Pioche daily record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1872-1876, 1875-08-07
4 RELIC OF THE PRE-HIs-
TORIC PAST.


Sitting in our sanctum Thursday after
noon and sweeping the horizon with a
powerful field glass in vain endeavors TO
note the advent of the mail pony. that
connecting link of animated lethargy
that binds us to the outward world, we
noted on the mountain side an object
that at once attracted our most earnest
attention. The extraordinary clearness
of our mountain atmosphere, and the
good quality of the instrument enabled
us to note the appearance OF the startling
phenomenon. 1t appeared 10 be the
dismantled hull OF what was evidently
ones a clipper built ship of fair proper
tions and goodly shape. 1t did MT seem
over cables length from the Office win
dow, and presented most startling and
as it were for!orn appearance. Gazing
at that relic of ages long since lapsed
into the dim shadowyness of the past,
many thoughts thronged through the
threshold of orr refectives. What an
eient mariner sailed down this pliocene
lake when the vast valley that now
spreads away in blllowy fluctuations of
crest and hollow to the distant hills of
Utah was lake with azure brow aud
crystal depths, unrutfled by rude keels OF
disturbing vessels save of hardy adven-
turers, such as sailed the coasts and ex-
plored the ocean caves of ED. The sad
reflection forced itself on our mind how
true the poet sings when he says "the
works of man outlive their builder"
The prehistoric navigator who sailed
the Nevada seas when the world WAS
young and earth was fresh in her pris-
tine beauty, is gone, his bones may lay
petrified meath the frail bark that car
ried him and his fortunes over strange
waters and unknown lands, yet the work
of his hands still remains when his name
Id forgotten, monument of lonely
grandeur in the desert waste.
Never hearing OF the wreck before, and
not knowing OF any antiquarian society
that we could gain research from relative
to marine craft, we are unable to say to
what period of naval architecture this
strange and ominous craft of yore may
with propriety be assigned. Her length
over all appeared to be some 1913 feet
more or less; width of beam 36 feet, and
seemed as though when under full head
of sail and going before a mountain
zephyr, she would draw about five feet
of water and attain fair rate OF
speed. The bow-sprit was gone, but
the for ard and stun-sail masts were still
standing, with the bolt ropes glistening
in the rays of the August sun. Not
rag of canvas was to be seen, and the
planks of her decks and sides we're yawn-
ing widely long since bereft of oakum or
caulkiDg. From the position of the
hapless wreck we should Judge that she
at the time of the wreck was jlbing and
was thrown on her beam ends. She now
lies quill by half-quill, nor nor least by
east. and the shifting sands of time and
the desert are slowly sitting through her
worn timbers and hiding her from NOR
tai view. There it lays looking out, like
a sphynx on the plain, and if those bat
tered walls of oak could but give tongue.
what tales of ocean might be told, what
deeds of daring might be recounted, and
what achievements of ancient mariners
might be related. In the busy whirl of
everyday life, with the needs of the pres
ent to provide for and the demands of
the day to be fulfilled, lis like voice
from the dark cave of past centuries to
see this stranded bark and note its sad
plight and gradual decay. Lest our read
ers might deem us guilty of drawing on
our imagination, we say that visit to
the spot and a look through our achro-
matte field glass will convince the most
skeptical of the existence of this phe-
nomenon. When Schoppman, the dis
tinguished surveyor and geologist, last
stood on jeff Davis Peak, he declared
that the last rays of the orb of day (as it
! slowly sunk behind the grim mountains
OF the Patterson rnnge) We're reflected
from the grey hull and yellow masts of a
wreck, but at the time, none of his hear
ers supposed that such was the real case
Yet so 1t is. There lays that wreck in
| silent and solemn grandeur, no flag floats
from her masthead, no legibe mark can
be discerned as to whence she came, or
| to what nation her owner owed allegiance:
dread grim, lmpenetrable mystery sur
rounds this lll-starred vessel, and amid
the resounding shock of the busy world 8
claDg and the tumultuous rush OF the
men of to-day, that silent monument
stands, an evidence of mans ephemeral
! greatness and a reminder of the shortness
OF time and the duration of eternity.
When the worlds development is CON.
| plete, and the throngng millions that
now play their parts in the great drama
of life, have melted like streaks of morn.
ing cloud into the infinite azure of eter-
nifty the history of this vessel and the
era 1t represents may be made clear. Till
that time We must rest in quiet anticipa.
ton. and, trusting in passive hope, look
forward to the fruition of time and the
''''' VI 'no 'oi VII Vi e'ern'y'
The following is an extrac, from pri.
vate letter to gentleman of this citv
It is written from Clinton I,a;on. ona
49, ''n'O'' Anu''n", "nu
saSs. III answer 10 your inquiry
"n' guy .nu' tne hEoohp mas been com,
Ing as res'iariy as could be expected. iol
sometime generally in instruments oil
| os manv dave o,,;n,, ~, a. -