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PIEfflEII OFEfiS
SUflHJ BORE
Taft Lets Waters Flow Into Un
compahgra Valley.
BIG PROJECT IS COMPLETED
Mountain Ridge Pierced by the Gov
ernment in Order to Irrigate
beautiful, But Semi-Arid
Tract In Colorado.
Montrose, Col., Sept. 23. President
Taft, standing at the west portal of
the great Gunnison river tunnel a
little before five o'clock this afternoon,
pulled a lever, and with a mighty rush
tie waters of the river six miles away
poured Into tho Uncoinpahgro valley
In a life-giving Hood.
Thousands of men and women who
a moment, before had stood In silent
awe burst forth In wild cheering, can
non which had been captured by Col
orado troops in Manila roared a salute,
and brass bands added their patriotic
music to the clamor.
t M'iV.y Proect Completed.
Thus was fittingly signalized the
cf Jipletion of the Gunnison river tun
nel, the first project undertaken by
the United States government re
clamation service. Work on the pro
ject was begun four and a half years
ago und had progressed steadily ever
ethers, and this evening speeches were
delivered by a number of well-known
Coloradonus, the celebration binding
up with an illuinluated parade aud py
rotechnic display.
First of the big government recla
mation projects to bo undertaken, the
Gunnison river tunnel has been ouo of
the most difficult to carry through
Tho ample waters of the Gunnison
flow through narrow valleys unsult
ed to agriculture or through deep,
rocky canyons, whilo only ft few
miles to tho west the lovely Uncom
pnhgro valley has been suffering for
water. The Gunnison, descending in
ever deepening gorges, finally plungea
Into the Hhtck canyon, one of the most
magnificent mountain gorges In tho
world. This unpromising spot was se
lected as the starting point of tho
tunnel. Iirave engineers lowered
themselves into the Rlaek canyon at
points where the granite walls rise
almost perpendicularly hundreds of
feet, and after their surveys were com
pleted active work was started on the
Immense project.
At great expense and under enor
mous difficulties, a wagon road was
built to the east portal of tho tun
nel. It Is 13 miles long, and, climb
ing the granite ridge between tho
canyon and the Uncompahgre valley,
descends tha, rocky wall on shelf-
work.
Bore Built for All Time.
Simultaneously work was begun at,
each end of the tunnel and at a point
several thousand feet from the west
end, where a shaft was sunk. As fast
as the tunnel was driven through tho
shale and solid rodi, it was timbered,
and then the heavy timbers were
covered with Impervious cement. This
gives a tunnel of solid concrete built
1 1
V
fa
West Portal of Gunnison Tunnel.
elnce. Together with its main and
distributing canals, the tunnel will ir
rigate 150,000 acres of land in a val
ley naturally one of the most fertile
In Colorado, but which ha3 been semi
arid because of the annual summer
droughts and the inadequacy of tho
Uncompahgre river.
This day of the opening of the tun
nel was made tho chief day of the
Western Slope fair, now being held
here. All the morning special trains
kept coming In, from various parts
uf the state, and at 10:20 there was a
farade of the visitors. Karly in the
afternoon the explosion of a bomb
told the peoplo that the special train
bearing Tresldent Taft and other gov
ernment officials had entered the city
limits. A second bomb announced his
to withstand the wear of ages. All
the flumes, culverts, division gates,
drops and other work along the lines
of the main canals are built of steel
and concrete.
There is no dam across the Black
canyon at the point where the river is
turned Into tho tunnel. Instead of
this, the tunnel Itself tnpo the river
from beneath Its granite bed. Hy
this plan neither floods nor slack wa
tor can prevent the tunnel taking
from the river all the water needed
Has Immnse Capacity.
A few statistics of this tremendous
project are worth setting forth. Tho
tunnel Is 30,000 feet long, and 11 by
13 feet Inside measurement.- The main
canal Is 30 feet wide at the bottom
One of the Concrete Drops on South Canal.
debarkation at tho station, and a third
wns sent up as the distinguished
guest, escorted by a great procession,
tarted for Klks' park.
President Taft Welcomed.
At the park, after Introductory re
marks by F. D. Catltn, chalrmnn of
the Gunnison tunnel opening commit
tee, Mayor J. Q. Allen turned tho
key of the city over to the guests.
Then John C. Hell delivered the formal
address of welcome, to which Preil
dent Taft responded briefly aud
happily. The exercises here con
cluded with remarks by Senator
Charles J. Hughes and Gov. John
Shnfroth. At ionr o'clock trains start
ed for tho west portal of the tunnel,
where rresldint Tuft opened the
gates, and speeches were made by I.
W. McCoimell, consulting engineer of
the reclamation net vice, and Senator
Jloraco T. DeLon,; of Grand Junction.
After the return to Montrose there
w.-.s o lecortion to President Taft and
ten
lot
and S3 feet wide at the top, and the
averaso depth of the water Is
feet. Tho capacity is 1,300 cubic fe
of water a second. After the water
leaves tho west portal of the tunnel
it Is conducted through 12 miles c
canal to tho Uncompahgre. There I
a drop of 211 feet In this distance nn
this great fall will be utilized for ere
ating power. A series of concrete
drops has been constructed and tho
Immenso body of water rushing over
them is capable of generating at least
10,000 horRe power which will be util
ized In lighting the entlro Uncompah
gre valley by electricity.
