﻿330 
  EEPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SURVEY. 
  

  

  tween 
  Sangre 
  de 
  Cristo 
  Pass 
  and 
  the 
  Colorado 
  line. 
  The 
  weather 
  was 
  

   quite 
  clear, 
  but 
  the 
  clouds 
  continually 
  passing 
  over 
  us 
  and 
  shading 
  the 
  

   peak 
  made 
  it 
  much 
  colder 
  than 
  was 
  comfortable. 
  The 
  wind 
  was 
  now 
  

   from 
  the 
  nortl^, 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  very 
  interesting 
  to 
  see 
  how 
  the 
  clouds 
  were 
  

   gradually 
  consumed 
  before 
  it. 
  Some, 
  as 
  they 
  passed 
  over 
  Fort 
  Garland, 
  

   would 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  mile 
  in 
  diameter, 
  but 
  before 
  they 
  reached 
  us 
  they 
  

   would 
  be 
  nearly 
  destroyed. 
  The 
  manner 
  in 
  which 
  they 
  melted 
  away 
  

   before 
  the 
  dry 
  air 
  from 
  the 
  north 
  was 
  curious 
  in 
  the 
  extreme. 
  

  

  On 
  September 
  19 
  we 
  marched 
  to 
  Fort 
  Garland. 
  In 
  the 
  evening 
  a 
  

   blustering 
  wind 
  arose 
  from 
  the 
  west, 
  which 
  soon 
  brought 
  up 
  a 
  storm, 
  

   and 
  snow 
  fell 
  thick 
  and 
  fast 
  all 
  night. 
  Soon 
  a 
  fierce 
  wind 
  came 
  down" 
  

   from 
  the 
  north, 
  caused 
  by 
  the 
  sudden 
  cooling 
  of 
  the 
  high 
  Sierra 
  Blanca 
  

   by 
  the 
  fall 
  of 
  snow. 
  The 
  next 
  day 
  the 
  wind 
  continued, 
  with 
  occasional 
  

   showers 
  of 
  rain 
  and 
  some 
  snow, 
  but 
  on 
  all 
  the 
  high 
  sumniits 
  the 
  snow 
  fell 
  

   without 
  cessation, 
  and 
  they 
  were 
  entirely 
  hidden 
  from 
  view, 
  being 
  en- 
  

   veloped 
  in 
  the 
  clouds. 
  During 
  the 
  night 
  four 
  or 
  five 
  inches 
  of 
  snow 
  fell 
  

   on 
  the 
  valley, 
  and 
  the 
  mercury 
  reached 
  a 
  minimum 
  of 
  22°. 
  The 
  second 
  

   day 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  slight 
  break 
  in 
  the 
  storm 
  during 
  the 
  forenoon, 
  but 
  it 
  

   soon 
  set 
  in 
  steadily 
  raining 
  and 
  snowing. 
  During 
  the 
  third 
  day, 
  Sep- 
  

   tember 
  22, 
  the 
  storm 
  lightened 
  considerably 
  and 
  cleared 
  away 
  during 
  

   the 
  night. 
  In 
  this 
  three 
  days' 
  storm 
  there 
  fell 
  about 
  one 
  foot 
  of 
  snow 
  on 
  

   San 
  Luis 
  Valley 
  and 
  about 
  two 
  feet 
  on 
  the 
  Sangre 
  de 
  Cristo 
  Eange. 
  

   During 
  the 
  storm 
  we 
  were 
  furnished 
  quarters 
  at 
  the 
  fort, 
  and 
  I 
  take 
  

   this 
  occasion 
  to 
  thank 
  the 
  officers 
  at 
  the 
  post, 
  on 
  behalf 
  of 
  our 
  party, 
  for 
  

   the 
  very 
  kind 
  treatment 
  we 
  received 
  at 
  their 
  hands. 
  

  

  On 
  the 
  morning 
  of 
  September 
  23 
  we 
  started 
  up 
  the 
  East 
  Fork 
  of 
  the 
  

   Sangre 
  de 
  Cristo, 
  known 
  as 
  Indian 
  Creek, 
  and 
  camped 
  at 
  the 
  summit. 
  

