The San Francisco call., 1896-12-13

like leaves. If a Niagara were spllllng
over one of its sides its leap would strike
against the opposite wall.
Above nature has so coyly softened the
edge OF the hideous precipice. so hidden it
with Dlossoming trees and mossy turf that
dreamer walking there would unexpect-
edly feel a sharp slip of his feet, would
catch out at tree bit of grass-the sud-
den fiashlight of yawning abyss-death
One comes shouting and laughing down
the steps toward Pulpit Rock-suddenly
stops himself aghast. qulvering on the
very edge Of the frightful drop.
! In 1873 great mass of rock was split off
| from the arch by the freezing of the water
in it's crevices and was hurled below,
crashing into a million fragments. The
ground is Uttered over with bits of rock,
with here and there boulder half embed
ded in the soil. There hangs on theleft OF
! the arch as ore approaches another mass
just ready to fall; wide crack extends
from the top of the hill almost down to
the ground. Half hill yawnsl A col
umn of earth and frightfuI rocks half as
big as freightcars stand up there IN the
air, held back by few clods, slender
stone, root or two. When it falls one
| power exists that may clear it away-the
river.
&c. W." There it is: His own auto
graph Washing 1t is one of the
| great prize boxes of the bridge. 1t is
cut deep into the rock about thirty feet
above the ground. Several other names
are cut above this, but they were not put
there by clim bers; some engineers placed
ladders against the rock and thus reached
the point. The &c. W." is said to be
really genuine. The old settler vouches
for this fact also. The "W." is quite
plain, but the &C." is somewhat uncer-
| tain.
Other points of interest are Lost River,
an underground river whose running can
be heard by stopping down close to hole
in the side of the mountain. Saltpeter
Cave, new crevice unuer large ledge of
rock, which furnished inter to the SOL
diers of 1872; the Keeper of the Bridge" I"
a perfect profile of very old man near
the arch of the bridge. A glimpse of the
rushing waters of Lost River can be seen
through the hole in the hill. 1t is per-
fe city clear and cold, and as pure as if it
| had been filtered. Over the hole, cut into
the stone, by whom no one knows, is the
| legend: 'He who drinks here shall re-
turn" Our party felt doubly sure of re-
turning, for we drank of the water unwit-
! tingly, and saw the words only after
ward.
What caused the bridge? We cannot
fail to ask it as we gaze up at the tremen-
| dous mass. 1t is unreasonable to suppose
that it is to-day in the same form that it
had sin the beginning" Was the entire
ravine once long and tortuous cave
Did the little creek ripping along beside
us throughout the ages, stretching so far
back that we cannot even comprehend the
number, thread that enormous needle and
work on down and down, painfully drill
ing the eye. until it is the frightful thing
we see it now? Was it once a mountain
lake, checked by great stone-capped dam
| that one day. while mastodon and levia-
! than, disported themselves in It's waters
long before the angels ever dreamed of
man. one awful day, suddenly burst
through these bounds on its maddened
way, that, roaring and kissing, grinding
and shriekng, plowed its horrible furrow
between two affrighted. gaping noun
| talns2