Tho cost of tho tunnel and distrib
uting canals Is over $5,000,000, f
perpetual water rights will be nnlri
actual settlers at about $35 an acre.
Teach Children to Swim.
Last year moro than 32.000 children
were taught to swim at th I
I puDiic schools.
1 A
W
ASIIIN'GTON. In the war de
partment In Washington Is a
letter written by Lieut. Gen.
Nelson A. Miles in praise or tho
deeds of five enlisted men. Gen.
Miles' letter is written us Kim
ply as becomes a soldier, but it
is a pulae-stlrrlng epistle. It is
probable that no
where else la authen
tic history can there be found an ac
count of a battlo won by a force of
men when the odds against them
were 23 to 1. In no story which can
be told concerning the people of tho
plains 13 there to be found a tale of
greater heroism than that shown by
a little contingent of enlisted men of
the Sixth United States cavalry down
near the Red river in T3xas, In tho
summer of the year 1874. The Sixth
cavalry has had a fighting history, but
this particular utory shines bright in
its pages.
The Comanches, the CheyenneB and
tho Klowas were on tho warpath and
wero leaving a red trail all along the
borders of western Kansas. General,
then colonel, Nelson A. Miles, was or
dered to take the field against tho sav
ages. His expedition fitted out at
Fort Dodge and then struck for the
far frontier. The combined bands of
Indians learned that tho troops were
on their trail and they fled south to
the Red river, of Texas, hotly pursued
by two troops of tho Sixth cavalry,
commanded by Captains Dlddlo and
Compton.
On the bluffs of tho Tule river tho
allied braves made a stand. There were 000 war-
riors, all told, and they were tho finest of the
mounted plains Indians. The meager forces of
the Sixth, under tho leadership of their oillcers,
charged straight at tho heart of a force that
should have been overwhelming. The red broke
and fled "over the bluffs and through the deep
precipitous canyons and out on to tho staked
plain of Texas."
It became imperlalively necessary that couriers
should bo sent from tho detachment of the Sixth
to Camp Supply In the Indian Territory. Rein-
3flQ?
blood. There Is no
doubt that they killed
more than doublo their
number, besides thoso
they wounded. The slm
plo recital of tho deeds
of the five soldiers and
tho mention of the odds
they were the besieged, and subse
quent events proved that ho was
not In error.
Suddenly the Utes took to shel
ter behind tho rocks -hlch were
scattered In tho open. They had
lost one man from tho Are of the
besieged. They were afraid to
charge, knowing that to sweep up
thnt slopo, oven with only two
rlUes covering It, meant death for
several of their band.
Hall led his men t a position on
the flank of tho savages end sent
in four shots. The bullets were the
first notice that the reds bad that
they had two parties to deal with.
They changed their position ogaia
In a U inkling, and located them
selves bo that they were under cov
er from both directions, but they
sent a volley in tho face of tho lit
do detachment that had ridden in
to the rescue. .
To charge the enemy with his
threo men meant certain death to
Hall and his troopers. The lleuten-
against which they
fought, how the wound
ed defended the dying
and the dying aided the
wounded by exposure
to fresh wounds after
tho power of action
was gone theso alone
present a scene of cool
courage, heroism and
self-sacrifice which du
ty as well as lncllna-
mMtwm
(mm A
forcements wero needed and It was necessary as
well, to inform the troops at a distance that bands
of hostllcs had broken away from the m;iln body
and must be met and checked.
The whole country was swarming with Indians
and the trip to Camp Supply was ono that was
deemed almost certain death for the couriers who
would attempt to mako the ride. Tho coinniand
Ing ofllcer of the forces in the field nsked for
volunteers and Sergt. Zacharias T. Woodall of
I Troop stepped forward aud said that he was
ready to go. His example was followed by every
man In the two troops, and that day cowardice
hung its head.
The ranking captain chose Woodall, and then
picked out four men to accompany him on the
ride across tho Indian-infested wilderness. The
five cavalrymen went northward under the star
light. At tho dawn of the first day they pitched
their dog tents in a little hollow and started to
make tho morning cup of coffee.
When full day wa3 come they saw circling on
the horizon a swarm of Cheyennes. The eye of
the sergeant told him from the movements of tho
Indians that they knew of the presence of the
troopers and that their circle formation was for
tho purpose of gradually closing In to the killing.
Sergt. Woodall and his four men chose a place
near their bivouac which offered some flight ad
vantage for tho purposes of defense. There they
waited with carbines advanced, while the red cor
don closed in its lines. The Cheyennes charged,
and while charging sent a volley into the little
pralrlo stronghold. Five carbines made answer,
and flvo Ch?yenne ponies carried their dead or
wounded riders out of range, for in that day
mounted Indians went into battlo tied to their
horsed.
Behind tho little rampart Sergt. Woodall lay
sorely wounded and one man was dying. Let
the letter of Gen. Miles tell the rest of the story.