   The 
  ground 
  was 
  covered 
  deep 
  with 
  snow. 
  After 
  making 
  station 
  119, 
  

   near 
  this 
  pass, 
  we 
  traveled 
  southward 
  and 
  climbed 
  upon 
  the 
  mountain 
  

   riclge 
  south 
  of 
  the 
  station. 
  We 
  rode 
  along 
  the 
  divide 
  for 
  four 
  or 
  five 
  

   miles, 
  at 
  an 
  elevation 
  ranging 
  from 
  12,000 
  to 
  13,000 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  sea, 
  

   A 
  stiff 
  breeze 
  was 
  blowing 
  from 
  the 
  east, 
  and 
  the 
  snow 
  on 
  the 
  ridge 
  

   was 
  nearly 
  two 
  feet 
  deep. 
  On 
  attaining 
  the 
  summit 
  of 
  a 
  high 
  peak, 
  

   where 
  we 
  expected 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  station, 
  we 
  found 
  the 
  wind 
  blowing 
  so 
  

   hard 
  that 
  we 
  could 
  scarcely 
  stand 
  against 
  it. 
  What 
  was 
  still 
  worse, 
  

   however, 
  thick 
  .fog 
  began 
  to 
  cover 
  the 
  range, 
  and 
  we 
  were 
  forced 
  to 
  re- 
  

   turn 
  in 
  haste. 
  The 
  wind 
  now 
  blew 
  a 
  perfect 
  hurricane 
  directly 
  across 
  

   the 
  ridge, 
  and 
  we 
  were 
  compelled 
  to 
  follow 
  along 
  the 
  crest 
  for 
  nearly 
  

   five 
  miles 
  before 
  we 
  could 
  leave 
  it. 
  Our 
  clothes 
  were 
  soon 
  saturated 
  by 
  

   the 
  driving 
  fog, 
  and 
  the 
  deep 
  snow 
  gave 
  a 
  terrible 
  sharpness 
  to 
  the 
  

   wind 
  passing 
  over 
  it. 
  At 
  times 
  the 
  gusts 
  came 
  so 
  strong 
  that 
  the 
  mules 
  

   were 
  moved 
  bodily 
  several 
  inches, 
  although 
  they 
  leaned 
  far 
  over 
  toward 
  

   the 
  wind. 
  The 
  valley 
  of 
  the 
  Cucharas 
  seemed 
  to 
  act 
  as 
  a 
  funnel, 
  so 
  that 
  

   the 
  wind, 
  spread 
  over 
  many 
  miles 
  of 
  the 
  plain, 
  was 
  forced 
  through 
  this 
  

   narrow 
  place, 
  thus 
  increasing 
  its 
  velocity 
  to 
  such 
  an 
  alarming 
  extent. 
  

   The 
  storm 
  was 
  so 
  blinding 
  that 
  our 
  mules 
  made 
  little 
  headway. 
  Their 
  

   hair 
  hung 
  with 
  icicles, 
  produced 
  from 
  fog 
  by 
  the 
  wind. 
  After 
  a 
  long 
  

   and 
  fearful 
  tramp 
  we 
  finally 
  turned 
  down 
  the 
  east 
  slope 
  and 
  soon 
  found 
  

   ourselves 
  in 
  the 
  timber, 
  where 
  the 
  weather 
  seemed 
  wonderfully 
  warm^ 
  

   in 
  contrast 
  to 
  that 
  above, 
  although 
  great 
  masses 
  of 
  snow 
  covered 
  the 
  

   ground 
  even 
  there. 
  After 
  camping 
  on 
  a 
  head 
  branch 
  of 
  the 
  Cucharas, 
  

   and 
  having 
  a 
  slight 
  fall 
  of 
  snow 
  during 
  night, 
  we 
  crossed 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  

   the 
  canon 
  of 
  the 
  Cucharas. 
  Here 
  we 
  found 
  a 
  road 
  leading 
  over 
  a 
  pass 
  

   southward 
  to 
  some 
  settlements 
  near 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  Purgatory. 
  

   Between 
  the 
  west 
  Spanish 
  Peak 
  and 
  the 
  range 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  sharp 
  hog- 
  

   back, 
  jammed 
  in 
  between 
  the 
  two 
  volcanic 
  formations. 
  From 
  a 
  dis- 
  

  

  