to intelligently plan roads of the future.