Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1885-04-01
FOUND AT LAST!
A Subterranean Outlet to Great Salt
Lake.
A Horse and Its Rider Swallowed Up
BY the Earth.

body OF salt water in the world, is one G
the wonders of the American continent
1t is marvellous, not only as the "Deac
Sea of the American Desert" being s.
strongly impregnated with salt that n,
thing of life can exist beneath its ripping
surface, but has presented many pheno
mena that scientists and explorers have
been unable to account for. Notwith
standing the fact that there are hundred
of streams of fresh water constantly flow
ing into the lake, many of them being
streams of such size as to be called
rivers, no outlet whatever has beer
known to exist and the waters of tn,
lake do not seem to be increased to any
marked extent by the tributaries.
This outlet question is one that hal
puzzled the brains of many a SCENTS
and profound scholar, and numerous arr
the theories that have been advanced. l
was at first believed that a subterranea1
stream carried the surplus waters of the
lake to the Pacific Ocean, but as nothing
was ever discovered to justify any such {
| theory, it was abandoned, and the idea
that the surplus was carried off by eva
poration became firmly rooted in the pub
lie mind. A most remarkable, and what
came very near being a tragic incident
occurred last Sunday which upsets all the
conclusions OF the wise men of science
and will probably lead to final solution
of this outlet problem. The facts, as
learned from the parties themselves, are
as follows:
Peter Whitford, farmer living few
miles southwest Of the city, and his son
Frank, ninteen years of age, were looking
for some stray cattle. They were on
horseback and followed the tracks of the
cattle to within few miles of the most
southern point of the lake. Frank was
riding some distance in advance of his
father and was gazing intently on the
ground, as the tracks of the cattle were
somewhat indistinct.
While they were riding quietly along in
this manner, Mr.. Whitford was startled
by shout from his son, and looking
quickly up, he saw Frank throw his arms
wildly into the air, while his horse was
plunging about as if terror-stricken. At
the same time there was a deep, rum
bling sound that seemed to come from
the center of the earth. In an instant,
and 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 caving and dropping down.
Mr.. Whitford for several moments, was
stupefied with terror, and then, as he be-
gan to realize the terrible situation, he
became almost frantic. The last piercing
shrek of his son was still ringing in his
ears, 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 opposite
side from where he was standing the
earth seemed to be comparatively solid
He therefore proceeded cautiously around
and, face downward, crept slowly and
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
rush of waters, far below, was the only
sound that greeted his ear, and after gaz-
ing intently for several moments he be-
held the glimmer and foam of the water.
He then began to "hello" Justify, and
waiting few moments for a reply, he
heard faint response come up from the !
lepths below. He was. overioyed
1y the discovery that his son was
till alive, and Immediately set
lbout to devise some means for his res
'ue. Fortunately, he carried upon the
lorn of his saddle a stout lariat rope.
bout fifty feet in length, which he has
lily procured and lowered over the side of
he opening. Frank shouted up that it
you'd not reach by several feet, and Mr..
Vhitford heightened it by adding the
ride reins, when he was overjoyed by
ne discovery that it reached his son.
rank fastened the rope securely around
is body and shouted for his father to
raw him up. Although he is very small
stature and does not weigh over I25 E
ounds, it was only by superhuman
forts that Mr. Whitford succeeded in :
'awing him up, and twice he t
me very near being dragged over t
e brink himself. But he was h
tally successful, however, and 4
e emotions of the father
Id son, when the latter was safely \
nded on solid ground, can more readily F
imagined than described. Frank was Il
tirely uninjured, with the exception of
veral bruises on the left leg. He de-
ribed his sensations, while descending. n
most terrible, and owes his escape
I'm injury to the fortunate circumstance :,
his horse remaining under him. The P
imal struck the bottom first and this G.
oke the force of Franks fall. The horse. J.,
ank thought, was not dead, and he in u
lded to return and shoot him. %
Frank described the cavern in which he fc
scended as being about seventy-five h
t in length. He had fallen on the west r.
e on shelf Of rocks, just below which
Gaming stream of water was rushing n