The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1885-02-05


Correspondence of the journal
U. S. SIGNAL SERVICE STATION.
SUMMIT Pixies PEAK, JAN. 10, 1885.
Fourteen thousand one hundred and forty
seven feet above the salt Atlantic; 81 miles
above the ocean; mile and half above Mt.
Washington, and the plains 5000 feet below
surrounded by the everlasting snow, and en-
veoped half the time in couds-here upon the
summit of Pixies Peak. on a foundation as hard
and as weaher-heaten as itself, stands the little
building forty feet long, twenty feet wide and
eight feet high, the highest inhabited building
on the face of the globe.
This structure, built of unfinished red granite
upon the extreme top of Pixies Peak, is dou-
Bile walled building containing five rooms neat
ly and comfortably furnished. 1t is seven miles
from any habitaton, 13 miles from the nearest
town-Manitou-and generally without COM
munication with the world below from Dec.
until the following June. Here within these
walls of stone throughout the year live two
men. The officers in charge at present are Mr..
George f. Curtis and Mr.. John p. Ramsey.
The ascent to this place is made by two narrow
trails; one the old Government trail from Col
orado Springs, a distance of q miles, and the
other from Manitou. The latter trail is eight
miles shorter, and the one now universally
used. Tourists are able to make the journey to
and from this lonely place in one day. The
first part of this trail is especially beautiful and
grand. Starting at Manitou, mile above the
town, it enters Anglemans Canon, and, grad
ually ascending, it winds on under the shade of
the rough walls hundreds of feet high. A ride
of half an hour brings one to the northern limit
of the canon and here the trail begins decided
ly sleeper ascent and winds along upon the
mountain slope at an altitude of 1000 feet, look
ing down upon the tops of the Pines through
which you have just passed. On through the
groves of yellow aspens, or around some huge
boulder or descending to cross the stream fed
by the ever melting yet never melting snow.
There is but one habitaton on this trail, which
is reached after ride of an hour-a little cabin
constructed of logs with rough stone chimney
rising through the roof of bark. Somehow,
very nappropriately, as it is but four miles
above ManitOu, this cabin has received the ap-
pellation of the ''Half-way House" Near thi,
house are the two beautiful falls called, on ac-
count of a boulder which nearly hides them, the
"Sheltered Falls" AT this point the trail cross
es the stream once more and takes its course
through the groves of pine and fir, occasionally
entering one Of the natural parks filled with
stones of curious formation for which Colorado
is 50 noted. At an altitude of L 200 feet above
the sea, and nearly seven miles above the Half
way House, The trail approaches timberline.
Here all vegetation, and in fact all soil disap-
pears and othing is seen bat huge granite
boulGcrs thrown one upon another and covered
with snow and ice. The most lonely part of
the journey is at timberne the trail sometimes
winding for many feet around the top of some
cavern hundreds of feet deep. Here, too, there
is decided change in the temperature and in
the rarity of the atmO>phere-the former fall
Ing from ten to forty degrees and a never fail
ing mountain Jree-e makes it very uncomfort-
able Three thousand feet above tmberline is
the Station, well nigh hidden among the boul-
derS, its solid walls of stone and its little Win
dows reminding one of prison. The highest
building on the Globe! y miles above the
ocean! At last upon the summit o. Pike,
Peak and the world at your feet.
The view here is sublime. Eighty-tive miles
toward the North under its cap of smoke is
Denver, the metropolis of the centennial state
Toward the Northwest Longs Peak and at its
foot Estes Park with Il continuous line of snow
capped Rockies for a hundred miles or more.
Toward the East the waterless ocean, each
grove an island, stretches away as far as the
eye can trace. Toward the South the busting
city of Pueblo, the beautiful Spanish Peaks and
the grand canons of the Rio Grande At your
very feet ne>tles little Mantou. and twenty
miles toward the East Colorado Springs. To
the left the mammoth red gateway of the Gar
den Of the Gods and Camerons Cove, 1000
feet high while on all sides the 10000 feet
foot hills" rise toward YOU Nearer to YOU
and on your right ''Seven lakes now covered
with ice, and near them Chyenne Mountain,
twenty years ago the home of the Ute Indians.
Toward the North Ute Pass through which in
former days the white topped miners wagons
made their slow march toward Lea,lviIle. Ii is
impossible to fifty describe the view from this
spot. The plains toward the East shining in
the sun; the snoWcappeu hills toward the
West the foothills covered with the black
pines; tmberline far below the trail winding
along the side of the mountain-all beautiful
and grand
Within the Station it is warm and attractive.
In the centre of the reception room--the larg-
est in the little building-is the large open stove
III which throughout the year bright wood fire
/, kept burning. A book case well filled with
books and papers stands at your right and at
The opposite cnd of the room the barometer,
thermoscope and anemometei while on the cell
ing overhead swings the long hand showing the
direction OF the wind without The storero0m
i, next aud Is smaller. In this are placed the
provisions which are brought up during the
Summer. This question Of supplies Is II mo
mentou> one, All the provisions, the wood and
OIL are brought from Manitou over the rough
trail of Is miles on the backs of donkeys which
carry about 200 pounds each and " hch make
The ascent i'll about ten hours. Both the wood
and prov sions are carried by the pound, the
former costing the Government no less than
SO 90 for each cord and the cost of warming
The one room, the office or reception room, is
not far from 81 800 annually-the highest wood
in the world iii more senses than one. The
prices for food here which are fixed by the
Government, are enormous-one dollar for
| each meal consisting of canned meat, canned
fruit, hardbread and butter, with fifty cents eX
IRA for each cup of coffee and ten dollars for
the privilege of staying over night. This in-
come obtained from visitors is called the ''ten-
derfoot money" and goes toward supplying
the Station with provisions or is given directly
to the officers in charge.
The duties of the officers here are light.
They are required to take five ObserN atuus
daily-at ) and 8 a. m. and at l, ) and 8 p. m,
noting the direction and velocity of the wind,
the appearance of the clouds and state of the
weather The station was formerly connected
by wire with Manitou when daily reports Were
| received from here. Now, however, the wires
are down and the reports are sent monthly to
Washington.
The sunset from the Peak is most beautiful
and remarkable and decidedly the grandest
| sight of ALL AS evening approaches and the
sun gradually sinks lower and lower behind the
| mountains in the West, far away on the Plains
| in the East rises ghostly image of the Peak
| perfect mountain-boh the huge bouders
| and the masses of snow seem visible and the