The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1890-08-20

guides had their lamps trimmed ana
burning" and conducted us through the
Nestibule, Canopy Hall, Alabaster Hall,
Stalactile Hall and many others, com
plotting the display with view of Con.
cert Hall, said To be 800 feet long and
So named from the cluster of musical
stalactites, on which they played for us
Home, Sweet Home" and other tunes,
besides remarkably sweet and perfect
chime of bells.
But among all the attractions offered
by Manitou, none can rival the Gar
den of the Gods" situated hut short
distance away. Ii has been called a
gigantic peep show in pantomlme,
where the solid rocks have gone mas
querading. One enters between mas
sive portals of bright terra Gotta red
sandstone, and gaze upon plain miles
in extent, covered in all directions with
grotesque stony figures, over which "A
supernatural atmosphere seems to
brood. Massive palaces, rearing their
spires and minarets so sharply against
the wonderful blue of that Colorado
sky rs to appear like etchings by some
giant hand. Strange, grotesque shapes,
! like mammoth ANIMALS of some pre-his-
toric age, Turk in corners or leap high
on some mighty boulder. Mushroom
shaped rocks show the chiseling power
of erosion. while strange, tOad-like
! forms crouch beneath them. Imagine
all this, with its varying gamut of color
| through all the browns and drabs to
pure white, through yellOws, butts and
pinks To the brilliant red which pre-
dominates, while, forming an impress
sive back ground To all, in the blue dis
lance rise the mountain-tOps with
which Earth props Heaven" Pixies
Peak ever most prominent and always
growing upon you with every new view
obtained.
A cog-wheel road, which shall trans
port passengers with speed and safety
from Manitou to the tip-top of this
mountain, was begun about year ago
and is expected To be completed by an
other summer. 1t is distance of nine
miles, with an elevation to he overcome
of 1000 feet per mile, and is to have
powerful electric arc lights placed at
short intervals, SO that at night it will
be one continuous blaze of light, while
other modern appliances will combine
with the immense height To make the
way on Mt. Washington, and even
the inclined railway of the Rhigi in
Switzerland, seem tame in comparison.
In fact, all the enterprises of what has
hitherto been termed the 'Wild and
! Woody West" are carried on with such
munificent outlay and such vim that the
appellation must soon of necessity he
changed to the Wealthy and Wonder
full West"
But most remarkable of all the Rocky
Mountain scenery is that afforded by
the narrow gauge branch of the Union
Pacific, which passes through Clear
Greek Canyon, over the famous George
town loop" Indeed, SO grand is the
panorama it unfods that one of our
party who has travelled extensively
abroad declared it To be finer than any
thing he saw in Europe. Leaving Den
yer, one passes for fifteen miles through
fertile valley, and arrives Il: Golden,
thriving and beautiful city developed
from mining camp. Here begins the
magnificent gorge, cut through the cliff
! by the stream that rushcs SO madly
through it, and for sixty miles the mar
row road-bed follows its sinuous course,
sometimes hugging the flinty rocks so
closely that no man could find footing
beside it, often leaping boldly across
the dashing stream or tlinging long
trestle over yawning chasm. crawling
under a threatening mass of overhang-
ing rock or lodging around a sudden
curve, but always climbing higher and
| higher, with many "A grade OF 2l7 feet
/ to the mile, while straight up rise the
rugged cliffs some 1900 feet, with only
narrow strip of blue sky visible far,
far above. The PERCEPTIONS rocks are
picturesque in the extreme. In some
places the stately pine and fir grow
thickly and soften the rugged face of
the canyon, or intersecting gullies, down
which sparkle mountain streams,
break the mighty wall that shuts out
the sunlight; but in most places the
Jagged beetling cliffs are grim and bare,
on nearer approach plainly showing the
banded strata, here regular and hori-
zontal, just as it was laid down ages
ago, there tilted and broken or min
gled in one confused mass, as if thrown
together by superhuman force and
melted in some Titanic crucible. Yet
these Rocky Mountains, thouuh grim
and stern, are never gray and colorless
like those of our New England ranges,
but always gorgeous with coloring
scintillant with pyrites, glinting with
micaceous flecks.
1t requires nearly an hour to accom-
plish the last fourteen miles to George
town, and the engines pant and trem
bic as they struggle onward with their
load Georgetown is busy, busting
city of 1000 people, in the'heart of the
Rockies, and the many mines that dot
the hillsides in every direction clearly
Indicate its chief occupation Three
quarters of mile above lies the pretty
mining village of Silver Plume, and the
canyon between them is somewhat
wider than below, though SO gashed
and scanned with many a ravine that
all communication between the two
villages would seem to be impossible;
vet the engineers skill carries you out
under the great viaduct, up, up, until
Georgetown lies hundreds OF feet below
you; and then, with sudden turn, it
brings you back, re-crossing the track
of your former course, though on IA tres
tie SO feet higher, curves away once
more To the other side of the gorge,
only to re-cross the creek now far be.
low you, clings for brief period to the
narrow shelf of rock, again bridges the
brawling stream, and so climbs on with
steady persistence until we have trav-
ersed four miles to attain less than one,
and have aspanded 7OO foot. than nj