Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1873-10-09

r 9, 1878. -
sticks curved like the handle of a cane
and cat them. When Piute sees
swift he extends his stick, and by
dexterous twist of the wrist spins The
lizard III the air, catching him in his
hand as he comes down. The flesh Of
these lizards resembles the meat Of q
bnflfrug;; andd they are said tU he even
f6f9 deliSdons.> AS fist as31ie Indians
ea9h them tAaE.. string item around
them one by~ one, Is they become
hungry.
SWIMMING IN THEs ALT LAKE.
There are no fish in the Great Salt
Lake. The only living thing beneath
it's waters is q worm about g quarter
OF an inch long. This worm showsup
beautifully beneath the lens of micro.
scope. When storm arises the worms
are driven ashore by thousands. and
devoured by the black gulls. We
found a pure stream pouring into q
lake. 1t was filed with little clubs
anc sinners. The fish became fright:
ened and were driven down the brook
into the briny lake. The instant they
touched its waters they came to the
surface belly upward, and died without
a gasp.
The water is remarkably buoyant.
Eggs and potatoes float upon it like
corks. MIR. Rood and myself stripped
and went in swimming. I dove into
the lake from long pier, which had
been built for the use of a small steam-
boat that formerly piled upon the lake.
The sensation was novel. The water
was so salt that my eyes and ears began
to smart but so buoyant, IT, found
no difficulty in floating even when the
air va exhausted in;a1y: luntS;. As I
struck: out forthe beaeh.I felt Is light
as 1 FEATHER: In spite of oil that I
could do my heels would fly out of the
watef.. l found it impossible to stand
upon the bottom: Tho Gghtness of the
water and tho 5surgin6 of the waves
forced my feet from under me. A per-
son VINO could not swim might be
easily drowned IN five feet IF water.
His head "ould go down like a lump
OF lead, while his feet would fly up like
pair of ducks. The water is as clear
as the water of Seneca Lake, so clear
that the bottom could be seen at the
depth of twenty feet. When we reach.
ed the shore and crawled out upon the
sand in the light of the sun, our bodies
were quickly coated with salt. We were
compelled to 60 to the little stream
from which We had driven the chubs
and sinners, and wash off IN fresh wa
ter before we put on our clothes. Our
hair was filed with grains of salt which
could not be washed out. The Nor.
mons occasionally visit the lake in
drovos for the purpose of bathing.
Many of them say that their health is
improved by leaving he salt upon
their bodies and dressing without wip.
ing themselves with napkins.
AN OYSTER EXPERIMENT..
I saw no sailboats upon the lake.
But few people live near it's shores,
and probably none of them know how
to manage cat-rigged boat. The
steamboat lies hard aground, and is
rarely used. 1t is one-horse affair:
and last year ran between Corinne aud
the southern shore of the lake. The
company collapsed, owing to lack of
freight.
1t is a question whether shrin,ps,
crabs, and ocean fish will live in the
waters of the Great Salt Lake. A drum
fish or shark thrivcs in the shallow
lago0ns of Florida. The water in
these lagoons is three times as salt as
the water of the ocean. The sulphur
in the Great Salt Lake would not kill
salt water fish, because such fish live
in, the sulphur springs Of Florida. The
fish might fail to secure proper food in
the. lake, and dia of starvation. One
thing is certain. If the lake was filled
with sea fish it would become one OF
the most popular resorts west of the
Missouri River. As it is, people shun
it as though it were a graveyard. Some
years ago gentleman planted bed OF
oysters at the mouth of Bear River,
one of the tributaries of the lake. The
oysters died. Since then nobody has
invested a cent in Salt Lake experi.
ments. The only salt water insect l.v-
ing upon it's shores is the mosquito,
and he grows to an enormous size.
THE GREAT BASIN FILLING UP WITH VA
TER. 49,
All sorts of theories are advanced
concerning the outlet of this vast BODY
or water. Over a dozen rivers of re.
spectacle size enter into the lake. Last
year party of explorers claimed to
have discovered a whirlpool through
which the water was funneled into the
Pacific Ocean. The newspapers were
filed withttheir reports, but the whole
thing tsrnedeput humbug. Since
then soma genius has printed story
asserting that's green-ribbed boat was
driven into an unknown vortex while
sailing upon the lake, and that the
same boat was picked up below thu
Black Canon of the Colorado twenty
four hours afterward. This was Lit,
tie too much for even the Mormons
and now, when anybody advances .
theory concerning the outlet of tn,
great inland sea, people listen with NJ
incredulous smile. 1t seems to be set.
tied that the lake has no outlet, ant
that it's water is only kept within
bounds through its evaporation by til,
sun.
The water of the lake has certainl,
risen twenty feet since the Mormon
first entered the valley. I have see1
Saints who tell me that they used to e,
in swimming ut the foot of Black Rock
The rock is now several hundred feet
from the shore, and is surrounded b,
twenty feet of water. If the lake rise
III the same proportion for hundre,
years the Saints will be. drowned ont
and Salt Lake City VII be sunk a
deep as Sodom and Gomorrah. Owe
twenty years ago the NIoYmons drove
herd, of-~-chufch.s catnes-over t.
Church Islabd, : which proved won.
dssfdl grazing sisSalhhad. They:Sfound
ridge extending from the main land t,
the island covered by barely three fee
fEUf watef: For years they drove thei
herds over this ridge. To-day til,
ridge is over twenty feet deep, and n,
beeves have been taken from the islant
for years. Thousands of wild cattl'
roam over It's valleys and gcrges. Blu
one family ever lived there. and tina
was the family of the church herder
Last year he died, and the island il
now deserted. At some time the wate
has filed the whole Salt Lake valley
A rim or shore line is visible on til
side of the mountains thousands o
feet above the city. This rim is s.,
plainly defined that Il railroad can b,
built ON the side Of the range for nile
at stretch, without cxcavating n tol
of rock -. >-.>.
| The Grape Crop.
A correspondent estimates the GRO:
Of Catawbas Oh Kelley's Island ut abon