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Show BRIDGE TO HANG IN THE GRAND CANYON Washington, D. C. Jan . 23 At last Utah and Arizona are to be connected con-nected by means of a suspension brdge across the Colorado river from the south to the north rim of Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, ac-1 cording to an announcement given out by the national park service. ' ' Because of the lack of transportation transporta-tion facilities the north rim of the canyon is practically unvisited owing ow-ing to the difficulties attending any kind of conveyances in getting ac-! ross the Colorado. However, the na- j tional park service has been so favorably fa-vorably impressed with the scenic grandeur of the north rim, which can be reached via Southern Utah, that preparations will at once be put under way to bring this attraction to the general attention of the tour-; ing public. Now that Zion National park has been opened, the national park service ser-vice is expected to interest tourists j to proceed to the northern rim of the Grand canyon of Arizona, which ' is not so far distant from St. George This rim is about 1500 feet higberj in altitude than the south rim, and' the great chasm, viewed from this side, reveals a new and alluring aspect. as-pect. With the construction of the suspention bridge rim-to-rim travel isdestined to become one of the fascinating fas-cinating features of park trail trips. Plans recently made known contemplate con-template the throwing of the bridge across the Colorado river in the Gran ite gorge, which at this point is approximately ap-proximately 420 feet wide, with al-lvost al-lvost perpendicular sides. The span length of the bridge, the department announces will be about 500 feet, and will be suspended forty feet above the general water level and at least thirteen feet above the highest indicated level of the water. The trail distance over which the bridge material will have to be packed is abount ten miles, descending into the canyon a, distance of slightly more than' one-half a mile. In some of these trails the grades exceed 40 per cent. t In transporting the material for the bridge mules will be used. The main cables will be of special tram- way plow steel, each weighing be-! tween 700 and S00 pounds and requiring re-quiring four mules to transport it. The cable will be divided into four pairs of colls, one pair to be placed on each mule with an intervening length of cable of about twenty or thirty feet. The bridge will be five feet wide, with guard rails of heavy mesh wire and many impounding gates will be placed at each end. so that only one mule or horse will be permitted to cross at a time. The cost of the bridge is estimated at $13,000 and contracts have already al-ready been let for its construction. Tourists, it is announced, may be permitted per-mitted to cross before the close of the 1921 summer season. Two similar bridges are planned ft different points on the Colorado, within the national park area. . a |