The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1883-08-10
FAR WESTERN LANDS,
THE WONDERS OF CALIFORNIA
Lake rulsrs aud Its peeulIArl,l.s-A Body Of water
That is Drying up-nOsquItOs Thicker than
Esyprs Observation-Disclosures
Land Watersd Some Parehed.

Special Correspondence OF the Iatetiaa'esr.
SANTA BARBARA, CAL, July Sl.-Last
week had occasion to spend day on the
shore OF Lake Tulare. This lake is about
two hundred miles north oi the city OF
Santa Barbara, and is the basin into which
Kings, Tulare, Kern and other rivers empty.
There Is much OF interest connected with
the lake, and, along The western shore,
where was, 1t is the most dismal, doleful,
desolate region that it has ever fallen to
my lot to see, not even excepting the pine
ridges OF Alabama, The huckleberry plains
in Grant county, W. Va, the drowned
lands aud alligator swamps OF Louisiana, or
thetreeless, waterless mountains otArizona.
The shore OF the lake is not desert. There
Is a narrow belt OF green gross along its
margin, and come semi.wild cattle feed
there-3iInding in the water during the
heat OF the dIy, and feeding at night. We
saw two or three coyotes, and one rabbit,
which were the only living animals We rtw
except the cattle. We lad driven acrocs
.ne plalns 1 ia1n - mTo :. 'n' I,!n me oe1IsT "
"9 IT," VI ~ .ne >. "n "nod a. ~ SnanS % 10 s ,an
We had brought enough water with US to
last til the Adobe should be resched,
thinking TO get more there. We were at
our defamation by Din the morning. There
Is no dwelling house within twenty-five
mile OF this place.
WRECK OF AN OLD SHIP.
The first thing that we found ives the
wreck ofAn old ship, high and dry on the
shorc amonc the weeds. II was nearly rot-
,an ;,a 80 n,na ;.s rrdda, hon,,;,,a h,
'e"' nS tn"e'N sone' 10 'uauei hanging W
ono chain, and i's general hull much brok-
en-. It is about one.lourth oil a mile from the
wa,er's edge, know nothing more of IL
.h"n ,,ho, .,u Thara was no ona .hors
'!"n "H"' 'a"' AHs'e We, ~ jug 'ue,o
oil whom to inquire. judge that 1t is
well known where 1t came from, and how
it came there; but / don't know. 1tis
small, more properly called boat than q
ship. Judge that i. ives formerly run on
the lake, but, being cast up here, was aban.
doned.
Lake Tuare is rapidly dryirgup. 1t IL,
believe, the largest lake west Of the Mis-
sissippi, the Great Salt Lake excepted.
But, the water OF Salt Lake is rising, while
this one is drying up. There was, in all
probability, time when Tulare discharged
itq water through the San joaquin River,
into San Francisco Bay; but now it has
no outlet. The old exit, now called Mussel
Slough, is no longer a water course, ex.
cept the part OF it through which Kings
River flows for ten or fifteen miles before
entering the lake. But, even this water
flows in the opposite direction from what it
formerly did, now running toward Tulare,
whereas it used to run from it. - :
The proof that the lake is rapidly dry
ing up is plainly TO be seen everywhere
along its shores. The old beach, twenty,
thlFty, iorty or more ieet ABOVE the present
.Ta"snt @ has % he u water a bean % on san,e oi ,be @
snote, that in one place noticed the
ground covered with shells, in a good stage
Of preservation ten ieet above the present
VIZ, The wat water lima ia now four iee, lower tho,
It was one wear ago; or in other words, the
water has failed four feet in the past year.
TINS is pafs,y accounted lof IN tne lact that
dnr;ny INA The the mast tbree years e II ritz lake s i
in the hottest district ef California. except
the Gan Diego deserts, and evaporation
goes on rapidly, while les and lev and
less water is emptied In to supply the loss.
But there is another and greater cause at
work to aid In annihilating Tulare. It Is
the system OF irrigation carried on in
fresno, Tulare and Kern counties. The
water from the mountain streams is inter
cepted before It reaches the lake, and is car
rit d from the river channels out upon the
plains, where it is used by the farmers In
flooding their orchards and gardens. Thus,
| the old sources by which the lake was SUD.
piled are exhausted. and tue result is the
lake must Geese to exist.
s,,n,vcr or ,pp,o,r,ox
e. VI '"eN''c"
LUIS su"Ject VI itF'sa'ton Is one " sae
most interesting problems WHICH the
political economists Of California have 10
so,ya s,ma ro,,s ~ E,asno T,,a,e and
so'''' "''t' fH''' y, f'e '"-o asp
Kern counties, ss wen as olhefS, are per-
feet net work Of canals and bitches. The
water OF the rivers is poured upon the
plains. This leaves the river channels dry.
Here then is the question: What are the
people, who live along the rivers, beloy
the canals, going to DO i9r water! They
are sengfsy "nU 'net
ihey d then en- had ali the water they needed, but
now haye none. There has already bepp Q
series Of lawsuit? on the subject since !
have been IN California, ana one OF the
canals |as closeui put, oelieVe mat u is
open again' II the saaaIs s., ale ~ e'99eH ~ 1Aeh
some oil the finest plantations IN palliornia
will became worthIess. and II they are not
! 80 ~ ~ "a IL I,onI,,at,, ,.,,.,, nia.n
closed, some OF tne blocAlmeh niust elose
out and quit Dnsinefs. ihls subject la
much agitaIed in irrigated districts.
There is along the northern shore Of the