The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1891-02-26
A GRAND CANON.
A SCENE of Unique and Unparalleled sub
Unity ia the Grand Canon OF Col
Orat1.

Aaqdzine thus describes Il visit 10 the
wonderful canon of the Colorado river
He SAYS:
Late in the afternoon we entered an
open pine forest, passed through a
meadow where the Indians had set
their camp by a shallow pond. aud
drove along ridge. in the cool shades,
for three or four miles. Suddenly. on
the edge of a descent. we who were on
the box saw through the tree-tops
vision that stopped the pulse for
second, and filled Us with excitement.
1t was only glimpse. far off and APP
parently lifted up-red towers. purple
cliffs. widespread apart, hints of color
and splendor; on the right distance,
mansions. gold and white and carmine
$50 the light made them). arcli-
tectural habitations in the sky it must
be, and suggestions of others far off in
The middle distance. u substantial aerial
city, or the ruins of one. snch rs the
prophet saw in vision. 1t was only
a glimpse. Our hearts were in our
mouths. We had a vague impression
Incompatible splendOr that was not
earthly. Were we drawing near the
City? and should we have yet more
perfect view thereof? Was it Jerusa
lem or some Hindoo temples. there in
the sky? 1t was builded of pearls
and precious stones. also the streets
were paved with gold; so that by
reason of the natural glory Of the City,
and the reflection of the sunbeams up
on it, Christian with desire fell sick"
1t was Il momentary vision of the vast
amphitheatre of splendor, mostly hid
den by the trees and the edge Of the
plateau.
We descended into Il hollow. There
was a well, log cabin. tent or two
under the pine trees. We dismounted
with impatient haste. The sun was
low in tie horizon. and had long with
drawn from this CLASSY dell. Tired as
we were, we could not wait. 1t was
only 10 ascend the little steep. stony
slope-300 yards-and we should see!
Our party were Struggling up the hill.
Two or three had reached the edge.
| looked up. The Duchess threw up
her arms and screamed. We were
not fifteen PAGES behind, but we saw
nothing. We took the few steps, and
the whole magniticence broke upon us.
No one could prepare for it. The
scene is one to strike dumb with awe.
or to unstring the nerves; one might
stand in silent astonishmcnt, another
would burst into tears.
There are some experiences that
cannot be repeated-one' first view of
Rome. ones first view of Jerusalem.
But these emotions are produced by
association, by the sudden standing
face to face with the scenes most
wrought into our who'e life and edu-
cation by tradition and religion. This
was without association, as it was
without parallel. 1t was shock SO
novel that the mind, dazed, quite failed
to comprehend it. All that we could
grasp was vast confusion of amphi-
theatres and strange architectural
forms Respondent with color. The
yastness of the view amazed us quite
as much as its transccndent beauty.
We had expected canon-two lines
of perpendicular walls e. 900 feet high.
with the ribbon of n river ut the
bottom. But the reader may dis
miss all his notions of Il canon, indeed
of any sort of mountain or gorge
scenery with which he is familiar. We
had come into new world. What
we saw was not 4 canon, or chaSm,
or n gorge, but Il vast area winch is Il
break in the plateau. From where we
stood it was II miles across to the OPP
posite walls-a level line Of mesa on
the Utah side. We looked up and
down for % TO 50 miles. This great
space is filled with gigantic architect
ural constructions, with phitheatres,
gorges, precipiceS. walls of masonry
fortresses terracea up to Tie level of
the eye. temples mountain size, all
brilliant with horizontal lines of color
streaks of solid hues few feet in
width, strcaks thousand feet in width
yellows. mingled white and gray,
orange, dull red. brown, blue, ear
mine, green, all blending in the sun
light into one tranScendent sutfusiou
of Splendor. Afar off we saw the river
in two places, a mere thread. us
motionleSs and smooth as strip of
mirror, only we knew it was turbid
boiling torrent, 60OO feet below us.
Directly opposite the oyerhangng ledge
on which we stood was a mountain,
the sloping base of which was ashy
gray and blush; it rose in Il series of
terraces to thousand feet wall of
dark red sandstone. receding upward,
with ranges of columns and many fam
tastic sculptures, to final 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 set down in the place of this Que.
and it would have been only one in Il
multitude of such forms that meet the
eye whichever way we looked Indeed.
all the mountains in this region might
be hidden in this canon.
Wandering a little away from the
group and out of sight, and turning
suddenly to the scene from another
point of view, | experienced for mo-
ment an Undesirable terror of nature.
Il confu sion of mind, fear to be alone
in such a presence. With all this
grotesqueneSs aud majesty of form and
radiance of color. creation seemed in
Il whirl. With our education in scenery
of a totally different kind, | suppose it
would need long acquaintance with
this to familiarize one with it to the eX-
tent of perfect mental comprehension.
The vast abyss has an atmosphere of
its own. one always changing and pro-
ducing new effects, an atmosphere ard
shadows and tones of its own-golden.
rosy, gray, brilliant, and sombre, and
playing thousand fantastic tricks
10 the vision. The rich and wonderful
color effects. SAYS Captain Dutton.
"arc due to the inherent color of the
rocks, modified by the atmosphere.
Like any other great series of strata in
the plateau province, the carbonifcr-
Gus has lis own range of colors, which
might serve 10 distinguish it even if
we had no other criterion. The sum-
NIT strata are pale gray, with faint
yellowish east. Beneath them the
cross-bedded sandstone appears show
ing Il notified surface OF pale pinkish
hue. Underneath this member are
nearly 1000 feet OF the lower Aubrey
s:md-stoacs displaying an intensely
brilliant red, which is somewhat