The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1869-08-26
HALF A MILE UNDER GROUND
THRILLING ADVENTURES IN COLORADO.
From an Arizona Letter.

from an Arizona Letter.
James White, Henry Strole and Cap
| tain Baker, OF the late confederate army.
left Colorado City, May 81, 1867, on foot,
with two pack mules 10 carry provisions.
tools and blankets, for the purpose of
prospecting IN The San Juan valley for
gold. After several weeks travel they
struck the San Juan river but, not find
ing sufficient PROMISE in the sands. went
westward, and at length reached Grand
river, the banks of which were high.
Both men and animals suffered for water.
and 1t was day before they could reach
the stream which dashed and foamed i'm
the canon. The next morning august
24th,) they ascended, and were suddenly
| assailed by gun shots from a band of In
diars, Baker fell at the fire, saving.
Boys, save yourselves. But lis COM
rades fought until he was dead, and then
they retreated down into the canon.
The consultation which ensued resulted
in the decision TO go down the river, since
to go back was almost sure death from
Indians. So they abandoned the mules
| andtraveled down the stream for five miles.
On each side rose the the cold sandstone
walls, two thousand feet high, and they
waited for dark, when only for a single
hoIr IN the day did the sun shine into The
chasm, They found driftwood, and made
raft OF sticks and cottonwood. lashing
| them together with mule ropes, and then
fastening on their provisions, foated on
III the almost Tartarean darkness Of that
wonderful gulch. Through the long night
they clung to the raft, as it dashed against
rocks or whirled in eddies At last day
| light came, and with it smoother cur
rent. They made landing. ale some of
their water soaked provisions, and
! strengthened the raft with cedar sticks.-
Then they embarked, and toward after
noon came to the junction where Green
and Grand rivers unite from the Colora
| do.
AT the junction the river is about 74O
| feet in width, and the walls on either side
were nearly mile high Above was
only to be seen Il narrow strip of sky
while the cedars that stood upon the edge
of the canon seemed no larger than weeds;
and detached pinnacles rose yet higher as
| monuments 10 memorize the mntiny of
mighty waters, Down they foated in
the great canon In the daylight, made
brief by the shutting out of the sun, they
endeavored to avoid the rocks which op-
posed them, and at night they drew to TIE
foot of the huge wall and STAYED till morn
ing. They could not go back, and so
they foated on, hoping to reach CaIville.
-Four days had passed, when, on the 2Slh
nj
heard, the current became more rapid,
sharp bend was turned. and foaming
waterfall was seen Nothing could pre-
vent the raft going over. Then Strule
stood up with his pole in his hands, while
White clung 10 the logs. The raft leaped
down into The waters, and White heard
the last shrek of his companion, who had
been cast off into the seething torrent !;
with turned head he beheld through the
mist and spray his comrades form toss
for moment In the boiling water, and
| then sink.
Remembering this, and not knowing
what yet to expect in that terrible fiesure
of the earth, the walls of which were now
AS much as 1000 feet in height. and
seemed 10 meet almost, and keeping out
all of the upper earth, except the narrow
est 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 succession ofrapids,
blocked up by the masses Of rocks over
which the raft was driven and tumbIed,
and sometimes 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 fastened them. Shortly afterwards he
| reached the mouth Of the Colorado Chiqui-
to, which joins the Colorado propor at
right angles, and creates a small eddy or
whirlpool In this whirling of waters,
White, clinging desperately to the raft,
was tossed to ana fro for hours, and only
when almost unconscious, found that he
had been released from the grasp of the
| liquid arms, and was once more floating