The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-11-19

the River tlrnvcs its Wav Thr0uUh Hs
Walls ef II ock 5000 Feet In Hrtght.
IRON tie Penn Boshlv.
The country drained by the Colorado
river and its fiiuents IL peculiar region, with
out its araliui ON tie globe. IL Is essentially
region OF plptenu- ard 81 mons, ue nlate .
mainly dry and STERILE where the streams nov
In daep pnrues. fnr beneath the surface.
The longest aud most northern Or n,h OF the
Color do a. the Green river. which hends IN the
Wind river mountains. again-t the sources Of
tho Blk Horn aud tue Sbske. THIS stream re-
and tho TAMPA aud White from the cast all con-
siderable streams. Near latitude ~ 15', longi-
tude ne ", u is j"iued ns the Graud. IA stream
Of nearly equal -iz'. which neads IN Mode
Park. Colorado, drawing its first supplies OF wa
ter nom the snow FIELDS Il Longs Peak. II re-
ceiyes number 81 large shuen,s-M iiliams
Fork. the Muddy and the Biue IN Middle Park,
the Fauic. the Roaring Fork. the Gunni.
son and the Dolores fufher down its
cUurss. Below the loint Uf Junction OF the
Grand ana the Grocn the stroum Ia known AS
the Colorado. wiz tuis ran . was not given to
tho Gieen river fotk "a we'll. puzzles tho rOta-
prchension Ii Is the largest aud longest Of tue
two. aud continues the direct course ~ tho
Colorado. The me - tho case with the Mis-
SCUM fork Of the Me-is7iuni. the jefferson fork
of the nj $50 n. the Snase fork Of the Column ola,
and In many other cases. L. Is an abuse which,
90 these cases. " j. too Ia @ to remedy. Below
the junction ~ the Grand ana the Green tho
nunuipal brauches of tho Colorado from tire
the : n .luan. which rises in the south
,rn sloprs Of the san Irau rnountains the Colo
90 IN .qditl. or Flax riv, r. aad ths CHA, from
ne west are he Dirty Devil the Paria, aud the
Nirscn.
lie Grainagr area of this vast region is limit.
go IN tine east. north. ana northwest nv nigh
mount ranges. ON tue cast tho mountain
barrier commences Win the Sirrra Mhdre of
Ncw "eNico' thente passii2 up the Sin Juan
Ao"4it tns ~ the ~swut' ana PARK ranges %
Color go. F4pu the nlHAern eni Of toe Park
t"nrr the diVuuE Ridge swetrs around inc
he.vi ct III" Green in iOW, br. ken ranges. wbich
40 ri several easy pls-e-. II joins the
v hsatrh range uefr So head, end fol-
low. a. IN Dissection neary Que sontn
20 Us loot IN laut.dr ~. The rocks OF
thi- 'ass area re 'raiAed. mainly sandstone.
nolinnt t,Ly teddrd or rcary go. ! h. surface
is ne.i.y hlt; tncfe j. n1 rolling or nndh ting
cOUHtr,. 81. lt.es ut Jewel o. X pl"ce b. very
seiItie slopes. or hN iniuit or ciuiinus steps.
alk' pat 80 tre suif ce consists u uare ROCKS,
VITA no soil or vr- ptHtlon rar; Is covered
with IN. sandy -oil, winch supIu,ts gro~th
al s-gc ana cactus. or eNch a lew pthpn pines
and cennrs. Inc v-lei all II when present Is
dry aud almost desert country.
THE cASoSs
Yearly every stream fn.sin canon. narrow
valley. with pfec'pitous walls. The canun> Of
tn,s region are all quite similar IN their cross
rsctiOus. The upper ttge Is very -narply cut.
At the top - a Gin. Yer teal. or nearly SO, Of
proportional heiEh.. VARYING extremely. At the
loot of this Is ste'O slope II lps. The more
rapid the stream tne narrower Is the canon, and
the less TIE amuunt a.. uCuti>; SO that, in the
caiuns CONSIST sim ly ~ Two vertical walls,
closely enclosing The stream bed. In the case
81 fr-e sire uls We irfql'rt ana mooinca
uon 81 tins form. Inc cAh u wall presents
mes u uenut e. from typ To bottom. as though
.-rss Of cuuuns had been CT one within an.
other. A. tue loot o each n-ncn there =. in
ter ~ the rock. that OF the over portion being
the harder.
