Show I MANY HARDSHIPS ARE ENDURED IN HUNT fOR I N c w b g lq 4 is 4 4 4 f I a ak d k st I ti n e eL ew a L I IC w C 4 C 4 t Newly Newy discovered natural bridge in southern Utah In undertaking to follow up the Navajo stories ut or a great ll bridge in the neighborhood of Navajo moun mountain mountain tain taUt Dean Byron of the University of Utah undoubtedly began one of at the most trying and difficult bits of modern scientific work ork Mrs John Wetherill of ot Utah had heard an Indian tradition of the great eat arch but was unable to secure information of its exact location She repeated the story to Professor Cummings Cumming who im tin immediately Immediately mediately resolved to visit the bridge IJ rid ge gemake make notes upon its location and nd pho photograph Ih It so that the southwest could claim another arch that would surpass the once famous bridge of Virginia Only a few fe moments before the ie Cum Oum Cummings minIs party had expected to leava leave the trading post W B DouglAs United States examiner of or surveys YS end nd party arrived Mr Ir Douglass Dougla s had heard of the bridge last summer from an Indian guide who had taken the sur surveyor surVeyor to the three bridges in White can canyon canyon canyon yon This Indian a Piute Flute had never neverseen neverseen seen the arch but had heard the Nava Navajo jo traditions through another Plute Piute named Nashua who at present pre ent resides within the Navajo reservation Mr Douglass Dougla s was Journeying southward with the hope of locating this great reat bridge surveying It and adding It to the already large list of ot national monuments monuments ments monte Professor Cummings purposely delayed his work in order that Mr Douglass Douglaas might have the advantage of the Navajo and Piute Plute guides in the em employ employ employ ploy of ot the Utah people After the Douglass outfit had rested the trip was begun but on account of ot the lateness of the hour only a comparatively short distance was covered before dark drove the explorers to their blankets Early Start Is Made Breakfast was eaten before sunrise on the second s nd day and the journey was begun before the sun Bun had quite warmed armed the night air all The trail led over the mesa past put Organ Rock and the Need Needles Needles les lee down the wonderful Copper can ean canyon yon you to the San Juan Tuan river and then along that streams rocky banks to the mouth of ot canyan Here the party halted for both horses and men needed rest re t and refreshment From the sluggish cre creek k the trail led up the tha steep canyon canon wall to the tha mesa m 88 that joins it with Plute Piute canyon The can canyon canon canyon yon on at this point is two thousand five hundred feet deep The crude Indian path zigzagged back and forth up and down in and out among huge boulders that had fallen from the great wall above covering fully five mile be before before before fore the final steep jump opened but upon the burnt mesa The last part of the trail was as exceed exceedingly exceedIngly dangerous its sharp corners and uncertain footing put the heavily packed horses in the hands of fate More than once it was found necessary to unpack the larger animals and lead them over the bad places One small Indian pony a pack horse belonging to the Cummings party slipped sUpped while attempting to cross croes a great smooth rock on the trail and slid down dOn several feet before caught and helped to Il from the very edge of the cliff The animal was without shoes a fact that made its footing uncertain mil sni par 11 particularly particularly tI dangerous at this time The little beast started up the path a 1 sec sc second ond time but thoroughly excited at attempted attempted attempted tempted to run when it reached the flat flatrock flatrock flatrock rock again Falls Between Rocks A second time it slipped this time falling down between two boulders and twisting one of Its hind legs The third trial was successful by the aid of a couple of ropes On top of ot the mesa the first clear water since leaving 01 Ol jato was wu found where late rains had filled some shallow pools in the sand sandstone sandstone sandstone stone Man and beast t drank from the same pool satisfied atis ed by the warm water The descent Into Piute Plute canyon was wat nearly as difficult as that leading out of Camp was made by the muddy stream and supper was soon over From a nearby Flute Piute hut the Navajo horse hone wrangler brought a wa watermelon the first of the season sea on The sight brought forth foIth the shouts of ot the entire expedition shouts that continued until the tile melon was discovered covered dl to be begreen begreen begreen green The unripe condition of the fruit did not discourage dl the Indians however and nothing but the outer rind was left a few moments later I The party started early the next morning for tor the country to be traveled was wu unknown and Mr Wetherill who was 1118 accompanying Dean Cummings hoped to find a Piute Plute Indian thoroughly