Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-07-10

their black caps. The Cooktown blacks
deserted their aboriginal haunts about the
1IeVetons ages ago, and rebuilt their viii
lagos high up on the eastern slope of Mt
Cook. No amount of money or coaxing
will induce them to- go back to their old
home. The reason is awe imbedded in
superstition connected with the black pile
No white man has ever been able to
fathom the secret of this strange mountain
SO. finding that no tribesman, as the
top, and that no white man had ever as
cended higher thanio the "Pinnaele"-less
than half way up-the writer determined
to explore the freak and to top the peak
tt 1t were possible to do so. The aboriginal
guide over the Cook ranges declined to go
to the foot Of the Black Trevetons, even
for excessive pay. Finally, with the assist
ance Of the intrepid mayor of Ceoktown.
Purcell. the noted Queensland tribal lin
gust, explorer and daring bushman, was
secured. Mr.. Purcell had ventured to the
first tier. 600 feet up, few years before.
him to decline the ascent even to the PIN
nacle," where stands a crude pole to mark
the achievement Of man upon that perilous
pile OF herbless, grassless. groundless, ir-
regular rocks, which have neither hand
holds nor foot-holds: with sharp, jagged
points and lodges awaiting the sliding, in
cautious climber.
A Mountain Cut in Half.
Finding that no one would attempt the
ascent of 1000 feet or more, I babe camp
adieu. shouldered my food kit, put on my
fiuted rubber-bottom shoes, into which hob
nails had been well and plentifully driven
for protection, gave instructions, I'm case
of failure to return in three days, faced
the sun and the terrible mount before me
and began the ascent with an iron-noosed,
knotted rope as my only assistant.
The highest peak in this second tier of
coast range Is about six miles long, and
about four deep at the base. Just before
the topmost peak is reached a dyke cuts
the mountain nearly in half. The northern
section is a rough. wooded rockland, with
rich underground and plentiful soil, like
the side of any other ordinary mountain In
the world. Suddenly this earth and botany
stop. Some great god has taken his knife
and cut right across the hills, cleaving the
peak in twain from east to west. Begin
ming at this point, where the vegetation
ceases, the peak rises a bit higher, drops
into a low bed like the boulder bottom Of
q large river. the waters Of which had
sunk out Of sight. carrying all the sands
and pebbles below and leaving nothing but
the horrible, CHASTITY stones and their
treacherously yawning cavities.
Two Thousand Feet High.
The hill then takes an irregular sweep
up in tiers, until it rises to a height Of over
1000 feet. From the clear-cut woodland,
which bisects the north hill, to the further
most base Of the high southern peak. is
fully four miles, and the mountains meas
ure three or four miles through at their
base, and are fully two and a half miles
thick at their waist, QUO or 100 feet up. The
foundation is KIND OF coarse-srained or
crystals of tin, which, still clingtng to the
crumbling outer rock. gives the surface a
very sharp and dangerous face. To de-
scribe the physical makeup OF the Black
rrp-or To n 10
analogous to them in any part of the world.
Collona formations have some regularity
in stone or in the arrangement, hence the
Giants causeyay ana similar rock piles
can weather-Wprn and water-washed boul-
Ger hills like th0se t4l Mauritius be utilized.
These rocks da not bear the least SEM
blance to rocks exposed by floods. age or
to have been gradually lifted into the air
by some subtsFransAn or seismic cause.
Let the imagination picture. a, great area
OF barren. oosrse-gFained blue granite.
twelve feet thick. with not a tree or shrub
or particle of earth Upon 1t. All Of q. sud
den let some giant explosion crack and
break 1t up In sharp-edged. irregular chunks
Of all sizes, from ton weight to the size
of small house. and In all sorts of shapes,
from a rude trisngiefo anything you might
wish to draw, except rounded boulder.
Now. imagine that some winged Atlas had
gathered thesesirregnlar chunks of sharp
ehed blue granite up in his great apron,
assembled into the skies and dropped them
and let them lie as they fell upon each
other. until he had heaped up this huge,
frowning mass 1900 feet into the air, and
you will have the best description / can
give Of the Black Trevetons.
Terrible Plain.
These are the Black Trevetons az you
stand and look at them. To Chamber over
them. and to worm about In the black
bowels OF them heightens their wonder and
the wonder Of them. The mountains and
spurs about are totally dissimilar In every
respect. The main mountain of the Black
Trevetons rises back In three tiers. The
from the base. Then there is q 1umbIed
rocky valley-a terrible plain of raReed
stones. with dangerous mouths everywhere.