The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1877-07-19
TAHOE.
From the Salt Lake Herald.

Iruckeo III IuTlvluB ISllIoau WWu,
and the starting point for Lake Tahoe
called the "Gem of the Sierras."
The road from Truckee winds along
iTYuckee river up canon bearing the
same name. It Is fourteen miles long,
and succession Of fine views the
whole length of the road. The snow
clad Sierras are on our right, anu beau.
tifully timbered hills on each side of
the river. A few miles up the canon
a successful fish farm il In operation,
where tens of thousands of trout can
be seen in every stage Of trOut's exist
ence. AS we reach the head of the
canon we find we are also at the out
let or head of the Truckee river, whose
waters, like all the other rivers of Ne
vada, are lost in sinks. None of them
have an outlet into the ocean.
The views 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 i'm California. 1t Is
twenty-eight miles long and from
twelve to sixteen miles wide, and has
been sounded to q depth of sixteen
hundred feet. Its waters are a beau
tiful ultramarine, and 1t may be called
the purest water In the world. contain
ing by analysis only per cent. of i'm
purities. IL Is 30 light and mobile as
to be easily dashed into foam, or calmed
to mfrror-lilke surface. In the early
morning it is like a looking-glass, with
surrounding objects reflected in it with
surprising accuracy. Several steamers
of small tonnage are used in navigat-
ing It. Its altitude Is about sixty-three
hundred feet. Ii. Is always cool and
pleasant in the hottest weather. The
lake never. freezes, and never gives up
its dead. No person that has been
drowned has been known to rise to the
surface. Wood, as soon as It is satu-
rated, sinks to the bottom. The water
is as clear as crystal, and huge rocks
fifty feet down are plainly discernible.
In fact, 1t lie o marvel, and the very
contrast Of our own Salt lake; for this
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 Emer-
aid bay. Ben. Halliday owns beau
tiful place at the head Of tia very.
neat residence In shady nook with
the snow-clad SUBMITS OF the Sierras
for q background, and a magnificent
foreground Is everything an artist can
islet called the Emerald Isle, on which
an old, salt called Sailor Dick built
o home and q grave where he In
tended to be buried should he die on
land, but am credibly informed that
he got on q drunken spree and sunk to
rise no more, in the lake. The prop
erty Is now in the hands Of another
seaman called Sailor Jack. He may
properly be called the hermit of Emer-
erald bay, orthere in the deep recesses
he lives without the society of any
other human being, his only compan-
ions being three dogs and four cats:
He is indeed q curiosity, bat the soul
of good nature. Old Dicks fate seems
Ito have set him thinking, for he is o
| total abstainer now. The story of his
conversion Is worth being told. He
relates that ON one occasion, when
crossing the lake, q squall upset his
ANAL boat Down he went with 1t,
he says, seven feet. He swami to the
surface and grasped firmly his demi-
John Of whisky In one hand and the
upset boat In the other. He thought,
"now this might be my last drink and
as 1t Is cold I will take a swallow"
He then took q look at the favorite
bottle and hesitated to throw away SO
/ much god liquor, and thinking it was
! cold thought he would try yetanother,
and there on O cold, dark right, with
1 the prospect OF death staring him In
| the Ease. he, vowed to take his last
| drink OF frewater. This resolution
he has firmly kept. 80, 80 ..,ii =.
A cascade Of surprising beauty is seen
hundred feet high. The. towering
masses Of rock on each side make q
beautiful setting. for this shower Of
pearls. ". g Z. - y -. IA