Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1889-09-14
MOUNTAINS or SALT.
what mn Oid Settler Has 90 Say About
These an the Colorado River.

What mn Old settler Was ca say Aboue
These ON the Colorado River.
One of the oldest settlers Of Fort
Yuma, A. T., Capt j. A. Mellon. said
in u recent interview: There are
stretches Of hundreds OF miles on the
Colorado river that are less known
than the heart Of central Africa. We
60 up there 10 get salt There are
great mountains Of salt up In the Vir-
gin. which is tributary Of the Colo
RADIO. each Of which is larger and
higher than Goat island. The salt is
pure and white; il is clearer than
glass. You may take piece Of il
seven or eight inches thick and read a
common newspaper through IL.
The salt mountains cover a
stretch of about twenty-five miles on
both sides Of the Virgin. seven miles
up from the Colorado. \ single blast
Of giant powder will blow out tons
upon tons Of IT, This salt dives not
dazzle your eyes us you might expect,
while riding along ON the river steam.
err or clambering over il. II has a
layer of sandstone from two Ia eight
feet thick over il. When this is torn
away the salt lies in full sight. like
great snowdrift How deep il Is no
body knows This salt is dcsiiu.
ed TO be source OF great wealth.
Hamilton Disston. the big saw manu
facturcr, and Baldwin. of the Baldwin
locomotive works. are the only men
who have secured any m the salt
mountains. When the Utah Southern
railroad is pushed on from Frisco.
Utah. il will tap the salt mountains
and then an enormous revenue will
be realized from them.
Capt. Mellon brought down from
tho mines. for the Academy of Sci
ences, San Francisco. some queer
things. Under the cap rock was found
charrcd wood and charcoal. besides
some mating made Of cedar bark.
The salt had preserved it, Il might
have lain there thousands Of years.
Evidently there had been slide that
covered up the camp cquipage Of some
prehistoric men. Strange 10 say, a
similar discovery has been made in
the silt mines Of Louisiana. The rocks
up toward the salt mountains are
pointed and cut into hicroglyphics
which none Of the Mojavc, Yuma,
Piute or other Indians know the mean.
ing of
In the same interview Capt. Mellon
said: There are valleys along the
great, but Us yet unknown, Colorado.
singly rs much rs 100 miles long and
twenty miles wide. That will bc the
real orange country Of tho globe.
They are us rich rs the valley Of tho
Nile. Irrigation will redeem them.
Water will be brought on them as sure
as destiny.
lei Dorado canyon is grandcr than
the Grand canyon Of the Colorado. The
tops Of tho windows in the steamer
ella do not projcc, out more than six
inches, yet ! may put my head out
and look as high ms can. and cant
SEQ half way up the mighty walls OF
the canyon. The river is $50 feet wide
there. too. Tho only way you can
see TO the top is to 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. II takes ten hours
going up To go through the canyon.
and two hours coming down.
by the Colorado river and the Fir-
gin you can run clear up to Nevada
and Utah. Many people have laugh
ell at me for saying l was going up
into mountainous Nevada by boat,
but that's just what have been do
ing right along. Strange us it may
seem, and little known rs il is, the
Colorado has more navigable water
without portage than any other river
on the Pacific coast. Il has 200 miles,
while the Columbia has but $50. The
Colorado is the only real field for ex-
plorcrs on the North American CONT
iincnt outside Of the frigid north. The
wonders that could be unearthcd there
will yet attract tho attention Of the
greatest scientists of the world. San
Francisco Examiner