The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1869-07-19
Gheqmtelliqetr,r;
THE GREAT NATURAL WON ER.
The Colorado CanOn-Interesf -uE
Story.


Story.
The reported loss Of the Powell Ex-
pedition is now generally discredited.
1t had the effect, however, of inter ify-
Ing public interest in the Colorado an
on. We find in the last number the
Western Monthly, a very charming ry
entitled "Lost and Found in the Roo Sy
Mountains" which throws con ,idera-
BILE light upon this wOndrous canon.
The story Is by J. E. Hood, form srly
associate editor of the Springfield Re.
publican, and while "Karl" is a ficti-
tious name, the essential facts are to be
| relied upon:
The traditions OF the Pueblos te. of
an immense population of their ar ces-
tors inhs biting the basin of the e 10
RADIO and its tributaries, in time Ong
past, when the country was we'll wa-
tered anu like garden, and gold vas
common in every house. From This
region the Montezumas are supposed
to have received those abundant treas
ures that tempted tho cupidlty OF The
Spaniards 10 conquest, and the exter-
|
Karl took as many OF the golden I'M
ages and curious implements rs he
could conveniently carry upon his p er-
son and in his wallet of provisions, and
| started again upon his solitary journ Sy.
Every day the river grew wider .'nd
| deeper, and 1t soon occurred TO lAarl
that he might take advani ge If its cur
rent and economiZe his own siren tn.
He accordingly devoted a day to the
n from RuHn
limbs of trees as he could collect and
bind together with strips of hide from
his wallet. The structure was not very
firm, but he trusted himsett TO its fratl
support, and for two or three days the
voyage v as most delightful. The coun~
trV through which he passed was str1k-
ing in its scenery. At some points high
cliffs rose close to one side OF the
atream, while on the other charm iI.I
valleys, fragrant with flowers and
with brilliant and musical birds, spr' /
| out to the foot of some nCIghbOf e
mountain. Several times he had Gimp
ses of clusters of Pueblos like those he
had yisitsd. Occasionally the river
would contract suddenly between pre-
cipitous banks and sweep him onwar
with fearful impetuosity. AT lengthy !:
after sunset one afternoon, he felt h. 3
speed rapidly accelerat1Dg, ana before
| he could make an attempt to touch the
|
down rapids into Il deep CC.@m.
clung firmly to the raft and was So
| in comparaIivelY calm water but L
current was still very swift. The can
| grew narrow again, ana lis Dl0ck WAL
lowered Tremendous height over his
head. There was no recourse put 10
drift on with the current, into the DARK
ness and to probable death. Through
| the long night he clung withthe energy
of despair to the raft, not daring to
sleep, and so passed several rapids ana
through rushing gorges; ana Inc morn :
| ing brought no rel1et. IheArlVer ilh>
deed grew wider, but the canon deepe'
and its rocky buttresses barred all out
let of escape. To complete his wretch
edness. a cascade. from TALL cllH
dreuched him with icy Water and WiIsD
ed his wallet into the deep stream. ~
cared nothing for the loss of the golqef
idols, but would gladly have given tn'
two That vet remained In his pOc&eIh
for a morsel of dried buffalo.
or the remainder of his voyage, Karl
can give but 81 vague account. He re.
collects that the sunken river, on
which he had been drifting, made
| junction with u much broader stream,
which flowed through SILL oeePer
and more tremendous canon Tor many
miles. He'also tells OF banks OF gold
Ell sand in the shadows of the latter
stream, some of which he scnoped up
| with his hand and put in his pocket,
and still exhibits. 1t consists OF about
one. fourth of grAnuleS or while and
rose uuarlZ, rounded by the action of
the water, and three -fourths of similar
granules Of bright yellow gold, with
some flakes and dust OF the same.
There have been several aborLiVe at
tempts to ascend the river through this
canon, and one man has since passed
down through 1t, II we may believe MS
| d faA
tied by Or. q. G. Parry, the geologist OF
| a survey for Pacific Railroad on the
thirtv-tifth parallel. flames White,
now living at Callvillc, the head of,
navigation on the Colorado, is the
man who, processes to have made
the voyage down the river 10
that point White states that ne
river. an upper tributary OF the Color
ado. with one companion, Henry
StrOle. in order to escape q, party OF In
dams who had killed one OF his COM
rades Ind stolen their supplies. Strole
was washed off the raftfn rapid ana
drowned! White adhered to his ratt,
and reached CallviIIe in fourteen|days,
nearly starved and hisSEeason almost
Uone He estimates the average heignt
Sf the walls of the canon at three thou
sand feet, and its length at ,hYe: or slA
hundred miles, with no aVallaoie open:
| inc in its solid walls, as he. thinks. But
ins he must uu al have been nostlo the time, in
the latter part of fthe' voyage, asleep or
too insensible to notice accurately, and
it is likely that there viii be found
breaks in the canon. and possibly val
leys at intervals along the river. Thls
stupendous natural canal tnfouEh
solid rock has no parallel, and 1t should
be fully explored by Government en-
| pineers for addition to the,tQpegraphtr
cal and Scientific knowledge OF our
| own country, as well. as tps the 5adVant
tage or the pioneers of Industry ana
civilization, who are pressing up 20 y
on all sides: '1H'-6 -'' %.
-,z.-.GsiE a NJ E.,i.saI
MF. Boutwell, ON VtfEin4n.
| 80 =. 49,, 1LS- Mem York Tribune.