, 1878-03-09
THE BOTTOMLEsS LAKE.
4 Wonderful sheet OF Water High In
Am0nx Moantninx.

A Wonderful sheet or Water High 4,
Among Meantains.
| Pyramid Lake is nearly forty miles il
length by from fifteen to twenty in width
1t Is but 1000 feet above the level Of tn,
STA, while Lake Tahoe Is 62l6 feet abov,
the sea level. The lake contains man,
islands, several of which, near the mid
die of the lake, rise tothe height of som,
hundreds of feet, and are pyramidd IL
form and light gray in color Ons tai
spire, seen far down to the northward
where the lake seems shoreless, is perfect
ly white. A large is.and, probably the
largest In the lake, contains five or sill
square miles of comparatively evelground
and is covered with vegetation. Upon
this island number of goats were turn.
ed loose some years since, and they have
increased at wonderful. rate, so that they
may now be seen feeding upon every hill.
They need no care, winter or summer,
and are about as wild as the goats found
by Robinson Crusoe on the island of Juan
Fernandez. The lake is of immense
depth is is said that near the centre GOO
fathoms Of line failed to find bottom.
| The waters of the lake are brackish,
except immediately about the point where
the waters of the TrucAee river flow into
it.
Owing to the brackishness of its waters,
to its great depth, or to both depth and
brackishness, the lake never freezes.
Although the lake is generally very
rnnnb n,vtp.r 70 IfS h,in,r aynnsal r.,
sweeping westerly winds, the Plute Indi-
ans feareIessly navigate it in all directions,
and almost at all times, ontheir tuie RATS
These rafts are often nothing more than
single bundle of tules, but when the
raft Is intended to accommodate mo. c
than one person, two or three bundles III e
lashed together and drawn into the shape
of clumsy boat. Near shore they gen.
orally pole these crafts about, but they
frequently hoist sail made of Il blanket
and fearlessly steer away So far out upon
the lake that only their sail remains vlsl-
bic. These tule boats very closely re-
r-mbie the catamarans usedby the natives
of some Of the islands of the South
Pacific. They are ST. buoyant that it is
impossible to sink them Far out in the
lake among islands they set their Ion.
lines, strung full of hooks. These they
visit ON their RATS, and sometimes bring
IN not less than 300 pounds of trout at one
trip. The trout are sold at ten cents per
pound at the lake, therefore it will read
lily be seen that fishing is profitable
business.
At the north or lower end Of the lake
are a dozen OF more islands of rock of
peculiar and picturesque form. These are
Of solid rock, and are from 800 TO 400
feet III hight. At distance they look
like monster mushrooms or eggs standing
on stems such eggs as might have been
produced by the roc, that bird of ancient
times, one wing of which, according to
Ihn-El Wardee, was 10, 900 fathoms long.
1t is impossible to climb these rocks, as,
while their stems form perpendicular walls
it is beyond the power of man to ascend
those parts where they begin TO swell out
into domes. Mr. Stiles says he has
sounded the lake at the base of some of
these fantastic islands, and, with the
longest line at his command, was unable
to find bottom.
One OF the largest OF these islands, the
tall white one seen from toward the h ad
of the lake, is not wholly perpendicular
on all sides. On one of is sides there is
a steep slope which it is thought might
be scaled in some way. A story is cur
rent at the lake that John c. Fremont,
the great q Pathfinder found path to
the top of this rock. 1t is believed that
he left his field glasses aHd soEle other in
struments of value on the summit of the
rock, and many attempts have been made
to climb it III order to secure these artl-
cles.
The last attempt to scale the pyramid
was by sailor, who used Il long rope,
throwing it upward ii l it caught upon
projecting point of rock, then drawing
himself up and again throwing his rope to
rock above. He reached hight of
about 80 feet, when he was unable tohnd
any more projections over which to throw
his rope, and came near never reaching
level ground alive. He was obliged to
descend the same way as he effected the
ascent, and when he finally got down he
was completely exhausted his hands
were bleeding, and he was cut and scratch
ed from head to foot. The fishermen have
now concluded that the only way in which
the field glasses and other piunder can be
secured is by attaching line to rock
and then firing it over the top OF the
pyramid from mortar.
One of the small rocky islands OF the
| lake is alive with rattlesnakes- It's sup
posed that the first of the stock were
waited to the island on raft of tules or
driftwood. Doc Wood, who has visited
the island, says there is " millions IN It -
Tie reptiles have their homes among the
rocks, and live on the eggs and young OF
waterfowl, and upon the dead fsh that
are cast ashore on the island MIR. Wood
saws that the stories that have been told
of the snakes rushing in body, Kissing
and rattling, to attack any man landing
on the island. are untrue. He found
that whenever they were disturbed they
ran away and concealed themselves IN the
crevices Of the rocks, Just as would have
been done by any snakes--Enterpr'se-
|. A Sor1HERS OpINIoN.-People OF LOUIS
lana have simply indicated the majesty OF
-.