Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1878-01-18
Nayada Enterprise.

Attempt 10 ScnIc tHr !iuHiu.
Nayada Enterprise.
Pyramid Lake is nearly forty miles
in length by from fifteen 70 twenty II
width. II il but 1000 feet above the
level of the sea, while Lake Tahoe y
G,216 feet above the sea level. The lake
contains many islands, several Of which,
near the middle OF the lake, rise 10 the
height Of some hundreds Of feet, and
are pyramidal in form and light gray ~
color. One tall spirc, seen far down 70
the northward, whore the lake seems
shorecss, is perfectly white. A large
island, probably the largest in the lake,
contains five or six square miles of
comparatively level ground, and is coy
crcd with ycgctallOn Upon this island
u number ri goats were turned loose
some years since, and they have m
creased ut 4 wonderful rate. 10 Chat
they may now be seen feeding upon
every hill They need no care winter
or summer, aud are about as wild Us
the goats found By Robinson Crusoe on
the Island Of Juan Fernandez. The
lake IL of immense depth, II II said
tint near the center 600 fathoms Of line
GaiIed 10 find bottom The waters Of
the lake are bracllish, except immedi-
ately about the point where the waters
Of the 'Irlckec river How into it,
Owing 10 the braekishncss Of it5 wa
tcn. 10 its great depth, ~ 10 both
dcpth aud hraclislnc+s, the lake never
freezes
Although the lake is generally very
rough, owing to its being exposed TO
sweeping westerly winds, the Pluto In
dians fcnrlcssly navigate il in wi diroc-
tion3 and almost nj I'LL times on their
tuIe RATS. These RATS arc often moth
ing more than single bundle Of tuc
bat when the raft Is intended to accom-
modale more than one person two or
three bundles ere dashed together and
drawn into the shape Of Il clumsy
boat. Near shore thcy generally pole
these craft about, but they frequently
hoist IL sail made Of blanket and fear
lcssly steer away so far out upOn the
lake that only their sail remains visible.
These tulc boats very closely resemble
the catnmnrans used by the natives OF
some Of the island4 Of the South Pa
cilic They are 80 buoyant that il IL
impossible to sink them Far ont III
the lake among the islands they set
their long lines, strung full Of hooks
These they visit ON their RATS, and
sometimes bring IN not less than three
hundred pounds Of trout Ut ono trip
'rhctro nrc sold III ton cents il pound
nt the lake: therefore il will bc rcaeh
" seen that fishing IS Il profitable bust
ncRa.
Al the north, OF lower end Of the
lake, are n dozen or more island. of
rock Of peculiar and picturesque form
These me of solid rock and arc from
three 60 four hundred feet in height
Alta distance they look like monster
mushrooms or eggs standing on stems
such eggs rs might have been produced
by the rock, that bird of ancicdt Times,
one wing Of which, according to Ibn
El-Warlcc, wns ten thousand tathomS
long.
II is impossible to climb these rocks.
rs, while their stems form pcrpcndicu-
lar walls, it is beyond the power of man
to ascend those parts where they begin
to swell ont in domes. Mr.. stiles says
lie has sounded the lake ut the base Of
these fantastic islands and, with the
longest line rs his command, was unable |
To find the bottom.
One of the largest Of these islands, the
tall white ono seen from toward the head
Of the lake is no! wholly perpendicular
OH all sides On one Of It's sides there
IL Il steep slope which i is thought
might hc scaled in somo way. story /
is current ut the lake that John G.. Ere F..
mont, the great path-indcr," found n
path To the top of this rock 1t is be-
IicVcd that he left his field glasses and |
Some other Instruments Of value on the
summit Of the rock and many attempts |
have been made % climb il IL order 10
secure these articles.
The last attempt to scale the pyramid /
was hy sailor. Who used n long rope, /
throwing it upward till II caught upon
projecting point Of rock, then drawing |
himself w and again throwing his nope
Is il rock above. lic reached il height |
Of about 100 feet, when no was unable
to find amy more projections over which
to throw his rope, and camo near never
reaching level ground alive He was
obliged to descend III the same way us
he effected tho ascent, and when hc
finally got down lie WAS completely eN
hausted His hands were bleeding, and
he was cut and scratched from head To
foot. The fishermen have now com
rluded thnt the only way IN which the
field glasses and other plumber can be
secured is by attaching line to rock
and then firing il over the top OF the
pyramid from Il mortar,
One Of tho small rocky islands of the
,aNe is alive with rattlesnalics, II is
supposed that the first of the stock We're
waited To the island ON raft If tules
Ii, A'.,.,l ,,.l,A L.