The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1886-01-21
DEATH VALLEY.
a California vale:as Fatal as the Guevo
Upas.

Upas.
The name is fearlu!ly suggestive, and
yet few places in the world deserve their
appellation so we'll As does the Death
Valley Of California, nor is it easy to find
any other country whatever which gath.
ers about itself so much that inspires
horror and dread. A region where a
man can die of thirs, while he has water
within his reach, more than he can drink,
may we'll bear the most terrible title that
can be given it; and this neme-Death
Valley-givcn from the first known event
in its history, thirty-fve years ago, will
doubtless cling to the spot to the end of
time.
In the Southeastern part of Inyo
County, California, and the point at
which the meridian of 116 degrees As
minutes West crosses 36 degrees 10 min
utes North as nearly as possible is in ills
centre of horrors. Probably only one
other spot of which We have any knowl.
edge, the Gueyo Upas, or Vale of Poison,
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
aud barren in the extreme, as is, in fact,
the entire surrounding country; but
narrow central space along the Eastern
side about fifteen miles in length, embod.
les the typical features of their highest
intensity. Into this very few persons
have ever gone, that is, who returned to
tell the tale, and what is here related
pertains to the higher and comparatively
moderate parts toward the borders of the
valley.
The dangers are the result of atmos.
pheric conditions solely. Lack of water
may be fatal evil, but this can be avoid
ed i; supplies of water may be carried, or
better still, it is now tolersbly we'll ascer-
tained that water is available by sinking
even shallow wells in much the greater
extent of the upper portion of the valley.
! But the water fails to afford its usual life
giving value from two causes. The first
of these is heat. Of course this is mod.
Grated during two or three of the Winter
months, and for that space of time
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 about 90 to
95 degrees; and little later it averages
over 100 degrees, reaching often 120 to
1875 degrees in the coolest place that can
be found. If this was with damp
atmosphere it would stifle any human
life with great rapidity, but certain
amount of dryness enables it to be borne
with more safety.
Here, however, comes the second of
the two evils which have been indicated
the intense dryness of the atmosphere.
This is so excessive as to be in many
instances fatal, in spite Of every precau-
ton. The writer has never tasted the
full severity of this feature in Death
Valley itself, bit 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 to supply the drain caused
by the desiccative power of the dry, hot
air." In fact, in one instance he himself
nearly reached that condition, and few
hours of the heat and dryness 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..
Hawkins, who visited it in 1882, says
that he picked up at various times, two
little birds, mile or so from water, whose
bodies we're still warm, having just drop.
ped dead" TIE 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 un-
reasonable to say that the name of Death
Valley is we'll bestowed. And if this is
the state of things on the elevated bor-
ders, ranging from 1000 to 1000 feet and
more, above the sea, what must be the
heat and the 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, perhaps, no other spot on the
globe which at so great distance from
the ocean reaches such a depression-l50
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 Dor.
der of the Mediterranean.