The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1868-07-09
The Alkaline Devvs OF the west.

A correspondent of the Chicago Tribune
writes of the country west Of Laramie, on
the Pacific railroad:
From Laramie to here the country is
very miserable and very curious. Here
and there patch of Buffalo glass may be
seen, but rarely anything except sage
brush and cactus. The ground seems in
capable of producing anything else. The
banks of all the small streams glisten with
white where the alkah water has eyapor-
ated. Almost all the small streams here
are impregnated with this alkali 1t rem
ders the water almost useless fer all prac-
tical purposes, but it produces some very
queer effects, as the workmen on the road
and visitors can testify. IF one drinks
much of it the same effect is produced as
If strong dose of salt is taken. This
greatly disgusted the workmen when they
were forced to drink 1t. Nor can this
water be used in the engines with any
effect the steam it makes has no power
The water expends itself ID froth and suds,
and it eats and corrodes the boiler This
has been a great source of annoyance, and
is one of the worst obstacles that the road
has TO overcome, Another peculiarity of
this water is the effect it produces on the
skin of those who wash in it it rougheus
the skin of the hand, just as cold wind
chops it in winter. 1t also psels the skin
from the face, SO that person who uses
this water has a new skin about every
seven days. This is especially the case
where soap is used in washing. The graz
ders west OF here. where the alkali in the
water is much stronger, say that when
soap Is wanted for washing clothes, &C.,
they put some grease in the alkali water,
stir 1t with stick, and there is soap.
Naturally 1t costs but very little, and when
treights are reduced on the road it is pro-
posed to supply the whole United States
with cheap and good soap. Unfortunately
there is no demand for that article among
the indians, and the Great Western Soap
Factory cannot be started at present As
1t is, every man is his own soapmaker.
The result of this bad water has been to
force the railroad company to dig deep
wells along the line of the road. Bat even
this is not always satisfactory the well
at Wyoming, fifteen miles west Of Lara
ME, is almost useless on account of the
alkall. In some places along the road the
country is almost completely covered with
the low, thick sage brush, useless for any
thing, except in some places where the
wood is SO large that it can be burned. In
this region, where the land happens to be
free from the sage brush, it is often so i'm
pregnated with the alkali that for two or
three inches down the earth crumbles and
sinks beneath the feet like ashes Every
now and then there are foundis this region
| drifts of fossil of fish, oysters, clans, &C.,
thrown up from the bottom oPthe sea quite
time ago. Some of these fish are so
well preserved that the glitter of the geld
and silver IN their scales is almost as bright
as ever. The oysters and CLAIMS are tre-
! mendous in size, and wonld do we'll for
the giants of the oIden days Some of the
snakes are quite large in size, but few of
them are perfect. Some of them are found
imbedded in red sand stone, while others
lie loose in the earth. Along with thess
are to be found many sea shells of various
kinds. In some cases The fish will be found
split open, and all the bones perfectly pre-
served. Some of these drifts are on the
top of bluffs, while others are low down.