, 1876-02-05
4 GRAND PROJECT.
t,fcnttJtH fttl fnlnnd HcH, mud Ttttts
afafstna Arabia Ovor Ao,ooo.ooo Acres

witt, tho great Colombo RVef Of tha West, OK. |
tend,nR ftom f,oRr Tho Gnlf Of California In
direction woAt OF north. pAssloe through the
state Of California And Into The 6thto of Nevada,
q distance Of nearly 700 miles from tho Gulf Of
California. Tho itat is a1jacons to tho Guls OF
California, and tho moutl, or outlot Of Colorado
l:sYer, and IL known as the Great Colorado
Desert, ombracfng tho immense aroa Of JB.400.-
6o0 acres Of agricultural land It Ia we'll adapted
to cultivation, aud for the producing Of tho |
krapclitoe. lon,on. orange. aud Ia fact all tho
tropical fruits. Tho climate In tho larger po1-
lion Of this valley Is vory uniform, tho tier
mometer ranging from so to los dog. whicl,
would bo slightly modified BY tho introduction
Of water into valley which is. At tho present
.imo, dry, and eyon without sprinkle OF rain,
and possibly has boon 70 s,nce the creation.
The slight exceptions that would make to tue
limits OF waters Of this wiley follows: In
limos Of extreme high water or great ovcr1ous
OF the Cotorado River. the water las sat back
into tho ccntr6 Of this great Colorado Desert a
dlatsuco OF 900 miles. At its western torder,-a
mineral rAuge of tho Sierra Nevada Mouutatns,
there nro fow sintll salt springs, coming cut
below the great shoro line. Which Is traceAble by
the oye at q distance Of IL miles. It MAS made
by the water proyous 10 the draining OF tlis
valley, and nt time When tho dcaert y a. part
Of tho Pacific Ocean upon its eaatern, border;
and At the fool. Of tho IMMORAL range
aro fo,iud few Email hot a!rings imprcgnatad
with sulphur very strongly, and, In Soma caseH.
~ salt as tie water of tho Atlantic. Theso
waters disappear IN tho soil at short distance
from tholf fountain. They ara clueLerod with
tho beautiful loug teafoi palm-troe.
Tho Edeu which this valley could be tnado can
scarcely bo imagined. American tourists. and
admirers Of tho workmanship o. God md Of
Nature. road of tho Alps. tho Andes and Italy.
and 1nNr To feel lk6tkNl LOnllYfs
| wj,eu ihcir aoule and minds shoud roatizo the
fact that our own nn.ivo land is tile chief OF all
| Of cartt's brightest and purcss ioMe|e.
I 90 back 10 tho descrt. and the time. on tho
! 6th dav Of January. 1873,-sho coldest motith
| Of the snason,-I found myself At or uoar r
! spring called tho Thonsahd Palms. from the tnct
that there rae great number OF paim-trccs
clustering about tho spring. thcrs found
cotton tree Which, from its immense eizu. oy.-
| IDENTIFY had had long period OF growth, though
Its nature ia most tenaer!y sensitive. # WAS
growing and laden will, hanging Int. md bean.
surface hero md there. It is not question
aa to tho groHth or yield OF the most
profitable proaacts Of the earth In shoso
valle.s. Tic larger part Of this valley has boen
richoned by Tho aalt!nG. and tue decay OF eoa-
fossils. OF whici, tho lumber ia lt1merso. From
ttIu mountain topa thsao aea-slolla hare the ap-
pearanco Of ligh. Snowfall.
Having given brief description Of the great
Colorado Desert. I attetnpt i daserlution Of
Lower Hot Valley, Soda Lake OF Valley, and
Death Valley. Those valleys hhow no particular
SSi The Colorado Desert Is 10 foet below The aes.
iu, Ioas, is go isot below: Death Valley
has depth Of 800 feet below tho
Pacific occau. and tomperasuse OF from 90 70
1870 deg. It may not DO amiaa to give tho
ID moro thnu appropriate, and is derived from
peaks Of its Mineral Mountain border, and tho
fact that . largo number Of n,ou, women, aud
clildron, mud stock layo pesshed In this 1oast-
Ing vallos. fhey acro Of tho early immigrants
10 Southern California. Tho number Of victims
and thoir Hufetlug woEo far grnatnr than those
involved In tho totturlug alounsasa Meadow
Inaslaero. In tho summer Of 1866. ras Wit, Z
party {ot fltty.two Of wuam forty-scyen periah
Sal Which crossed Death Valloy from tho north
Naat to tho southeast. It WAS intensely bot ant
iudasctlbhnly dry In Tho msiu valley: Thafe Il
1atned ia th,a valley. Tho tneanderinEs of ~
their trails. !huir wagon-tsaeks, ,whtcl
sd bosn nsd' Fourteen ,,o'S to s.ss" gssss'
isie, ss,' tpslo hasiug besn no rain q obljteTss
| them. found tlistalllo Implements which th
party had left, Btlcli as monkey-"rouches, a1ea
vagon-tlres, dtc., With clhttod Atsachmenta
what had bdea wood, which bore that sam
breh. polish ns when droppod. There bad no
been sufficient moisture to corrods or rust them
: Tile mineral bolt TO tho east Of this chatu Q
valley s but part Of The gtese mineral bes \
: Tho l1ocho aud parahnisat Minca aro situate
toar tho head OF Death Valley. 1mmedlatal
!, to tho west and southwest arc found tho DIR
j tlicts OF 1yanpah, Now York. aud the d'atn
guishe,l panamint, In which Be,la.ors Jones IN
: stewart i,nyo invested a700Uu0. Many NOR
. | lnrae listric,s tnay bo fouEd Ia tha caster
. range; but 1t Ia el.tito!y una1pioFcd, for want
!. watet., TliR would doubtless bo moro or les
, bonaftotl by tie creating vi oil inland ecs,-th
' | nf nA7irnti0u tn t1H fDmOtH MI