Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1912-09-17
are kept busy working on the high

are kept busy working on the high
ways. A camp of TRUSTEES was
seen further UP the gorge. If for
any reason g human being We're to
wish that the rocks might fall upon
him, here would be a good place to
make the call, for the masses. Of rock
with the seams Of centuries and the
crevices of ages, the pillars and ov-
erhanging Lodges seem ready to top
pie uncalled upon the poor worms of
the dust. Viewing these billions of
tons of vitrified material is calculat-
ed to put a doubt in ones mind as
to the possibility of its creation
from nothing, in six days, to say
nothing of the balance of
the worlds The highest point
in this gorge from the river
bed is 1850 feet. We view it from
the bottom but sky line drive
gives view from above. The great
assures and criss-cross crevices and
the scaling surfaces indicate rapid
disintegration and the many rock
slides presage the inevitable level
ing process of nature which will I'LL
timately fill up this immense gorge.
The Arkansas river flows along side
the railroad the entire length of the
gorge and is satisfying reminder
Of change and motion amid the inn
mensity of inanimate life. The rock
color predominating in the gorge is
red and it is varied and beautiful.
Our train, with several observation
cars, stopped for half an hour in
the gorge on account of construction
work on the track and many passen-
gers breathed more freely when we
had finished the gorge trip of TWEEN
ty-seven miles.
The river, the highway, and rail-
way wind for miles at the base of
the mountains. say base, but
mean the base Of the high portions
of them over which we have passed.
had imagined an auto trip over the
mountains next to impossible, but
while the climb Is steady, I do not
think it would be extra hazardous.
In places two machines could not
pass but the siding places have
been fixed and the road beds are
very fine
All day long we climbed the
mountain and at p. m. reached the
summit at Tennessee Pass, which is
10,242 feet above sea level, and
from which divide we begin the des-
cent. If this altitude does not af-
feet one unfayorably, he need have
no fear for his sea legs or breathing
apparatus. Personally, I have not
noticed the altitude at all, and feel
quite as well as in the lower alti-
tude of Webster City. Craning the
neck in seeing the top or bottom of
these mountains, is equal to the
same performance in viewing the
skyscrapers in Chicago and New
York. Before reaching the summit
we passed Leadville, where SO many
fortunes have been made and lost.
The mount Of the holy cross, just
visible in the gathering darkness, is
so named from the crevices filled
with snow in the shape of a cross
on the smooth surface of the rock.
The artist who reproduced this
study was paid $1,000 for the
rights.
From Tennessee Pass onward
there are many mines distributed
along the face of the cliffs which |
are almost perpendicular. These
mines are reached by trail-a back
and forth path, say first north, then
south, with slight ascent at each
doubling, until the mine mouth is
reached. The hills being too steep
to climb directly up, this route COW
ers many miles to make the ascent
of probably one fourth the perpen-
dicular height.
At Shoshone there is $4,000
900 electric power plant which sup-l
plies power for many portions of the
state. The Grand and Eagle can
yons are quite as interesting as the
Royal Gorge, but are less stipend
uous and awe inspiring, and I will
not attempt further description of
them. II. M. ClosZ.
Is There a Liar Here?