Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-06-06
WESTERN WONDERS.
a VISIT TO TWO OF NEvADAs WON.
DERFUL LAKES.
Unscaled White Domestic Home Of the
Prehistoric Mastodon-A Queer
Fish.
A letter from virginia CITY, New, to the

turesTie sheet OF water In all the Great
! BASIN region between the Rocky Mountains
| and the Sierra Nevada range. lies out OF the
| track OF tourists and the usual lines OF
| traffic. II Is less known, even to the Ne
| yalans themselves. than any other large
| lake In their own State or California.
The lake Is about twenty-five miles from
| Wadsworih, on the Central Pacific Rail-
| road. The road thither lies along the banks
| Of the Truckee river, through beautiful
valley, dotted with collections OF huts in
| habited by the Indians OF the Pyramid
| Lake reservation, which reservation takes
| In the lake and nearly all The valley lands
| surrounding il. At several points along the
| river are fine groves OF cottonwood and
| willow.irees. The Truckee river heads
| In Lake Tahoe. in the Sierra Nevada
| mountains, 6,2iT feet above the level OF
The sea. The waters Of the river where
| they enter PYRAMID lake are Of crystal
| clearness, as sweet az when they first leave
| the snowy regions OF the Sierras. They
| abound in fish. In the groves along the
hanks Of the stream are many huge, spread
ing cottonwood trees, which at distance
| resemble the great oaks found on bottom
lands I'm the Atlantic States. The Truckee
| river has two mouths, one Of which empties
| into PYRAMID lake and the other into Mud
lake. The branch Of the river which
| emptIes into Pyramid lake is about mile
| long, while that which feeds Mud lake Is
| six miles long.
| Pyramid lake-which has no outlets
nearly forty miles long by from fifteen to
| twenty miles In width. IL has an elevation
| Of 4 600 feet above the level OF the sea ana
! 2.247 feet lower than Lake Tahoe, the prin-
| cipal source OF its main feeder. Great SAT-
| lake. on the eastern side Of the Great Ba-
sir, is the only larger lake on the
whole plateau. II is seventy miie'
long by about thirty wide. The ele'
| yotIon of the Great Salt lake IL also
about geo feet greater, which shows,
| ne do many other things, that the grand in
terror plateau has a sHght inclination or dip
10 inc westward, and also to the southwark
towards the Colorado river. Lake Tahoe
is smaller than Pyramid lake. IL l. only
| thirty miles long bg from eight to fifteen
miles in width. Pyramid lake Is larger
than the Dead sea, which. according to the
surveys Of Lieutenant Lynch, is q triile
over forty miles long, with an average
| breadth OF only eight or nine miles. IL
| is much larger than the Sea OF Galilee,
which Is only sixteen miles long and live
or six miles wide.
| Pyramid Lake contains many Islands,
several Of which, near the middle Of the
lake. rise to the height Of hundreds OF feet,
are pyramidal in form, and light gray IN
color. One tall spire, seen far down TO the
northward, where the lake seems shore
less, is perfectly white. Sailing past this
grand obelisk. which glitters like the
purest Parian marble, and seems to
dart out rays Of sunlight under the bright
MONDAY sun, we presently near the
north or lower end OF the lake. Here we
| find dozen or more towering rocks OF pc
| culiar and picturesque form, singly anu
| isolated. Each Is from 300 to 400 fcet.high.
| At distance they look like monster mu>h-
| rooms or eggs standing on stems-egSN
such as might have been produced by the
roc. that bird Of ancient shines. one wing
| 81 which. according 10 lbu-El-Wardee,
was ten Thousand iathomS long.
