Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1891-02-27

Of perpendicular walls 6OOO feet high,
with the ribbon OF q river at the bottom.
But the reader may dismiss all his no.
tons OF a canon, indeed of any sort of
mountain or gorge scenery with which
he is familiar. We had come into a new
world.
What We saw was not a canon, or
thasm; or a gorge; but vast area which
is a break in the plateau. From where
we stood it was twelve miles across to
the opposite wallis level line Of mesa
on the Utah side. We looked up and
down for twenty to thirty miles.
This great space is filled with gigantic
architectural constructions, with amphi-
theaters, gorges, preciplces, walls Of ma
sonry, fortresses terraced up to the level
of ths eye, temples mountain size, all
brilliant with horizontal lines Of color
streaks oi solid hues few feet in width,
streaks & tbousaEd feet in width-yel-
lows, mingled white and gray, orange,
dull red, brown, blue, carmine, green,
all blending in the sunlight into one
transcendent sufTusion of splendOr.
Afar of we saw the river in two places,
mere thread, as motioaless and smooth
a; strip Of mirror, only we knew it was
turbid, boiling torrent, 5000 feet be-
low us: Directly opposite the oyerhang-
Ing ledge on which we stood was
mountain, the sloping base of which was
ashy gray and blush; it rose in series
of terraces to thousand foot wall OF
dark red sandstone, reccding upward,
with ranges OF columns and many fantas-
tic sculptures, to Gnal row OF gigantic
opera glasses 5000 feet above the river.
The great San Francisco Mountain, with
its snowy crater, which we had passed
on the way, might have been sat down
in the place OF this one, and it would
have been only one in multitude Of
such forms that met the eye whichever
way we looked. Indeed, all the vast
mountains in this region might be hidden
in this canon.
Wandering a little away from the
group and out of sight, and turning sud-
denly to the scene from another Point Of
view, experienced for a moment an in
describable terror of nature, confusion
of mind, q fear to be alone in such a
presence. With all this grotesqueness
and majesty o; form and radiance OF
color creation seemed in whr. With
our education in scenery Of totally diff
ferent kind suppose it would need long
acquaintance with this to familiarze one
with it to the extent Of perfect mental
comprehension.
l was continually likening this to a
vast city rather than a landscape, but it
was q city of no mans creation, nor Of
any mans conception. Here are effects
beyond the artist, forms the architect
has not limited at.
Some one said that all that was needed
to perfect this scene was a Niagara Falls.
l thought what figure fall $50 feet high
and 5000 long would make in this arena.
1t would need a spyglass to discover it.
An adequate Niagara here should be at
least three miles in breadth and fall 1000
feet over one Of these walls. And the
Yosemite --ah, the lovely Yosemite
Dumped down into this wilderness of
gorges and mountains, it would take
a guide who knew Of its existence long
time TO find it. The process of creation
is here laid bare through the geologic
periods. The strata of rock, deposited
or upheaved, preserve their horizontal
and parallel courses. II we imagine a
river flowing on plain it would wear for
itself deeper and deeper channel. The
walls of this channel would recede ir-
regularly by weathering and by the COM
ing in OF other streams. The channel
would go on deepening and the outer
walls would again recede. If the rocks
were OF different material and degrees of
hardness the forms would be carved in
the fantastic and architectural manner we
find them here.
The Colorado flows through the tor
tuous inner chasm, and where we see it,
it is 5000 feet below the surface where |
we stand, and below the towers of the |
terraced forms nearer it, The splendid |
views of the canon at this point given
in Captain buttons report are from Point
Sublime, on the north side. There seems
TO have been no way of reaching the
river from that point From the south
side the descent, though wearisome, is
feasible. IL reverses mountaineering TO
descend 5000 feet for a view, and there
is certain pleasure in standing on
mountain summit without the trouble of
climbing it. Hance, the guide, who has
charge Of the well, has made path to
the bottom. The route is seven miles
long.
Half way down he has a house by a
spring. At the bottom, somewhere in
hose depths, is sort of farm, grass
capable of sustaining horses and cattle,
and ground where fruit trees can grow.
Horses are actually living there, and