Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1907-04-30
Miseellanoils 8eadins.
GREATEST NATURAL BRIDGE.

GREATEST NATURAL BRIDGE.
Most Remarkable Span In the World
I Is Found In Southeastern Utah.
For some ten years it has been
known that in a very arid and mac
cessible part Of southeastern Utah
within what is known as San Juan
county. south Of the Colorado and
Grande rivers. exist natural bridges
OF great span. 1t Is only a few years
ago that definite knowledge Of three
such bridges became public through
Ian article by Mr.. Dyar In the Century
magazine, that explorer having made
the difficult trip under the guidance
OF Horace ]. Long, the first discoverer,
and taken photographs of them with
a small kadok.
| The Geographical Mazazine now
publishes in the March number repro
ductions of three paintings by H. L.
A. Culmer from his own measurements
and those Of others in the party, from
4 photographs and his water color
sketches made on the spot.
| There are three bridges, the Angus
ia, the Caroline and the Edwin, the
first having a span Of 500 feet and a
height Of 265. the second a span of
$50 and height Of 1872 (Which is the
largest in the world) and the third
a span Of 205 feet and a height of
iii.
The Caroline bridge, as the largest,
Is painted on a canvas n feet long
and five feet high. Through the arch
one sees high canyon walls and the
bastions Of lofty buttes; cottonwood
trees come down to the stream that
runs forward beneath the bridge.
The artist has shown a stormcloud
which appeared at midday. at the
time he was making his sketches.
Men on horseback are seen by the
waterside under the arch.
4 The Augusta and Edwin bridges
are on smaller canvases, five feet long
by 81 high. The former is without
clouds, but Is late afternoon effect
with dark shadows and strong level
sunshine. Under the arch at a great
distance are seen converging slopes
Lof hills, the scattered trees ..on the
nearer slope showing faint green.
Edwin bridge. the smallest, has less
perfect curves in the spring Of the
arch, looking more like a huge slab
Of stone 80 feet wide and only 10 feet
thick laid across from sleeper abut-
ments. In this bridge the rock is
creamy gray in color and takes a pur-
plish tone in shadow. Mountain pine
and cedars in considerable groves are
seen below the arch and also back
through the middle distance. The
time chosen Is midday. There are
faint white cioudlets scattered over
the soft blue sky.
The material for these bridges is a
light sandstone, but the erosion which
followed them out must have been at
work many ages ago, for under the
Caroline arch are caves where pottery
and other signs of ancient inhabitants
have been found. There is no likeli-
hood that these wonders will disap-
pear, since there Is nothing that can
affect them seriously short Of an
earthquake.
1t has been suggested that this re-
gion be reserved for a national park,
and roads constructed to enable peo-
pie to reach the bridges conveniently.
The nearest town is a small place call
ed Bluff, on the San Juan river, sixty
five miles off, and the nearest railway
station is Dolores, 105 miles to the
eastward, on a narrow guage branch
Of the Denver and Rio Grande south
ern. A large portion Of this region has
never been surveyed
The Caroline and Augusta bridges
are over White river, while Edwin
bridge spans Armstrong creek. which
enters the White a few miles below
All three are within a radius Of about
twenty miles.
These bridges are not only great GU
riosities in themselves, but are very
beautiful in outline, their rugged sur
faces and seams suggesting the work
of titans and repeating on an immense
scale the effects Of architecture among
the ancient races who made an arch
; not by stones or bricks fixed In place
over a false arch of wood, but by pill
ing great blocks Of stone on top OF
each other, and after bringing then
gradually together until the top stone!
met, proceeded to cut away projecting
I angles until the arch was formed.
, 1t is curious that the only approach
, to the arch found in America was pro
duced In this manner, as, for example
, in prehistoric buildings that still ex
| ist in Yucatan and Chiapas, Mexico.
A SToNE OF GREAT VALUE.-Ther'
Is slab OF black stone in the Brit
: lsh museum which, IL you could wall
away with 1t and establish your CLAIM
as the owner, you could sell any da!
for a quarter Of million, and fin'
half dozen money kings In Englan'
and America ready to buy 1t.
There Is nothing very striking abou
: this stone; 1t might be a piece o
black marble, with some peculia
hieroglyphics upon it. But, 1t Is jus
l these hieroglyphics which make 1t 8
| valuable, because they are the key t
all the ancient writings Of the Egyp
8 tians. and without this stone, calle'
the Rosetta Stone, we should be un
able to read the Egyptian writing
: which have been discovered from tim
: to time.
Some French tourists found tn
Rosetta Stone in Egypt, and trans
8 ported 1t to Paris. where an English
i man took fancy to 1t for a garde
Y ornament. He paid G5 for it-hv
, sOvereigns, and got a treasure whic
. you could cover with gold, and we
not represent it's value: but till tn