New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-07-07
SOUTHWARK TO THE PACIFIC.

THING Observation-Disclosures AND PAINS OF THE
JOURNEY.
iFROM AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUNEl
Los ANGELES, Cal, June SThc Territories of
NeWNeX icO and Arizona, and some adjacent lands
were termed by carly map makers the Great Ameri-
can Desert Since then explorers have cast doubts
upon the existence of any considerable tract which
could properly be called desert. But the tourist
of to-day across the continent, by the Southern
route, will be ready by the time he reaches this
coast to do tardy justice to the old geographers
Sandy barrens stretching hundreds of miles on
either side, bordered by high rugged mountain
ranges or dotted by detached volcanic groups of
hills, form the chief features of a panorama which
consumes half week ii exhibition The last of
the civilization of The East is seen near the southern
border of Colorado Emerging from the cuts and
gorSes OF the RaccoOn group the line strikes di
rectly to the southwest over the desert, winding
among the low sand hills formed by the swrls and
eddics of prehistoric sea- Ranges of black nearly
precpitous mountains, now close at hand and now
retreatlng hity miles away, and revealing other and
higher peaks and ranges behind them mark the
ancient coast Upon the sides of the mountains are
the deeply indented horizontal water-lmcs made by
the tides and waves of other ages, marking the
succeeding stages of the subsdence
Mountains which have histories and legends con-
nectcd with them are pointed out by obliging and
sociable trail mon. Wagon Mound, so the story
goes was named by Kit Carson. The famous scout
was guiding train of supplies across the desert
when he was beset by savages in numbers too great
to withstand upon the plain. BY means known only
to himself he took his charge to the top of the
mountain, and from That shelter successfully Fought
and finally conquered his assailants The mountain
is a single peak split off in some old-time convul-
sion from the end OF n neighborng chain. 1t slopes
steeply upward nearly 200 feet. and is crowned
by an oval rock mountain i'll itself with perpen-
dicuar sides The rock bears some resemblance in
shape to prairie wagon top, and this fact probably
gave it its name. Starvation Mount has IL his
tory which requires fewer grains of allowance. 1t
was here, it is said, that company of 300 Ameri-
cans and MeXlcans were forced by the Indians to
take refuge, until they were starved to death.
Ocular proof of the tragedy is offered the passing
tourist if he will only alight, walk twelve miles
through the sand, and climb 400 feet to the
mountain top. There, say the train men, he may
yet see the white skeletons of the victims where
two crosses have been erected to their memory A
wild and forbidding group of hills covering about
nifty square miles of the desert in Arizona is pointed
ont the stronghold OF the late Nictorio the
chieftain who for years waged savage warfare
against two powerful Republics. The Old Chief is
the name given to formation upon the distant
horizon, closely resembling in shape human face
looking upward.
FLORA AND FAUNA OF TIE DESERT.
Bunch grass, as gray the sand itself dwarf
eversrecns, nearly black in color and cactus with
few wild flowers almost the only botanical con-
trlbntions to the changing picture. No trees grow
on the desert The cactus family the most eccen-
tIlc of plants, makes this region Its home The
members differ from each other in size and shape as
widely As If each had "A continent for its peculiar
habItat. and only resemble each other in spnev
character and common pupncss. The first 10 be
seen coming from the east is of the variety most
familiar to eastern hot-honscs shaped like mittens
upon extended human hands. thumbless, and bor-
dcrcd with sharp spnes. This is also the least fro
Gnent In California it attains a he sht of ten or
fifteen feet, one " mittcn growing from the end or
side of It's parent, and displaying ycllowish flowers
at unexpected angles. A commoner variety in the
desert Is of n vine-lkc character, clinging some
what closely To the ground and putting forth
branches at ANGLES aS eccentric those of the letters
of the Chinese alphabet East of Tucson this
variety takes to itself a trunk or stem as odd in an
pearancc rs itself, black, lcafess branching much
like stag horn. and bearing its vine like burden
upon each terminal point. There seems to be no
more relationship between the stem and its fruit
than between the contents of plIlor flower pot and
the stand which supports it, In California this
variety, too, undergocs change, which perhaps
illustrates a step in the development of this plant
from the primordial weed to the dignity of a tree
The trunk or stag-hon branches more regularly
and becomes lighter in color. while its vine like
burden becomes smaller i'll circumference. less
wc'dy and more hbrous; at the same time its spnes
grow longer and somewhat resemble those of "A
scrub pine. Doubtless few moro cycle, of dcyel-
opmcnt Will make it a tree. The most sngllar
variety of the cactus grows near Tucson where n
grove numbering several hundred individual plants
is seen upon barren stony hillside 1t shoots IN
round and straight like a telegraph pole, the
large specimens attaining nearly two feet in cir
conference by twelve to eighteen feet in height
often without branches bat generally puttnr forth
two shoots like the elbows and CONNECTING links of
stove pipe. 1t bears upon its upper end a small
a Ill l.t,r
stem ana Hover Is probably found in no her pl,uf
me trunk is covered with regular rows of warts
and spucS.
and has It's share of ecccntrcites. hon Young IT,,
long tough bayoncts point in every dire ton as if
guarding some precious fruit within its worthless
stump. Later all bat those pointing upward and
downward fall on, leaving band in its middle
giving the appearance of small bundle of Straw
ted mp and ready for the harvest wagon. Iudi-
VldualS OF the variety send up "A shoot from the
centre iour or five feet, i.,e a bamboo bearing at
the top pleasing cluster of small flowers.
The lnironuent Narleiie of the human family to
be seen IN the desert rs weird and worthless N
their natural surroundings Holes and rrrvires i'm
the rocks of the canons pointed here human
families ilVe Iucbos and villages of adobe and mud
nHt? surrounded IN whole or in part by stockades Ike
African vintage enclosures, arc seen wherever wafer
can be obtained. Remnants of ono or two Indian
tribes clad IN blankets and rags, come around the
tram TO beg and sell trnkcts and if 10 oomplee
the African comparison, even naked and painted
sa wages, us at Yuma are met with.
WATER, WArER-NOwnERE.
Water views of course form part of a desert
landscape, but tie sun of an afternoon paints
charming substitute, and the traveller onalis lee
wafer from the friendly cooler with an added relish
as he IS reminded by the mirage of the sore disap-
pOintnents which less f0I tuuate travellers in other
deserts have experienced.
Is this region northeast The concurrent tcsti-