Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1869-08-26
Moantains-and that is positive good

: Mountains and that is positive goot
{ itself. Er%
0 Three or four days were spent il
!, making this portage, nearly mile long
: and letting down the rapids that follow
RI ed in quick succession. On the night o
t the 18th, we eamped in beautiful grove
g of box elders on the left bank, and here
: We remained for two days TO dry oul
e ratiOns, which were in a spoiled condi
r ton. A rest, too, was needed.
4 | must not forget to mention that We
f found the wreck of a boat near our own
/ that had been carried above high-wateI
r mark, and with it the lid ofa bake-oyen
t an old tin plate and other things, show.
ing that some one else had been wrecked
, there and eamped in the canon after the
disaster. This, L think confirms the
story of an attempt to run the canon
; some years ago, that has been mentioned
! before.
t On the l4th, Rowland and / climbed
the walls of the canon, on the west side
to an altitude of two thousand feet. On
] looking over to the west We saw park
/ five or six miles wide and twenty-five OF
) thirty long. The cliff formed wall be-
. tween the canon and the park, for 1t was
eight hundred feet down the west side to
the valley. a creek came winding down
the park twelve hundred feet above the
J river and cutting the wall BY canon, II
at last plunged thousand feet by a
/ broken cascade into the river below.
j The day after, while we made another
i portage, peak en- the east side was
i climbed by two of the men and found to
!, be twenty-seven hundred feet high. On
4 each side of the river, at this point, a
i vast amphitheatre has been cut out,
4 with deep dark alcoves and massive but
I tresses, and in these alcoves grow beau
I tifui moses and ferns.
/ While the men were letting the boats
down the rapids, the Maid of the Canon
got her bow out into the current too far
1 and tore away from them, and the sec
ond boat was gone. So IL seemed; but
she stopped "a couple of miles below in
an eddy, and We followed close after.
! She was caught-damaged slightly by u
thump or two on the rocks.
| Another day was spent on the waves,
among the rocks, and we came down to
Aleeve reek, and made an early halt
for the night. With Rowland, I went
to explore the stream, little mountain
brook. coming down from the heights
into an aclove filled with luxiiriant
vegetation.
The camp was made by group of
cedars on one side and a mass of dead
willows on the other.
While I was away, whirlwind came
and scattered the fire among the dead
willows and cedar spray, and soon there
was confiagration. The men rushed
for the boats, leaving all behind that
they could not carry at first. Even
then, they got their clothes burned and
hair singed, and Bradley got his earl
scnrched. Aii'i,'3 '.'i
The cook filled his arms with the mess
kit, and jumping on to the boat, STUN
blec and threw it overheard, and his
load was lost. Our plates are gone, our
spoons are gone, our knives and forks
are gone Water ketch en- Heap
ketch em.' There are yet some tin cups,
basins and camp kettles, and we dojust
as well as ever
When on the boats the men had to
cut loose, or the overhanging willows
would have set the feet on fire and loose |
on the stream they had to go down, for
they were just at the ehead of rapids that |
carried them nearly mile where
found them. This morning we came
down to this point. This had been al
chapter of disasters and tolls, but the |
Canon of Lodore was not devoid of
scenic interest. Twas grand beyond |
tile pOWcI vi pCh bCil -1bc W0tcE8i
roared INCREASINGLY from the hour We
entered it until We landed here. No
quiet in all that time but its walls and
cliffs, its peaks and crags, its ampshiea-
tres and alcoves told a story that here
yet, and shall hear, and shall hear, of
beauty and grandeur q ssf. sob g1loi
q jezi8ai June 20, 1859.
At the point where the Bear, or with
II
ehters the Green, the river runs along /
a rock about seven. hundred feet high
and mile long, then turns sharply.
around to the right and runs b-ck
parallel to its former course for another
mile, with the opposite sides of this
long narrow rock for its bank. On the
east side of the river, opposite the rock
and below the Yampa, Is little park
Just large enough for a farm.
The river has worn out hollow domes
in this sandstone rock, and standing
opposite, your words are repeated mel
low tone. Conversation in a loud key
is transformed into magical music
You can hardly believe that 'tis the
echo of your own voice. In some places
two or three echoes come back, in others
the echoes themselves are repeated,
passing forth and hack across the river, !,
for there is another rock making
the eastern wall of the Z littlei.
park. To hear these echoes we'll. you I
must shout. Some thought they could
count ten or twelve echoes. 10 me
hey seemed to rapidly vanish in null
5iplicity, auditory perspective, or per-
like the telegraph poles on an
prarie. observed this j
same phenomenon once before among r
he cliffs near Longs Peak, and was )
delighted to meet with it again. r. %. y
CAMP AT MOUTH OF WINTER RIVER, 2 II
~ ISLAND PARK, June %. j
When we left Echo Park on the 2lst,
We soon ran into canon very narrow,
With high vertical walls. Here and Q
here huge rocks jutted into the water
rom the walls, and the canon made
requent and sharp curves. The waters il
If the Green are greatly increased since a
he Yampa came in, as that has more d
water than the Green above. All this
volume of water, confined as II is in a :,
narrow channel, is set eddying and
'pinning by the projecting rocks and !
points, and curves into whirlpools aud 9
he waters waltz their way through the
canon, making their own rippling, r
'ushing, roaring music. 1t was a diff #
cult task to get our boat through here, b
IS the whirlpools would set them spin /
hing about the canon, and wefound it
to keep them headed down.,
tream At first this caused us great ];
alarm, but we soon found there was no
langer, and that there was motion of
transition down the river, to which this 9
was but an adjunct. That
twas the merry mood of the river to n
lance through this deep, narrow, dark
,orge, and right gayly did we join in the F
lance. Soon our revel was interrupted 81
~ the view of cataract. and its roar /,
rg command was needed with all our
,ower at the oars Us We pulled against
he whiting current. The Emma Dean