New-York tribune., 1874-04-24

AN INTERESTING DESCRIPTION OF THE FORMATION
or THE CoUNrRY-A REGION OF cANoNs AND
GORGES.
Major j. W. Powell read a paper giving an
account OF the progress made in he OF the Colo
RADIO and tributaries by parties under direction OF the
Smithsonian Institution. Tho following extracts show
the character Of the country:
The whole region embraced in the survey is canon
country. At the very beginning we have series OF
cahons through the Untah Mountains as the channel OF
Green River. Flaming Gorge Kng-nsher Canon r kra
Mountain Canons. Then Yampa Canon, the canon along
the lower OF the river of the same name aud many
other tributary cahons. Then below, IN descending tue
river, the Canon OF DesolatoD, Gray canon Lipl tnn
Canon, and saltwater Canon with ther atefss men
Cataract Canon profound ehasm below the junction OF
the Grand and Green, then Narrow Iah1n, Whcn @
mates at the mouth OF tns DIZZY Ssan snoorrd ''
Then Glen Canon, beautlfu! ehasm cdIsou " r rno
river the brghtred Homogeneous sandSIone ol III h
mouth OF the Colorado Cmqulto Is ths Dstuui sO sb.
which have given the name OF MarD!e canon. mo
walls are Of limestone. aud near the foot are Of erys
taline structure which receives DeautIul polisn
white gray slate color, pink, brown, and safronNot
o,oj marbles are here found carved aud frett"
waves OF the river aud polished By the floods OF sand
which poured over the walls during the SEASONS ~
shOwers giving the walls OF the canOns whch nave
assumed architectural forms on giant seale an apPoa
ance OF great beauty and grandeur. .., ,-o,or,s
chasm known OIL the globe. We're hundred mountains
each rs large as Mount Washington pueked up by tns
the level OF the sea aud tumoed INTO lne soik
they would not MI it. H.,
PerhaDs the most wonderful of the topographic fes.
lures OF this country the lines OF Ss&, 80 nv hold
OF rock separating upper from lower esoo, y hon.
often vertical ana mpassabe barr hundred OF
sands Of feet high and scores or hn.oN. ~. imoortant
length will enumerate some OF the Ins- an, rhich
First we have the Brown cliffs an escarpn> isieau
forms the southern boundary OF the D I:
through which the Canon OF Desolatlon - eat.e~
then the Acre cliffs, the southern escarpHeut os
the plateau Through which GRAY Canon Is sst
then the Orange cliffs, ~ brokop escarpnent,
which commences at the foot OF the Sierra Il,
SAL ON the eastern side OF Grand RIVER past the Grand
then across the Green River and then down In south
westerly direction parallel TO the Colorado River about
ty miles and then turns again TO the southess and
crosses the Colorado terminating in the slope Of to
Sierra La SAL two or three scores OF miles south OF thA
initial point Thus the head of the Colorado tho tunc
ton OF the Grand and Green is eneompassed by
ering wall-the Sierra La Salon the east the NORTH
west, and south the Orange Clfs every side
facade of stormcarved rocks is presented. The In-
dian name for this basin Is Tumpl su-sstr to
reap the land OF standing rocks. Buttes, towers.
pnnacles, thousands and tens OF thousands strange
forms OF rock, naked rock OF many different coors arc
hero seen so that before had learned the Indian
name we thought OF calling it the Stone Forest or
Painted Stone Forest and these rocks not fragments
or piles or Irregular masses but standing forms carved
by the rain drops from the solid beds Weird
strange and grand y LAA Slalsaia HwusR IN wsars