The Weston Democrat. [volume] (Weston, W. Va.) 1875-current, 1875-03-08
CANYONS OF COLORADO.
= a River Bed With stnHs Walls Nile In
llrlghIh--A Thrilling Sketch.


llrlEhth--A Thrilling Sketch.
Major Powell, in his thrilling storie,
Of the canyons OF Colorado, in .Scri6aer',
Monthly, speaks Of one OF them n.
Inc walls were now more than mil,
in height. Stand ON the south steps O.
the Treasury building in Washington
md look down Pennsylvania avenue Il
the Capitol park, and Imagine cliffs Cx
tonding 10 that altitude, and you will un
derstand what l mean. Or, stand a
Canal street in New York and look II,
BroadwOy to Grace Church, and vol
have Rbout the distance; stand ut Lake
street bridge in Chicago and look dow
to the union depot, and you have i
again.
A thousand feet of this is up through
granite crags, then slopes and perpen
dicular cliffs risa one above tho other Il
the summit, Tho gorge is black ant
narrow below, red and gry and harinl
above, andcngs aud angular projection
on walls which, cut in many places By
hdo canyons, seem to be vast wilder
ness vi rocks Down through thesi
gloomy depths we gliJed, always listen
ing; for the mad waters kept up theil
roar always watching and pecrinG
ahead-ior the narrow canyon was wind
ing mud the river was closed so that VT
could see but few hundred yards, and
whnt might be below we knew not. We
strained our ears for warming Of the
falls and watched for rocks, or stopped
now and then in the bay Of recess Ia
admire the gigantic scenery; md ever
MS we won't, there was some new pinnacle
or tower some crag or peak, some dis.
tlnI Wow Of the upper plateau, some
deep, narrow side canyon, or some
strangely shaped rock. On we wont,
through this solemn, mysterious way.
The riyerwas very deep, the canyon very
narrow and still 0bstrticted, so that
there was no steady flow of tho stream,
but the waters wheeled, and rolled, and
boiled, aud We were scarcely able to de-
'termine whore We could go with greatest
safety. Now tla boat was carried to the
right, perhaps close TO the wall, again
she was shotinto tho stream and dragged
over to the other side, where, caught in
n whirlpool, she spun about like chip.
We could neither land nor run Ms we
pleased; tho boats were entirely un-
manageable; now one, now another was
ahead, each crew looking after its own
safety.
We came to another rnpid; two Of the
boats run it periorce; ono succeeded in
landing, but there was no foothold by
which to make portage, and she wIls
pushed ont again into the stream; the
next minute great reflex wave filled the
open compartment; she WIS watcr.loggcd,
aud drifted ut I'll. mercy Of the waters.
Breaker after breaker rolled over her,
and one tossed her deck downward. The
men were thrown ont, but they chung to
the boat, and she driited down alongside
of us, and we were able to catch her.
She was soon bailed out and themen were
aboard once more, but the oars were lost.
their place beingsupplied by a pair from
tho Emma Dean.
Clouds were playing in tho canyon
that day. Sometimes they rolled down
in great masses, filling tue gorge with
gloom; sometimes they hungabove from
wall to wall, covering the canyon with II
roof Of impending storm, aud we could
pccr long distances up and down this
canyon corridor, with its cloud roof
overhead, its walls Of black granite, and
its river bright with tho sheen Of broken
waters. Then u gust Of wind would
sweep down u side gllcll aud mike n rift
in the clouds, revealing tho blue heavens,
and stream Of sunlight poured in.
Again the clouds drifted away into the
distance and hung around cmgs and
peaks, and pinnacles, and towers, and
walls, covering them with d mantle that
lifted from time to time and set them
all i'll sharp relief. Then baby clouds
crept out Of sidn canyons, glided around
points, and crept hack again into more
distant gorgos. Other clouds stretched
in strata across the canyon, with inter.
yening vista views to cliffs aud rocks be-
yond.
Then the rain came down. Little
rills were formed rapidly above; these
soon grew into brooks, and the brooks
into creeks, which tumblcd over the
walls in innumenblo cascades, adding
their wild music to the roar Of the river.
Wien the nlin ceased, the lills, brooks
md creeks ran dry. The waters that
fall during the rain on these steep rocks
arc gathered Mt once into the river; they
could scarcely be poured in more sud
denly il some vast spout mn from the
clouds to the stream itself. When n
storm bursts over the canyon side
gulch is dangerous place, for sudden
flood may come, mud the importing water
raise tho river so Us to drown the rocks
before your very eyes.