The Arkansaw traveler., 1888-05-05
8orax In Death Valley.
Inyo fCAl.l Indepanient.

The following facts In relation tC Death Valley are given by MT. Henry Melone, who returned from there { few days ago. Mir. Melone went tc Death Valley as deputy assessor. The distance between the various points from Independence to Death Valley are as follows; To Keeler, g. miles thence to Darwin, 24 miles to Shep- herds Canyon,27 miles; to Post office Springs, 20 miles; to Coleman's road, so miles; to Furnace creek, in Death Valley, 50 miles; total distance from Independence, 1sS miles. At all the points named between Darwin and Furnace creek there is good water, but no building of any kind, and the trav- eler must take aleng everything other than water needed for himself and what animals he may have. The read traverses valleys among succession of mountain ranges. The mountains arc high, very steep, and mostly bare rocks. The narrow valleys between have a scant growth of ssgebrush and cactus, but are almost destitute of all other vegetation. Mir. Melone had no discomfort sleeping on the sand, rolled up in one blanket. The weather was very pleasant. A short distance beyond Darwin nc met two men whu were going to the Colorado river. They had pack animals and good outfit, and he travelled with them until their ways separated before reaching Death Valley, where 1t is supposed that the grim reaper sits on a tombstone of horrible memories and cuts down all who cross his skull strewn path.
 On arriving at Coleman's borax works Mir. Melone inspected the works carefully. Borax is therc In apparently inexhaustible quantity, The deposits arc usually but 6 few inches in thickness where first opened but get thicker as they are penetrated till they attain depth of two feet or more. Thousands of acres arc covered by the deposit. Adjoining the borax deposits are vast deposits of soda and salt. Great mounds of salt lie around glittering white that contains thous- ands of tons. The salt is fit for use as mined.
 The proportion of pure borax con- tained in the mass ranges from thirty to over ninety per cent. Great quan- titles of pure crystals are found. Vast masses are borste of lime, containing ninety per cent of borax. The crude stuff Is shoveled into large wagons and hauled to the reduction works close by. Here 1t is put through . process of boiling, purifying and crystallizing; 1t is then dried and and sacked ready for shipment. The solution in which the borax is first dissolved is drawn off from the tanks, run into ground vats and is then evaporated. The residuum Is taken up and worked over; 1t contains a large percentage of borax and soda Twenty horses are constantly employed deliv- ering the crude borax at the reduc- tion works. Seven white men and twenty nine Chinamen arc employed. From the works the borax is hauled in wagons to Mojave, a distance of 1 60 miles. The round trip is made in twenty days. Five teams are engaged Ah thio Wot M tWOhty ahtuthf5 III CMCu team. The wheels of the wagons arc eight inches broad on the face, and the tires when new weigh i,200 pounds. One new wagon costs $l 200.
 At Furnace creek, on tract of thirty acres near the borax works, hay enough is cut to feed all the animals employed there. The ground is planted with alfalfa. Nine months In each year a crop Is cat monthly; dur ing the months of December, January and February the animals are allowed to graze on the tract. The dwelling for the superintendent stands ninety feet below the level of the sea. The walls are adobe bricks and are four feet thick. The roof is double; the external covering extends eight feet beyond the walls, forming veranda entirely around the building. In the hottest weather 6 person can be cOm- fortable inside the building.