Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-08-10
MOUNTAINS OF PURE SALT.
One Of the Wonders that Fringe the Great
Colorado River.
rc.o rr.o.4aco ~
san FRANCISCO E1hulhor


Captain J. A. Mellon, one OF tho oldest
white settlers of Fort Yuma, Arizona. who
lived in Yuma two years without seeing
white woman and who commanded the
first steamer-the Gila--that ever went up
the Colorado river to the mouth OF the
Virgin. is at the Lick House, having ar
rived last night.
Few pioneers in any land have had the
strange experiences of Captain Mellon.
:" have not. " said he, " since was ten
years old, been in an Americah city OF 5000
people on the Fourth of July. IL is over
twenty-five years now since went TO Fort
Yuma. and the changes | see IN San Fran
cisco surprise me.
"Have | been running on the Colorado
river all this time? Yes; and let me say
that there are stretches Of hundreds OF
miles on that river that are less known
! than the heart OF Central Africa. We
go mp there to get salt. There are great
mountains Of salt up on the Virgin. which
Is tributary of the Colorado, each OF
| which il larger and higher than Goat
| Island. The salt is pure and white. 1t IS
clearer than glass. You may take q, piece
/ of it seven or eight inches thick and read
q common newspaper through It.
! The salt-mountains cover stretch or
| about TWENTY-FIVE miles on both sides OF
the Virgin, seven miles up from the Colo
RADIO. 4 single blast of giant powder Will
blow ont tons upon tons OF It. ms SAT-
| does not dazzle your eyes, "a You might
expect, while riding along on the river
steamer or clambering over It. 1t has a
LAYER Of sandstone from two 10 eight
feet thick over it, When this Is torn away
the salt lies in full sight. like a great snow
drift. How deep it Is nobody knows. This
salt is destined TO be the source OF great
wealth. Hamilton Disston. the big saw
manufacturer, and Baldwin. of the Bald
win Locomotive Works. are the only men
! who have secured any of these salt-moun-
tains. When the Utah southern railroad
il pushed on from Frisco, Utah, i will tap
the gigantic salt-mOuntains, and then an
| enormous revenue will be realized from
them.
~ brought down from the mines for the
Academy Of Sciences here some queer
things from the salt-mines. Under the cap
rock was found charred wood and char
| coal. besides some mating made OF cedar
bark. The salt had preserved 1t. ltmlght
have lain there thousands of years. Evil
IDENTIFY there had been a slide that covered
up the camp equipage of some prehistoric
men. Strange TO say, n similar discovery
has been made in the salt-mines OF Loulsi-
ana. The rocks up towards the, salt
mountains are painted and cut INTO Nero
glypbics which none of the AlOJaye, luna,
| Jlutt, OF pbhcl lAuiHAi' NAA"" VIZ 1
Of.
There are valleys along the great but
ms vet unknown Colorado slnglY "a much
rs l2O miles long and twenty wide. That
will be the real orange country OF the
globe. They are as rich as the Valley of
the Nile Irrigation Will redeem them.
Water will be brought on them as sure as
destiny.
"El Dorado canon is grander than the
Grand canon of the Colorado. Tho tops
of the windows in the steamer ella do
not project out more than six inches, yet |
NAV nut my head ont and look a. high rs
/ can and | can't see half way up the
mighty walls of the canon. The river IS
$50 feet wide there, too. The only way
YOU can see TO the top Is 10 get right out
on deck and look straight up. The walls
are so high that there is perpetual shade
there. Neither the sun nor the moon can
shine in. IL takes ten hours gong up to
go through the canon aud two hours
coming down.
"By the Colombo river and the Virgin
| YOU can run clear up into Nevada and
Utah. Many people have laughed at me
for saving was golngu into mountainous
! Nevada by boat, but that's Just what have
been doing right along. Strange a. II may
seem. and little known as 1t Is, the Colo
RADIO has more nayIgable water without
portage than any other ryer on the Paclhc
! coast. II has 700 miles, while the COlum bia
has Int $50. The Colorado Is the only real
field for explorers on the North American
Continent outside Of the frigld North. The
wonders that could be uuearthed there Will
vet attract the attention Of the greatest
scientists of the world"