National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-04-23

II
The following summer we descended tbrou1b
the canons In boats, and fixed the course Of the
river and the Topographic features Of the canon
walls by compass and gradienton observations on
points thus previously determined. The same
above was continued through these eanons and
| occaslonally hourly Observations OF e'ght-daJ
series were made The parties engaged in geo
detie and Topographic work carried with them
barometers, and made . vast number Of obserya-
lions over the country traversed. All Of these
with 9 continuous series made At tie north iS,
extremity Of the base line IN the valley Of the
Kanab, 80 that the attitudes along the river and
on tho walls OF the canons and over all the coun.
try embraced IN the trtangnlation refsrable to
this hypsometric base. We have compared this
have been approximately determined By other
Observers as - the mouth Of the Rio Yirgea, ST.
George, Beaver, Salt Lake CITY, &C.; but Ii Is
record the altitude Of Kanab above the level Of
the sea will also be determined By the levels Of a
we hsye one unDroksn .sris.p fGg5s
at this point (Ksnabl OF three months coutinu-
| snce, and another OF ten months and several
OCCASIONALLY they were expanded into hourly So
By the methods last described an area Of ooun.
try has been surveyed, embracing 5000 sQuz.s
miles, and by the less accurate methods first
given, an area Of country embracing 1000 square
maas m AZ Sssn ON
scale Of two miles to she Inch, but the final result
Of all this work viii be shown in series Of maps
on scale Of four miles to the inch, giving the
topographic and geological features Or ne region
| surveyed.
As 6sfOre stated, the greater part Of the cOun-
gion In geographic science. An examination OF
themap prepared BY the War Department up to
GLASS, CONCERNING the territory OF the United
States west Of the Mississippi river accessible to
geographers, will show that this region has been
We have oiled this blank and completed the
survey of the last unoxplored region, mapping
minuteiy the unknown portions Of the Green and
The junction Of the Green and Yampa rivers
has been hxed and the lower course Of this latter
The junction OF the San Rafael with the Green
has also been fixed, and the lower course Of this
tion Of the Grand and Green has also been deter
mined, and the lower course Of the Grand mapped.
The Dirty Devil river, more than two hundred
miles In length, was discovered and mapped Tho
Escalante, river more than one hundred and
my miles In length, was discovered and mapped.
The junction Of the San Juan with tho Colorado
has been determined, and the lower course OF This
stream, which was unknown. has been mapped.
The Paria, . stream one hundred and twenty
i've miles In length, which had been seen only at
one point, near Its mouth, has been traced for It's
with the Rio Colorado or Colorado Grande has
been fixed, and the lower and previously unknown
course OF this stream has also been traced.
The lower part of the Kanab was seen by Lieut..
Ives, but was mistaken for the Colorado, ITSELF
and on bis map the Colorado was turned to the
northwest, conforming to the course Of the Kanab.
This stream Is more than hundred miles long;
Us whole course has been traced In some places
y does not carry q great volume Of water, and
about midway Of its length IL Is often lost In the
sands, but through the greater part Of its course
II runs through profound gorge, which makes
very important fsatgre in the topography Of the
country. Tho Rio Yirgen had been seen at two
or three points, but We have traced its entire
course and that Of all its tributaries A great
number OF smaller streams have also been dIscoY-
cred and mapped.
The whole region embraced In the survey is .
canon country. At the very beginning we have .
series Of canons through the Ointah mountains,
as the channel Of Green river, Flaming Gorge,
King fisher canon, Red canon, the canon OF Lodore
Whirlpool canon and Split Mountain esnons.
course Of tie river Of the sane name, and many
other tributary cenons. Then below In descend
ing the river the Canon Of Desolation, Gray
with their Iaterals; then Catsract canon. . pro,
found ehasn below the junction Of the Grand and
Green, then Narrow canon, which terminates az
lateral 70 all these have also been explored.
Then Glen caEon, q beautiful chssm carved by
| the riuer, IN the bright-red Homogeneous sand
stones Of Triassic Age. From the mouth of tho
Paris river TO the mouth Of the Colorado Chiquito
Is the beautiful gorge to which We have given the
name Of Marble canon. The walls of lime
stone, and near the foot Of crystalline struo-
ture which receives a beautiful polish; white,
are S.as and BY
waves Of the river and polished by the foods Of
sand which are poured over the walls during the
/ seasons Of showers, giving to the walls Of tho
canens which have assuH ed architectural forms
on giant scale, an appearances OF great beauty
Then We have the Grand Canon, tho most pro
| found chasm known on the globe. Were q hun
dred mountains, each as large IS Mount Washing
nlIit.
