New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-09-23
THE GUNNISON COUNTRY

COWS cpr At NATURAL wEALTH-A 1LNNN' ~
THE MINES OF LEADVILLE' .,,,-,,,,1
trRoM An occ AsIoNAL CoRREsPoNDkN ~ -. g.
Crxvrsov. Col. Aug 23.-besiiiuius HS
"'NNi90N, 80 -, independent Of any railroad
cN0ol , - ~ itself the leading town on the me
Hw',',o'. -, puebo with salt Lake CITY, wmle
t,,or road j. lust about entering i's uoo'S' NJ
another '',N liver and Rio Grande beyond Gunni-
-. Sal, axe city presents features OF unusnal H.
- r,sconlpletion Will give a new uausconunen-
i,o or n least a new line across the backbone OF
an continent This with its connections Will be ron
kansas cry to Pueblo. thence via Sauda across Vhe
ntar-hall Pa to Gunnson. down the Gunlson tINer
through the Uncompahgre country anu tue o'u Wv
erVation 10 the Utah line and thence to SAT- Lake
City where connection will 10 made with the central
Pacific for Francisco. The track is now ad lot D.
tween forty and fifty miles west Of this town. Whie
,be road he'd has bean built some seventy niles fur
Their AT other end the rails have been ad Tor per
hans so miles east from salt Lake city. Between the
end, OF the rails there yet gap OF hundreds OF miles,
but the engineers received orders to complete the
road by January l.
The satisfaction OF penetrating new country in nd
vance Of the swarm of tourists Was heightened in my
case bv the fact that the railroad had already made
cessbe one Of the wonderful OF Colorado mighty
cauon- the Black Canon o. the Gunnison. which as yet
remains practically unknown. say accessible with a
reservation. for my trip down the extension OF the road
was made upon construction train, perched among
the ties on fat The first station, II can be called
So after leaving GunnsOn. Is Kezar. collection OF
board shantes with roofs chiefly devoted TO the
ouenchiugO OF thirst Like a mushroom the town had
sprung up night, when 10 CHANGED that the mead
uuarers Of the advancing railroad was fixed there Tor
few days but the railroad passed on with its 400 Ia
borers and left Kezar in the condition OF a newly
Matched chicken quite uncertain To whether its legs
will bear it's weight Dey swOre dis town vas to be
bigger dan New-York." SAID little German; but L
tink dey made a misscue." However Kezar has SUI
stantial claims to certain future permauency. II is
from This point that branch Is TO De built to Lake CITY
the wel-knOwn mining town where ex-Leutenant-Goy-
ernor Dorshemer the CroOkes brothers and other East
ern capitalists have large interests. The dump IS al
ready bIlt and while awaiting the laying OF the rails
freight carried Kezar 20 Lake CITY In huge waS-
ous after the fashion or the Old days Of the santa Fe
Train few miles further along the rocky Gunnison
with It's pools Astounding IN black spotted uout, ana
It's brooIs Of young ducks scurying mady away az the
noise o. The train brought u TO another group q" OoTu
and canvas shan,es and srosgeres bearing name sig
nirvng SOAP which, Judging from the appearance Of tie
inhabitants must be chiefly conspicuous by us absence
THE BLACK CANON.
Then the hills along the river began to increase In
height and abruptness. The mesas dored win sage
brush gave way to crumolns crass. The rocky walls
on either sie higher and higher ana seemed mex
Oraby drawing together the train Murdered INTO the
gorge Of tile Back Canon Grand Canon of the Glnni-
son as This strange wild gulf is indGcrcn;y cailod
Frowniuc cliffs rose straight up from the track one
side and the other the river was Drawing along the
foot OF the opposing prccqice Mountains OF c.dIsh
gray rock lowered on either hand, vcned with white.
shattered into crum0lm, blocks. scamed with assures
asif wriu,ed with the CHR Of time, and crowned far
above with massive columns ana turrettet cra.s
Here and there the hcadons plunge % the canon walls
was less abrupt and the steep slope chung hoGdeg'
md threatening rock literally Overhanging the
track. seemingly ready to hurtie downward at touch
Again dark caves. shutea AMI heecy cascades were
passed noug the cliffs. and then the canon sides
changed oftler walls almost Perfectly vertical nom
their gitdy the brawliug river and rairoad
at the. Imagine Broadway at Us narrOwest point
Tined with .ark precipices six times higher than IhE
TKIBJ NJ tower substitute for the pavement stream
f1arning over fallen rocks. and for the sidewalk the
iron tran fairly dus from the base Of the clf aAd
yon have some idea OF the Black Canon IN the wilder
portions OF the gorge.
In balliiug the road the same difHcuues were over
come as 800 constructing the line through the Grand Ca
non o. the Arkansas where surveyors went first in
winter that they might pick way on the ice which
covered the river, and where men, horses and wagons
were lowered from the cliffs by ropes the workmen TO
WELD dI and hammer hanging by ropes anti they had
blasted foothod. II va, In one Of the grandest
urt 90 the canon that the construction stopped after
hrun OF some miles through the gortc which extends
further u and below IS said % Doe even more impress
sve Ju, opposite the Stopping place rose an immense
pinnacle Of rock Ike the tower Of Gothic cathedral
which the engineers had measured AMI found To be
600 feet 10 height Near ITS summit discovered q
massive profile In rock fully perfect and striking
the famous profile OF the Francona Mountains Here
were our lines freight litoi up for the accom-
mediation ~ jhc 400 worknen, some with tiers or hunks
Others toacu-, while others by their narrow tables
with tu plates and their benches disclosed their use
a. a simple form Of dining car. Il wa~ past O'Clock
the canon already IN deep shade. and the sunlight
o'u-i '1' y '' sec" Sl''-S lac '''' W cav '''',
c-n- tLAr formed The opposite wall OF the canon.
80. .. ,,. ma - tr.n OF ast car. rum
,., -i,i. -,s ,...,, -otnr,ip, frorn their
fabor IerE before The cars stopped they hal letped