Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-10-16
sENAroR snERMAN spEAKs.
DEATH VALLEY.
An Interesting Article by the scientific
American" Concerning 1t.


The name is fearfully suggestive, and yet
few places i'll the world deserve their appel
lations 50 well as does the Death Valley Of
California, nor is it easy to find any other
locality in any country whatever, which
gathers about itself so much that inspires
horror and dread. A region where man
can die of thirst while he has water within
his reach, more than he can drink. NAV
well bear the most terrible title that can be
given it; and this name-Death Valley
given from the first known event in its his
tory, thirty-five years agO, will doubtless
cling to the spot to the end of time 1t is
in the southeastern part of Inyo county,
California, and the point at which the me-
ridian of 116o As W. crosses 36o 10' \. is as
nearly as possible in its center of horrors
Probably only one other spot OF which we
have any knowledge the Guevo Upas, or
Vale OF Poison, in Java. exceeds the fatal
ity of Death Valley.
The valley itself is 40miles by S, running
nearly north and south. and every portion
of this is barren and barren i'll the extreme
as in fact the entire surrounding country !;
but narrow central space along the east
ern side, about fifteen miles in length en-
bodies the typical features in their highest
intensity. Into this. not Porte q 'enfer,
but Putt d'enfer, very few persons have
ever gone, that is, who returned 10 tell the
tale, and what is here related pertains to
the higher and comparatively moderate
parts towards the borders of the valley.
The dangers are the result of atmospheric
conditions solely Lack of water may be
fatal evil, but this can be avoided sup
plies of water may be carried or better
still, it is now tolerably well aScertained
that water is available by sinking even
shallow wells in much the greater extent of
| the upper portions of the valley.
But the water fails to afford its usual
life-giving value from two causes. The
first Of these is the heat. OF course this is
| moderated during two or three of the win
ter months, and for that space of time a
residence on the borders of Death Valley is
possible without any exceeding great risk.
But this soon passes away, and the furnace
is in blast. By about April the average (of
day and night is from 900 to $50; by May
it is so to 1909; and little later it aver
ages over 1902, reaching often 1909 to 1859
in the coolest place that can be found. If
this was with damp atmosphere it would
stihe any human life with great rapidity.
but certain amount of drynesS enables il
to be borne with more safety. Here, how
ever, comes in the second of the two evils.
which have been indicated-the intense
drynesS of the atmosphere. This is so ex-
| cessive as to be in many instances fatal in
spite OF every precaution. The writer has
| never tested the full severity of this feature
in Death Valley Itself, but his experience
along its immediate border renders him
ready to give full credence to the statement
| that many cases of death have occurred
when water was plenty, but could not be
drunk fast enough 10 supply the drain
| caused by the desiccative power of the drv.
hot air" In fact. in one instance he him
self nearly reached that condition. and a
few hours longer of the heat and drvness
would have placed his own name among
those of its victims.
1t has been said that birds drop dead in
attempting to cross the valley. Mr.. Hawk
lns who visited it 1882, says that he ''picked
up at different times, two little birds. a
mile or so from water, whose bodies were
still warm, having evidently but lust
dropped The bodies of men and their
horses are liable to be encountered at any
time; they have been found within mile
OF water, and in one case with water still in
their canteens, and supply of food as
WELL showing that the climate was the
cause of death. With these facts in view.
it is not unreasonable to say that the name
of Death Valley is we'll bestowed. And if
this is the state of things on the elevated
borders, ranging from l,200 to 1000 feet
ana more above the sea, what must be the
heat and dryness in the very focus? For
one of the additional wonders of Death
Valley IS that its central region lies away
below the level of the sea. There is per-
haps no other spot on the globe which at
SO great distance from the ocean reaches
such depression-159 feet. The Dead
sea, with the gorges of the Jordan and the
Arabah, of course greatly exceeds this, but
it is not widely separated from the eastern
parallel border of the Mediterranean.
The climatic violence of this deep trough
of Death Valley must be left to conjecture.
1t is certain that no man could survive there
long enough to secure continuous observa-
tions of any extent.