The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-01-05
THE LAKE WITHOUT BOTTOM.
A WONDERFUL SHEET or WATER man
UP AMONG MOUNTAINS.
Pyra n,tdai Islands Hundreds OF Feet High
A Rocky Isle Alive with Rnttiesnakes-A
sailors Attempt 20 Scale the Pyramid.

n
sailors Attempt 20 Scale the Pyramid.
F,or, "A, T.vair Ent.,pr,ss
Pyramid lake Is nearly forty miles In
length by from fifteen to twenty in width. II is
but 900 feet above the level Of tho sea. while
Lake Tahoe Ia 62i6 foot above the sea level.
Tho lake contains many islands several OF
which near tho middle Of the lake. rise to the
height OF some hundreds OF feet. and are pyra-
midal in form and Hight gray In color One tall
spire. seen far down TO tho northward. where tho
lake seems shorccss Is perfectly white. A large
island. probably the largest in the lake. con-
tains five or six square miles OF comparatively
level ground, and Ia covered with vegetation.
Upon this islands number Of goats were turned
loose some years since and they have increased
at wonderful rate. 80 that they may now be
seen feeding upon every hill. They need no
AZ the goats found by Robinson Crusoo on the
island Of Juan Fernandez. Tho lake is of Inn
fathoms OF line failed to find bottom. The
waters Of the lake are brackish. except imme-
diately about the point whore the waters of the
Truckee river flow into IT.
Owing to the brackishness Of its waters, to It's
great depth, or to both depth and brackishness.
Although the lake is generally very rough.
owing e. its bengexposcd 70 sweeping westerly
IN ali drectons and d almost p NJ ali timcs on Their
tule RATS. These RATS are often nothing moro
than single bundle of tulee. but when tho raft
son two or three bundles arc dashed together
and drawn into tho shape OF n clumsy boat
but they frequently hoist a sail made OF a bian-
kct and fearlcssly steer away so far out upon
the lake that only their sail remains visible.
These tue boats very closely resemble tho cata-
marans used by the natives OF some OF tho
islands o. the South Pacific. They are s.. buoy,
ant that II IL impossible 10 sink them. Far out
in the lake among islands they set their long
lines, strung full of hooks These they visit on
their RATS, and sometimes bring in not less than
Ia Af "A
sold at ton cents per pound ut the lake. there
foro i will readily be seen that fishing is apro0t-
At the north or lower end OF the lake are a
dozen or more islands Of rock OF peculiar and
are from 800 to 400 foct in height At distance
they look like monster mushrooms or eggs
standing on stems-.such eggs rs might have
times ono wing Of which. according to I'm FL
wardee, was 10000 fathoms long.
IL Ia impossible TO climb these rocks, ne, while
thor stems form perpendicular walls. 1t is be-
yond the power OF man to ascend those parts
where they begin to swell out into domes. Mr.
Stiles says he has sounded the lnko at the base
OF some Of these fantastic islands. and. with the
longest line at his command. WINS unable to find
bottom.
Ono OF the largest OF these islands. the tall
white one seen from toward the head of the
lake IL not wholly perpendicular on all sldes.
On one of its sides there IL steep slope which
II is thought might be scaled in some way, A
story + current et ne lake That John g. Ere
the TOP Of this rock. 1t is believed that he left
his field glnsses and some other instruments
Of value on the sunUlt OF the rock and many
attempts have boon made to climb ii in order 10
secure these articles.
The last attempt to scale the pyramid waa by
a sailor. who use long rope throwing II up
ward till II caught upon projecting point OF
rock. then drawing himself up and again
throwing his ropo to n rock above. He reached
height OF about 100 feet. when he was unable
To- find any more PROJECTIONS over which to
throw his rope and came near never reaching
level ground alive. He WAS obliged to descend
| In the snme way as he effected the ascent. and
| when he finally got down he was completely ex-
| hausted: his hands were bleeding and he was
! cut and scratched from head to foot The
fl-hermen have now concluded that the only
way In which the field glasses and other plum
! der can be- secured IL by attaching a line TO n
rock aud then firing 1t ovor the top OF tho pyra-
| mid from mortar.
| One OF the small rocky islands OF the lake Ia
alive with rattcsnakcs. Ii ia supposed that the
| first OF the stock were waited to the island n
raft Of tulcs or drifwood. Doc. Wood. who has
| visited the island. says there is millions in
| it," The rcptilrs have their homes among the
rocks and live on the eggs and young OF water
| fowl, and upon The lend fish that are cast ashore
on the island. Mr. Wood says that the stories
| that have boon told Of the snakes rushing in n
| body. Kissing and rafting. u attack any man
! landing ON the island. are untrue. He found
| that whenever they were disturbed they ran
| away and concealed themselves in tho crevices
| OF the rocks. lust as would have been done by
any other snakes