The sun., 1885-02-08

Ths atrasee Adventure or Tive ueiated
Eishermen In u MontnnA CanYon.


BUTTE, Mont. Jan. 25.-Thc recent appoint
ment to the United States army Of Charles W.
Penroso OF Now York recalls a remarkable ex-
perienco OF the writer with gentleman OF that
name not long since a resident Of Butte the
son o. Capt. Penrose Of tho infantry. stationed
near Missonla As tho appointment was from
OWL lifo. tho appointes may be the same as he
who on a certain night was IN eye witness to
sights stranger than those which scientific
books cite as most wonderful.
There Is snow In plain Wow on the mountains
about here In tho hottest months OF the year.
Tho main divide OF tho Rocky Mountains is q
fow miles to tho east OF this camp. On tho
crost OF this bleak and rocky ridge one may
ride through binding snow storm on the
Fourth OF July. Tho snow melts at midday.
and little streams trickle down tho mountain
sides. to tho East to the Atlantic. to the West
to tho Pacific. streams running perhaps from
the Same snow bank. noar which the hardy
blue and white flowers OF the Rockies grow
In profuse patches.
It was a clear morning whom young Penrose
and myself started down the Big Hale Canon
for days fishing. The Utah and Northern
narrow-gauge train left Butte about A. NJ.
running southwestward down tho canon pnst
Forests Ranch. For thirty miles along the
bed OF Silver Bow Crock worked out placer dig
Glngs were to be soen. the coarse gravel and
clay washed bare and brown. On tho bare hill
sides at either hand great purple. brown. and
rcd masses OF limestone and conglomerate
glistened in the morning sun with iron and
copper ores. Wild gulches branched Off to the
right and loft. In shallow bonds OF tho stream
pair Of teal duck were at rest. nesting In their
summer home. Some miles below Forests
Ranch. on the right. was u vast bare m ountain
whose rounded summit lowered beyond tho
timber line. from which Clarke. after leaving
his fellow explorer Lewis far to the east. had
looked westward over n mighty expanse OF
peaks. his eye finding rest at last in tho Big
Hole Of this grand canon. destined afterward
to take It's name from him. Here we left the
railroad. asking the conductor to inform the
conductor OF the up train. when he pnssed him
at noon. that ho would be signalled below For
est's Ranch by two passengers for Butte.
By 10 o'clock the heat of the sun had become
noticeable enough to warrant careful search
for path in the shadow OF tho cliffs. Up and
down the valley to the right away from tho
line OF the railway. stretched n green carpet.
diversified by II myriad OF wild flowers. tiny
bells OF blue and Of white. which grew from the
mountain down to the very edge OF the Big
Hole River, n swift stream some forty feet
wide This point was tho centre from which
three canons radia,ed. To tho loft ran the
narrow-gauge railroad toward Ogden. To the
right ran the fowery slopes just mentioned.
In the rear, and directly toward Butte but on
the other sids of the mountain from that on
which we had come down by raii-wHS the
hemmed in by low brown hills. Tho days fish
ing. and ino sport IL WAS. was done in the
iiowery valley to the right. where for IN les an
unnamed and comparatively unknown tributary
under brushy tangeS. tn burst here and thers
Into pool where tho cleaning grayling
About 6 o'clock in the rapid twilight OF these
comparativey high elevations Penrose and
%a 1 es hs thn Fs9
were full and fly books empty. the woight OF
loaded erect and q low ing piece strapped over
the shoulders becoming RAPIDLY oppresSivn
after DAYS arduous sport. soon after dark
int a siHh due ss a. s sne e. 10 Ge"Ss
speed Of tho train was not in tho least .ihcken-
ton was cut. 1t WAS thirty miles to Butte. with
not Z cabin inside of twenty Dazed Mt this
and at last resolved to try tho canon in our
rear. which seemed to trend directly toward
the camp 70 the northeast. our only hope OF
The moon hung JUS. over the edge Of the hills
lar valley in front On either hand were roing
hills. brown ard barren. save for an occasional
ani there cropped out u great mass OF white
rock. There WAS no h"rhnGe and no other
which dalighis in just such swamp hoiiow-.
had retired into ths CEDAR clunps. Taere was
absolutely Abs not s@n9a To- be mIa,d n soon ;o
which gradually condensed into II warm rain;
settled down oyrr tho CANON. i,.nroae and
painfully about our heels. Tne ranges " hns
we're Just visible, y couple Of hunIrch yards
ncEy Sy eeIs sSs 81 e'f T., TnHn E1s%
perhaps q hundred yards in front. n light. ev,-
AjoyfuI shout grseted this wecnme sight. and
we both hailed it Repeatedly Tho light moved
ground. with u consis;cni. yellow radiance. it
moved out into the canon further, and then
shs5 ssh ptG the air o to the arse 5 W
fash. Our nmaaement was beyond words. We
turned to look at each other. as II such thing
ssc saw either sid side wha. eurded m the ,"" bood
Ths yslowish, hazs sesmed to hnye become
@ @msasds and @ IN @the y ssdsyy dy haiIow. I cold Old
secting gorge. swept into tho valley. and tho
ightS wont out. The darkness was donsor
In q moment, Immediately in our front. some
hundred and ifty yards aTay M ,hsrs sW"nt into
tho hesdshi Of ocomosve ,ss o' With w'Iia s
tinctIy audible Whiz 1t rushed toward US with
cry horror aea ono Of ~ o% of s ap
parent line OF motion to one side and the other
% tho other. II rushed to within ten feet,of US
5lacksr Again. over ali the sullsn surface ri
the marsh. the dim patches Of glow became
flame. pa and evanescent. yet sometimes cIoar
enough to define tho outline OF tI,s surtacs.
To the right. on tho crsst Of the range which
bounded the valley, for tho cnhon had soon
spread out. there appeared just then n gigantic
mass Of whitsh flame. which moved with in
conceivable uuicknoss; BY it's light one OF tho
visible on tho top OF the ridge. The bare
branches OF a blasted tree rose high above tho
svsrgrsens around ii. In these branches the
luminous mass was first seen. resting for a
moment Mt an elevation OF some twenty feet
above tho ground: then 1t shot upward for
sixty or seventy feet and again descended. this
time becoming half hidden in the dense over
green's through whoss foiage there was
suffused u hnzy radiance. For more than hall
an hour this phsnomenon rivetod tho attention
TO this particular spot. Tho vaporous mass.
whose strange antics were almost incr~di-
bic. soon took on superficial RESEMBLANCE to
along a llmh Of the pine, but suddenly shooting
high into the c!"aror air above tho ridge