The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1858-09-04
BATHING IN GREAT SALT LAKE,.

10 relieve the tedlum OF the week, We
made an excursion to day to the Great Salt
Lake. Just as the ambulance was ready to
start, | noticed small intensely back boy
s:rollins along the sidewalk. 1t occurred
to mo that we might make the trip one of
philanthropy as well as pleasure, and | sug-
gcsted that we should offer Lee seat beside
the driver, with view to test the effect of
the water on his color The idea was hailed
with acclamation; Lee was hoisted to his
place, and in Il few minutes we were rattling
over the rickcty bridge across the Jordan.
The point to which we directed our course
was the Black Rock, which juts INTO the
Lake just at the extremity Of the 0quirrh
or West Mountains, which sepaate the
plain in which the city stard' from Tulla
Valley. The road, eighteen miles Iong, is
entirely monotonous, nothing but stunted
sage brush, ntermixed with grass, lining its
whole extent. A few farm houses, all de-
serted, were scatt ,red along the base of the
mountain. The view of the lake grows
broader anu bru"usI, aiid inv. I:-.urpsuua
throughout the last five miles of the DIST tahGe,
until, when We reached the shore, the great
bottom which intervrnes between its margin
and the foot of the Wasatch range is almost
entirely lost sight of; the mountain slopes,
their SUBMITS capped with snow, seem to de-
sccnd into water on every side except the
north, on which the blue line of the horizon
is interrupted only by Antelope Island
Tho prospect in that direction is apparently
as llimi,able as from the shore Of an OCEAN.
The sky was perfectly clear, and the water
as intensely blue, except where it dashed
over the fragments fallen from the rock, or
where some swell, moro aspiring than his
ncishbors, had ovcrreached itself, and bro
ken into thin line Of foam. Through a
gap in the ranges along the western shore,
the sandy line Of the Great Desert was dimly
visible underneath q wavcring strcam Of
heated air. The shore of the lake was
marked by broad belt of fine sand, the
grains of which are all globular. Along its
upper margin is rank growth of reeds and
salt grass. Swarms of tiny flies covered
the surface of every half evarorated pool
along the water line, few white seagulls
were drifting on the swells, and half dozen
goslings, hatched under hen from the eggs
of wild goose, were summing themselves
among the reeds these last the property of
the little white headed daughters Of a salt
boiler, the smoke from whose furnace was
curling over the isthmus of fragments which
connects the great Black Rock with the
shore.
We undressed near spring which bubbles
into a basin constructed for the use of bath
ers to wash off the coating of salt which is
the result Of plunge into tho lake. A
Mormon Vandal with the obsequious name
of Jones, desiring to deprive US Gentle
invaders of the privilege of the bath, had
torn down one side of the basin, but We re-
placed the stones, and rearranged the hol-
lowed log which conducted the water into a
trough used for the same purpose. Retain
ing our sombrcros, shirts and boots, VIC
marched across the isthmus, chatting with
the salt boiler and inspecting his furnace
on the way. lie was ignorant of everything
that had transpired in the city since last
month, and asked US whether the Mormons
we're going to fight, though perhaps this
question was suggested by the sight Of one
of the party whom incessant fear Of Danites
had prompted to promenade down from the
spring with a pair of revolvers buckled
around his semi-nude corpus, Sharpe's
rifle in his hand, and an ammunition. pouch
swung over his shoulder. Arrived at the
point of the rock, we discncumbered our
selves of our remaining clothing, and ex-
changing mutual pledges not to spatter,
descended by inches into the water. My
companions soon became so absorbed in ex-
perimenting for the safest attitude in which
to float without danger of getting the brine
into ears, mouth, nose or eyes, that Lee
seemed to be forgotten by everybody but
myself. But the merits of my scheme for
emancipation had taken such hold upon nv
mind, that l waited anxiously for his ap-
pearance; and as soon as he had reached
the point Of the rock (he had followed mod
estly behind us) seized him and ducked
him. He was very slippery and soon re-
gained the ledge Of rock, very much terrified
by a remark which somebody in the ambu-
lance had made, that we intended to turn
him into sperm candle and burn him that
very night, using his wool for wick. l
watched him drying with delish, that you
cannot appreciate as he gradually whitened
in the sunshine. 1t required much persua-
sion and some force to duck hima second
time, and after we had succeeded he esca-
ped from our grasp, and ran to dry in front
OF the salt boilers fire. We swan and
hoated, as buoyant as corks, until there was
hardly one Of the party who was not crying
Or swearing at pungent effects of the water
on his eyes. Then we resumed our pastor
al attire, and scrambled back to the spring.
Short as was the distance, the heat Of the
day was such that we dried, and found our
selves powdered with salt before We reached
it. The basin answered its purpose, not.
Jones's malicious ravapes, The
cool, clear, fresh water removed every par
ticle Of salt. We ate a hearty dinner Of
eggs, butter, bread and sweet milk in front
Of the salt boilers cabin, and then drove
Lee, white as snowdrop, back to the city
to his master, falling asleep one by one in
the drowsy sunshine, which seemed to strike
the ambulance before, behind and on
both sides We were awakened only BY the
rattle Of our wheels over the rieksty Jordan