II Is impossible TO climb these rocks
| While their stems form perpendicular
walls. il Is beyond the power OF man o.
scale those parts where they begin to swell
| OUT into domeS. The level Of the lake wa
| once very much higher than at present, and
the stems were doubtless formed bv the ac
| ton Of the waves Of the gradually subsidins
| waters. G.. Il. stiles, a man who has been
much upon and about the lake, says he has
sounded at the base OF some Of these fantIS-
tic rocks. and, with the longest line ut NJ
| command, was unable TO find bottom. lie
thinks they are the pinnacles OF sunhen
| mountains. g,
one OF the largest Of these rocks. tall
white one seen from towards the head OF
the lake. j. called FremOnts Pyramid. II
i not wholly perpendicular on all sides.
| ON one OF it, sides is steep slope, when
| II Is thought might be scaled in some way.
| A story il current that the great Pathfinder
found a path TO the top OF tins rock when
he passed through TO California in 1916,
| with Kit Carson for his guide. IL = the
| popular belief that he left his lield-glass and
some other instruments OF value on the
summit Of the rock. Many attempts have
been made to climb it TO secure these arti-
ces.
The last attempt TO scale the pyramid wa
| made by sailor. He used long rope,
| throwing IL upwards until it caught upon a
projecting point, then drawing himself NJ
and again throwing bis rope TO a rock
above. He reached a height about one
| hundred aud fifty feet, when he was nnab',
to find any more projections that would
hold his rope, and he came near never reach
| inc level ground alive. Re was Obliged 10
| descend by the same means used IN eject
inc his ascent. When he finally got down
ne was completely exhausted. His hand,
were bleeding. and he was cu' ana scratched
from head 10 foot. The fishermen aooh'
the lake finally arrived at the conclusion
that the only way in which the held-SldS'
and other plnndcr could be secured would
be by attaching line t. rock and lrinl
# over the top Of the pyramid from NOR
tar.
pyramid Lake is reported to be Of i'm
menSe depth. IL is asserted that near H.
centre GEO fathOmS OF line Jailed to nnt
bottom. The waters Of the lake are Some
what bracki>h, except Immediately aJou
the point where the Truckcc river No."
into II. owing to the brlckiShnc>- oi n
waters. 10 il, great depth, or u both d"Pil
and h.ac kishncss, the lake never freezes.
Although the lake l. generally yer.
rough, ior il j. exposed 20 the lui. @W'ci
Of almost constant westerly winds, TIE FIHt'
Indians fcarlessly navigate il on their lub
| RATS. Tula j. species OF GIANT buiru>h
and is as buoyant ~ cork. Tprse rams r'
often nothing more than single bundi" o
| ules. astride OF which mounts the lnIlW
ard boldly steers out upon the to''ih.
waters. When the raft is intended to &C
commOdate more than one person thrte D
four large bundles OF tucs are lashed 10
rerber. Sticks are thrust through thrS
, | bundles as they lie side by side, When' bl
| mans OF ropes (Of twisted flag, tule, oil
, grnss) passing over the ends OF sad SUCK
. | and under the keel. the whole - draw
, | .nugly together. The ends OF the bundle
are also gathered in and tied 10 form bo'
and stern, when the whole presents Inc ap
! pearance Of a clumsy boat. Near shore IN
: indians generally pole these crafts about
; but they frequently hoist sail, made OF
! blanket, ana iearleS.ly steer 50 ilr OUT upo'
! the lake that only their sail remains visible
These tule boats resemble the eAtaintran
: u.ed by the natives Of some OF the island
, Of the South Pacific. OF the langa1'
} in use in BAIL, about the mouth o
| | the Amazon. They are so ouol
? ant that il is impossible TO sink them IN
, deed. a California man has patent Tor
, | life.raft made OF tuleS. Far out III lI
, lake. among the Islands, the Indians -
1 | their long lines, strung iul OF hooN'
, | These lines they visit on their rait'' hh'
sometimes bring in not leSS tnan ll Ut
hundred pounds Of trout at one trip d'
r front are sold at the lake at ten cent,
, round, but IN Virginia City, Carson an
other towns they retail at twenty an'
/ | twenty.Gye cents pound. ~ the lAAr
, alive with trout. fishing IL quite frouI
| lie business for the Indians OF the reserve
, | tion-a business, too, OF which they nave
monopoly, all white fishermen NV ~