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Show jDy JOStPH E.POGUI, UNHID STOES NATIOKAL MUSEUM argg& I PEAR the southeast corner of Utah, . In a remote and well nigh Inacces-it Inacces-it lbl part of the Navaho rescrva-f rescrva-f tlon now given over to the use of l the Plutes. la situated a natural . bridge, railed by the Navahocs '-SiJs. Nonnenoache. the atone arch, by "JvV lhe lu,p,, Haroliolni, the ralnhow, whim surpasses any structure of "J!r? Ita kind known to man. Kven f-fIV the other great bridges of south-ern south-ern Utah, the Caroline, the Augusta, Au-gusta, and the Kdwln, known since 1902, are exceeded In tine and beauty by the rainbow arch. Discovered but little over a year ago. It fins thua far been visited by leas than 25 white men and described but once. Recently a United Stales Geological Sur-?ey Sur-?ey party, consisting of II. K. Gregory. In charge; John Wetherlll, K. C. Heald. and the writer, stood upon the aurnnilt of Nnvaho mountain and looked over a country of wild-neas wild-neas and grandeur. Fifty miles to the north the graceful poaks of the Henry mountains outlines out-lines themselves against the horizon; much nenrer, the Colorado and Sun Juan rivers united unit-ed In the midst of a tilted and disjointed tableland; table-land; to the west, the Colorado was already beginning be-ginning to make that wonderful mile deep gash o fitly called the Grand Canyon; while to the south was vlslhlo the even skyline formed by the extennlve tops of Illack and White mesas. Turn In whatever direction one would, the scene was one of bewildering magnitude. Nearer at hand, surrounding the mountain ...... ; n v ; w satrsot or mr a mm aj jryr sfoy thjt 3oroy or rnr go?CAT joazt DSTArtC 0OWf-CArtYOH - 5 A '- v .. ' v . - A J iV -( -r J- (' -Sa.--- . A j A CLOJ Yl&Y Of CMAT JTAY0OW AJKf -tort UCAMYc- ph: A. -. r-A r -v; 4 : "" t ; . ' A vw or mrGRiAr eAMowMci ill ' :j ' fj . ffiOJI U-CArtYOt , 1 4 ' Jr ' ,5 I l ' ' , a " .' . , ' ' , ' s -V - - , . ' - ' ' ' , 1-.-' . , : . - "' . " ;..'..t : r' '.-. ! ' : ' i ' ' - . V ' a" iAseow ach As srw rtoAt DOMv - CAAroY: SfICfr,30QFT; &PAt.27Q rT Indians prior to ita discovery hy white men; but as to the actunl knowledge of it there la uncertainty. Douglass relates that White-horsebrxay, White-horsebrxay, his guide, on a second visit to the bridge, would not go beneath the arch, but laboriously clambered around one side whenever it was necesRary to pass. Later Mrs. John Wetherlll. an accomplished Navaho linfrulst. aacertalned from an old Navaho that the arch Is supposed to represent the rainbow, or sun-path, and one who passed under could not return without o.eertaln prayer. Evidently Whltehorsebegay ffarf forgotten this prayer and feared vengeance should be break the legendary prohibition. Nearly beneath the arch are the remains of an ancient altar, built doubtless by the cliff-dwellers, Indicating that the bridge was probably an object of superstitious supersti-tious worship even to this ancient people. The bridge Is at once the largest and moat remarkable known. Not only In size but In shapeliness does it surpass any of Its rivals. Helow Is tabulated for comparison the dimensions dimen-sions in feet of the largest of the natural bridges, the measurements of the first four' taken from the surveys of W. B. Douglass. ? f S 3 r : a : i : 2 The rtnrnolnl frslnrmwt or Nonneioaha (ntnno ar'li, aoufhenet t'fnli J7I J a The Hlpapu fte of heaven) or Au- auata. amithoaat t'fah w Ji j Tlie Khln (iruar'llnn spirit) or farollne. K.uiheaat lllah 210 177:44 M The Owarhomo ro k mounfl) or HJ- wln or Utile aimiheiiaf I'tKh tH lm tH t The Virginia Natural Ilriilsa J") 45 .. ,. Pont d'Arc, Francs 1ST 213 .. .. Arrh Hkewert- apan wltti axis. 2SJ fet. 'Mran apan. 275 (ret; greataat span, l' feat; leant span, Vl tri-t. The exact location of the bridge Is latitude 37 degrees 03 minutes 21 seconds and longl-ture longl-ture 110 degrees 66 minutes 48 seconds west of Greenwich (Douglass), in Ban Juan county, Utah; all miles northward from the Arizona-T'tah Arizona-T'tah boundary line; four miles west of north from the summit of Navaho mountain, and v-v.., , t . ' -TjT . --.'V-OW 'X jr.'