Congress {oWen Highway
Over "Roof World" i rv $
Rocky Mountain
cTTV"
By JOHN DICKINSON SHERMAN
WO hundred and eighty
thousand dollars will be
appropriated at the next
session of congress for the
Improvement In 1924 of
the world-famous Fall
River road over the "Roof
of the World" in Rocky
Mountain National park.
Anyway, that Is what Is asserted by
members of congress who crossed the
Oolorado Continental Divide on It this
summer and at an elevation of 11,797
feet rode through 15-foot snowbanks
and enjoyed the panoramic view of
100 miles. Presumably it was the scen
ery that Inspired the appropriation
program ; certainly some of the con
gressmen declared that the vacation
season of 1924 would find them there
again. Nevertheless, Representative
S. E. Winslow of Massachusetts appar
ently spoke by the card when he said
at a dinner In Denver:
"1 am a firm believer in national
highways. I also believe In making
them so safe that the nervous person
can ride over them without a tremor.
As to the Fall River road I say this:
If the transportation busses should be
widened six inches and the road should
be left as It is, Td never ride over the
Fall River road again!"
Apparently the Massachusetts rep
resentative considers the Fall River
road none too wide. He is right.
While the road Is safe to efficient
drivers, it Is only a one-way road, with
turn-outs for cars that meet. And
there are places where the passengers
la the outside car can look pretty
nearly straight down and see lots of
scenery a thousand feet below.
The visitors therefore felt that the
highway should be made a two-way
road. The park people figured that
$280,000 would add six feet to its
width and make it a two-way road.
8o that Is why the Fall River road
may get $280,000 ? with a string tied
to It ? at the next session of congress.
The Rocky Mountain enthusiasts,
however, are mostly from Missouri ?
- ^congress will have to show them. The
truth Is that Rocky Mountain has had
cents from congress while Yellowstone,
Yosemlte, Glacier and other national
parks have had dollars. The why and
wherefore is a mystery.
Private enterprise established the
hotels and laid out the trails. Lari
mer and Grand counties constructed
the few roads. A public spirited citi
zen built the eastern entrance. The
Estcs Park Woman's club gave the
ground for an administration building.
The state of Colorado built the Fall
River road.
The official reports of the national
park service show these interesting
facts:
Rocky Mountain's attendance in 1922
was 219,104, with 52;112 private cars.
That of the threo other parks was:
MAY BLOSSOM
The May blossom Is the subject of
some curious superstitions. Both the
black and white thorn are said to be
descended from the thorn of India,
which, being sprung from lightning, la
not only Immune from danger In a
thunderstorm, but possesses many
magical gifts, a recent writer tells us.
The leaves from it are believed by
many people to be a cure for all
cases of inflammation, while a bough
Yellowstone, 98,223, with 18,253 cars;
Yosemite, 100,506, with 19,583 ears;
Glacier, 23,935, with 2,416 cars. Rocky
Mountain therefore had only 3,500
fewer visitors than the other three
parks combined and 11,860 more cars.
Rocky Mountain, 1917-22, has had
1,122,042 visitors. Those of the three
other parks total as follows: Yellow
stone, 378,587; Yosemite, 387,294; Gla
cier, 112,549. Rodiy Mountain has
therefore had, 19t$22,- no less than
243,612 more visitors than Yellowstone,
Yosemite and Glacier combined.
Rocky Mountain's appropriation for
the fiscal year of 1924 (calendar year
1923) Is $74,280. That of the three
other parks Is: Yellowstone, $368,000;
Yosemite, $295,000; Glacier, $225,000.
Rocky Mountain, 1917-24, has had
appropriations aggregating $293,180.
Those of the three other parks for the
same period total as follows: Yellow
stone, $2,049,506.12; Yosemite, $2,038,
000; Glacier, $1,178,113.21.
It Is true that Yellowstone and Yo
semite return considerable revenues to
the United States treasury. Yellow
stone's revenue in 1922 was $165,014.13
and Yosemite' s $131,797.51, while Gla
cier's was $6,082.71. Rocky Moun
tain's was but $2,695.41. But the gov
ernment policy is to make the na
tional parks ultimately self-supporting
ad to administration, maintenance and
protection, with appropriations for
permanent Improvements. Rocky
Mountain produces no revenue to the
government because the government
has made practically no improvements.
Fancy overlooking such a business op
portunity as Rocky Mountain!
