Daily Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1882-1893, 1885-10-18
DEATH VALLEY.
, CALEDONIA VAL= AS FATAL As
THE Gu5vO uPAS.
/ Region Where Men Die Of Thirst Though
TIsnty nI Water lie within Reach
Peculiar Atmospheric
Conditions.
IScientilc Americana

The name Is feartully suggestive, and yet
Few place, in the world deserve their APP
pellation, 30 well as does the Death valley
Il California, nor is 1t easy to find any other
locality in any country whatever which
gathers bout itself so much that inspires
horror an dread. A region where a man
can die of thirst while he has water within
his reach, more than he can drink, may
we'll bear ths most terrible title that can be
Z ven it; and this name-Death valley
given from the ir t known event in it,
history, thirty-tiva years ago. will doubtless
cling to the spot 70 the enl Of tins.
Ii is in the southeastern part OF lnyo
county, California, AMI the point at which
the meridian of lI6 degrees IS
minutes west crosses - teg. ee' 10
minutes north is a. nsarly a. pos
.ible in its center OF horrors Probably
only one other spot OF which We have any
knowledge, ths GuevO UpaS, or Vale Of
Pui-on, in Java, exceeds the fatality OF
Death valley. The valley itself is forty
miles by eight. running nearly north and
south, and every portion Of this is desert
and barren In the extreme rs Is In TACT the
entire surroun ling couutry; but narrow
central space along tue eastern side about
fifteen mile, in length, embollas the yIical
features Of their highest intensity. Into
tuiS very few persons have ever gone. that
is, VINO returne TO tell the tale, an what i,
here relat,l pertains to tue higher anl
comparatively moderate parts towIrl the
borders OF the valley
ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS.
The dangers are the result OF atmospheric
conditi II, solely. Lick of water may he a
fatal evil but this can Do av lied; upplies
OF water may b. carried, or better stall, 1t
Is now toIernDly well ascertaineI tat water
is available by sinking even shallow wells in
much til, greater extent OF tue upper pOr-
tions OF the valley. But tue water fails to
afford its usual life giving value from two
causes The first Of tIss5 /, the nsat o.
course tins is mo leraIed during two or Tires
of the winter months, and for that 81 acs uf
time a residence on tue bIrders OF Death
valley is possible without any exceeding
great ri K But tlis som passes away, and
the furnace is in blast BY about April the
average lof day and night is from W ~ IS
degree. 10y May it Is % to 100 degrees; and
a little later it averages over LOO degrees,
reaching often I'D TO lbs degrees in the
coole place that eau bS found II this was
with damp atmosphere it would stihs any
human life with great rapiiity, but a GER
tain amount of dryness enables /. TO be
borne with more safety.
Here, however, comes IN the ssconl Of the
two evils wlicn have been indicated; the in
tense dryns of the atmosphere THIS is SO
excessive a to lie in many in tancss fatal,
in spite OF every precaution. The writer has
never tasted the lul severity of this feature
in Death valley itself, but his experience
al ng its Immsliats border renders him
ready to i've full crsdsnce to tho statement
that many cases OF death have occurred
"when water Sas plenty, but could not be
drunk fast enough to supply the drain
caused by tue desiccative p ,wsr of the dry,
hot air" In fact, in one instance he him.
self nearly reached that condition, and a
few hours longer OF the heat aud dryness
would have placel his own name among
those OF its victims
IN THE VERY FOCUS.
II has lesn said that birds drop dead In
attempting 70 eros the valley. Mr.. Haw-
kins, who visitel it in 1882 says that he
picked W. at diferlAt times, two little
birds, a mile or so from water, whose bodies
we're still warm, having evidently but just
dropped dead" Tue bodies Of men aud
their horses are liable to be encountered at
any time; they have been founi within a
mile of water, AMI in one case with water
still in their cantssn', AMI a supply OF fool
as WELL showing that the climate was the
cause OF death.
With these facts In view, il is not unrea-
sOnabls tO say that the name Death valley
| is well best owed. Aud il this /, the state Of
/ things on the elevated borders. ranging
/ from ! 2JJ 10 1000 feet and more above the
. sea, what must be the heat an the dryn,,s
in the very fJcusi For one OF the al Ii
tioual wonler, of Death valley Is that it,
central region liss away below the lsyol OF
the SEA. There Is perhaps no other spot on
the globe which at 50 great distance from
the ocean reaches such dspression-lj9
feet The Dsad sea, with tue rye, Uf the
Jordan aud tue Arabah, of course greatly
exceeds this, but it Is not widely separate
from the eastern parallel Dor Ter OF the
Mediterranean.