N Ard . all OF rem
but part of the eab5ns explored and mapped,
for there are many profound ehasms, the channels
part Of the season. that hundreds of feel deep,
ard that never have continuous stream Tor their
entire length. But eannot stop 70 enumerate
ell Of these dry gorges-
LINES OF cLIPFs.
Perhaps the moot wonderful of the Topographic
features Of this country are the lines VI ellis,
escarpmentrof rock separating upper from lower
barriers, hundreds or Thousands OF feet high, and
scores or hundreds Of miles In length. 1 will
enumerate some OF tie Moro important
| First, we have the Brown cliffs an escarpmenk
which forms the southern boundary Of the plateau
through which the Canon Of Desolatiou is carved;
the plateau through which Gray canon Is cut;
| then the Orange ellis, broken escarpment,
which commences at the foot OF the Sierra La
Grand, then across the Green river, and then
down In . southvesterly dlrectlon parallel to the
Colorado river about atty miles, and then turns
| again to the southeast and crosses the Colorado,
terminating in the slope Of the Stern La SAL Two
or three scores Of miles south OF the initial point
Thus the head Of the Colorado the junction of the
Grand and Gresn, 10 encompassed By towering
wall-Ihe Sierra La Sal on the east; On the uorth,
west and south the Orange CHS on every side
IEtinn name for this basin 10 Tur1-pR rp-neir tu-
ueop, the land Of standing rocks. Buties, towers,
pinbacies, thousand and tens Of thousands strange
fcrms Of rock, naked rock Of many different ee,ars
| are here seen; so that before We had learned he
Indian name We thought q calling u the stone
are not fragments or piles ofirtsgular masses, but
standing forms, carved by theIaln drops from the
solid massive beds. Weird, strange and grand u
Passing BY many others, lot US speak OF three
more only.
The Hurricane ledge is an escerprent due to
fault having 9 northerly and southeriy direc-
tion starting away 70 the north Of Tokcrytlle. in
Utah Territory, and running south across the
rection as 4 fault Or o fold for 400 miles.
| The Fermilllon cliffs have an easterly and
ular way, the head waters Of the Rio Virgin sill
on the east crossing the head waters Of the KS
nab and the folds around tie northern extremity
of the Kaiocb plateau, then crosses the Colorado
and turns In southerly dire ,tion across the Lit
tie Colorado by monGclInal fold. This esca-p-
msnt presents Q wall Of trias.ic red sandstone,
and Is due 70 erosion; the beds below have been
stripped away by the rains and rivers.
\ White cliffs sreapproximste!y parallel 10 theses
the line 10 broken angular eScaTFnent in JurRS-
| sic limestone and Homogeneous gray sandstone,
capped BY beds OF limestone.
| PLATEAUS.
Tothe knowledge Of the geography Of this ccun-
| try We have given q great runDer Of plsteaus
i Those along he course OF the Green ard Upper
Colorado may not stopto mention. GeograPhers
| and gsols g,sts have heretofors spoken OF great
Colorado plateau referring to ths district Of coun-
ttry through which Marble and Grant canoHs are
cut for so Il appeared to the observer standing
the southwest margin Of this great district OF
| country; but IL has proved, IN fsel, 70 be COM
/ plex system Of Llateaus, bounded by walls OF
faults essarpmeats or chds OF erosion and canon
gorges. Chief among these are the Mark-a-gunt,
| Paunsa.g unt, Aquarius and KALI oF-o-wlts pla-
teaus lying to the Forth in the surveyed district,
and IN which head The Dirty Devil, The Eseolante,
the Paria the Kanab and the Rio Virgin rivers.
The upper beds OF which these plateaus are
composed are Of tertiary age, but they carry on
\ their backs extensive outhous OF lava and num-
| bers OF dead volcanoes.
The numerous plateaus, mesas and terraces 70
the south Of these are composed OF beds OF creta-
eeoas and iurassic age, but pSts them without
i further mention.
the Paria plateau, on the south side Of the river
% the same name, IL o great table OF friass.
4 On the north side OF the grand canon We have
\ the KAfbob, tbs kanao, the Nln-kAret and Sho-
wits. plntsaus. These are extensive tables Of
cerbonifsrous age with many erupttVe masses
For tBs great plateau 70 the south Of the Colo
RADIO river, bounded on the north BY the grand
canon, on the southwest By an escarpment. which
I Il the continuation Of the Hurricane ledge, but
which In this locality has recsived the name Of
Aubrey ellis, and on the northeast ~ great es.