However, even the Doubting Thom
ases are less pessimistic than usual
this ' time ? since the congressional
committee does not propose to give
Rocky Mountain the $280,000 outright,
but plans to get the money all back
from tourists using the road. The
plan, as prepared by Senator Robinson
and approved by Senator Warren and
the other members, Is that each car
owner using the Fall River road be
taxed one dollar for a season pass
which allows him as many trips as he
chooses and pays for all his passen
gers. These fees will go into a sink
ing fund to repay the government,
which Is to advance the money for
"immediate use" In the spring of
1924.
This fee of one dollar applies only
to Fall River road. Entrance to
Rocky Mountain National park Is free.
There are three entrances for auto
mobiles: East, Estes Park; south,
Ix>ngs Peak; west, Grand Lake. The
Fall River road runs east and west
through the park, from Estes Park to
Grand Lake. Owing to the typography
it is the only east and west roa<J that
can be built and no north nnd south
road Is possible. The plan, therefore.
In effect makes the only automobile
highway through the park a govern
ment toll road.
of blossoms hung at the door Is safe
guard against witches, but t,be blos
som should not be taken Into the
house lest It bring disease with It.
Many old countrymen will not cut
down a hawthorn bush. They do not
know why, though actually they are
perpetuating an old belief that the
bush Is sacred, because from It the
crown of thorns was made.
Dwellers on Vesuvius.
There are nearlv 100,000 Inhabitants
on tire dopes ana skirts of Vesuvius.
Scenically the Fall River road is a
wonder. Globe-trotters say It Is un
surpassed In the whole world. For
miles It Is 500 feet above tlmberllne ?
often It Is above the clouds.
The senators and representatives
who hold out hopes for the $280,000
appropriations are members of a con
gressional committee that started from
Brooklyn April 27 and wound up in
Rocky Mountain. They visited Porto
Rico, the Canal Zrne and Alaska;
Mount Rainier, Glacier and Yellow
stone National parks. They disbanded
in Denver. The members of the com
mittee all have more or less to do with
appropriation are members of a con
and their trip was in pursuit of first
hand information concerning places
where money is to be spent. Senator
Francis E. Warren of Wyoming, for
instance, is chairman of the senate a\v
propriations committee.
The congressional visitors, wittingty
or unwittingly, followed an ancient
precedent and reserved the best to the
last ? at least that Is what they said
while on the "Roof of the World."
Anyway, they had experiences out of
the ordinary in their automobile trip
from Loveland to Denver, some 150
miles. The varying elevations suggest
its possibilities: Loveland. 5.500; Estes
Park, 7,500; Roof of the World, 11,797;
Milner pass, 10.700; Colorado river,
9,040; Grand Lake, 8,375; Berthoud
pass, 11,330; thence through the Den
ver mountain parks to Denver, 5,000.
They started from Estes Park in the
bright warm sunshine of a summer
day over the Fall River road, which
follows the old Ute trail up over the
Continental Divide, as shown In pho
tograph No 1. They saw entrancing
views .from the hairpin turns of the
switchbacks, as they climbed np along
the Fall river churning through Its
rocky gorge (No. 3). On the Roof of the
World they followed the path of a
tractor through a great drift ? here the
road engineers bobbled; they should
have carried the road a hundred feet'
higher so that the winds would keep
It clear. Ten days later the visitors
would have found the entire roof
adorned with nntold millions of Alpine
flowers. A picture (No, 2) shows the
party In the cut through the drift,
Park Superintendent Roger W. Toll of
the national parks service standing
at the right and President Roe Emery
of the Rocky Mountain Parks Trans
portation company at the wheel of
the first car. ,
? f .
The visitors, in fact, kept the camera
men busy and have many interesting
photographic souvenirs. One, for ex
ample, shows Senator Warren, Sena
tor J. T. Robinson of Arkansas and
Representative E. T. Taylor of Colo
rado ? in overcoats and gloves. An
other shows Representative Winslow, !
Representative C. L. Underbill of Mas
sachusetts and Representative Harry
Wurzbach of Texas? also In overcoat?
and equally glad of it. A third photo- ?
graph shows Representative C. L. ,
Abernethy of North Carolina, Mrs,
Abernethy, Mrs. Robinson and Mrs.
Wurzbach ? the ladles In furs and quits
pleased over the fact.
Basis of Chewing Gum.
Chicle, the crude guta used as the
base in the manufacture of chewing
gum, Is derived frbm the sapodllla
trees which grow in the mahogany
forests. The best quality of chicle
Is produced In the states of Yucatan
and Campeche In Mexico, in Guate
mala and In some parts of British
Honduras.
Canadian Labor Roll.
The Canadian Federation of Labor
has a membership of 22,000k
OUR COMIC SECTION
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