New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1920-10-01

mountain in Il way epitomizes the progress of the
west.
Although Lieut.. Zebulon NJ. Pike, U. $. A., the
intrepid explorer, first discovered Pixies Peak III
1906, he never scaled the mountain, saying inc
task was impossible for a human being. But Dr.
Edwin james, a member of the expedition OF
Major Long, in 1870, accomplished the feat.
Major Long. In honor of James accomplishment
named the peak James Peak but us early as
1910 trappers and p%lairsmen named 1t pixies
Peak and Fremont put 1t so on the map.
In 1873 a bride path was built; a wagon
road to the summit was built in 1880 and In 1871
the cog wheel railroad, nine miles long. was
built. The weather bureau established n station
on the summit. In 1916 the present automobile
road was built at Il cost of 100000, after two
years of construction work. This road Is eighteen
miles long, rises G,G95 feet In that distance, has
an average grade Of seven per cent and n maxi
mum grade of lOi2 per cent, with ~ per cent
OF the line in curves. 1t is twenty feet wide with
curves as wide MS fifty feet.
In April, 1919, a government war tank at
tempted TO climb the peak over the automobile
highway, but broke down in the deep snow drifts
and did not make a second attempt. A month
later n caterpillar, used for artillery hauling.
made the summit without difficulty. August 3,
1919. an airplane, plotted by Alexander Lendrum
of Colorado Springs made a successful trip over
the summit of the peak.
This brings us to date. Now man is ~reforest-
Ing the lower slopes of the famous peak.
But first a word about the first ascent. DIR.
James was only % years old at the time. Starting
from Council Bluffs, the explorers reached what
is now Colorado City July II, 1920. July 13 he
started with four men for the top. The late
Frederick s. Dellenbaugh, a member Of several
government expeditions In the west. wrote this
of the climb of DR.. James:
about noon they came TO the Boiling Spring.
the present well-known spring of Manitou, which
gives name to the stream of which 1t forms a
source. This beautiful spring was of great inter-
est to James aud they had their lunch beside II.
Through its crystal waters could be seen on the
bottom the offerings of beads and trinkets by
the Indians.
The night of the 18th, James and his COM
panions spent IN n most uncomfortable place, and
Oh the next morning started early with the hope
of making the round journey before dark. About
noon. the timber line, 11,72O feet, was reached
aud by 1 O'Clock they stood on the mighty sum-
init. l41OS feet above the sea and 5000 feet above
the plains, and could see on the east the prairie
ocean melting into the limitless distance. while
OH the other hand spread away a broad chaos of
peaks, canyons, valleys, fading into the depths OF
the unknown wilderness. Vast clouds of grass
hoppers were flying over the peak, sometimes so
dense as almost to obscure the light.
after half an hour on the majestic summit, now
reached by a prosaic railway, the descent began.
Losing their course. they failed TO reach the camp
of the previous night and were forced to sleep
ont with no food or shelter or comfort of any
kind; not after all so awful as II sounds. As
soon as light came in the morning they continued
and reached their camp. only to find 1t ablaze;
the fire had spread and consumed everything
except a few scraps of food. on which they
greedily breakfasted"
The American Forestry Association of Wash
ington estimates that out of the 100 million odd
acres of national forests there are seven and a
half million acres in need Of planting or seeding
70 re-establish tree growth. The yearly loss to
the nation in forest products from lands suited
only for the production of timber and now idle is
said TO be s65,OO0.O00. No large sums have been
specifically appropriated by congress TO reforest
the denuded lands within the national forests. so
that the acreage planted each year has been nomi-
nal and the work of an experimental character. In
nickinp the areas in the national forests where