The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1879-05-19
A Big cuf--PassaSco or u Train Through,
4t tho Grand Canon. III. Sd 80 !

The actual passing Of the first passenger
train through the Grand Canon and Royal
Gorge, on the line OF the Denver. and Rio
Grande railroad OF Colorado, was briefly
mentioned in the American last week. The
Denver Tribune contains a glowing descrip.
Ition OF the paoasersy excursion. ofsinvitcd
guests. The excursion started from Den
along, the route. On reaching the canon
the engine was placed in the rear, so as
to give a better view to the tourists.
The approach to the canon is gradual.
The distant hills draw nearer, and
the Valley OF the Arkansas becomes mar
rover and narrower until~the river is
shut in closely on both sides by high noun
tains, sloping gently away, and covered
With YerGurc. Then the slope OF the noun
tains become more perpendicular. and the
hills become higher, until suddenly tho
river is completely shut in by mountains
with mighty tops. Z he roar and rattle OF
the train grows louder, and echoes up and
down. The train is fairly in the canon. 1t
moves slowly. yEhe mountain walls are OF
n dizzy height, and so close together that,
looking ahead, they appear simply to form
creTice-a huge, awful, crooked crevice-
through which the miserable little train was
timidiy crawling. The curves OF the canon
are superb. They constitute the finishing
touch TO its grandeur, and ill the mind with
a fuller appreciation OF this great mir
acie of nature. But the Royal Gorge !
Imagine two oaimostperfeefly pernendicnlar
walls rising to a height Of 2,200 feet, and
only thirty feet apart those walls presenting
Jagged and irregular masses OF rock that on
the railroad side hangover The train, all Gre
weed and ready to fail in thousands OF tons.
The road-bed is cut out Of the solid rock and
masses OF this hang overit. stretching out
hundred feet. One cannotlook to the top
OF this wall on account OF these projecting,
irregular bluffs; bu: the beight to the top.
even as measured by the eye, disturbs the
faculties and brings on vertigo. The
cooped-up Arkansas rllshes madlY by,
a narrow thread, made still more so
by the rocks thrown into it. There
is not room TO step from the train without
pitching iuto the river. Not a word
is uttered. The engineer whistles occa-
sionally, and timid folks look for the rocks
to fall. 1t is really strain on the mind to
take it in, and this can be only feebly done
on q single trip. Two thousand feet above
YOU are the tops OF the mountain walls.
You are imprisoned in a crack thirty feet
wide, and are partially under one mountain
wall. You can see on the opposite side the
gradations Of the yerdue. rich below, i'm
poyerisbed above. And the curves become
more awful as you look ahead or back.
For rvrty-6ro minutes the tourists en-
ioycd this sight. The tram stopped
at the construction bridge, near the
end OF the gorge. Sautes were fired,
tiiteen-minutes' halt was made, and the
engine started the train for Canon City.
There WINS no sun in the gorge, but it
sIanted down the opposite mountain wall as
the party returned through the canon, in
creasing the surprising beauty OF the scene.
The canon is, eleven miles in length, and
the gorge q mile and half. The tourists
had seen it all-seen the greatest natural
wonder Of the West, and the first train Of
passengers had passed through the gorge.
II will be impossible to build another road
through the gorge. Until this point is
reached the other side OF the river has the
advantage, being easier to build over. But
the only way 10 continue a,rond beyond the
opening of the gorge would be to bridge
the Arkansas and run over the track
Of the Santa Fe. This is the only escape
In cutting the road-bed in tie gorge the
workmeu would be high up on the mountain
wall and blast down TO the level OF the road
In this way masses OF rock hundred yards
| wide have been split from the mountain. II
that narrow crcyice it was difficult to dis
pose of this material. Some was used fo
the road bed, and the rest OF necessity wa
/ thrown into the Arkansas. This made th'
already too-much, sbut-in stream still NOR,
contracted. Fears are now entertained tina
the vicious "crik'' will "raise Cain " il
case of flood. The greatest care has bsel
taken to prevent this, and the subject is still
! one Of studyto the contractors and engi
neers. The bed Of the road is some twelv
! feet above the river, perhaps more.