The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-10-23
LOST ON THE MOUNTAINS
FRIGHTF-UL EXPERIENCE OF AN
EIGHT-YEAR-oLD Roy.
Days and Nights Without Food or
Drink-Interesting Story of the
Long Search For Him.

Brief mention has been made in these
columns of the fact that a boy was
lost on the Buckskin mountains a
short time ago, but no details could
be then obtained. A gentleman who
formed one of the searching party
engaged in looking for the lost boy, has
just arrived in the city, and to a Her
aid reporter he, last evening, gave the
particulars of the affair, which make
an interesting story.
Mr.. John Cooper" said the visitor,
who is the father Of the boy, has
large band of sheep ranging in sum-
mer on she Buckskin mountains, near
the southern line of Utah, and within
a few miles of the celebrated Grand
canyon of the Colorado. This canyon,
as but perhaps few people know, cuts
right through a lofty range of noun
tains known as the kaibabS or Buck
skins. AS the river itself runs below the
level of the valleys on either side OF
the range, it is easy to imagine what
break there must be In order to al
low it to pass Contrary to what might
and the walls tower above the river
in a series of cliffs. each one little
farther back than the one below, but
still sufficiently near each other to
make the distance form rim to rim at
the top not so very much further than
down to the river. The ground between
these cliffs, while not level, Is no more
steep than, say the sides of your own
mountains hsre. 1t was below three. OF
these series Of cliffs and in little
gulch on the hillside, as we may call
#. that the lost boy was found, away
down where the foot of man had prob
ably never before trod, and surely
never the foot of a white man OF
our time. But we will
not anticipate. Mr.. Cooper's two
eldest bows had helped him a. number
of summers with the sheep and were
we'll acquainted with the mountain"
as it is called, and its surroundings.
But the youngest boy, years OF age,
had never been out there, and, like ali
little boys, that was just where he
wanted to go. So, finally, about the
middle of last September. his father
took him out with him, and the first
day he was there he went out with an
uncle partner with his father, to help
herd. He stayed close to his uncle un-
til just before dark, when they were
bringing the herd into camp for the
night. Then small bunch took off
from the main body and the uncle hur-
ried off to drive them back. The boy,
as he afterwards explained, thought
his uncle was running away from him,
and at once started out for camp, a
little over a mile away. OF course, he
took exactly the opposite direction
and made straight for what is called
the breaks of the Grand canyon,
about a mile In the opposite direction
from camp. His uncle, on returning
with the runaway sheep, could not
find him, and so drove the flock on into
the corral, and on finding that the boy
was not there. Immediately told the
others, and within an hour everybody
was searching for the lad and although
they shouted and went in circles around
the place all night, no trace of him
was found. jjs
THE next day word was sent to every
other camp on the mountain, and soon
over dozen experienced mountaineers
were ranseclking the country high and
low for miles around, but nothing was
found except a. few faint tracks which
were anterWard proven not to be his.
1t was Thursday night when he so
mysteriously disappeared, and matters
nan grown no better the following
Monday when the ". t. bows
VINO mad just returned to the noun
tam, appeared at KanayoWnits
which is the name of Mr.. Cooner; s'
camp. The search was still going on
but hope of finding his boy alive had
nearly gone from the breast of the
anxious and grief-stricken father. The
uncle, who had Just returned for food
for the searching party, piloted the
fresh arrivals to the weIl-trodden
ground where the boy was last seen.
and went over the sad story once
more. Then Ed Lamb, the "V. T."
foreman, with whom hope was fresh.
gave his opinion that the boy was on
the breaks Accordingly they sen
arated into two parties, three going
one way and three another along the
rim. of that awe-inspiring master
stroke of nature, the Grand canyon
Our story deals only with one party.
They went Immediately to a break"
or canyon that leads from the camp
down towards the river until it strikes
the cliffs. There were three Of them
the anxious uncle, "buckero," called
Button, and one other man.
"a kind Providence led Button to
examine the country very closely for
tracks and his efforts were rewarded
for after periious descent into the
aforementioned steep canyon, he found
what looked like a small foot print.
Then followed diligent search of all
the surroundings, which was rewarded
by the discovery of a perfect foot
print, one about which there was no
question. Starting from there, the
tracks were followed by him and his
companions for perhaps half a mile
on hands and knees, sometimes a
blade of grass, sometimes pebble
disturbed from it's original bed, serv-
ing to show where that foot had gone;
this, too, along a steep hillside where
a slip meant perhaps death on the
cruel rocks below. At last they came
to little fiat of few acres extending
between two cliffs and covered with
brush in soft ground. There all doubt
was set at rest for foot prints were
everywhere, and perfect ones, too. The
only question then was, where had he
gone from there? After several hours
search 1t was proven to the satisfac-
ton of them all that he had somehow
gotten below the next line of cliffs.
and as it was growing dark the search
was reluctantly postponed until the
morrow. The return to camp was, to
say the least, more hopeful than the
starting out.
The word they gave in camp brought
hope once more to the hearts of the
tired out searchers, and though no one
slept that night, all felt that the NOR
row would end their labors, and that
if not alive, at least the body would be
found below the cliff where his last
tracks ended
"Mr. Button was obliged to return
to Demott park that evening, so was
not present when the rest renewed the
search at daylight the next morning.
Those who did, perhaps, six of them,
with hope in their hearts once more.
soon found a way below the ''big cliff
where it was feared the boy tumbled