Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-09-07
DEATH VALLEY MINES.
water Found at Last, and Active
Exploitation Entered Upon.

DEATH VALLEY MINES.
water Found at Last, and Active
Exploitation Entered Upon.
fspecial Correspondence OF the HERALD.
DEATH VALLEY, September l, 1889.
Few are there who have not read or
heard of the train of emigrants who, in
the year 1850, left the beaten route
known as the old Mormon trail and
sought to reach the cool waters and
green lands beyond the desert by the
way Of sandy plain breaking through
the mountain range. On either side rise
precipitous and blackened walls of
mountains like giant palisades, and for
sixty miles the wide sandy lane extends
without vegetation and without water.
The eighty-seven souls who entered there
in 1850. lrrea nv the mirage which ever
pictured lair lakes OF water just before
them, NIL persisted Of thirst, The bones
of eighty-three Of the 'i2Etnnate emf
grants W9re geti sd 10, ;Dther by The
Pangn!,t Indians, and sehe mound in
which the ssvages buried them is still to
Os seen in what is called Emigrant ca non.
The desert about has since been known
as Death valley.
This desert place of deserts is in Inyo
county, 125 miles north by east of Orc
Grande, the nearest railroad point. From
the railroad station the valley is reached
with horses or mules, and all materials
and provisions have to be packed on
burros. The valley has a trend
from the west to the southeast,
and is bounded on the southern
line by the Funeral mountains, which
debouch into the Ivawatch range, which
runs nearly north and south. The Pana-
mint range extends westerly from the
southwestern portion Of the valley, and
intercepts the State range, which runs
north and south with an easterly trend.
The entire plain enclosed by these noun.
tain ranges is entirely destitute of water,
and is rarely 'ventured upon save by the
Indians of the Panamint country.
From early times it has been known
that Death valley was rich in precious
minerals-that its lap OF death was
treasury Of yellow gold and
dared to explore this H'p' region na Of
death, only to leave his bones to bleach
on the hot sands, or to return, after hard
ship and suffering, hopeless OF gaining
the coveted wealth he found there. "No
water, no water anywhere" was the
despairing cry of every prospector who
returned. The miners who are now de-
veloping the newly opened mines report
that within two months they have found
the bodies of six prospectors who have
persisted on the desert from thirst. Some
three weeks ago, as a party of them were
passing through Wind Gate pass, they
heard the faint "Hello, hello" Of
voice in the distance. They
followed the sound, but could
not find the dying man. After several
hours, as their water had nearly given
out, they abandoned the search. They
did not hear cry of help after the first
times. The following day an exploring
party which followed them came upon
the body of a man but few hours dead.
Although his last despairing cry had
reached the ears of the miners, it had
failed to save him, and he had persisted
miserably with help within a stones
throw, But water has now been found.
A few months since Mr.. R. B. Taylor,
the banker of South Riverside, fitted out
an exploring expedition, and put himself
at the head of it. After locating several
mines the party explored for water.
Directed by the friendly Indians, they
found it after many days of search. And
strange to tell, they found it in abund-
ance, but high up in the mountains-so
high that it is distributed and absorbed
by the dry hills before it reaches the
burning plains, or, perhaps, flows away
through some subterranean passage as
the Humboldt and Carson rivers sink
out Of sight in the deserts of Nevada
The constant supply Of water which has
been found will have to be piped or
fumed down the mountain side to the
mines; but, in whatever way it be util-
lied, the finding of it will open one of
the richest mining districts in California,
and make grsndly wealth-producing the
most sterile portion of the State.
The Death Valley Mining Company
has been incorporated, with Mr.. Taylor
as President and Manager, and is devel-
oping the eight mines that have
been located by the company
as rapidly as possible, and they
will be worked for legitimate returns.
The ore so far taken out is OF a high
grade, free milling and assays from 5000
to 81 900 ton, with a large percentage
of gold. Pure galena and sulphates are
found, the latter bearing free gold.
Lodges have been followed for mile,
and Panamint Tom, the old Indian
chief, says that the mountains are full of
gold and silver.
The mines of the Death valley Mining
Company are situated on the southern
edge of Death Valley in the Funeral
mountains.
MARINER j. KENT.