Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-03-16


with perhaps couple of thousand feet OF
the lighter gray, yellow and white sandstone
ledges. capped by pinnacles and spires. tur-
rets and domes in every imaginable shape,
size and proportion, with all their slopes
covered and their tops fringed with pine,
cedar and pinion trees, whose bright green
stands out in bold relief against the flaming
colors below and the snow that capped it all.
We started out again with our little fleet
of two boats. each with a new helmsman.
All went we'll for awhile, when one day a
divided current drew one boat too much to
one side in front OF a rock in the middle of
the rapid Our helmsman, Hislop, cried to
the men to pull their best. All nerves were
strained, but to no purpose. Standing in
the bow of the boat saw the crash was in
evitable. 1 raised nv lett foot on the gun
vale, holding on with my right hand to the
life line, ready to jump clear of the boat if
turn her just as she struck. She
came with crash against the
rock just above the keel, about
three feet from the bow, right under where
| / was standing, but she did not upset. The
current caught her stern and she swung
around the rock like whip. Hislop was
thrown from his seat ten feet away from the
boat into the rapid, but he was soon pulled
back into the boat. In few moments we
were all safely landed on shore, and in a
couple of hours the hole was mended. We
portrayed past the next rapid and were off
| once more.
| SOUTH OF PowELL'S PLATEAU.
From the southern portion of Powell's
| plateau to the mouth OF the Kanab Wash
the canon assumes an entirely new form.
| The granite, except in 4 few patches, has
| sunk under the river, and the softer strata
| of sand and lImestones which formed the
great slopes above the granite have come
down next to the river and rise from the
waters edge in great talus slopes 300 to 600
ieet high ct a general angle of 400 from
vertical. The river is broader and sweeps
| in gentle curves The picture is one of
grandeur and beauty, grand with its walls
OF bright colors towering $500 feet over
head, beautiful in It's long swinging green
slopes, with the quiet water sparkling in
the sun at their foot.
From the mouth of the Kanab Wash for
about 20 miles down is perhaps the narrowest
and deepest part of the great inner gorge.
The walls of this portion rise above the
water 3, 900 feet, and they are almost vertical,
the benches are narrower, and the vertical
| cliffs between the benches higher than in
any other section. And yet strange to
relate, from one end of this section to the
other there is a bench, about so feet above
high water, running almost parallel with
| the grade OF the river, of solid marble wide
enough to build four-track railroad upon
and not interfere with the perpendicular
walls above or the river below. But of this
hereafter.
The night before we reached Kanab the
river rose four feet and continued to rise
| fully ten feet. Just below Kanab Wash
there is a rapid one aud one-half miles long.
I'm 1neha prtrr cto Tod H0tur Ic
rapid We made this mile and half in
just four and one-nalf minutes We then
had Tor some time few rapids. but rush.
ing, singing current, forming eddies, whirl
pools and back currents fearful to contem-
plate, much more to ride upon.
AN APPALLING PHENOMENON.
About 2:30 P. NJ. we heard deep, loud
roar and saw the breakers ahead in white
foam. With great effort we stopped upon
pile Of broken rocks that had rolled into
the river. Much to our surprise when we
went to look, the whole terrible rapid that
we had expected to see had disappeared and
only a rushing current in its stead. While
we stood wondering there rose right at our
feet those same great waves, II to Is feet in
height, and 100 to $50 feet long across the
river, rolling down stream like great sea
waves and breaking in white foam with
noise. We WdtcH6Q anu wondered,
and at last concluded this was the fore front
of a great body of water rolling down this
narrow trough from some great cloud-burst
above. Believing that discretion was the
better part of valor, we camped right there
on that pile or rocks, fearing that although
our boats would ride these waves in safety
we might be caught in one of these rolls
just at the head of rapid and, unable to
stop, be carried over the rapid with the
additional force OF these rushing breakers.
The next morning we found the food had
begun to recede. Alter an early breakfast
we started on what proved afterward to be
the widest, most daring and exciting ride
we have had on the river The canon was
so narrow, the turns so quick and sharp, the
current rushing first on one side and then on
the other, forming whirlpools, eddies and
chutes, that our boats we're caught first in
one and then in the other. Now they spun
round like leaves in the wind, then shot far
to the right or left almost against the wall,
now caught by mighty roll and first car
ried to the top of the great waves and then
dropped into the trough of the sea" with
force almost sufficient to take away ones
breath. Many times we narrowly escaped
being carried over the rapids before we
could examine them, making exciting and
sudden landings by pulling close to shore
partially check our speed, while one man
jumped with line to a little ledge of rocks
and held on for his life and ours too.
SHOOTING THE RAPID. =
At last the expected combination comes.
We round sharp turn and see roaring,
foaming rapid below, and as we come in tull
view OF it VIC are caught in a mighty roll of
food waves. We try to pull out to an eddy
it is all in vain; we cannot cross such
current We must 60 down over the rapid.
In trying to pull out we get our boats
quartering with the curreot. In this posi-
tion they travel a course, first in the air,
then in the water, only to be compared to
the spirals of corkscrew. When we find
we must 90 over the rapid with great effort
we straighten them round aud enter in good
shape bow on. 1t lasts but moment, the
cross current strikes us and we, are turned,
go broadside down over the worst part of
the rapid (Which proves clear of rocks),
then. turned and twisted about, we go
through the rest of the fall in wild, wizard
waltz, to music more weird than that of the
bagpipe.
About II o'clock we reached the open
country. Wednesday night we camped un-
der. the shadow of what remains OF that
wonderful and awful volcano. 1t is dark,
cold and gloomy now, but once it belched
forth its molten rock and poured it down for
miles and miles through the valley. The
appearance and form of the whole country
changes short distance above the volcano.
From there for distance of some 35 miles
everything has been
TORN AND RENDED.
The solid cliffs of marble which above
stood up so grand, are now in shreds. The
former plnnacles and spires have tum-
bled and gone. Great faults are seen where