familiar with the country surrounding Navajo mountain It is putting it mildly to say that the expedition attracted the at nt of the few Indians Indian encountered en route Few Fe if U any white men had ever yen ven ventured into the sunburned canyons be before before before fore and arid It Is 18 certain that never in their lives had the Indiana of this dis district dl ever seen so 80 many white men at atone atone atone one time The scenery from the mesa trail tran was most wonderful Looking out 01 over oyer er East canyon past the Colorado to toward toward toward ward the Henry mountains one ne saw S w a picture that would seem unnatural at atan any an other spot Red pink brown blue and yellow harmonized with an nn ease that was wa even to an artistic eye Oil reproductions ot of this bit of Utah would b be received with derision Its beauty is I past belief Canyon Is Named The horses were unsaddled at noon in a small canyon named Natan by bythe bythe bythe the expedition A clear stream of ot water ran down from the slopes oft of the moun mann mountain mountain tain thin an unusual find at camping places Inasmuch as the canyon overlooked the Colorado river for a great distance and so 80 impressed ed Itself on the minds of the party with Its cool shadows that hat a farewell parting was an unpleasant thought It was decided to give the stream a name It lt was most difficult to think of ot an appropriate name until Jim TIm the Plute Piute guide with Mr Douglass suggested Natan the Navajo boy with Dean Cummings had found I 1 Ithe the remnants of ot a Piute Pluto cornfield a short distance below camp and had picked the few ears In the patch and was roasting them on the hot coals of the camp fire The sight was pleas pleasing pleasing pleasing ing to the hungry eyes of ot Jim Tim for he first thought of the name Natan the Navajo word for tor corn Jim TIm helped eat the roasted ears Shortly after leaving this camp the faint trail which the patty pasty had been following completely lost Itself in the soft sands of the desert mesa The guides became disheartened and would have turned back but for the presence of Mr Wetherill Every time they re reported reported reported ported that they could go no further he would take the lead He would fio hO un until until Until til he could go no farther He Ha had faith In the Navajo Great Greut rill rall rilling ing lug sandstone rocks wore were crossed rocks so smooth and steep that a man Ran could walk over them only with diAl difficulty culty The horses slipped 1 01 and slid foUd often stopping on the edge of a chit that would have haYe meant their death had they slipped but a few inches farther They Th y were rescued with ropes m ny times Um tim s sIn In places the animals were driven over aver the rocks one at a time the men ready read to do all in their DOwer to save the beasts should an accident happen The Th trail If trail it can be he called was frightful the heart was in its Ito mouth most of the time Horses in Trouble In another place two of the pack packhorses l Packhorses horses crowded each other othor and left the trail They were in a tight place with but little room to walk in lu and none in which to turn around Two cowboys with Mr Ir Douglass Douglas jumped to the res rescue le lecue cue but too late The ponies had real realized realIzed realIzed their predicament become excited and jumped over a cliff chiT They were untangled at the bottom much scratched and bruised but still alive and able to continue the journey The rocky path wore the hoofs hoots of the unshod unshed horses hones until travel ravel was torture to them Ragged flagged edges tore the shoes from the feet of the riding horses and gave more uncertainty unc as to the out outcome outcome outcome come of ot the expedition In one small canyon the head of or which the party crossed a series of steps had been cut in the smooth rock in order that horses might gain the mesa above It is believed that the work was done by the fa famous famous famous old Navajo warrior at the time he made his escape from Kit Carson CarBou and his soldiers in 1866 The old trail was wag of great service for without Its ita help fourth natural bridge would still be unknown The feet of the horses were so tender that fast travel was wa 3 Im Impossible Impossible impossible possible and a rest was deemed necessary CES sary nary Even after atter being unsaddled they were so tired and sore of foot that they would not eat preferring to stand in inthe Inthe inthe the soft sand gand than to move about In the rocks where a few of ot grass could be found More rocks were found the next morning that checked cheeked the expedition XI and tortured the horses but a n new life had been given the party for all were now certain that the bridge really ex cx x isted listed and could be found f t time and provisions permitted During the night whom the Cummings party had hoped to find on the tle mea mosa mt between and Flute Piute canyons overtook the expedition and placed pla ed him himself himself