OCR Text |
Show 38 While at Pueblo, the party assisted in the measurement of the base and the develops ment TO the mountains of the initial triangles. On August 1, the work upon the base having been completed, we proceeded via the Puncho Pass and Cafioo City wagon- road to Pleasant Valley, iu the valley of the Upper Arkansas, where Mr. Nell and a small party were detached to make a barometrie profile of the Hayden Creek Pass, and to meander and. locate the headwaters of Kerber Creek, a tributary of the San Luis, and the southern branches of Puncho Creek, and to join the main party near the head of the latter stream. Having made a primary station npon the high peak at the head of the north fork of Puncho Creek, to complete the series of triangles established by me in Colorado in 1873, the party was divided, and the assistant topographer sent via the Coochetopa Pass to the Los Piuos agency, with orders to trace San Luis River to its head, while Mr. Nell and myself, with one packer, crossed the Atlantic and Pacific divide at the head of the middle fork of Puncho Creek to one of the tributaries of the Gunnison River, which we followed from its head in the pass to near its junction wi'h the Coochetopa, connecting with tbe lines surveyed by Mr. Yonng of my party in 1873; thence via the old Gunnison wagon- road to the agency, making en route the necessary secondary stations with the gradient* on peaks, in addition to the regular stations. Tbe assistant topographer joined UH on the 17th of August, and from this date until tbe 24th the party were employed in the vicinity of the agency in gathering topo- graphical data, especially in the group of lofty volcanic peaks above the heads of oochetopa Creek, which here form the continental divide. On this date ( August 24) the assistant topographer and party were sent via the trail from tbe Los Pinos agency to Antelope Park, in the cation of the Rio Grande del Norte, to trace out the headwaters of that stream, while Mr. Nell and myself pro* ceeded to the Uncompahgre Peak, which we occupied as as a primary point, spending upon its summit two entire days. Having occupied four other prominent stations, we joined tbe main party on September 5. On September 9, having made stations on Canby and Pass Peaks, we crossed the divide at the bead of the Rio Grande, and from this date until September 26 the topographer and myself were engaged among the difficult and intricate topographical features of the San Juan mining- district about the heads of the Las Animas, Uncompahgre, San Miguel, aud Dolores Rivers; the assistant topographer having beeu sent via old Animas City to the Pagosa Hot Springs on the Upper San Juan. It was my intention, after the necessary stations were occupied and the lines of drainage from the divide between the San Juan and Gunnison waters traced, to visit the Sierra La Plata and the headwaters of the Rio Mancosand Rio La Plata, and then return to the divide sooth of tbe Rio Grande headwaters; but on the 20th of September we were caught at timber- line in a two days' snow- storm, aud after it was over, while making a station on a high peak at the head of the north fork of the San Miguel, both the topographer and myself were blinded by the dazzling reflection of light from the snow. From my experience in these high mountains, 1 was led to believe that they would be closed by snow before the trip to the Sierra La Plata could be made, and our tri-angulatiou connected with tbe astronomical stations at Trinidad and Pueblo over the summits of the peaks along the southern side of the Rio Grande loop in the continental backbone. I abandoned, then, this western portion of the work and directed my attention to perfecting the belt of triangles from the two statious mentioued to the westernmost point attained by my party. Accordingly, we made stations on the most southerly of the high peaks south of the mines in the San Juan drainage- area, and then recrossed into the Rio Grande basin, and, turning to the south, attained the divide, and were engaged among the very rngged and high peaks about the heads of the Rio Los Pinos and Rio Florida, when we again encountered a four days' snow- storm, aud were forced by the great depth of snow, from 18 inches to 3feet, from the mountains. The tributaries of the Los Pinos and Piedra were then meandered by us, and after having made several minor stations npon lower peaks near the head of the Piedra we proceeded for supplies to the Pagosa Hot Springs, which we reached October 8. Upon the following day, the snow having meanwhile melted from the southern slopes of the mountains, Mr. Nell and a small topographical party went back to tbe group of peaks we named, from its pinnacled appearance, Florida's Comb, to again, attempt to make an important triangnlat ion- station ; but since the peak could only be attained from tbe north, from which side the suow had not melted, the topographer was unsuccessful after several attempts, but the remainder of the time was profitably-spent by him in gathering topographical details at a lower altitude. As soon as the parties returned to camp at Pagosa, we proceeded to carry out, as far as practicable, tbe instructions we found awaiting us there. We proceeded up the main fork of the San Juan, the detailed topography adjacent to the eastern and west* era forks, and their drainage- lines, having already been secured, as I was informed by your party; but on the evening of the 18th of October it again began to snow, and the storm continued until the 20th. Upon its cessation, I sent Mr. Atkinson, Mr. Gilpin, « |