The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1907-01-07
THE GRAND CANYON
SOME OF rHs WONDERS or THIS
VAST WILD FREAK OF NATURE.

Auea OF ITS Enormous Proportions.
The Age Of the Terrific Trough .
Mystery 10 the scIcntists.
Grand canyon guides are ottentimes
as much startled as was Mark Twaln's
conductor who showed him the statue
Of Christopher Columbus. After tie
American humorist had heard his guide
dilate on the greatness Of the man who
discovered the new world he calmly
asked II Columbus was dead
A Philadelphia man after his first
glimpse OF the canyon put this question
to his guide:
If our city hail was put down there,
how high would the top reach above
ground?'
What is the height Of your city
hallf" asked the guide. The Philadel.
phian grew red Ii the face. He was
Disguised with the guides ignorance.
he stamped his foot and shouted:
why. man alive, don't you know?
That wonderful building! Listen! The
nat Of the great statue OF William
Penn on its top Is 547 feet from the
street. Think OF that. sir"
DO. you see that crack In the rocks
down there;' asked the guide. pointing
TO distant creylce which looked no
bigger than an open sewer ditch.
We'll. you could drop three Of your
city halls one on top OF another into
that crack and not know where they
went"
Some New Workers. unfamiliar with
the bigness OF western things cause
the guides equal amusement. One OF
them, who afterward admitted he had
never been above Fourteenth street
before he inherited the fortune he had
since been blowing In on travel.
asked If the Grand canyon was as
long as the Bowery.
In self defense, therefore, the canyon
guides formulated a number OF COM
Parsons between the biggest hole in
the world and other objects with
which visitors from the east and else
where are more familiar. The guides
spring these facts as soon as they
can. 1t has tile effect. they say, Of
heading OF lot Of Idle questions and
thus saving tremendous amount Of
breath. of which the average tourist
who tries TO see the canyon on foot
soon finds himself sadly in need.
The guides say, for example. that if
'ue I.iei tower, "llich, win a height
o. M teet' ~ the taliest structure IN
sle world We're placed at the bottom
- W e.llis On ~ ~ ueel'est part hve
NV 'O"eis J"s' nag 'he irst wouiu
nave 70 be piled on top OF one another
10 reach the rim OF the plateau. Elev-
en- washington monuments superim-
posed would Just about equal the depth
Vi tue gorge
II Il We're possible TO build four St
leters. four Strassburg cathedrals and
-FOUR pyramids Of cheops, all Of them
would be needed, piled one ON the 9th
er, to reach from the canyons bottom
70 Its top. The skyscrapers Of New
York would fairly be lost in the big
noie. Inc Singer building, with It's
tower reaching to the height Of 594
rect would reach one-tenth the distance
from the bed OF the Colorado river to
the edge OF the Arizona plateau. The
depth OF the canyon about equals six
teen Park Row buildings or seventeen
such structures as the one known as GO
Wall street.
In length the canyon, II transferred
TO the Atlantic coast, would extend
from New York city to Washington.
If tight roDe performer tried TO cross
It at Its widest point he would have to
walk distance equal to that from the
Battery TO the northernmost. limit of
the Bronx, or about fifteen miles. Could
the canyon be flled in for building
site It would furnish room enough for
nifty New York cities. Indeed, It
would have an area Of 10000 square
miles equal to the whole Of switzer,
land or the states Of Massachusetts,
connecticut, Delaware and Rhode Is
land combined.
Were q Clnal of the size of tho Pan.