Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1912-12-31
NATURAL BRIDGES,
The Biggest In the World Are In
the Utah Desert.
WONDERS OF WHITE CANYON.
Three Massive Towering Arches, Ma
jsstie In Their Rugged Grandeur
Span the Lonely, Picturesque Gorge
Far From tho Bsatsn Paths Of Man.


Among the wonders Of the west
which the government has taken un-
der It's care are the remarkable natural
bridges of Utah, which are, 30 far as
IL known. without peer. In 1908
these three bridges. the Caroline, Au-
gusta and Edwin, were set aside as ma
tional monuments, and later certain
caves and springs near by were added
to the reserved area.
It Is difficult to give an adequate
idea of these stupendous arches. and
so far they have been seen by few
persons. for 1t Is trip Of days across
the desert to reach them. but accurate
measurements have been taken and
convey some notion Of their size and
shape. The popular way Of reaching
these curiOsities Is from Bluff, Utah,
where one can obtain guide and out
ct. Thence you proceed through dry
washes, old stream beds and sage Gov
cred mesas to the great bridges. which
loom up In White canyon far from the
beaten path Of man.
The White canyon itself is many
miles long. and the bridges spring
from its steep. light buff walls, the
three being within q distance Of five
miles. They seem carved by Titanic
forces, for the largest is 222 feet high
and IS feet thick at the top Of the
arch. The arch Is % feet Wide. the
span is 261 feet. and the height OF the
span Is 1877 feet.
The Natural bridge Of Virginia Is
baby in comparison with any Of the
three Utah formations. 1t Is to be re-
GREETED that these wonderful bridges
are not easier of access. Figures give
little idea Of their immensely. and
words but suggest their beauty.
The first account Of them given to
the world was that of Horace ]. Long.
who visited the bridges in 1908. Long
was an engineer and prospecting In
Utah One day he fell In with q cattle
man named Scorup. who was familiar
with Utah and in particular with the
region lying around the San Juan river.
Scorup, after some preliminary con-
.versation, said that he had seen some
remarkable bridges so immense and
wonderful that he disliked to talk about
them for fear he would be accused OF
manufacturing the story. He added
| that though he had seen them In 1888
he had always desired to go back and
If Long would accompany him and take
photographs he would guarantee to
guide the engineer to the place.
Accordingly the two men set out with
pack horses and provisions, and after
lonely trip through deserts and
canyons and wide stretches where no
animal was to be seen they descended
| into the gorge of the White canyon, the
sides Of which are filed with deserted
cliff dwellings. Two days later they
came to the wonderful bridges, the first
Of which, Of pink sandstone, Scorup
called Caroline in honor Of his mother.
Long was fairly dazed at the beauty
and size of this natural wonder. The
pink walls were streaked with delicate
| colored lichens and stood out In bold
relief against sky Of blue. More than
this, both men felt that they were gaz-
ing on one of the wonders Of the world.
They pushed rapidly down the can.
yon and came to another arch, more
symmetrical and more beautiful than
the first. with lightness and grace and
charm of coloring that made 1t splen-
did work Ct nature. Long named this
the Augusta after his wife and man
aged to get fair photograph. The
arch Tas so high that the trees OF Cal
florida would seem dwarfed beside It,
Gnd the men took what measurements
they could by climbing and clinging to
the canyons sides.
They found the Edwin. or Little
bridge. several miles down the canyon.
the arch In reality Of immense dimen-
sions, but small In comparison with
those that they had measured. All
around these bridges are crags and
strange formations. cave dwellings,
springs and other objects Of interest,
but the center Of attraction is and will
always be these three towering arches
which span the White canyon.
Undoubtedly these bridges are OF
great scientific interest, not alone be.
cause they are so far as known the
largest natural bridges in the world.
but because they are extraordinary ex-
amples Of stream erosion. An ancient
river probably carved these great
arches. which may have been known to
prehistoric jewellers Of the desert west
New York Sun.