The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1869-07-10
TIE CANoN OF TIE COLORADO.



The news, whether true or false, from
Msior Powell and his party, who, for
more than two ears, have been en-
gagged in preliminary arrangements to
explore the great canon of the Colora-
do, and who hoped during the present
summer to accomplish it, will add new
interest to this important subject
Many may suppose that the results 10
be obtained Will not warrant the labor
and expense, not to speak of the dan
gers to be incurred in exploring the
hidden mysteries of this wonderful
canon. But geographical problems OF
far less Interest and importance have
cost the world far greater expenditure
OF effort to solve them, and mankind
will always both applaud and reward
those who increase the sum Of human
knowledge, To add to that knowledge
IL the controlling motive that impelled
Major Po~ell.io risk everything in or
der to unveiI the mysteries that sur
round one OF the great rivers OF the
continent in its course to the sea. Even
If it has cost him his life, this Will not
deter other daring explorers from soly-
ing the problem with which the name
of Powell is now most honorably and,
perhaps, sadly associated. The follow
ing is the sum OF about all we know of
the Colorado River and Its uneXplOred
canon:
1t gathers its waters on the western
slope OF the Rocky Mountains, on the
north, from point opposite the yell
lowatone, down through at least nine
degrees of latitude 10 point opposite
the head waters of the Red River, and
drains an equal space along the eastern
rim of the Great Salt Lake basin. The
mountains which surround the vast
valley which it drains are the ROCKY on
the east, the Wind River on the
north, and the Wasatch and Uln-
tab on the west; and, rs they
all rise far up into the regions OF
perpetual snow, they furnish the water
for one of the largest rivers OF the con-
tiuent.. All its principal tributaries,
with the exception of the Gila, the Lit
tie Colorado and the San JUAN are
gathered into its terrible current before
it dashes into what me iroHtIetsLnen
call the Black Canon of the Colorado.
The river has tremendous fall 10 the
Gulf of California. At Green River Sta
ton. where the. Union Pacific Railway
cross the principal tributary OF the Col
orado, bearing at least as much water
as Rock River at Sterling, the elevation
above the ocean is about {, 600 feet. In
the three or four hundred miles between
this place and the entrance OF the canon
the fall is probably not more than a
thousand feet. The river runs with q
steady current, and the only consider
able fall we ever heard OF Is that in
which Major Powers and his party
may have lost their lives. At the head
of the canon, the river, according 10 all
accounts, rushes down an awful cat
aract, worse than that below the bridge
at Niagara Falls, aud through which
old trappers who have been there
roundly assert no boat or vessel could
pass without certain destruction. From
this point the canon is vartously esti--
mated at from three 10 five hundred
miles long, and, if our estimate as to
the descent of the river between the
crossing OF the railway and the head of
the gorge be correct, it must fall some
Eve thousand feet, or about a mile, in
its passage through the canon. Much
o. the way through the canon it is
known II run with very sluggish cur.
rent, and hence there must be many
fearful falls before the river reaches the
foot of it near CallYille.
From all the accounts OF those who
have seen the cannon at various points,
and from the reports of the only two
persons who, it Is now claimed, ever
went through it, it seems to be huge
crack in the earth's crust, about u mile
wide, with perpendicular walls, from
i've to six thousand feet above the
river, made by some terrible cOnVul-
sion of nature. The whole country
along the canon is volcanic and utterly
destitute of vegetation. Lateral canons,
branching out at right angles, and re-
During several days Journey to go
around them, render it impossible for
parties to follow down the banks of the
river, could water be obtained from its
terrible current, rushing between its
walls nearly IA mile below the explorer.
Hence, the plan of Major Powell, as de-
tailed TO US when here in may last, was
to wait Mt the head of the canon till the
! Il L 4 lrIrNEW -k,F,NI
he hoped TO find narrow plateau along
the margin of the river from which the
waters had receded, and along which he
could let down his boats over any
rapids that might be found, in his way
That there are such plateaus along the
Columbia and other rivers is well
known; but the question of whether
they exist along the shore of the river
in the canon OF the Colorado is still IN
doubt.
TIL recently it was supposed that
only one mana Mr.. White, now liv-
ing near CaIlville, on the Lower Cole
rado-had ever gone through this can.
on. His thrilling narrative is we'll
known. We find in the last mum Der OF
the Western Monthly what seems to be
Northumberland account OF II lad
OF Is years of age, who went down the
San Juan and thence down the canon
of the Colorado, by at times lashlnR
himself to a raft. He represents the
sand bars at some Of the places he was
ashore as largely composed OF particles
| OF gold-a thing we can readily believe!
for gulch-mining is extensively and
successfully carried on among the
mountains at the head waters OF the
Colorado.
Should the report of the loss of Ma
jor Powell and his party prove true,
that should not stop all efforts to ex-
plore the canon of the Colorado. 1t is
geographical problem of the highest
interest, which future explorers will
surely ind the means to solve, 1t can
not be that great nation will allow
one OF its largest rivers to remain I'M
explored through some four or i've
hundred miles of the sublimest scene
~ 10 be found anywhere on the face OF
the earth. Southwestern Colorado,
above the canon, is said to be one OF
the finest pastoral regions upon the
continent, and, when once settled by a
hardy, enterprising people, as it will be
in a few years, they will be sure to find
some means to follow down their noble
river to the Gulf Of California and un-
fold the mysteries Ofits "Black Canon"
CaIamItous Fire in Upshur County