Williams news., 1904-02-20

These have washed down into each other more or less and, with the green vegetation and the blue haze of distance over all, you have a color scheme that has led more than one artist to destroy his canvas in despair. And there is one color effect at sunrise, another at noon tide and a third at sunset. In fact, it is an ever-changing pano- rama of light and shade. The storm effects must be something grand, if one could be there to see them. And yet the guides say that many tourists miss them for fear of getting wet. It certainly must be a rare sensation to stand on the rim in the sunshine and witness the electric displays of a terrific thunder shower in the canyon be- low you.
 The climate of the canyon is in teresting. There may be all the variety possible to its variety of al titude On the rim, 1000 feet above sea level, there may be foot of snow, but there is never any snow in the canyon. Some of the earlier explorers found their trails above them snowbound, and had to camp in the canyon until the snows above them melted. May is the ideal month in which to visit the canyon. as there are 500 different 1, varieties of wild flowers that bloom along the trails and the air is heavy with fragrance.
 The canyon is not one solid rock wall facing another. The river it. self follows very winding course, and in addition the main walls are cut into by secondary canyons, and the rocks at the points of juncture are sometimes left in architectural effects. It is this complexity of the horizontal plan that makes all attempts at portraying the canyon so unsatisfactory. The south rim is covered with pine forest, and there is nothing in the surrounding landscape to lead one to suspect the presence of such an awful chasm until one steps to the very rim. It is interesting to note that whereas the Colorado flows for 250 miles between these abrubt walls, at Yu- ma, just before entering the Gulf of California, it is a wide, slow stream and is walled in to keep it from overspreading the city.
 Until within two years it has been possible to reach the canyon only by 70 mile stage trip from Flag staff, Arizona. The Santa Fe road now runs branch line to the head of Bright Angel trail. The accom- modations for tourists are comfort able but primitive, and so com pletely in harmony with the sur roundings that one almost regrets to see the $1OO,OOO hotel that is now going up. and which will be known as Bright Angel Tavern.
 Those who have visited the can yon often tell us that the old Hance trail is the prettiest one to go down. Grand View hotel is at the head of this trail, and is reached by stage either from Bright Angel or from Flagstaff.
 No one who goes to the canyon can miss seeing the character, of the canyon, Capt. John Hance, who has been a guide in the canyon for nineteen years, says he wants to be buried in the canyon, and, if he thinks you will believe it, will tell you that he dug the canyon. You cannot miss him if you would. He is in the employ of the Santa Fe at Bright Angel hotel and never misses being seen nor an opportunity of telling who he is.
 Much might be said of the inter- esting people to be met at the can yon. The writer in brief stay met them from all parts of the world-Australia, New Zealand, England and the remotest states of the nnion and not one who re-