Eureka weekly sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1887-1902, 1889-07-13
aaeeklp Sentinel.
PUBLISHED KvERY SATURDAY BIT
CASSIDY q sKILLMAN.
sxuLxIS. ORC. ". cAsssDy
GREAT SALT MOUNTAINS.
Tho strange story of Captain Mel.
Ion of the River Colorado.

The Strbukt StbFy ph &hpshth utt'
Ion of the River Colorado.
Captain J. A. Mellon, one of the
oldest white settlers Of Fort Yuma, A.
t.. who lived in Yuma two yea
without seeing a white woman, and
who commanded the first teamer, the
Gila, that ever went up the Colorado
river to the mouth Of the Virgin,
is at the Lick, having arrived last
night
Few pioneers in any land have had
the strange experiences Of Captain
Mellon. 81 have not" said he,
"since was ten years old, been in an
American city Of 5000 people on the
Fourth of July. 1t is over twenty-five
years now since / went TO Fort Yuma,
and the changes see in San Francisco
surprise me. expect to see crowd
here on the 4th that will look pretty
big TO me.
Have | been running on the Colo
RADIO river all this time? Yes, and let
me say that there are stretches OF hun
dreds OF miles on that river that are
less known than the heart of Central
Africa.
WONDERFUL SALT MOUNTAINS.
1--WE 90 up there to get salt There
are great mountains Of salt up on the
Virgin, which is a tributary of the
Colorado, each Of which is larger and
higher than Goat Island. The salt is
pure and white. IL Is clearer than
glass You may take a piece of it
seven or eight inches thick and read
newspaper through it.
The salt mountains cover a stretch
Of about twenty-five miles on both
sides Of the Virgin, seven miles up
the Colorado. A single blast Of giant
powder will blow out tons upon tons
OF it.
"This salt does not dazzle the eyes,
as you might suppose, while riding
along on the river steamer or clam
bering over them. 1t has layer OF
sandstone from two TO eight feet thick
over it. When this is torn away tile
salt lies in full sight, like a great
snowdrift. How deep it is nobody
knows. This salt is destined TO be the
source OF great wealth. Hamilton
Disson, the big saw manufacturer, and
Baldwin, OF the Baldwin Locomotive
Works, are the only men who have Sc
cured any OF the salt mountains.
When the Utah Southern railroad Is
pushed through from Frisco, Utah, 1t
will tap the gigantic salt mountains,
and then an enormous revenue will be
realized for them.
CURIOUS FOSSILS USEARTHED.
81 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 charcoal, besides
mating made of cedar bark. The
salt had preserved it. Ii might have
lain there thousands OF years.
Evidently there had been a slide
that covered up the camp equippage OF
some prehistoric men. Strange to say,
a similar discovery has been made in
the salt mines OF Louisiana.
"The rocks up toward the salt
mountains are painted and cut into
hieroglyphics which none OF the Mo-
jave, Yuma, Piute or other Indians
know the neaningof.
"There are valleys along the great,
but as yet unknown, Colorado, singly
as much as 120 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. lrriga-
ton will redeem them. Water will be
brought on them as sure as destiny.
PERPETUAL NIGHT.
Gel Dorado Canyon is grander
than the Grand Canyon OF the Colo
ado. The tops of the windows in the
steamer Gila do not project out more
than six inches, yet / may put my
head ont and look as high as can
and | can't see half way up the mighty
walls OF the canyon. The river is $50
feet wide there too.
The 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. Il
takes ten hours going up to 90 through
the canyon and two hours coming
down.
TO NEVADA BY STEAMER.
By the Colorado river and thu
Virgin you can run clear up into Ne
vada and Utah. Many people hav'
laughed at me for saying WAS goini
up into mountainous Nevada by boat
but that's just what | have been do
ing right along. Strange as it ma.
seem, and little known as it is, tn,
Colorado has more navigable waite
without portage than any other rive
on the Pacific Coast. 1t has 700 miles
while the Columbia has but $50.
1.-The Colorado is the only real fell
for explorers on the North American
continent outside of the frigid north
The wonders that would be unearthe'
there will yet attract attention OF tn
greatest scientists OF the world.