New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-08-08
PRICE FOUR CENTS.
THE HAYDEN EXPEDITION.
EXPLORATIONS IN COLORADO.

or RARE BEAUTY-FORMER SURVEYS SIHANStIf
INACCURATE.
YRoM AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT or THE rRfBusE)
TWIN LAKES. Colorado Territory, July 2I.-As this
statement of place will hardly explain itself TO the
readers of THE TRIBUNE, shall have to add brlef
description of the present locality of the camp OF
the United States Geological and Geographical Ser
yey. 1t is remarkable enough TO deserve few
words The Arkansas River runs here 100 miles nearly
southwark along the base of the great Sierra Madre
OF central chain of the Rocky Mountains, TIL receiV-
ing the accession of the southern branch II turns
eastward toward the Mississippi In the lower part
of this course its valley expands into beautiful
park, wide, very regular trough-shaped plain Dor
dered on the by the great chan and on east
by a most irregular mass of low broken ranges,
which divides it from the southern half Of the much
vaster South Park. For Is or 20 miles above this
valley the river flows between closely combining
banks in part high rocky ridges, in part immense
hills of detritus brought down from the mountains
by glacial action in times long gone by. There IA
exceedingly picturesque scenery in the Above
the valley opens again TO few miles Of width, and
so continues rregularly upward, to the not far dis
tant sources of the river. And here, nestled as 10
were against the great western chain, lie the two
beautiful sheets of water between which our camp
is pitched The larger is some q miles long by Il
say whether to the lover of natural scenery, tho
angler or the geOlogist they offer the most attrac-
TONS At the upper end they are girt in by steep
and rugged nights, showing abundantly above the
lines and masses of snow from which their own
waters are fed below, they bounded by rolling
hills Of powders and gravel, which in other neigh
borhoods would themselves almost be reckoned AZ
mountains. A broad rapid stream connects the two,
and then hurries down across the PLAIN to join and
swell the Arkansas. Trout of three species are
abundant in their waters. Fabulous stories are toh
of the numbers and the immense size of these fish IA
formerly taken here; but these primitive times have
passed. and the Of anglers has reduced in
dvidual success TO more moderate dimensions.
There are several parties from far east as 81.
Louis, encamped near us; and an exceedingly neat
and comfortable public house, kept by Mr.. Derry,
close by. is well filled with visitors. The place is
one of some resort for seekers after health and plea
sure the grand scenery and salubrious climate com
pensating the difficulty of A mail stage
passes twice week within few miles
But it is as being an important part OF the grand
glacial phenomena of the region that the lakes and
their surroundings most interest ms. From the
gorges of the great chain have once poured ont into
the main valley rivers Of ice to which those of mod
ern Switzerland are at least not superior. We had
seen evident signs of glacial action at the northern
end of the South Park, but here they are much
more striking. Most So perhaps at the month OF
the gorge of Clear Creek. or La Plata, few miles
further down. That gorge seems more deeply
followed out, and with straighter course from the
interior of the chain than this one and from Its
sides stretch out into the plain two great lateral
moranes 400 feet high and as regular in slope and
even at the top if they were immense railroad
entertainments. Where we are it is the scOoping ac-
ton of the ice and the deposition of terminal mo-
raines that have made the lakes; and it would be u
most interesting special study in glaci0ogy 70 ex-
plain in detail the phenomena as they here present
themselves, especially TO tell why the lake, which
should have been one was made into two by tho
dropping of a mOrane across it. The lakes haye
been sounded by the Survey and found 10 be regular
sloping basins about 70 feet deep in their deepest
parts.
When last reported to yOu we were at Fairpiay.
The parties remained several days there making eH-
cursions into the neighboring mountains and en-
deavoring TO work the details of geologic struc-
ture at that point most important and critical
one. Dr. Hayden's report will give in full the re-
suits obtained which were highly satisfactory. The
explorers were particularly fortunate in finding
abundant characteristic fosils both of the Siurian
and the CarbOniferOus series, settling beyond per-
adventure the age of the stratifed beds thrown up
by the uplft.
Leaving Fairplay, we came down the western edge
of the Park till we could turn westward, across
hther spur of Buffalo Mountain, and cross from the
Valley of the Platte that of the Arkansas by tho
Western Pass a wonderfully regular natural road
way having an altitude at its summit of abOut
II 800 feet. We spent one night little below tho
summit at line and then, while one party
came directly to the Twin Lakes over the Pass, thu
rest swung around to the left the nights 10 tho
foot of Buffalo Mountain itself which was assembled
next day as a Typographical station. Forming as it
does. the rather isolated extremity of the range OF
which Mount Lincoln is q member standing midway
on the western edge of the South Park, and COM
handing the whole line of the Arkansas Valley rs
have described it above, with the Sierra Madre be-
yond this summit was most impressive and a most
instructive point of view. do not venture de-
piction of the scene as should tire you with at
tempts to describe the indescribabe, and we have
mountains before us to ascend which viii command
regions as yet almost unvsited and full of novelty.
Our road leads us directly up the gorge at tho
mouth of which are lying into the heart Of
the great central chain, and toward those highest
peaks of which told you in my last letter seen
from Mount Lincoln, and as exciting Our ambition
To climb and measure them. One of the loftesa
of the SUBMITS that border on the valley
cended yesterday by Mr. Gardner and small party,
and was found to be of just about the hight
Lincoln, or somwhat l40C0 feet. Ii is proba-
bly, the one to which the name of Harvard was gwen
four years ago. but till the maps of the Survey ara
published it will continue to be next 10 impossible
to identify any point. The blunders of tho best
published maps as regards this whole region, ara
beyond all account
CHEROKEES