The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1879-06-19
The Wonderful Sinks.

Upon this subject the Eureka Senti.
mel says that all of the principal and
many of the smaller streams in Nevada
have no visible outlets. The larger riv-
ers all terminate in lakes of considerable
area, respectively. The most singular
thing is that the water supply in these
lakes is at all times the same. The
Spring freshets, filing the rivers from
bank to bank, work no perceptible
change in the reservoirs. What becomes
of all this water is the mystery. 1t has
been the generally accepted theory that
there exists a subterranean connection
between the Nevada "sinks" and the
Pacific Ocean, But this theory is now
disputed by gentleman who has re-
sided on the shores of Humboldt Lake
for years. The Winnemucca Silver
State comments on the above as follows:
"a great many persons entertain the
opinion that there is a subteIranean out
let to the Sink of the Humboldt. One
of these expressed his views on the sub
ject in the presence of Walter Schmidt,
who has resided near the Sink for sew
eral years, and built quartz mill near
the visible outlet of the lake. Schmidt
dissented from this opinion, and argued
that as the sink has hard clayey bot
tom, impervioUs to water, 1t would be
impossible for it to soak through under
ground, and attributed the disappearance
of the river to evaporation. This, said
Mr. Schmidt, lis so great in the summer
time that wooden bucket filled with
water in the morning would be empty
by noon, and would fall to pieces before
night To this the Inyo Independent
adds: THAT the sinks and lakes Of The
Great Basin are held to their levels
mainly trough evaporation is undoubt-
edly the fact Of the case Mono and
Inyo counties have the most notable
sinks in tue world Big Owens Lake
receives as much or more water than the
Humboldt sink. 1t is not true, how
ever, that the quantity OF water is at all
times the same the great lake Is now
some four feet higher than eleven or
twelve years ago. The amount of snow
fall in the mountains is the only thing
governing it. In Summer heat the total
amount of evaporation from its vast eX-
panse of water is incalculable, and doubt
less furnishes moisture for the Winter
snowfall of the adjoining high Sierras.
The minute particles of minerals and al
,kalies gathered from the soil by the in
flowing streams are left In solution III
the lake, and during the centuries of
this process the lake has assumed this
Dead Sea character, in which no living
thing can exist save worms and Il small
nondesc,ipt waterfall" Mono Lake is
fully twelve feet higher than 1t was
mary years ago. At the northwest
corner of the lake, near the Frenchman's,
the posts of former sheep corral can
be seen far out into the water a pre-
emptor recently appeared in the United
States Land Office to prove up his claim
located five or six years ago. OF his
100 acres, he stated that all but forty
acres was under water, and very natur-
ally did not wish to pay for more than
that amount. Some ascribe the fact Of
the water rising to an increased amount
of snow on the mountains during the
Winter over former times; some believe
that the turning of Virginia creek into
the lake has caused the change; while
others hold to the theory that some
secret outlet to the lake has become
filled up. Whatever may be the cause,
the fact is evident that the lake is rising
at the rate of foot or two year. There
are numerous evidences that in former
times Mono Lake extended over a vast
extent Of territory-certainly ten times
as great as now. Is it not possible that
in course of time it may again assume
its ancient proportionsl