The Baraboo news. [volume] (Baraboo, Wis.) 1884-1911, 1908-02-26

human beings, superficlaIly speaking.
Others may have been spending the
winter in the east.
The "luxurious, up-to-date train,
leaving Williams at 1870 2. M. and
carrying passengers to Grand Canyon,
fifty or sixty miles distant, in an in
credibly short time," volunteered a
start at 4:30, and proved in reality to
be a water-train, which moved with
deliberation, distributing liquid COM
fort in its course. We were on the
water wagon and its fortunes, being
ours, no demur was made when it
backed down to participate in con-
| fagrat'on threatening the palatial
residence of bunch of Mexican Sec
| ton hands. Darkness overlook us of
the elastic schedule, but we were moth
ing if not fertile in eXpedient and a
lantern soon dangled from a parcel
rack in the antiquated chair car,
''shedding its little light on a naugh-
| ty world" and one Pullman did its
brilliant best.
The Grand Canyon.
A late hour, hot supper and a dim
vision of the awful chasm yawning at
our very doors, furnished the incentives
and the plot for the phantasies of the
night.
Before us in the morning light, some
what subdued by the rising vapors, was
spread out as far as eye could pene-
trate, a scene too sublime for pen of or
binary mortal. We shall not attempt
| a description. Millions of years were
consumed in the construction of this
plateau, the present surface of which is
but half the height above sea level at
tanned by the original surface. Ages
of rock formation were swept away in
the unth1nkable past, leaving scarcely
trace of their existence. Times enum-
cradle the earth's crust sank beneath
I the floods to receive it's added burden,
only to be raised and again devastated
by other floods seeking the sea. Other
millions of years elapsed ere the
mighty Colorado accomplished its
task of erosion and revealed to the eye
of man the romance of the rocks; and
the river, shrunken, but still dark and
| fearsOme, follows its devious course to
the sea, caressing familiarly the ar
chaic rocks, whose years had number
ed in the millions before the river had
| its birth.
Standing on the plateau at the rim
of the canyon, one looks out over miles
of magical peaks, left isolated by the
torrents that ruthlessly tore from their
sides the accumulated treasures of the
ages, and vainly attempts to deter
mine the old channel of the stream
now winding through newer course.
Changeable as a woman's fancy must
have been those ancient water courses,
and numerous their tributaries to ac-
complish the labyrinth of gorges
which now mystify the beholder. AS
the eye scans the majestic walls, at
any point FROM the summit downward,
the same beddings of rock, varying in
the descent, from creamy white
through every shade of red to deep
purplish black at the base, are visible.
The horizontal lines, marking these
giving the whole peculiar architec-
tural appearance, and where the sun
adds its magical touch the scene sur
I passes in brilliance the gem encrusted
walls of the mystical palaces of child
hood fairy tales.
| Like scanning poets masterpiece
seemed the intrusion OF our puny
selves into this Holy of Holes, but it
was down in the book, SO we donned
our bandit garb, mounted our long
cared steeds and rushed in where only
the long cared would insinuate them
selves.
Terrors of the Descent.
Bright Angel trail was snowy in its
upper course and the first turn, reveal
ing the terrors of the descent, gave the
leading lady chilly pedal appendages,
and inaugurated an argument between
herself and the presumptive master of
there habitation, which resulted in dis
comtiture to the party and disruption
in the family, and the company of II,
reduced to IL, proceeded on it's way;
knees quaking and teeth chattering.
The little beasts, guaranteed to stick to
the trail like paper on the wall, picked
their way down 45 degree inclines,
made acute angle turns on hair rails
ing pinnacles, and hugged the outer
edge of the path always, latter the man
ner of pack mules, regardless of per-
1