New-York tribune., 1870-01-29
AMERICAN INSTITUTE.

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The last of this Winters course of scientific
lectures before the Institute was delivered
..st evening by Prof Newberry, at Cooper Institute
h,s subject beng The Colorado Pateau-its Ca0ons and
Ruined Cities" The audience was numerous ana
appreciative, and the PrOfessos WAS frequently
interrupted by applause. Prof Tmsn presided a0u' 'h
lutrod ucing the lecturer, said;
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN The le cture Of this evening
will terminate our course OF this Winter Inc Iusess
the satisfaction Of knowing That every prOnlls sne
st the commencement OF the has BEEN Literally
fuailed They are aware OF the dTse T ha %
pose aud know that far moro good would bSye been GcnS
apcn thnSh connective, course OF lectures This can
only be done eiectualy when the insttnte mas s ~,
time wsien they shall have structure worthy OF the
name Applsssol Tntl that time they must pc pe con con
9enteA with te quarrrs they have. They have the SAT
isfsfSon of SnowiHs tnat their example has been fo
asSd & Dy SSst md hat the ectureovne people VIII
con.ened unless they have every Dracn o to 90
ssrcing fSOf NcwSerry.
Prof sewOery, upon coming forward was warmly
greeted with applause. He sand:
LADIES AND~5ENTLENEN: Some of you are aware that
81 char ced be connected with parties sent by the
government . explore the proportions ana topoRrapy
that our Cne samuel sometimes olN him rather
Teyereny has added very largely to ms PcSsets1s S
With snch rapidty that he has been somewhat
BEEN Ire Object Of the GoSeTnIoeS; to send out
parties - determine what their character was
series OF explorations has been kept up for many years
and If present ACQUISITION OF territory should So on
may1upposc Il viii continue for years TO come fOr
shout " years connected with parties sent ont by
the Department for the exploration OF our western
ten1tcy. Duung TIM five years ot exploration there
much that vEs interesting IN our eApttionSe;
have the n,ss interesting portion Of tbe west
.n @ ,5t maj % SGG & IfSS St 20 the tne Sierra xeTada
sndt1e Rocky MountaIns, at eas one portion ei IT,
VA, ccnnecS OSe Of Which, called the COlOraSo expc
ttOn. had for its otect tue dissemination OF the nayi
Eabiity Of the Colorado River AZ that tune we were we're
carrying war ws;A The horn"ns ana our aIny W w.S ~
TRANSPORT al the supplies to our army miles 10y land
from the East the West II was thought possible
TnnhnS H G bnt this river was almost entirely
unknown both to sRd to the trappeTs, or TO
the There various reports IN regard TO
and That il was reported that there mad been parties who
travelling aud exploring an that region VINO had
It's hank and had seen the water Tor days. ana
yet parched with thirst
The report the first expedition sent ont by the War
been published, and has been. doubtless. seen by most
narrative exists inasmuch as the reports made by the
SaTl al oSE ga m hs s eSpedon are Spg Where tney
have remained. since the commencement OF the wa-ih
Bshed together with the important reports of Col Rey-
polds and Gen. Warren on the country bordering the
Upper Missouri would be OF much interest TO geograph
and, II in possession OF the public, would he OF great
sconomc value. lnasmueh as they give minute minute anu anu
accurate accounts OF large portion OF our country very
little known yet into which our people are rapidly Dut,
t9r want Of the information these reports could iurn
The last of our Colorado expeditions was designated
- the San Expedition from the fact that its free
held Of exploration lies for the most part on the
Juan River, stream almost unknown To the whites
antl we explored 1t, and yet river large the
Connecticut. whose banks once sustained population OF
more than 100000. now utterly solitary aud deserted.
To enable you TO fix in your mind the geographical
position of the region, am about to describe to YOU
will call attention TO this map or our western Ter
rilories.
Gulf of California while the Rocky Mountains
1890 miles toward the northeast large stream but one
The Colorado has two principal tnbutares-Green
River which rises in Wyoming and the line Of the
the western portion OF Colorado Territory. These unit
proper From point the great bend of the Color
ado the mouth Of the Rio Virgin is what is known
aud in some places 5000 feet deep. Below
sS s SSnt SGSty Bend and SS dRe yer tho runs most nrGS
topography Of any that have ever seen; This IS
continuation Of the trough which partially filed
by the Cult of California. lying between the Sierra Ne
S s th we.t se and the BACK ana CeTbat Mountains
in the eastern side. This for the most part
d;alf lies the Colorado Desert asit is called a county
but little above the level of the sea- consisting
gravel which are the Iueshes in gigantic network
Here the giant cactus honrishes, and that group
of preky and tpnsiye plants thal IG,in the Neselaqn
character, and destitute Of vegetation but the rocks
doues, spires, and other architectural figures
and exhibit the varied and strongly contrasting
roors The Colorado taveres these mountains through
hssures which 1t has cp n them from summit to base.
steamer constructed in Philadelphia, and which was
put river at the lowest stage OF water That
that the Nile does. In the Summor It flows
with fun and rapid stream, formed by the melting Of
the Of the Rocky Mountains and is fifteen feet
higher than the Winter We chose the time when tine
the lowest that the difficulties Of uavga-
tiOu should be most apparent
After leaving Fort una entered terra hcogitd,
nothing being then known IL regard TO the country above
that point We started with sixty days provisions leav
the larger half OF our party at The Fort 10 await our
obstacles but AT the END OF the sixty days We had nay
gated the river 900 miles ana nu LOT YET reached any
inipedmcnt that absolutely impossible. The boat
with which navignted the river was ingenOusy
no tt16t Tor WAS m
Ieuded luasmuch very narrow and drew three
feet of water when II had the requisite fuel board for
half days run. Those who know anything about the
naVgoti0n OF Western cOgnZaut OF the
Ihat boats Of great capacity are constructed TO
,nn an twelve or fifteen inches OF water bnt ours
drew three feet, and experienced unnecessary
difficulty and delays IN getting over the rapids and
shoals We encountered.
pf mountains, which, IA its aspects, and III the character
of the canon which traverSes IT, IS fair example OF the
scenes that we passed through. Day after day as we
Travelled along we had seen before us mountainous
wall which seemed 10 block our way. Jhls was gen
orally volcanic rock, aud almost always OF various
bright cOlors, as red green, OI (eIOW, ana DtuIng
domes and pnuaCes OF the most fantastic shapes As
we approached we found way opened TO us, and we
sailed freely anu quietly through for each OF these mOnn
tain chains traytrsed by canon cut by the river.
at the point 10 which l have brought you IN my
story there appeared before formidable chain
than apy we had Encountered, named by Lieut. Ives,
from its pTedOmudting color the Black Mountain range
IL was on saturday morning the 7h Of February, that,
Sa,i-, toIed mn rar,ids
came great gate OF winch the walls, composed or
Yd norplyry rose thousand feet either side. As we
entered tins grand portal into deep and still
water and pauoraa opened before us peculiar and
enchanting that al the party soon became absorbed in
nv means of the smallboat the canOn Taversed
twenty-five miles 10 the point aimed al, the month
hundred and nifty miles meet supply train and
nd pOiu where the mountains lying east oi the river
passing fhe Black Mountains we came down on a
plateau higher than the valley OF the Colorado.