The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1880-06-10
THE DEEPEST GORGE IN THE
WORLD.
THE PERILoUS DESCENT OF \ PARTY
oP PROsPECTORs INTO GAIA
RACr CANON, COL.


RACr CANON, COL.
Arizona Miner: In March last party
OF prospectors, thirteen in number, pro-
cured the necessary papers from General
Wilcox allowing them to visit the Indian
village on Cataract Greek, inhabited by
tho Ava Supais, tribe of Indians num-
boring all told 200 souls. The party
went from Williamson Valley to the Bill
Williams range, and thence to Pine
Spring. Here they found every indica-
tion 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 Supal village, which is reach
ed by descending from the table 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, and
winds around the perpendicular walls of
sandstone that loom above for hundreds
OF feet, while on the other side dark,
deep canons exist, hundreds upon hun.
dre1s of feet deep, where, by one false
step or move, man or beast would be
seps to eternity. With great care and
good luck ten Of the party succeeded in
reaching the village, three of their num-
ber returning rather than run the gaunt-
let n 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. 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 well received by these
red people, who stated that their greatest
desire was to be left alone in the enjoy
ment of their land and other property.
Their houses are built with poles in a
rude manner and thatched over with
bear grass and tule. TIE only stock they
have are asfew ponies.
Cataract Creek heads in the Bill Will
liams and San Francisco Mountains, tho
stree ns connecting some distance above
the Indian village. This stream elnpties
into the Big Colorado, fifteen miles be-
low the Ava Supal town, and short dis
tance south of the junction of the Little
and Big Colorado Rivers.
The party attempted to explore Cata-
ract Creek to its confluence with the
Colorado, but were unable to do so from
the fact that they encountered precipice
after precipice from 100 to 900 feet per-
pendiculGr, and it was in the foolhardy
attempt of ID. ". Mooney, of Williams
Valley, to descend one of these perpen-
dicular precipices, 100 feetsdown, that he
was dashed to a sudden and rocky tomb,
where he now rests as he fell, his COM
panions being unable to rescue the body.
Mr.. Mooney took a small rope, hardly
half an inch in diameter, tied one end to
a bank, suspended it over the brink;
then, taking hold of the rope, was soon
dangling between the bright heavens and
the dark gorge below. Evidently 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 par
ty remained nearly two days, devising
means and plans to rescue the corpse, but
with failures, IS no one cared to risk q
descent upon the weak rope. The In
dams informed the party that no one
man had ever passed through the canon;
that. IN fact, a 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 Creek to the Grand
Canon of the Colorado. They took in
this peculiar freak of nature, and de.
scribe the walls, which are about perpen-
diculGr, as being about two miles from
the apex to the water. Where they be-
held the Grand Canon, the water is de-
scribed as being 100 yards across; still,
from the elevated view of the explorers,
| the furious stream appeared to be a sill.
yer thread of only few inches in width.
A canon two miles deep is a grand WON
der, which viii. when the thirty-fifth
parallel road is completed, draw thou
sands upon thousands Of wonder seekers
annually.