himself self at the head of the pack train Travel was necessarily slow Horses and men were ere forced to walk Bridge Is Discovered At a quarter past 11 a shout from those In front told the rest est t that the bridge was in sight The drooping spirits freshened and the last few fe hun han hundred bundred dred yards were made with lighter lI hearts heart The first view was wonderful The great gre t stone arch lay deep In the shadow of overhanging cliffs cUffs Red on its face and purple in its shadows it presented a striking picture a pleasant contrast to the hot sunbaked sands ands of ef the preceding three days da s As the party drew near it its magnitude dawned upon the members Its greatness was awful The party stood In open openmouthed openmouthed openmouthed mouthed amazement The first impression slon sion of these theM great works of Nature can never be forgotten Camp that night was pitched in its shadow The various members of or the expedition wandered about in search IJ of the most striking points from which to photograph the arch Others made breakneck attempts to gain the th tot too to of the bridge bridee Mr Wetherill and Mr Beauregard of ot the Utah party reached r ched cheda a point above the arch but were un unable unable unable able to descend to the bridge proper Their climb was extremely hazardous and one that most men would not un undertake undertake undertake The Douglass party took ob observations observations observations during the afternoon and found the bridge to be four tour miles north of the ine Jine and six miles east of the Colorado river The tape measurements secured the next nelt morn morning mornIng morning ing made the feet and the span 74 feet The thickness of the arch was estimated at thirty feet its width on top at feet teet Remains of Fossil On a great abutment overlooking the bridge were found the remains of a ag gigantic g fossil The bones have taken the form fonn of ot sandstone but are much harder than the stone In which they are encased Many fragments at pres present present ent lie on the surface while many mote more are still imbedded in the sandstone bluffs bluff Other parts of ot the same mam roam mammal mammal mal ma may be seen on the very arch it itself itself itself self and still un others lie in the cliff lIff at atthe atthe atthe the back of the bridge Early the next morning Dean De n Cum Cuni Cummings and his party departed leaving Mr Douglass at the bridge to complete a survey that will no doubt make the fourth Utah bridge a national menu monument monument ment Before reaching Piute Plute canyon cany n Mr Wetherill turned southward where the Indians had told of ot large cliff houses Several veral days were spent wan wandering wandering dering about the rough canyons and andover andover andover over the hot mesas but only onty a few small pueblo dwellings were discovered The party at this time was wa entirely without provisions the horses hor es were worn out and the return was begun only when further advance was out ou of the Question For two days the men were without food An old g goat at was bought from the first Indian the party came across and partially consume con on the spot Tough goat meat anil ami Indian Indiancorn Indiancorn Indiancorn corn roasted on the coals of the camp campfire campfire campfire fire kept the party alive aUn until the 01 Ol jato post was wae reached reach The Douglass party was delayed by the severity of its work wo at the big bridge and was also forced to go unfed before reaching ching their base of supplies Bridge Not Beautiful It is the opinion of the writer who has seen all of the known natural bridges in Utah that the new bridge does not equal In la point of or beauty the bridges of the White canyon canyo district The new one cannot truly be called a n abridge bridge It is ii more nearly an arch The Navajo Navajos call caU It mean mear meaning me mearing n nIng ing arch and meaning rock arch The Pluto Piute Indians alto also have a name for the freak but the lM gut and lip Up sounds BOunds cannot be reproduced reproduced reproduced in the English language lan A t translation Uon of the word ord however is rainbow The suggested picture is really a roOd one The lacks the color of te three northern bridges It lacks the picturesque sur surroundings surroundings There are but ery few trees in the neighborhood of this bridge bridle while both cottonwood and cedar abound in the White canyon district Even the country is III not co so attractive as that of the northern section The trails would discourage all an but the most moat m determined of explorers Few Indians Inhabit the rocky slopes of ot Navajo mountain not even eVen the ing humans can secure enough to eke out a fair existence The White can canyon canyon yon yen bridges are easy of ot access a G Good Goodwater od water and good horse hone feed abound in their vicinity To visit them is a 8 pleas pleasure ure indeed but the trip to the greatest natural bridge In the world is for tor vet veterans veterans t erans only |