The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1875-08-13
THE AMERICAN ARID SE1.

On the west of the lake, north of the
end of Cedar mountain, the Great
Desert begins-sOme five thousand
square mites of sand and alkali, only q
few feet higher than the lake. Doubt
less it was once a part of the lake, and
possibly it will be again, for the lake
surface has risen some fifteen feet since
its first survey by Stansbury, in lS49,
and as much more will cover much of
that desert Straight south the
Oquirrh range rises very abruptly from
the end of the lake, there being barely
room for wagon and railroad to pass !;
in fact, it is assumed by geologists that
Antelope Island is but continuation
of that range, the bres k between COW
cred by the salt water flowing over
low pass. Twenty miles or SO away /
can make out the peak on which stood
six weeks ago and took general view
of this and Rush lakes and the adjoin-
ing valleys 1t is often said that there
is no living thing in Great Salt Lake,
but this is not strictly true. There is
a minute animalcule at the bottom, re-
semblng fine shaving of the skin
from ones finger more than anything
else | can compare it to. AS it grows
in size it beats in towards the land by
the action Of the waves, and finally
swells up into the likeness Of a worm
and floats upon the water. The boat
men think that the flies, which are so
numerous around the edges Of the lake,
breed from this worm, and this idea is
ct, ln,,1 l,x- h., E.. l,oA 81 h,
bulls Of the worm, like abandoned
shells of chrysols, float on the water in
large sections, extending in long dark
lines for hundreds of feet. At first |
supposed these collections were merely
the bodies of drowned flies, but on ex-
animation they proved to be the husks,
so to speak, of what had been worms
All sorts of attempts have been made
to DrOpa gate life in the lake or mouths
of the atfiuent streams, but one and all
have failed. Oysters have been plant
ed at the mouths of the rivers, but
when the wind was up stream the dense
brine from the lake, setting into the
rivers mouth, killed them. Jordan
was stocked with eelS a year OF two
ago, but they flOated down into the
lake and died. One was picked up
long afterwards on the eastern shore,
completely picked. The finder cook
ed and ate it, and found it very pala-
table. Gulls and pel.c ms abound in
places around the lake, feeding on the
flies and worms. Captain Stansbury
reports finding blind pelican which
had been fed by its companions and
kept fat. At points where grassy
marshes border the lake the buffalo
gnats are numerous and troublesome
There are indications that buffalo were
abundant in this basin q hundred years
ago. The Indians say the Great Spirit
changed them all into crickets The
latter were very destructive to the
first crops of the MOrmOns, until the
gulls came in immense focl<s and ate
them up. The Mormon historian in
pious gratitude says: There were no
guits in the country Before the Nor
mons came" In one meaning of that
word this is on par for righteousness
with that statement in the Book of
Mormon Great darkness over
spread the land: yea. darkness wherein
a fire could not be kindled with the
dryest wood. Cincinnati CONNER
ciGi