Omaha daily bee., 1881-07-21

WIN, tiJ'l S''u ittdltn, anu no
suffer any more than he would in ;
harvest field in Illinois. The climat,
is a healthy one-the perfect health o
the station-keepers and other inhabi
tants of the desert attesting this fact
and, in addition, the records at Yum;
show that to be one of the healthie.
military posts in the United States.
The thermometer at Yuua frequently
registers 125 degrees i'll the shade
during the summer months.
As our train passed through the
very heart of the desert, we witnessed
a mirage which for brilliancy of effect
could scarcely elsewhere be eoualed.
On our left and in front appeared a
well defined sea, with rocky bluffs
jutting out from the shore, and with
numerous islands rising abruptly in
the midst of the water. The effect
was so natural that more than one
passenger thought he had erred in his
geography. and was unwilling to be-
lieve that it was a delusion when the
truth was made known. The beach,
however, receded as the train headed
towards it, and the hot and scorching
plain lay thirsty and rigid where the
waves had before glittcred in the sun.
MINERAL WEALTH.
All this immense stretch of land is
not a mere waste of sage brush, cacti
and sand. Rocks and mountains
sometimes vary the monotony of the
view, and considerable mineral wealth
is found. Gold has been discovered
near the eastern edge, and mines are
worked at Chimney Peak, Cargo Mu-
chacho, and elsewhere. Silver, cop
per, and lead occur in various local.
ties; and the ores are high grade, and
pay well for their working. Asbestos
is found near the San Gorgonio pass;
and the pumice stone is used in polish
ing the engines on the railroad. Borax
and gypsum occur in sufficient guam
titles to glut the markets of the world;
and immense deposits of pure salt
everywhere abound. Banks of sui
phur occur, which rival in size and
purity those of the Steamboat springs
in Nevada; and the southern end run
ming into Sonora, has beds of soda,
from which vessels were loaded on
their return trips from the gulf of Cal
ifornia to Europe. Potters' clay and
kaolin are also met with; and the
thermal springs r noted for their
size and medicinal qualities.
Five miles south of Frink's Springs
station, on the railroad, are a large
number of mud springs, the whole
covering an area of twenty-five square
miles. Some of these have the APP
pearance of c%raters, and gases and
team issue from them; but no extern
sive geyser-action has been noticed.
Some of the springs are hot, some are
lukewarm aud some are cold. Some
are 200 feet in diameter, boiling up as
though forming a huge caldron; while
others are cone-shaped, like miniature
volcanoes. The mud boils up like
mush over a slow fire, and the smell
reminds one forcibly of sulphurreted
hydrogen.
GIGANTIC UNDERTAKING.
The beach surrounding the great de-
preston through which the Southern
Pacific trains pass is forty feet above
the level of the neighboring Pacific,
and the pebbles lay around in row as
though but recently left by the reced-
ing waters. In addition to the marine
shells, fresh water shells are also nu.
merous, indicating the existence of a
fresh water lake here subsequent to
Its being n part of the ocean. 1t is
probable that this entire basin, of
which over LOGO square miles lie be-
low the level of the Colorado river,
was once in direct communication
with the waters of the gulf of Califor-
mia, and the feasibility of turning the
water again into its former receptacle
has long been discussed. In an inter
view, since becoming governor of
Arizona, Gen. Fremont made use of
the following language: "The plan
is perfectly feasible. Between the
upper end of the gulf of California
and the basin or valley in question a
ridge of land interposes, through
which it is proposed to cut a canal for
a distance of ten miles to a lake about
twenty miles long, and at the other
end of the lake continue the canal
some fifteen miles more. The cost
of the canal might be $1,000, 900 and
the time necessary for the work per-
haps six months; but the benefits to
the two states of California and Ari-
iona would be incalculable. The great
want of Southern California and the
adjoining region of Arizona are water
and moisture. On the eastern slope
of the low range of mountains that
separate this basin from Arizona all is
dry and barren, as in the basin itself;
the heat is intolerable, and no vegeta-
ton is possible. The introduction of
this great body of water would change
the whole face of things. 1t would
induce cool and temper,ng winds to
blow over and form clouds to
moisture the parched and arid plains.
The canal should be made deep and
wide enough to admit such vessels
and steamers as sail on the Pacific.
Another result of creating this inland
sea would be to develop settlements
around its borders, where there is
nothing to be seer now but the bar
rem sand and sape brush. The one