"From early morning to daik, outnumbered 25
to 1, under an almost constant tiro and at such
a short range that they sometimes used their pis
tols, retaining the last charge to prevent capture
and torture, this little party of five defended their
lives and tho person of their dylug comrade, with
(jut tood, ajai (heir only drink, thp rainwater that
tbey collected In a pool, mingled with their own
tlon prompt us to
recognize, but which
we cannot fitly hon
or." When night came
down over tho Texas
prairie tho Chey
ennes counted their
dead and their
wounded and then
fled terror-stricken,
overcome by the val
or of five American
soldiers. Heroism was the order in tho old plains'
days.
In tho White River valley of Colorado a de
tachment of troops was surrounded by Utes, and
for four days the soldiors. starving aud thirsting,
made a heroic defense against tho swarming reds
Relief came from Fort D. A. Russell, whence Col.
Wesley Merrltt lod a forco to the rescue In one
of the greatest and quickest rides of army his
tory. After Merritt's legion had thrashed and scat
tered tho Utes it was supposed that none of the
savages was left In the valley. Llout. Weir of the
Ordnance corps, a son of the professor of draw
ing at tho Military academy, was on a visit to the
west, and wbb In tho camp of tho Fifth cavalry.
A tenderfoot named Paul Hume had wandered
out to the camp to look over the scene of the
great fight. He knew Weir and ho suggested a
deer hunt.
The ordnance officer agreed to accompnny him
and oft they started after having received a warn
ing not to wandor too far afield. The hunters,
eager for the chase, went farther than they
thought, and soon they changed from hunters to
hunted.
A young lieutenant of the Fifth eavalry, Will
iam II. Hall, now stationed In Washington with
the rank of brigadier general, was ordered to take
a party of threo men with him and to mako a
reconnolssanco, for it suddenly became tho
thought of tho commanding officer that there
might be savages lurking about. Hall and his
men struck Into the foothills and circled the coun
try for miles. In tho middle of the afternoon they
heard firing to the right and front. It was rap
Id and rharp, and Hall led his men straight
whence It came.
Rounding a point of rocks the troopers saw at
a little distance across an open placo in the hills
a band of Utes in war paint and feathers. Thero
were 35 of the reds, all told, and they were firing
as fast as tbey could load and pull trigger in tho
direction of a email natural fortification of boul
ders a quarter way up tho face of a cliff.
From tho rocks came a return fire so feeble
that Hall knew there could not be more than two
Djea behind Uu place of defense. In a trice be
tEought of Weir and. Hume, and he believed Uut
ant thought quickly. He believed that if .Weir and
Humo could reach him, that the party of six, to
gether, might make a retreat back to the 'camp,
holding the pursuing reds In check. It was a des
perate chance, but better than staying where they
were to starve and thirst or to be surprised, and
killed In a night rush or the savagos.
Weir and Hume heard the shots of the trooper
and knew that help, though It was feeble, was at
hand. They saw the hovering smoke of the car
bines, and thus located exactly the position pf the
troops. They started to do what Hall thought they
would do. They made a dash for some rocks 20
yards nearer their comrades than were those be
hind which. they were hiding.
Tho cavalry lieutenant knew that the path of
Weir and Hume would be bullet spattered all the
way, and that if they escaped being killed it would
bo because of a miracle. Then this stripling lieu
tenant did something besides think. The Instant
that Weir and his comrade made tlielr break from
cover, Hall stood straight up and presented himself
a fair and shining mark for the Ute bullets.
Tho reds crashed a volley at him. Ignoring Weir
and Humo. The shots struck all around Hall, ma
king a framework of spatters on the rock at his
back, but ho was unhurt, and Weir and his comrade
were behind shelter at the end of the first Btage
of their Journey.
Hall dropped back to 6helter and then In a mo-'
ment, after Weir and Hume had a chance to draw
breath for their second dash, ho stood up once
more, daring the death that seemed certain. Tho
hunted ones struck for the next spot that offered
shelter the Instant that the Ute rifles spat tholr
volley at the man who was willing to mako of him
self a sacrlDco that others might livo. Hall came
through the second ordeal of fire unhurt, and once
more ho dropped back to shelter to prepare for
the third trial with fate.
The Uto chieftain was alive by this time to the
situation. He ordered his braves to Are, the one
half at Hall and the other half at tho two who
were now to run death's gantlet.
Hall stood up. Weir and Hume dashed out. The
reds divided their fire. Hall stood unhurt Weir
and Hume dropped dead within ten yards of the
man who would have died for them.
Hall led his men back over the track that they
had come, holding the Utes at bay. Aid came near
the end of the perilous trail. Lieut. Hall is now In
the military secretary's department at Washing
ton with the rank of a brigadier general. Ills men
told the story of that day in the White River val
ley, and a bit of bronze representing the medal of
honor Is worn by the veteran in recognition of a
deed done for his fellows.
A woman never gets old enough not to think
It Isn't a shame for a woman; who ts as old as
somebody else to dross the youthful way she
docs. Not York Prerti,
