Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1880-07-09
The Deepest Gorge IN the World.

The Deepest Gorge IN the World.
In March last party of prospectors,
thirteen in number, procured the nee.
essary papers from Gen. Wilcox allow
ing them to visit the Indian village on
Cataract Creek, Inhabited by the Ava
Supais, tribe of Indians numbering
all told 200 souls. The party was
known as the Beekman and Young
prospecting expedition. They went
from Williamson Valley to the Bill
Williams range, and thence to Pine
Spring, small watering place sur
rounded 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 de-
scending from the table or mess land
down one of the toughest trails ever
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, ana
winds around the perpendicular walls
of sandstone that loom above for hum
! dreds of feet, while on the ether 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 sue
ceeded in reaching the village, three
of their number returning rather than
run the gantlet 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 1000 acres of farming land,
which is described as being of yellow
ish color and mostly composed Of sand =;
however, it is said to produce good
corn, pumpkins, melons and beans,
with the aid of irrigating water, Of
which they have an abundance, and
appropriate by means of q good ditch
around tkeir farm. They have peach
orchard of $50 trees, which were on the
1st of April loaded with small peaches
about the size OF acorns.
The party was we'll received by these
red people, who stated that their great
est desire was to be left alone in the
enjoyment of their land and other prop
erty. 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.
Cartaract Greek heads in the Bill
Williams and San Francisco Mountains,
the streams connecting some distance
above the Indian village. This stream
empties into the Big Colorado fifteen
miles below the Ava Supai town and q
short distance south of the junction OF
the Little and Big Colorado rivers.
The party attempted to explore Cat.
aract Greek to its confluence with the
Colorado, but were unable to do so
from the fact that they encountered
precipice after precipice from 100 to
200 feet perpendicular, and it was in
the foolhardy attempt Of d. w. Mooney,
of Williams Valley, to descend one of
these perpendicular precipices, 100 feet
down, that he was dashed to sudden
and rocky tomb, where he now rests as
he fell, his companions being unable to
rescue the body from that awful and
abysmal grave. Mr.. Mooney was per-
suaded by his companions not to at
tempt such an absurd undertaking.
Their importantly availed not. He
took small rope, hardly half All inch
in diameter, tied one end to u
bank, suspended it over the brink, then
taking hold of the rope was soon dang
ling between the bright heavens and
the dark, dismal gorge below. Evi.
IDENTIFY cramp came IN his arms or his
mind gave way. and he fell from almost
the top to his rocky and lonely grave
below. The party remained nearly two
days, devising means and plans to res
cue the corpse, but with failures, as no
one cared to risk descent upon the
weak rope. The Indians informed the
party that no one man had ever passed
through the canyon; that, in fact, q
passage was only possible for the birds
OF the air or the spirits of the dead.
The party retraced their steps and
went around Cataract Greek to the
Grand Canyon of the Colorado. They
took in this pee uliar freak of nature
and describe the walls, which are about
perpendicular, as being about two
| miles from the apex to the water.
Where they beheld the Grand Canyon
the water is described as being 100
yards across; still, from the elevated
view of the explorers, the furious
stream appeared to be silver thread of
only few inches in width. A canyon
two miles deep is grand wonder,
which will. when the thirty fifth parnl.
lei road is completed, draw thousands
upon thousands of wonder-seekers an
nually to behold the deepest gorge in
the world. In going to the Grand
Canyon the party passed through Pros
pect Valley, near the Colorado, and had
the pleasure Of beholding Ridenour Il
Ilmmerman's copper mine, which is
found lmbedded between two solid
sandstone walls. thing unknown else
where In the world. The ore from this
mine is worth from 60 to 90 per cent
and a chunk of almost pure copper
weighing at least ton is no uncom
mon thing to find. The death of Mr..
Mooney. which took place April LIST,
frustrated the plans of the party, and
their original plan of exploring and
prospecting was not carried out as at