The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1877-07-26
A Lake that Never Freezes, and Never
Gives Up its Dead.

Truckee is thriving railroad town. and
the starting point for Lake Tahoe-called
the "Gem Of the Sierras." The road from
Truckee winds along Truckee river up a
canon bearing the same name. It is four
teen miles long, and succession of fine
views the whole length of the road. The
snow-clad Slerras are on our right, and
beautifully timbercd hills on each side of
the river. A few miles up the canon a
successful fish farm is in operation, where
tens of thousand 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 the Truckee
river, whose waters, like all the other riv-
ers of Nevada, arc 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
ma ajestic lake lies before us, cncircled on
all sides by towering mountains. Half
of the lake is in Nevada, the other half in
California. 1t is twenty-eight miles long
and from twelve to sixteen miles wide
and has been sounded to depth of 1000
feet. Its waters are beautiful ultrama.
rine, and it may be called the purest water
in the world, containing by analysis only
four per cent, of impurities. It is so light
and mobile as to be easily lashed into
foam, or Gained to mirror like surface.
In the early morning it is like looking
glass, with surrounding objects reflected in
it with surprising accuracy. Several steam
ers of small tonnage are used in naviga-
ting it. Its altitude is about $500 feet;
it is always cool and pleasant in the hot
test weather. The lake never freezes and
never gives up its dead. No person that
was drowned has been known to rise to
the surface. Wood, as soon as it is satura-
ted, sinks to the bottom. The water is as
clear as crystal, and huge rocks fifty feet
down are plainly discernible. In fact, it
is marvel, and the very contrast of our
own Salt Lake; for that is so dense and
sluggish as to offer great resistance to the
human body, and everything else that will
float.
The finest place on the lake is Emerald
bay. Ben Holiday owns a beautiful
place at the head of ia very neat resi-
dence in a shady nook with the snow-clad
SUBMITS Of the Sierras for background,
and magnificent waterfall for the middle
distance. The fairgrounds everything
an artist can desire. Near by is the beau
tiful little islet called the Emerald isle.
on which an old salt called Sailor Dick
built home and a grave where he intend
ed to be buried should he die on land but
am credidly informed that he got on a
drunken spree and sunk, to rise no more
in the lake. The property is now in
charge of another seaman called Sailor
Jack. He may properly he called the
hermit of Emerald bay, for there in the
deep recesses he lives without the society
Of any other human being his only COM
panions 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 a total
abstainer now. The story of his CONVEX
sion is worth being told He relates that
on one occasion, when crossing the lake,a
squall upset his small boat. Down lie
went with it, he he says, seven feet. He
swan to the surface and grasped firmly
his demijohn of whiskey in one hand and
the upset boat in the other. He thought,
snow this might be my last drink, and as
it is cold I will take a swallow" He
then took a look at the favorite bottle and
hesitated to throw away so much good
liquor, and thinking it was cold thought
he would try yet another, and there on q
cold dark night, with the prospect of death
staring him in the face, he vowed to take
his last drink of firewater. This resolu-
ton he has firmly kept.
A cascade of surprising beauty is seen
at the head of the bay. It is over 100
feet high. The towering masses of rock
on each side make beautiful setting for
this shower of pearls.