The Coconino weekly sun., 1892-06-09
NATURES GREATEST WONDER.
A weIl-Written Article From the
 AlaIheda Argus.

ihty uot pC oo HI nPi Soocu Nith i'o '"'' ness, because everything is on such a colossally magnificent scale. The air of Arizona is singularly clear, so that distances seem deceptive. It is eigh- teen miles across this tremendous chasm, but it doesn't look to be. You think, as yoA look down in the mighty abyss, that you see bushes growing in the bottom of the side canyons and on the sunken mesas. They are trees three feet in diameter. You see the Colorado rolling along majestically, and you think it is twenty feet wide. It is a perfect seething torrent, and is three hundred feet from bank to bank, if it is an inch.
 It is extremely doubtful if another such a wonder exists. Few people have visited this, although its fame is world wide. Thousands go to the Yosemite to see its wonders. The Yosemite is not to be sneezed at, by any means, but the Grand Canyon so far surpasses it in inmensity that there is no point upon which to begin comparison.
 It is seven miles down from the top of the canyon to its very bottom. The trip down and back requires the best part of two days. It is an arduous climb, and somewhat dangerous. Yet many ladies have made it. In fact, the ladies seem to have more nerve and vim on these explorations than the men.
 You could not exhaust all the sights of the Grand Canyon in day or a week. John Hance, the guide, has been climbing through and exploring it for ten years, and every day he finds new beauties in it. He regards the canyon as being under his special care' and takes d proprietary interest in 1t that is quite amusing to see.
 The land on the borders and within the canyon is still held by the govern ment, never having been surveyed. ] Consequently there is no individual ownership, and consequently, also, there are no exactions or extortions in the way of tolls for privileges. Every. thing is free as air.
 There is no description of the Grand Canyon that does it justice. The can' yons on the line of the Colorado Mid land are simply in miniature. The Yosemite, as to size and tremendous ness, is not to be mentioned in the same day. The formation of the canyon is remarkable. It has been cut through an elevated mesa by the action of the waters, flowing down for countless ages. The banks are cut down as clean as though done by an omnipotent cleaver. for on the other side the orig inal formation begins again, stretching away as far as the eye can see. The colOrs of the strata are picked out as squarely and distinctly as though they vera masonry, laid up of materials ob tained from widely different sections Some pillars and monster mountain: still remain in the canyon. the water having washed all around them, and sculpturCd them into fantastic shapes Many of the points on the rim jut out SO that better views can be obtained
 We went out upon them all, some ot the party being specially daring ir standing on the last inch of space ot the awful brink. Some of these point: were not named, so we proceeded tt christen them. The highest and farth est and grandest was called Bissel Point" Mir Van Sicklen sat down or smooth rock, shook up his think tank, and iotted down with pencil on paper very neat little dedicatory speech, reciting the picturesque magnificence of the point, and bringing it around in the neatest kind of way how entirely appropriate it was to name it after MT. Bissell, and how entirely malapropas Il would be to name it anything else, Then somebody broke bottle (empty) and the christening was considered tc have been formally accomplished.
 There was another dizzy place on the rIm, where there was anVverhang' ing rock, with good three-quarters oi a mile beneath before break was made. The rock was split up neal where it joined the main cliff. Il looked particularly dangerous, especi' ally after a half-ton of us got on it. This was named Reynolds Lookout ' with less elaborate ceremonies, because the bottles had all been broken. An other was named Gable Point, after } the General Superintendent of the At lantic & Pacific.
 When Major Powell went down the : Colorado river through the Grand Can yon. 23 years ago, he had twelve men with him. It is great wonder how , he succeeded. He has but one arm, , and man with six would not have any too many. Nearly opposite where the