The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1875-09-06
suRyEYTN0 IN TIE CLOUDS.
The Exploration Of the Western Territories
Extracts of n Private Letter from the
GeOlOgist of the Wheeler Expedition.
IN CAMP ON THE RHO LFANppo,
NEW MEXICO. Aug. q, 1915.

IN CAMP ON THE RHO LRANnpo,
NEW MEXICO, Aug. q, 1910.
Since VIZ left Fort Garland on the 9th
inst. three important triangulaton stations have
been made, VIZ: Trinchera, Culebra, and Cos
tilla Peaks. There being no trail by which q
ascend the FIRST two peaks, and their slope,
being thickly strewn with fallen timber. It is al
most "a difficult to find ones way to their sum
mis as 1t Is to tread tire Cretan labyrinth with
out guide. The mountains are on the average
about 12.OO0 feet above the sea level. and there
fore their submits reach above the line Of for
est growth. Hear, deer. Rocky Mountain sheep
ptarmiean, and grouse abound. noticed heal
tracks en- a patch Of saow near the top Of Cul
ebra Peak but, strange TO say, have not seen a
single bear or mountain sheen. | saw Just one
deer ON my way down the mountain. IL had
come down to the running brook to drink, aud
upon seeing us, bounded on into the thicket.
The predoninatiDR rock In the snowy range,
az the people OF Trinidad call IT, is granite. but
II Is generally poor In MICA. Indeed, sometimes
the mica Is absent entirely, leaving only flesh
red felspar and white quartz IA the constitu nts.
Thus the rock is called granuite.
IN crossing over the range near Fort Garland,
! found some crinoids and brachiapods, which,
! think, belong to the Devonian age. These are
the only fossils have seen In this part OF tho
covered With plateaus and buttes Of basslt, the
latter beng In the form Of cones with low ele-
vition. They are 40 arranged over the plain as
to remind one OF islands projecting above the
surface OF the sea.
Inc most common trees IN TINS region are tn Q
pine, spruce and quaking aspen The latter
oftentimes occurs as afecond growth, covering
the mountain sides where lien timber IL album
dant. The young trees are In some places so
thick that " Is next to impossible to drive a
mule through them.
The insect fauna In the mountains which we
are now surveying II entirely different from that
Of the dry plains over which we passed IN the
month OF June. There are not so many species
nor Is each species represented by As many Indi-
viduhls, with the execution Of grasshoppers and
ants. which may be counted by millions. The
RrasshopperH are Omnipresent. In the valleys
70 remind one Of large flakes OF falling snow
| found them on the top Of Culebra Peak. four
teen thousand feet above the sea level. IL
might be supposed that the cold winds aud
scots from making home there, but such Is
not the fact.
The only vegetation on the submits Of those
high peaks II moss and an occasional tuft Of
grass. The Alpine daisies and blue bells cannot
live In the rarened atmosphere. For the ! st
two weeks have not been al n lower elevation
than seven thousand feet. The nights and
mornings nave been quite cool, the thermome-
ter frequently marking as low IA forty degrees
The sun, however, soon warns the air, ana dur
Ing the middle OF the day we ride with our
co Il Oh. The streams well stocked with
trout, and accordingly furnish one OF the most
found any minerals worth collecting In the
SNOWY range. The grass Is excellent. 50 that
horned cattle and sheep are easily raised. Cows
are worth 81 a head, and sheep e.. There IL
there Ii no better grazing country Ia the West
than this part Of Now Mexico, vet ono can ride
ten and sometimes fifteen miles without seeing
single house. Perhaps the chief reason why
So few s,ttlers take up their residence here Is
that they are subject to deprcdations by the
Indians, who have their reservations and roam
at pleasure over the country, stealing every
thingthey can lay their hands on:
A. r. CONKIING