The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1879-09-23
Betvcen Heaven and E"Tfh'

NM, rr.RruI, SITUATION OF YouNtf Man i'
oyE OF THE COLORADO CANYONS.
rrron, the Denver tCoiorado) Trioune'1
s,bor,es MAY and his brother RooeTt, II,
.,,,. snrine OF 1870. offered to pass raiifoaa
10 20 down rhe Arkansas from the noun
IN source. He says: "Our oher was
os.cented when We started INTO 'he
,,,,nar entrance OF the canon Win
isree skiff provided with six DAYS, pro,
rn;s,nns and two hundred feet OF rope, WIZ I,
wh;ch by taking running turn a[ouhu
come frmly-pIanted object, we cou.d lower
anr boat one hundred feet at time. III
,this way. at the end OF three days, having
.Set odriit many hundred tIcs. we resacneo
the entrance of Royal Gorge. Here we ois-
covered that IN attempt to desceno INC
.f1.st waterfall with two in the boat was Ger
tain destruction, aud 10 return was lmpos-
sinle. Accordingly, I determined 10 rover
my brother down the fall in the boat. Az a
distance Of two hundred feet gave MN Tue
rome. and let him take the chance OF tnc
ncs,on-life seemed more certain In tDht di,
recfion-wbile I would risk my physician
ability to climb the conon wall, whlch was
about two thousand feet high.
About 10 O'Clock in the morning shooh
hands with my brother, Lowered Elm IN tue
boat safely to the foot Of the fall, gave MIN
the rome. and saw him no more. linen
throwing aside my coat, hut, and BOOTS, aod
st;-ipp,pS the socks from my feet, com
mencins nv climbing way, often reaching
fhe height OF 100 to 200 feet, only to be COM
neIIed to return to tIy some other way. AT
length. about 4 O'Clock in the afternoon, !
reached a height on the smooth canon OF
about q THOUSAND feet. Here my furtner
nroeress was arrested by 4 shelving leoge
or rock that iuttcd out from the canon SIDE
n foot or more. To advance was WITHOUT
hone: TO return, certain death. Reaching
inward and outward, / grasped the ledgc
with one hand and then with the other; my
feet slipped from the smooth SIDE OF the
canon, and my body hung suspended IN
tue air 1000 feet above the roaring waters
OF the Arkansas.
At that moment ! looked downward to
measure the distance l would fall when the
strength OF my arms gave out. a Singing
sensation crcpt through my hair rs my eye
caught the strong root Of cedar-bush that
projected over the edge just beyond my
reach. My grasp OF The ledge was last
Welding to the weight OF my person. Ihen
[ determined to make my best effort to raise
nv BODY and throw it sideways towards the
root, so as to bring it within my grasp. At
the moment of beginning the effort L s0ao
nau mothers face as she leaned out over the
ledge, reached dorn her hand, ard caught
me by the hair. Stranger, my mother died
while yet young woman, when l and
my young brother were small boys.
I remember her face. l was sue
cessful in making the side leap Of my arms,
when I drew myself upon the ledge and
rested for time. From here upward my
way climbing was laborious. but less dam
gerous. Preached the top just as the sun
was sinking down behind the snowy range,
and fastened to our camp at the mouth OF
the canon, where / found my brother al
safe. "Charley," said be, have you had
your head in a -four sack?" 1t was then
that discovered that my hair was as white
as you see it now.