Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1874-10-24

Correspondent of the Chicago Tribune.
South Park, Col. Oct 3rd, 1874.
A detailed description of the Col
orado Paradise known as the South
Park, has already appeared IN the
columns of the Tribune. While Its
length, breadth, and physical fea-
lures have been dilated and COM
mented upon by enthusiastic travel
ers and scientists; while the snowy
range encircling it like wall has
been painted in every color that
the robust Saxon language is capa-
bic of producing; while the patient,
suffering public has been treated to
learned and exhaustive disquis1tions,
upon mountain depressions, and Arc
tic glaeiers,-yet there are really
many points of beauty about the
South Park
so CAPTIVATING AND DESPoTIC
In their hold upon the senses that
one can gaze upon them,' and won
der and speculate, forever. The
road, hard as adamant, winding in
and out, up hills and down valleys
now skirting grove of fragrant
pines, and now darting off into the
cool and solem depths of some mys-
terious rugged canon-is just pitchy
and dangerous enough to make it ro-
mantle, while the long stretches of
rich upland-grass, terminating in
conical knolls, covered with scrubby
pines, seem to mutely invite the
wayfarer to stop and settle.
Nature, however, in fashioning
the Park into such a thing of beauty
seems to have forgotten herself and
left out the springs. There is
distressing absence of water, at
least on the surface, although
many who claim to be well inform
ed assert that the Park is full of
hidden springs, which can be reach
ed by few hours digging. But
one spring runs through the Park
the Platte-and this treacherous
river, true to its nature, obstinately
keeps In the centre, and throws out
no branches. To be sure, it receives
one feeder-a small, sickly, riVulet
which comes coursing down
through what is known as Buffalo
fats; but the water is so strongly
impregnated with alkali that man
or beast will only partake of it as a
last resort. At the lowest calcula-
ton, We counted no less than $50
bovine carcasses scattered around
one mud-hole in this delightful To-
cality
All had drank from the
BLACK CKTREACHERoUs WATER,
and all had met with premature
death. The tastes of alkali water
is not unpleasant, and many a pill
grim often gets heavy dose before
he knows it. The dissagreable
symptoms are increased thirst, faint
ness, giddiness, trembling of the
limbs, and a feeling of general
goneness. At such times, the ap-
plication of whisky.in such quanti-
ties usually relieves the human pip
ed; but, the poor blutes, mad
dened by increased thirst, have no
resource but to gulp down their
death, and then give up the ghost.
Notwithstanding the alkali, which
covers the ground with a white
crust, the grass grows tall and lux
uriant on Buffalo Flats, and many,
tons of hay are secured annually
The most of this.is readily disposed
of at Canon City and Pueblo, all the
way from $Ss to $50 per ton, afford
ing an unfailing source of revenue
to certain vagrant Missourians who
have pitched down into these Flats,
and whose stomachs have become SO
completely alkalied that the most
verulent poison ever distilled by the
worm of the still would have for
them no terror. The people are
STILL HUMAN,
however; in the proof of which 1
cite the fact, that one-a tall lank
fellow, with head so large that his
body wilted like a pond-lily beneath
the burden-approached, and hum
bly, wished to know if we had any
papers containing any further in
formation in regard to ''that nest
hiding Beecher." We handed out
a Tribune cOntaing Moulton's last
statement, and, with yell of de-
light, that Missourian seized it, and
in three seconds became SO absorb
ed that, if scalp-loving Araphoe
had charged down upon him full
tilt, he would not have moved an
inch. The yearnings of his soul was
satisfied, and the last sight that re-
warded our restraining vision was a
glimpse of the Missourian still
squatted by the roadside, with his
shock head still bowed over that pa
per.
Once, deer and Buffalo were quite
plentiful in the South Park; but the
Indian and white hunter have clean.
ed them out, and now nothing re-
mains but the prairie dog and an
telope, with an occasional sneaking
Coyote.
THE ANTELOPE.
congregate the largest bands, and
line the plains in every direction;
and, as they go wheeling and cir
cling about, they present beanti-
full sight. Timid by nature, feet of
of foot, and keen of scent, vet the
antelope has a bump of curiosity so
largely developed as to overcome
all prudence and the hunters take
advantage of this to lead it on to
destruction. Another popularity of
these creatures is, that they will
never cross the road behind team,
but run along parallel for miles, and
then suddenly whisk ahead, almost
beneath the noses of the horses.
While their running can be called
the very poetry of notion, and while
poets have compared them TO
cloud-shadows shooting over the
landscape, yet the truth com
pels us to record that there are
really no comparison between
their speed and that of a horse,
while Texan steer will hold them
| N o.oo1 ,.ooo