The sun., 1901-08-11
THROUGH BLACK CANON.
FIVE MEN VINO WENT WHERE
NO MAN EVER WENT BEFORE.

From the sas francisco Col.

wonderland Of the West-has been conquered
by man. Aparty Of bold explorers has passed
through it and emerged In safety. climbing
over almost vertical walls half mile IN height
They have done what no other human beings
have ever accomplished. Tho story Is the
narrative OF trip by river far beneath the
surface OF the earth-a river unlighted py
the sun. which flows through a ohssm OF
appalling profundity. where only bears and
mysterious night-loving birds Ind home.
A chastity cash ripped through desert
tabieland Is the Black Canon. some mon
strous Titan in a vanished epoch might have
cut II with a Jagged knife-cut through She
strata Of the plateau to depth OF half q
mile. as one slices layer cake. but awk-
wardly, so that the gap produced Is irregular
and torn. Black IL Is called because Its ex-
treme narrowness In proportion to Its pro-
fiudity makes IL a chasm OF perpetual gloon'
ne river at Its bottom running through
sunless avenue OF towering walls Of ever
lasting rock
Through caverns heretofore deemed
measureless to man the rapid Gunnison.
itself In reality the carver Of this wonderiui
canon. pursues its course. From time 70
time adventurous persons have though.
Of trying to make the trip from end 70 eho
of the gorge in boats. and one attempt OF TINS
a surveying party sent out by the Denver
and Rio Grande Railway to examine the
canon and determine whether a road could
be built through It. On the first day out the
boat which carried the expedition was
svamped, all the provisions being lost. ana
the yoyagers, fortunate 10 escape with theu
lives. abandoned the project.
The successful accomplishment OF the
feat was reserved for fve men. who set
out on Sept 10 last with determination
to 60 through the canon or perish In thS
effort Their names were John ii. Peiton,
J. A. Curtis. NJ. +. Hovey. W ". Torrence ana
E B, Anderson. Pelton had been pioneer
In the Yukon country In early days long
before the gold discoveries. and his COM
panions, with the exception OF Curtis. who
was a civil engineer and relatively tender
foot. were likewise hardened adventurers
afraid Of nothing in the way OF danger or
difficulty, Two boats were loaded with
provisions. a cooking outfit. surveyors In
struments, a camera and other necessarles,
and thus equipped the explorers set out upon
their perilous journey.
It was by no means a spirit OF mere dare
devil adventure that inspired tho expedition
The object of 1t was to find out II there was
not some path by which the waters OF the
Gunnison River could be conducted out OF
the tunnel and made to irrigate the drought
parched farms OF the neighboring region.
Il was a question whether hillside ditch
might not be built In the chasm, so as TO bring
a portion Of the descending stream near the
tons OF the cliffs, and so save tunnellins three
and half miles through the mountains
costly enterprise Thich shs ta Q, un sne
dertake II II II proved that there - no other
way to get water.
Before going further. II may DO wei 70
- . xylA
eyidence of the impracticability Of the ditch
plan. IL was found that the walls OF the
cahon became sleeper as It's depths were
In making a journey Of fourteen miles, from
the junction Of the Cimarron River with tne
Gunnison, near Cimarron statioD. and in
At which il would be possible ttor. even the
most expert clifY climber to scale the rocky
walls and get out Of the gorge. The walls.
ySn S6s ,SS oHy to shItS so fss sh and p'
are nearly perpendicular. IN many places
there Il not so much as foothold 10 De had.
would have to begin at the entrance Of the
caion and cut II out of the SOLID rock ah Oh
the way. - IA. ..,.
xay we along b tho bottom Of the Black Canon,
eventually joins the Grand River. an ahluent
OF the mighty Colorado. II was the project
OF the expedition TO follow the cpTreh, @ OF rs srs
successful in making the passage, they should
rea oh Delta station. beyond the further end
The party nSS hsd ,wS e0s vi sSry
with extra keels to strengthen the bottoms
and enable them to withstand collisions with
rocks While fGS Sesa az Sb sSSSHa Eon thc
bow and stern of each boat were iron loops
through which a rope could be run for letting
the craft down rapids The Larger OF xns .hs
1S ~ Feet long % and feet beam, empty II weighed
400 pounds. Tho other one was called the
''o On the second day of the voyage the John
C. Bell was wrecked The larger, boat had
been successfully whipped through narrow
rapid, when it was hauled UP on a bank.
one through. They had let il down almost
the full length OF the cable when suddenly
A cross current caught IL. swinging Il around
al upon some powders between which
the current ran. In an instant It's sides
were crushed and the fragments OF the wreck.
wsre ws carried away. Not the slightest trace OF
the wreckage or Of the lost articles was found
during the rest OF the voyage:
II several ppes; the yer u6asap PSsTs
piles Of bowlders. which have fallen from
the cliffs. Tearing beneath the rocks un-
seen. the water makes a deaienlng rontL, ,L
hands clasped cannot make their voices
audible 10 each other. In other parts OF
the canon the stream flows on In awesone
50 far aloft "a TO exclude the rays OF the suns
The explorers sensations were as u they
had been In the depths OF mine. and, look
ing up toward the sky at full MONDAY. they
could see the stars shimnering overhead as
II 1t were midnight
Al one spot 1t was necessary TO haul the
heavy boat for a considerable distance NJ
a height OF 100 feet above the river, which
was there rushing al terrific speed under
the rocks Again. there would be short
space Of water in which the craft could be
launched. though IL had TO be let down the
rapids by means OF rope, Inc Doat Was
used chiefly In crossing ne stream I aI;ad IIon
with the outfits on board, lt would be lei
down with the utmost carefulness one man
aboard. standing in the middle with long
pike with which he kept 1t from being pounded
was not safe to trust the precious outfit In the
boat and the mon would strap the instrg-
ments, bundles Of provisions. &c; on their
backs, treading the er way along the narrow
rocks shelf be side the torrent
From the beginning Of the trip 70 the END
only few animals were seen, though an
occasional bear or mountain sheep was
espied During the first few days the bears
were comparatively nnmtrnus thote crea-
canon their home and they seemed TO resent
the Intrusion OF The strangers, grow ling
sayagely But aS the depths Of the gorge we're
reached il became too Wild Tor The bear,
though not for the mountain sheep -tlmid
brutes which have been hunted from every
snot that man eau reach, rifle In hand The
hears were OF the black or cinnamon species
which lind a congenlal home In such lnhos pi-
one reason for the apparent scarcity Of
animals wa- that most OF the cTeatures'whlcf
nakc their abode in the canon are appro-
priaicy enough nocturnal In habit. Even
In that gloamy abyss me ldsy Us 700 igh'
rus Cueer Kinds Of rOdent-, Including lump