﻿EHODA] 
  THE 
  SOUTHEASTERN 
  DISTRICT. 
  329 
  

  

  On 
  September 
  12 
  we 
  made 
  station 
  112, 
  on 
  Boundary 
  Peak, 
  west 
  of 
  

   the 
  Costilla, 
  and 
  were 
  caught 
  in 
  a 
  storm 
  of 
  hail, 
  rain, 
  and 
  electricity. 
  

   On 
  this 
  peak 
  we 
  found 
  a 
  stone 
  monument 
  marking 
  the 
  line 
  between 
  

   Colorado 
  and 
  New 
  Mexico. 
  The 
  next 
  morning 
  being 
  clear, 
  we 
  rode 
  

   northward 
  along 
  the 
  summit 
  of 
  the 
  range 
  to 
  make 
  station 
  113, 
  on 
  a 
  high 
  

   point 
  south 
  of 
  Culebra 
  Peak. 
  For 
  four 
  or 
  five 
  miles 
  our 
  course 
  lay 
  en- 
  

   tirely 
  above 
  the 
  line 
  of 
  perpetual 
  snow, 
  while 
  the 
  ridge 
  was 
  very 
  uneven, 
  

   so 
  that 
  we 
  were 
  compelled 
  to 
  cross 
  several 
  high 
  peaks 
  before 
  reaching 
  

   the 
  one 
  we 
  wanted 
  to 
  use 
  as 
  a 
  station. 
  Here 
  we 
  left 
  our 
  mules 
  and 
  

   climbed 
  to 
  the 
  summit 
  on 
  foot, 
  a 
  vertical 
  height 
  of 
  1,200 
  feet. 
  The 
  

   weather 
  was 
  quite 
  clear 
  till 
  we 
  neared 
  the 
  summit, 
  when, 
  a 
  cloud 
  com- 
  

   ing 
  over 
  us, 
  enveloped 
  the 
  whole 
  mountain, 
  and 
  rain 
  and 
  hail 
  began 
  

   to 
  fall. 
  Setting 
  up 
  the 
  instrument, 
  we 
  obtained 
  disjointed 
  views 
  through 
  

   the 
  breaks 
  in 
  the 
  clouds. 
  The 
  storm 
  increased, 
  but 
  we 
  waited 
  patiently, 
  

   amusing 
  ourselves 
  by 
  laying 
  the 
  foundation 
  of 
  a 
  fine 
  monument 
  that 
  

   was 
  destined 
  never 
  to 
  be 
  finished. 
  One 
  thing 
  that 
  made 
  our 
  position 
  

   the 
  more 
  aggravating 
  was 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  through 
  the 
  gaps 
  in 
  the 
  cloud 
  

   we 
  could 
  see 
  the 
  bright 
  sunshine 
  on 
  either 
  side 
  of 
  us, 
  only 
  a 
  few 
  miles 
  

   away 
  ; 
  but 
  the 
  clouds 
  seemed 
  to 
  hug 
  so 
  closely 
  to 
  the 
  summits 
  of 
  the 
  

   range 
  that 
  the 
  wind 
  could 
  not 
  remove 
  them. 
  The 
  clouds, 
  as 
  they 
  come 
  

   from 
  the 
  west, 
  are 
  caught 
  against 
  these 
  high 
  peaks, 
  and 
  become 
  massed 
  

   together, 
  thus 
  producing 
  continual 
  storms. 
  The 
  direction 
  of 
  the 
  range, 
  

   at 
  right 
  angles 
  to 
  the 
  prevailing 
  winds, 
  makes 
  it 
  an 
  almost 
  impassable 
  

   barrier 
  in 
  the 
  way 
  of 
  the 
  east-bound 
  storms. 
  During 
  our 
  work 
  to 
  the 
  

   west 
  of 
  San 
  Luis, 
  we 
  noticed 
  that 
  all 
  the 
  clouds 
  in 
  passing 
  over 
  the 
  

