The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1876-02-11

perature of from ninety to one hundred
and thirty degrees. 1t may not be amiss
to give the origin of that horrible name,
Death Valley. It is more than appro-
PIRATE, and is derived from the dismal,
deathly appearance ii has from the
peaks of It's Mineral-Mountain bor-
der, ard the fact that q large num-
ber ot men, women and children,
and stock have perished in this roast
ing valley. They were of the early i'm
migrants to Southern California. The
number of victims and their suffering
were far greater than those involved III
the toyturing Mountain Meadow mas
sacre. In the summer OF 1865 was with
a party (nf fifty.two, OF whom forty
seven perlshed) whsch crossed Death
Valley from the northwest to the south
east. 1t was intensely hot and inds-
scribably dry in the main valley. There
is not the Slightest indication thar il
ever has rained in this valley. The
moanderings of the crazy emigl pre-
vious to their death, their trails, their
wagon-tracks, which had been made
fourteen to sixteen years previous, were
plainly diseernible, there having been no
rain to obliterate them. l found metal
lie implements which the party had lett,
such as smonkey-wrenches, axes, wagon.
tires, etc., with charred attachments of
what had been wood, which bore that
same bright polish as when dropped.
There had not been sufficient moisture
to corrode or rust them."
The upper extremity Of this Death
Valley approaches the vicinity Of the
great mineral region Of Nevada, whence
millions of the precious metals are now
annually derived. 1t is through this
chain of valleys, sundered by only mar
row and slight distractions, that the
writer suggests to pour the waters ol
the Gulf of California, and thereby con.
vert those, now hot and arid deserts,
into navigable inland sea; and which
may be done, as he judges, by an ex.
penditure of from 81, ,o00,0 to $4,000, ,000
Having shown that the level of these
valleys is from 900 to 500 feet below the
sea level, the writer proceeds TO show
the practicability of making the open.
ings, or canals, through which the waters
of the Gulf of California would rush to
the filling Of those valleys to its own
level. He says
alt may not be out of place to givea
brief description of the slight impedi'
ment now preventing allow of the fresh
water of the Colorado or the salt water
of the Cult of California. A channel
connecting the Cult with the Great Colo.
RADIO Desert would be much more ex.
pensive and less useful than channel
| taken out of the Colorado sixty miles
above its mouth. The length OF channel,
| though great, is but small consider.
| alton. The obstruction is artificial
| wholly made earth. 1t is an embank.
ment tormed-sediment deposited-by
| the many overfiows OF the Colorado,
| which has been the work of millions oi
| years. This obstruction is of the most
| delicate composition Of earth. principally
quicksand; hence it is but a small con.
sidefation to open canal. 1t is my
opinion that, If the arrow-Wood and
small willows were trimmed oil to q
width Of thirty feet, and the surface
| loosened with plow, there would net,
| in time of an overflow, be sufficient power
| in man to prevent the course Ut the
| water after being started.
s'The second canal, connecting the
Colorado desert with that of Low or Hot
Valley, would he more expensive. There
| is possibly three-fourths of mile stone
and earth ene.quarter of which is stone
TeQulIluR tuo dppilCdGlVh VI poWuSl;
while the remaining three-fourths i
dritted sand. The third canal, connect
| ing Low or Hot Valley with Soda Lake
| will be of much less expense and length
being about half mile, one-eighth being
| stone and seven-eighths sand. The fourth
| canal, connecting Soda Lake with DeatE
| Valley, would be the least expensive
having but a shallow cut or channel Il
1 open through sand, distance of half {
| nlile-thereby connecting the waters b
the Gulf of California with the reniot,
/ region of Death Valley, and extendin,
1 q body of navigable water distance O
1 seven hundred miles inland"
Certainly these suggestions are o
vast Importance. If the facts as state
be found correct. II carried out, the re
i suits would work a revolution in tn
physical conditions OF that whole regior
that has hitherto been regarded as
wilderness waste of Inaccessible mour
tains and arid deserts. Before we I'll on
1 any more profitless and costly exped
i tions to explore an ocean of ice, let u
i complete the exploration of our ow
| untrodden territories Of the "Grea
4 West"
Il
Il SINCE the sad calamity that occurre
last Saturday in the Robinson Oper'
house, all the newspapers in the coul
try have been telling exactly how hal
and theaters should be constructed
| na +o n void dioo stor in oaaa of n manic i