Omaha daily bee., 1885-05-20
A GREAT SALT LAKE STORY.
The Probable Outlet Accidentally
Discovered by a Boy.
Salt Lake

ShS SAOohotO Su'hS
Discovered by n Boy.
Salt Lake Democrat.
Peter Whitford, q farmer living a few
miles southeast of the city, and his son,
Frank, nineteen years of sge, were
looking for some stray cattle. They were
on horseback, and followed the track of
cattle to within a few miles of the most
southern part of the lake. Frank was
riding some distance In front of his
father, and was gazing intently or the
ground, as the tracks of the cattle were
somewhat lndistihct. While they wers
riding along quietly In this II Mr..
Whitford was startled by q shout from
his son and, looking up quickly, he saw
Frank throw his arms WILDLY in the air,
while his horse was plunglpg about as If
terror stricken. At the same time there
was a deep, iumblipg sound that seemed
to come from the center of the earth.
In an instant, before Mr.. Whitford had
time to think, his son and the horse he
rode had disappeared from view, and In
the place where they had been a yawning
chasm appeared, from the sides of which
the earth was still leaving and dropping
down.
Mr.. Whitford for several moments was
supplied with terror, and then a, he be-
gan to realize the terrible situation, he
became frantic. The last piercing scream
of his con was still ringing In his esrs,
and he could not tell how far he had
fallen or what dreadful fate he had met.
The aperture seemed to be about thirty
feet in width, and was nearly circular.
Mr.. Whitford noticed that on the oppo-
site side from where he was standing, the
earth seemed to be comparatively solid.
He therefore, proceeded very cautiously
around, and, face downward, crept tlow-
ly ard carefully forward until he was
enabled to peer over the brink of the
chasm. At first he could distinguish
nothing but impenetrable darkness. The
faint rash Of the waters far below was the
only sound that crested his ear, and
after gazing intently for several moments
he beheld the glimmer and foam of the
water. BE then bsgan to ''helio" Justly
and waiting q few moments for q reply,
he heard q faint response come from the
depths below. He was o~verjoyed by the
discovery that his son was still alive,
and Immediately set about to devise
some means for his rescue. Fortunately
he carried upon the horn of his saddle q
stout lariat rope about fifty feet inlength,
which he hastily procured and low.
cred over the side of the opening. Frank
shouted up that the rope would not
reach by several feet, and Mr.. Whitford
heightened 1t by adding the bride reins,
when he was overjoyed by the discovery
that it reached his son. Frank fastened
the rope securely around his body and
shouted to his father to draw him up.
Although he is very small in stature and
does not weigh more than 1875 pounds,
1t was only by superhuman efforts thai
Mr.. Whitford succeeded In drawing hin
up, and twice he came very near being
dragged over the brink himself. But hi
was finally successful, however, and the
emotion of the father and son when the
latter was safely landed on solid GROUND
can be more readily imagined than de
scribed. Frank was entirely uninjured,
with the exception of several small bruises
on the left leg. he described his sensa
tons while descendiag as most terrible
oLu OWes LIB esCapt IEoul Injury w eu'
most fortunate circumstanc e Of his hors'
remaining under him. The ANNA
struck the bottom first, and this brok
the force of Franks fall, The horse
Frank thought, was not dead, but he In
tended to return and shoot him. Franz
described the cavern in which b
descended as being about seventy fv
feet in length. He had fallen on tn
west aide of a shelf of rocks, Just below
which a ioamIng stream of water wa
rushing past. This stream appeared, q
near as Frank could tell in the dir
!, light, to be about so feet In width. TIL
spray which was constantly being dsshe
over the rocks on which he had falle,
! left a heavy deposit of salt, from whic
which it was evident the stream cam
from the great Salt Lake. The caver
narrowed down at either end, jus. leavin
y room for the channel of the stream.
= Young Whitford's escape was no lei
. marvellous than was the wonderful di
, , coyery he had made. This undergroun
+ stream was flowing In a southwestern d
. %rection, directly from the lake, and If
= Is not an outlet, what IL III The plac
where this occurred is about twenty-five
a miles from the city.