.,rt,a,J'j: QYFI78 OF WE AffCt MOfVMAfttfP rAVV 7H AS QT Ti 0P05T LJM3 four miles above exit of the bridge ranyoi Into the Colorado liver at a point 16 miles bt low Its confluence with the Han Juan. The most exact directions for reaching tb bridge would be inadequate, so obscure am devious I the trail loading thereto; hence tb services of a guide are indispensable. Oljati Utah, where guide And outfit for the final pot tlon of the trip may be secured. Is reached b two routea, between which there Is llttl choice. On the one band, Gallup, New Mexlct on the Santa Fe line, may be made the star' Ing point, whence one must go by stage. 3 miles to Fort Defiance, Arizona, and fror, there by wagon or pack outfit 155 miles In t northerly direction to Oljato. On the othe hand, the traveler may leave a branch of th Denver & Rio Grande railroad at Doloref Colorado, stage 81 miles to Illuff. Utah, an there secure horses for the remaining 60 mile to Oljnto. The bridge Is distant from Oljat only 37 miles, aa the crow ftk-s, but the tra passes over twice this distance, and three day will be required for this last and most din cult part of the trip. A minimum of 18 day should be allowed for the round trip, whethe the atari be made from Gallup or Dolores, am the Journey may be accomplished at any tlm during the year save In winter. The trip Is ar extremely arduoua and toilsome one, an' would be fraught with danger to an Inexp rlenced traveler, but under competent guld ance may be accomplished with no specla hazard, though hardships and Inconveniences and many of them, must be expected. The government Las already made of thh natural wonder a national monument, thin preserving it for all time against vandallsn and commercialism and conseivlng It for tht enjoyment of all. J'. If J I jftm. i t J V " VWOA T V ' I ra77ofi or mil Xfc t-' 1 powt ft EARLY l like an island, surged a billowy et'a of red sandstone, carved Into fantastic, rounded, and oval masses, colossal In size, between whose cross-bedded and swirling slopes wound deep and tortuous canyons. Hidden away In such a labyrinth, it Is not surprising that the bridge remained so long unknown. Yet It Is only four miles distant In a northerly direction from the mountains' summit, and is visible from this point as a tiny arch, provided one knows exactly ex-actly where to look. Otherwise the eye may wander at will over this wilderness of rock without sighting Its most Interesting feature. Although so close at hand, this goal waa only reached after two days' time and a Journey Jour-ney of 35 miles over a very indirect route. Tbe mountain bad to be descended to the south, a long detour made around Its eastern flank, and a devious and winding course followed fol-lowed northward down the bridge canyon, over a trail ever difficult and ofttlmea dangerous. The way led between lofty and perpendicular cliffs, towering to a sheer height of one-firth of a mile, on whose vertical sides could now and then be descried tbe crumbling rulna of some ancient clifMwelllng. In places the walls overhung to form vat semi spherical chambers, large enough to shelter shel-ter a cathedral, and in which a shout echoed ani re-echoed many times; In other places the aides approached ao closely that the only foothold foot-hold was in the rocky bed of tbe amall stream below, where one was forced to pick a precarious pre-carious rans from boulder to boulder. After hours of laborious and Intricate travel, a point was rounded and 600 yards ahead a graceful arch was outlined, benesth which tbe canyon and stream continued their flexuous partnership The first view of the bridge is minimized by the lofty walls beyond and the comparatively narrow dflle. through which it la only partly visible: but once passed under. It may be seen In its full magnificence A