Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1867-11-09

Hor SPRINGs.-About twelve miles to
the west of Desert District, on the main
travelled road to Humboldt, there are
several hot water springs, which are
quite an attractive feature to persons
travelling that way, and il is seldom a
stranger comes b. there but he stops to
see them. When passing along, last
week, VIC made O brief examination of
them, as they are quite similar to some
hot springs just north of Salt Lake City,
which We examined in 1850. The loca-
ton Of these springs out on the Desert,
is on the north slope of q gently rising
bench of barren waste land, sc barren,
indeed, that not q tree, bush, or even a
bunch of sage-brush grows as far as the
eye IAN see. There are two large
springs, one Of them about twenty feet
long by six feet wide, with q depth Of
from four to ten feet the next largest
being circular, and in diameter about
Eve feet each way, with m uncertain
depth, but o person can see down into
the water at least fifteen fest-when
large boulders obstruct a farther view
down into the bowels Of the earth,
where the fiery furnace is supposed to
exist. The Innings Of these caldrons
are large boulders, and their rounded
points project from the sides in several
instances a foot or two. The water is
scalding hot, and bubbles and boils, and
almost froths on the surface-indicating
an immense heat producing source I'M
derneath. The large springs each have
An outlet, and we noticed a constant
discharge of q volume of hot water that
would fill q half gallon measure in cir
conference. In addition to the two
large springs, there are also four or FIVE
smaller ones, equally as hot as the water
Of the larger. They are all clustered
around in a space of not over n hum
dred and fifty feet square, and on a cold
morning the steam which arises from
them is said to remind a person Of the
devil cooking his breakfast, or the
witches Of Macbeth holding high carni-
val over their bewitched caldron. We
tried the experiment Of ascertaining the
heat of the water by inserting our right
hand into it, but we used considerable
dexterity in withdrawing it, and barely
escaped getting it blistered for our
trouble. While circulating among
some Of the old settlers in Desert Dis
trict, we heard several rather tough
"facts" concerning these springs,
which are worth relating, even at the
risk of imposing upon the credulity Of
our readers. Mrs. James Say, who for
merly lived near the springs, relates
that an emigrant family camped near
these springs one night, and q thirsty
mule belonging to the party, in its eager-
ness to get a drink-there being no other
water within twenty miles-actually run
its nose deep into one of these hot
springs, and then fell head-foremost
down into the narrowest of the two
large ones we have described, where it
persisted before assistance arrived. As
it was dangerous to attempt to haul it
out, the emigrants concluded to let it
remain. The story further goes on /:
Gan that could be seen Of the stewed
mule next morning was the tail aud the
heofs of the hind-legs, which had bub-
bled on to the edge of the stew-po,.
Not a mule nor the signs of a mule, ex-
cept the tail and hoofs, could be seen p
But there is another tradition In '64.
a party of miners on a prospecting tour,
campsd at the hot springs one night,
and having o whole ham among their
stores, they concluded to boil it so,
fastening it we'll to a heavy piece of
wire, they hung it into the hot water,
and when they considered it about time
to be done, as o good boiled ham ought
to be, they went for it, but behold there
was no ham lsft-nothing but the wire!
II was concluded that the DEVILS fire.
men and coal-heavers had smelled the
a and nabbed it As the stakes
Of the Pacific Railroads-both the Gen.
trail and the Union-are set within gun
shot on either side Of these hot springs,
the railway travellers years hence will
find them quite interesting to examine
while the enginesrs arc filling their boil
ers with hot water, as it undoubtedly
will be q wstsring-place, not only for
the locomotive, but also for some all
cure doctors b~ath-house.