4 that on TINS slope every stream cuts a canon,
while on tue eastern sio.e on tac great plains.
there are no Conuns Wn.t~V,rf hs j. due 10
seNerai ca uses. az which my ne tr'c ed directly
10 tie aridity Of the climate ana the amount
and character Of the RAJ f,il. The atmosphere
r. extremeN uTy the RANT a. Il very siignt, nd
tue hiue MT ais comes. not IN long storms,
but la sudden ocluges. From the dryness OF
the atmosphere aud the want OF moisture Of the
surface. there Is littlH revolutionary little
indeed II arbofesceut velet alton: aud. botn
hs a cau-e ana Its"ii Nttie or no SOIL. The
rains. coming AZ the, always do Ia foods. run
imhediately on the bare rock, or over and
through the thin, sandy soil. sweeping II with
them. aud collecting IN she little runs with in
credible rapidity. rush doo'n them in great body
ana with great velO, iiA. sweeping every .hing
before them. The waters turpid ara thick
with sediment, coarse. aud sharp edged from
the rapid cutting Of the a. ks. inns sand and
gravel carlied IN sn-p nsion is tine pripcipal
cutting akehi. Il water alone has hut little cut
ting row. r. The nign wirus also. which are
very frequent In tn countrt. FUN their part,
anu " ~ important one Is this work. in vi aiming
on Tie surface. and le wing Their shavngs in the
form OF sand for the waters ~ take up. 4 he
erostve power Of these nigh winds, With the
sand which they set IN motion Is very great. a
the chiEeing OF the monuments IN Monument
PARK. near COLORADO Sprlngs, Col. Numberess
the Colorado river.
The existence OF thi' great plateau region was
scarcely suspected tefure the time II the Pacific
Reiiro d explorations. whicp commenced about
iSlh L pt. Gunnison. WITH one of the parties
tilENEFh III iNl' We Is, travelled uoNu the u M
hson sAd the Hfu4l ne rls 10 Us mouth. ana
crossed the Green ttaNrrsing the whole width
ui TINS ara without, far ~ Indicted by MS
report. suspect IN @ he va in peculiar coun-
try. IL" wis engaged in TIE DISCHARGE OF his
dutN W ich % to discover a pracucabls route
iui rdilruad anu h4d 40 energies - spare FOR
ut nor aims altA1ush the grolusist Of MS
pediunn milHi have been expected to see what
Las before no evea
Inc Dafty IA charge e Lieut.. whipple. whose
rou'r 's On or ne Il Tie djtl parallel ~ llti-
tud-, crossed the pl teau near he mead OF the
Colorado Cuiqnto. In 1857 Lieut. Ives. act
lng unu'r the Nar Department. went up t,e
color al" IVA a small -toat'.rr 10 the ZOO, u me
III az Canon. .uout 200 miles above It's mouth,
and made 'H clahoralr recDnnoiss nee. Inc ge-
ol"si. al report Of THIS cxuediton, written by
Dr. Nt~bcrTy. VINO accomp med il. first recog-
nizjd the existence OF TINS vast system OF
platesus and canJns.
NATURES TUNNEL
wi res'rd to the immediate course Of tho
non, very htilc was known until quite recently.
II W sNnown that tnc river rau-for part, Il
i"a>, ~ It's cpuIse-tiIoush a tremendous
NOE. in the great table lands o, wnich tho
country N"s made up; canon 80 deep that, In
Ne+'rrn parlancc. 10 required the combined
eHnuS "I - Neral men 10 see 70 the BOTTOM
Wiid ssnri's Of the rivers having cut tunnels
for H-clt IN places were current. ana stories Of
iabuiDisiv gre . fniis obtained fun credence.
Tue two views OF the Grand Canon which Lieut..
lv's had o5tainnd, served but 10 give basis to
thc-" extrdV"2a"zts. The stories told by trap
I'erS sud prospectOrs. VINO bad. IN their wander
ING, rraGned the ma gin II the canon,
wptth' nf the Arabian Nights
I hn Ar>t Information whicn was at all anthem
uc' concerning the uvers 60 lIse and it, can n,
tp,V' IN. point which Ives reached, is con
tan man account OF the descent Of tina canon
OF tae Colorado. by one James White, In 1867.
The ac..t ut STATS IN & he with two COM
aau,un-. ni,d been oL Il Prospecting trip IN tue
$40 l'ngn m punttins. M spitlwrs srn Colorado.
s.'tuV,n tniuch -ucres they irned their backs
co. .nr utuun'tiit, and trdf cleo pwu the MAncus
$780, = u Juan rivers. lhe} followed the Latter
.t.i urWn I" she head ~ u.s. canon, where
tHti lei. it ana went uut,uWMd To- the Grand
rs r. crossing o1 thrir way range Of mouu-
t-lls. iey reached the Grand about eighteen