towering arch, ralnbowhaped. of wonderful wonder-ful symmetry, rises nearly sheer from ledge on the one stde. and. spanning the stream. Joins the opposite canyon all on Its downward down-ward curve The opening, augmented by a gorge cut by the stream to a depth of 80 feet below the level of the supporting bench, measures meas-ures a vertical distance of :7 feet; but the total height from stream bottom to the top of the arch Is 309 feet, while tbe abutments at their base stand 278 f PWt- Tbe causeway, wpoa which one may be lowered from an adjacent ad-jacent cliff, but whose sides are too steep to Mrv for complete pwtt. " ?-V tWl by 43 feet thick at Its keystone U ' point; and the limbs are not great-; great-; ly In excess of these dimensions. A mere recitation of flgurea must '- fall to convey an adequate Idea of the Imposing nature of the bridge. It la not the size alone, though this -J far exceeds the greatest masonry X" arches constructed by engineering skill; nor Is it solely the graceful Hnea or,cunrature of maximum stability, sta-bility, but rather all of these, that combine to make this the most remarkable re-markable single arch now known. It would easily span, with room to spare, the dome of the Capitol at Washington; or, If hung over the Flatlron building of New York, Its limbs would come within a few feet of the ground, though to the west of Fifth avenue on the one hand and to the east of Hroadway on the other The arch is carved from a buff-colored, finegrained fine-grained sandstone, brick-red upon its surface and atalned with vertical streaka of a darker shade. Mostly massive, though In part obllque-bedded, obllque-bedded, the rock Is only moderately firm, and Is easily crushed beneath the blows of a hammer. ham-mer. Geologically it la a part of the Upper La Plata sandstone, a formation of great thickness thick-ness deposited In Jurassic time over a large portion of southeast Utah, southwest Colorado, and northeast Arizona. The origin of the arch Is simple and evident. It waa caused by the progressive narrowing of the neck of a meander Intrenched between high and steep walls, until an opening was made through the tongue of Intervening rock, permitting the stream to cut off Its meander by flowing beneath the arch thus formed The one. once made, baa been enlarged and given Its present shape by the combined action of weathering, expanalon, and contraction due to changes In temperature, and the carving effect of wind blown aand. all of which unite to produce pro-duce the rounded rock forms so characteristic of this region. The abandoned arm of the meander Is present and unmistakable, indicating indi-cating the former course pursued by the stream Though doubtless requiring many years for Its formation, the arch Is nevertheless a very recent geological feature, and destined to withstand with-stand the forces that gave it being for only a brief period as geologic time Is reckoned. The bridge was first visited by white men snd Its existence made definitely known on August 14, 1909 It was then reached by a t arty consisting of V. It. Douglass, of the United States General 1-and Office, with four assistants; Ityron Cummings, of the University of I'tah. with three atudents; John Wetherlll. of Oljato. Utah; and two Piute Indians. Jim and Nasjabegay. Douglass waa acting under Instructions from the Department of the Interior, Inte-rior, dated October 20. 1908. to Investigate a reported natural bridge In southeast Utah, with a view to making It a national manument If found of aufflclent Interest. An attempt ws made In December, 1908. to locate the bridge, but was abandoned on account of anow. The search was renewed In August, 1909. tbe party being joined at Oljato by Cummings. Wetherlll. Wether-lll. and the three students Tbe arch waa surveyed sur-veyed by Douglass, and tbe figures herein used, a well aa tbe details of Its discovery, are taken tak-en from bis official report to tbe Land Office. Tbe bridge was undoubtedly known to the |