Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1880-11-24
DEEPEST CANYONS KNOWN
From the Arizona Miner. ]

A party Of prospcctors, thirteen il
number, went from Williamson Valley
to the Bill Williams range, and theme,
to Pine Spring, small watering place
surrounded by pine forest Here
they found every indication of an old
sea bed, the gravel and rocks being
round and smooth, similar to those in the
ocean bed, From Pine Spring the
party directed their course for the Ava
Supai village, which is reached by dc
scending from the table or mesa land
down one OF the toughest trails eve
Travelled by man for distance Of four
teen miles, dropping 5000 feet. At
places along the trail, we are told that
it is not over twenty inches wide, and
winds around the perpendicular walls
of sandstone that loom above for hun.
dreds of feet, while on tho other side,
dark, deep canyons exist hundreds
upon hundreds of feet deep, where by
one false step or move, man or beast
would be sent to eternity. With great
care and good luck ten of the party
succeeded in reaching the village, three
of their number returning rather than
run the gauntlet in passing down into
this awful yet marvellous crevice in the
earth.
The Ava Supais practice polygamy,
each male having about three wives
They have 900 acres Of farming land,
which is described as being of a vel.
lowish color and mostly composed of
sand, however, it is said to produce
good corn, pumpkins, melons, beans,
etc, with the aid OF irrigating water,
of which they have an abundance, and
appropriate by means of a good ditch
surrounding their farm. They have
peach orchard of 25O trees, which
were, on the lst of April, loaded with
small peaches about the size of acorns. !
The party was well received by |
these rcd people, who stated their
greatest desire was TO be left alone in |
the enjoyment of their land and other |
property. Their houses are built with |
poles in a rude manner and matched /
over with bear grass and tule, The
only stock they have are few ponies
The party attempted to explore Cat. |
aract creek to its confluence with the /
Colorado, but were unable to do so 4
from the fact that they encountered |
precipice after precipico from 100 TO
200 ieee eperpendicular and it was in
the tOolhardy attempt of D. W. Moo.
ney, Of Williams Valley, to descend
one of these perpendicular precipices,
100 feet down, that he was dashed to
a sudden and rocky tomb, where he
now rests as be fell, his companions
being unable to rescue his body from
that awful and abyssmal grave. Mr..
Mooney was persuaded by his com
panions not to attempt such an absurd
undertaking their importantly avail
cd not. He took a small rope, hardly
half an inch in diameter, tied one end
to bush, suspended it over the brink.
then taking hold OF the rope, was soon
between the bright heavens
and the dark, dismal gorge below.
Evidently cramps came in his arms or
his mind gave way, and be fell from
almost the top TO his rocky aud lonely
grave below, The party remained
nearly two days, devising means and
plans to rescue the corpse, but with
failures, as no one cared TO risk q dc.
scent upon the weak rope. The In
dians informed the party that no man
had ever passed through the canyon,
that, in fact, passage was only posi-
BILE for the birds of the air or the
spirits of the dead.
The party retraced their steps and
went around Cataract creek TO the
Grand Canyon OF the Colorado. They
took 10 this peculiar freak of nature
md described the walls, which are
about perpendicular, as being two miles
from the apex to the water. Where
hey beheld the Grand Canyon the
water is described as being one hun
ired yards across still, from the Gle.
7ated view of the explorers, the furious
stream appeared to be q silver thread
)f only few inches in width.