Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1869-08-14
HALF A MILE BELOW GROUND
Thrilling Adventures in Colorado.
From an Arizona Letter,

ioo', oh iooe Will TWO PACK mules to
carry provisions, tools and blankets.
Tor the purpose of prospecting i'm the
San uan valley for gold. After sew
erai weeks travel they struck the
San Juan river; but, not finding
sufficient promise in the sands. wenf
westward, and at length reached
Grand river, the banks of which
were high. Both men and animals
suffered for water, and it was dav
before they could reach the stream
which dashed and foamed in the can
on. The next morning( August oath.
they ascended, and were suddenly
assalled by gun shots from a band of
Indians. Baker fell et the fire saw
ing, Boys save yourselves But
his comrades fought until he was
dead, and then they retreated down
into the canon.
The consultation which ensued re-
suited in the decision to go down the
river, since to go back was almost
sure death from Indians. So they
Abandoned the mules and travelled
down the stream for five miles. On
each side rose the cold sandstone
walls, two thousand feet high, and
they waited for dark, when only for
a single hour in the day did the sun
SHINE INTO the chasm. They found
drlttWood, and made u raft of sticks
ana cottonwood lashing them to-
gether with mule ropes, and then
fastening on their provisions, floated
on III the almost Tartarean darkness
OF that wonderful guich. Through
the long night they clung to the
raft, as it dashed against rocks or
whirled in eddies. At last DAYLIGHT
came ,and with it a smoother current
Ihey then made landing. ate some
of their water soaked provisions. and
strengthened the raft with cedar
sucks. Then they embarked, and
toward afternoon came to the Juno
tlon where Green and Grand rivers
unite to form the Colorado.
At the junction the river is about
'oO feet IN width, and the walls on
elther side We're nearly a mile high.
A nove was only to be seen a narrow
strip OF sky; while the cedars that
stood upon the edge of the canon
seemed no larger than weeds; and
detached pinnacles rose vet higher
as monuments to memoriZe the mu-
tiny of mighty waters. Down thew
f1oated in the great canon in the
daylight, made brief by the shutting
out OF the sun, they endeavored to
avoid the rocks which opposed them,
and at night they drew to the foot of
the huge wall and stayed till morn
ing. They could not go back, and
SO they foated on, hoping to reach
CalvllIe. -Four days had passed,
when, on the afternoon of the 2Sth
OF august, an Ominous roar aIfead
was heard, the current became more
rapid, sharp bend was turned, and
toamlng waterfall was seen. Moth
ing could prevent the raft going
over. Then Strele stood up with his
pole IN his hands, while White clung
to the logs. The raft leaped down
into the waters, and White heard
the last shrek of his'companion. who
had Jeen cast off into the seething
torrent with turned head he beheId
through the mist and spray his COM
rade's form toss for moment in the
boiling water, and then sink.
Rememberin this, and not know
ing what yet to expect in that ter
rlbIe fissure of the earth, the walls
OF which were now as much as 1000
feet In height, and seemed to meet
almost, and keeping out all of the
upper earth, except the narrowest
ribbon of the blue sky, White tied
himself to the raft, and strengthened
the lashings. All the provisions and
arms had been lost in going over the
waterfall, and after that came a sue
cession of rapids, blocked up by the
masses of rocks over which the raft
was driven and tumbled, and some
times completely submerged. In
one of these the logs composing the
raft became separated at the upper
end and spread out fanwise; but
White after being thrown into the
water, regained his place and fasten-
ed them. Shortly afterwards <he
reached the mouth of the Colorado
Chiquito, which joins the Colorado
proper at right angles, and creates
small eddy or whirlpool. In this
Whlrllng OF waters, White, clinging
desperately to the raft, was tossed to
and fro for hours, and only when al
most unconscious found that he had
been released from the grasp of the
liquid arms, and was once more float
ing down between the lofty perpen-
dicular walls.
-Four days had passed since he had
tasted food. Nothing had he seen
but the foaming waters, the blank,
bare walls, and the thread of sky
above. For more than a week he
had been at the bottom of a trench a
mile in depth. Exhausted and
hungered, he even sought to suck
his own blood, but the aspect of his
shriveled, blistered arm frightened
him. 1t was then that he came by a
fiat strip of shore with bushes grow
ing on it. Here he stopped, devour-
ed some green leaves and pods, and
again resumed his journey. On the
eleventh day he was taken on shore
by some Gampais Indians, who
would probably have killed him had
not one of them interfered and pro-
tected him. This hun.ane savage
gave the yoyager meat and roasted
meZquite beans to eat, and after a
short rest White tottered to his raft
and fioated downward.
Three days afterward he was arous-
ed from stupor by voices. Strong
arms were thrown about him, and
bearded faces looked pityingly upon
him. He was tended and cared for
by the Mormons of this place, and,
with his strong constitution, soon
regairc1 health, and has now no de-
sire to leave the spot where good
Samaritans ministered unto him,
He is in good health and doing well,
and does not wish to renew his ex-
periences.
The Scientific american saws that
there are produced annually throuph