Daily Yellowstone journal., 1888-12-21
THE SHAH A GEoGRAPHeR.
But There Is a Suspicion that Ills strange.
New Lake Il a Fraud.

New Lake Il a Frand.
The shah Of Persia Is dabbling in
geography. A recent issue of The
Ivan, the official gazette of Teheran,
contains an article, purporting 10 have
been prepared by the shah himself. de.
scriptive Of a strange, new lake. Of
dimensions large enough 10 make il.
almost AN inland sea, that has of late
years appeared in the Great Salt
Desert, the "Dasht-i- Kavir." The
ground in this desert is covered with
bwhite crust OF salt. il is habitable
only in a few isolated spots. and there
are said 10 be vast morasses, escape
from which is impossible once a
traveller ventures into them. Tradi-
ton is. however. that once this tract
was covered by a sea, with numerous
ports and harbors, lighthouses and
commerce. There has always been a
sort Of expectation among the Persians
that some day the sea would return and
cover the desert, and now a large body
Of water has actually appeared in the
northwest corner Of the desert, thirty
five miles from Teheran. The interest
occasioned by this was so great that
the z himself visited the spot. In
his account Of il he says that a small
lake, known as the Lake Of Savah,"
formerly existed there, but that il
dried up about 1857 years ago on the
day the prophet-may the blessings of
God be upon him and his posterity-
was born. 1t r~eappeared about six
years ago" The shape of this new
body Of water the shah describes in
homely fashion. He Essays: THE figure
of the lake may be compared TO that
OF a pair of spectacles. There are two
lakes joined by a narrow channel,
which is about two miles in width or
a little less The shah wears specta-
cles. The size of the lake he gives at
100 miles in circumference. As TO its
origin he says:
From observations which have
been made we conclude that this lake
has been formed by waters which
dubbed up in the Kavir like fountains
from underground. for the rivers
which flow into it have not changed
their direction and did not form a lake.
A camel driver Of the Arab nomads Of
the Keleku tribe, which has its camp
ing ground on the shores of the lake.
told us that he had seen with his own
eyes how six years ago "A great guam
tity Of water dubbed up in the middle
Of the Kavir, and, gradually increas-
ing, finally submerged the places
where il had appeared"
Sad 10 say, in spite Of the shah's APP
parently honest efforts TO tell the truth
about his new lake, there is harrow
ing suspicion that his honesty has
been fooled, and that, instead of the
lake that disappeared on the day the
prophet was born r%eappearing now
out Of the bosom Of the earth into
which il vanished, the new body Of
water has its origin in a much less
mysterious fashion. There is a coin
cidence between the date Of the APP
peamnce Of the new lake and that of
the opening Of a new road from Tehe-
ran 10 Kour, which becomes irregular,
In view Of the fact that the lake covers
up and renders impossible the old road.
II is also stated that there is a break In
the dyke OF the Kara Chai, a river
through which the water flows into
the new lake. Near the gap lives a
Persian nobleman who has an interest
in the tolls Of the road.-New York
Gup