Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1877-07-18
TAHOE.
The Gem of the Sierras..A Lake that
Never Freezes, Mnd Never Gives Up
ifc nnoJ
From the Salt Lake Herald.

it's Dead.
From the Salt Lake Herald.
Truckee is a thriving railroad town,
and the starting point for Lake Tahoe
called the Gem of the Sierras" The
road from Truckee winds along True
kee river up a canon bearing the same
name. 1t is fourteen miles long, and q
succession of fine views the whole length
OF the road. The snow-clad Slerras are
on our right, and beautifully timbered
hills on each side Of the river. A few
miles up the canon q successful fish
farm Is In operation, where tens of thou
sands of trout can be seen IN every stage
of trout's existence AS we reach the
head Of the canon, we find we are also
at the outlet or head of Truckee river
whose waters, like all the other rivers Of
Nevada, are lost In sinks. None of
them have an outlet INTO the ocean
The view as we emerge from the
canon is beautiful The broad expanse
of the majestic lake lies before us, en-
circled on all sides by towering noun
tains. Half of the lake is in Nevada
the other half in California. 1t is TWEEN
ty-eight miles long and from twelve to
sixteen miles wide, and has been sound
ed to depth Of sixteen hundred feet
Its waters are beautiful ultramarine
and it may be called the purest water
in the world, containing by analysis
only four per cent. Of impurities. 1t is
SO light and mobile as to be easily lash
ed into foam, Or calmed to mirror
like surface. In the early morning it is
like a looking-glass, with surrounding
objects reflected in it with surprising ac-
curacy. Several steamers of small ton
mage are used in navigating it. It's al
titude is about sixty-three hundred feet;
1t IS always cool and pleasant in the hot
test weather. The lake never freezes
and never gives up its dead. No per-
son that has been drowned has been
known to rise to the surface Wood, as
soon as it is saturated, sinks to the bot
tom. The water is as clear as crystal,
and huge rocks fifty feet down are
plainly discernible In fact, it is mar
vel, and the very contrast of our own
Salt lake; for this is SO dense and slug
glsh as to offer great resistance to the
human body, and everything else that
Will float.
The finest place on the lake is Emer-
aid bay. Ben Holiday owns beauti-
full place at the head of ia very neat
residence in shady nook, with the
snow-clad SUBMITS of the Sierras for a
background, and magnificent water
fall for the middle distance. The fore
ground is everything an artist can de-
sire. Near by is the beautiful little islet
called the Emerald isle, on which an
old salt called Sailor Dick built home
and a grave where he intended to be
buried should he die on land, but | am
credibly informed that he got on a
drunken spree and sank to rise no more
in the lake. The property is now in
charge of another seaman called Sailor
Jack. He may properly be called the
hermit of Emerald bay, for there in the
deep recesses he lives without the soci-
ETY. of any other human being, his only
companions being three dogs and four
cats He is indeed curiosity, but the
soul of good nature. Old Dicks fate
seems to have set him thinking, for he
is total abstainer now The story of
his conversion is worth being told. He
relates that on one occasion, when cross
ing the lake, squall upset his small
boat. Down he went with it, he says,
seven feet. He swan to the surface
and grasped firmly his demijohn of
whisky in one hand and the upset boat
in the other. He thought, "now this
might be my last drink, and as it is
cold will take a swallow" He then
took look at the favorite bottle and
hesitated to throw away so much good
whisky, and thinking it was cold thought
he would try yet another, and there on
a cold dark night, with the prospect of
death staring him in the face, he vowed
to take his last drink of frewater. This
resolution he has firmly kept.
A cascade Of surprising beauty is seen
at the head of the bay. It is over one
hundred feet high. The towering masses
of rock on each side make a beautiful
setting for this shower of pearls.
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