   Sangre 
  de 
  Cristo 
  Mountains 
  were 
  retarded 
  in 
  their 
  journey. 
  Once 
  in 
  

   particular, 
  while 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  steady 
  breeze 
  from 
  the 
  west, 
  we 
  saw 
  a 
  

   small 
  cloud, 
  probably 
  not 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  few 
  hundred 
  yards 
  across, 
  which 
  

   had 
  caught 
  against 
  the 
  very 
  crest 
  of 
  the 
  Sierra 
  Blanca. 
  The 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  

   peak 
  touched 
  by 
  the 
  little 
  cloud 
  was 
  not 
  more 
  than 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  hun- 
  

   dred 
  feet 
  in 
  vertical 
  height, 
  yet 
  that 
  much 
  served 
  to 
  hold 
  the 
  cloud 
  in 
  

   face 
  of 
  a 
  strong 
  breeze 
  for 
  several 
  hours. 
  The 
  storm 
  encountered 
  on 
  

   station 
  113 
  was 
  apparently 
  not 
  over 
  10 
  miles 
  in 
  breadth. 
  Eeturning 
  

   the 
  way 
  we 
  came, 
  we 
  found 
  camp 
  located 
  in 
  the 
  pass 
  from 
  the 
  head 
  

   of 
  the 
  Costilla 
  to 
  the 
  Culebra. 
  The 
  next 
  morning 
  we 
  started 
  again 
  to 
  

   make 
  113. 
  Again 
  the 
  weather 
  was 
  clear 
  for 
  the 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  journey 
  ; 
  

   but, 
  alas 
  ! 
  when 
  we 
  reached 
  the 
  summit 
  the 
  cloud 
  again 
  surrounded 
  

   us, 
  and 
  again 
  the 
  hail 
  and 
  rain 
  came 
  down. 
  After 
  remaining 
  a 
  few 
  

   hours, 
  we 
  returned, 
  the 
  cold 
  rain 
  and 
  wind 
  persecuting 
  us 
  along 
  the 
  

   whole 
  dreary 
  line 
  to 
  camp. 
  The 
  third 
  morning 
  again 
  was 
  clear, 
  and 
  

   for 
  the 
  third 
  time 
  we 
  attempted 
  to 
  do 
  our 
  duty^ 
  but 
  after 
  going 
  a 
  

   short 
  distance, 
  we 
  saw 
  the 
  storm 
  gathering, 
  and 
  we 
  turned 
  southward 
  

   and 
  finished 
  station 
  112. 
  By 
  reaching 
  it 
  early 
  we 
  succeeded 
  in 
  doing 
  a 
  

   little 
  work; 
  but 
  soon 
  the 
  clouds 
  fell, 
  while 
  hail, 
  rain, 
  and 
  electricity 
  

   forced 
  us 
  to 
  return 
  to 
  camp. 
  The 
  morning 
  of 
  the 
  fourth 
  day 
  saw 
  us 
  

   crossing 
  the 
  pass, 
  and 
  going 
  down 
  the 
  west 
  slope 
  toward 
  the 
  valley 
  of 
  

   the 
  Culebra. 
  At 
  an 
  elevation 
  between 
  9,000 
  and 
  10,000 
  feet 
  we 
  found 
  

   the 
  sun 
  shining 
  brightly 
  and 
  the 
  air 
  warm 
  and 
  pleasant 
  and 
  full 
  of 
  life. 
  

  

  Between 
  the 
  mountains 
  proper 
  and 
  San 
  Luis 
  on 
  the 
  west, 
  there 
  in- 
  

   tervenes 
  a 
  small 
  valley 
  or 
  plan 
  8 
  to 
  10 
  miles 
  long 
  from 
  north 
  to 
  south, 
  

   and 
  several 
  miles 
  across. 
  This 
  is 
  separated 
  from 
  the 
  San 
  Luis 
  Valley 
  

   by 
  a 
  low 
  range 
  of 
  hills. 
  This 
  'causes 
  the 
  southern 
  branch 
  of 
  the 
  Culebra 
  

   to 
  run 
  i^arallel 
  to 
  the 
  range 
  for 
  so 
  long 
  a 
  distance. 
  Traveling 
  north- 
  

   ward, 
  close 
  to 
  high 
  mountains 
  and 
  crossing 
  several 
  streams 
  on 
  the 
  way, 
  

   we 
  camped 
  high 
  up 
  on 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  branches 
  of 
  the 
  Culebra. 
  The 
  next 
  

   day 
  we 
  made 
  station 
  116, 
  on 
  the 
  Culebra 
  Peak, 
  the 
  highest 
  summit 
  be- 
  

  

  