Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-10-24
A REMARKABLE SINKHOLE
People Living in the Bed of an Old
Lake in the Concillia Valley.
California.
Their Chief Industry Is Gathering
Salt-CuriOuS Habits and Customs
of the Indians.


yet there are many persons on the Pacific
coast who thing nothing of descending
from 200 to 500 feet below the surface Level
of the Pacific, but not only that, but they
live there
This statement one often hears In Cali
fornia, especially in the southern portion.
says a letter from that state to the New
York Times. and it is somewhat pulling
to the ''tenderfoOt 1t contains. however.
the elements of truth, as almost every one
who comes into southern California through
San Diego county passes below the ocean
level.
The Southern Pacific railroad engineers
found when building the road, that In east
San Diego county there was a remarkable
depression, evidently the dry bed of an
ancient lake. This is known as the San
Felipe sink, and presents a singular APP
pearance, calling to mind the famous Hum
boldt sink further north. The San Felipe
sink has another name-the Concillia val
ley-so called from the fact that Its surface
is covered with shells, showing conclusive
ly that it has been the bed of lake that
t least had a dense molluscan population
sone time in the past. bat how long a 90 it
would be difficult to say.
The spot was first noticed by Surgeon
Widney of the United States army many
years ago. He observed the shore line
and came to the conclusion that in the dis
tdnt past large body of water had stood
there. When the surveyors ran their lines
across the depression they found that it
was one of the most remarkable places on
the continent-a cavity near what is now
the town of Salton 25S feet below the sur
face of the Pacific.
This sink or old lode bed is $50 miles
long by 80 miles wide, and the point of
greatest depth is $50 feet below the ocean
level. The region is one of great interes5.
In the summer it is so hot that the the
mometers, according to a native, are made
on the telescope plan, and l05 degrees is
normal in the shade. STILL sunstroke IS
never known in the sink. owing probably,
to the low relative humidity.
In wandering through this remarkable
y ace there are many things to attract the
{ tentiOn. On its northern side are some
he date palms that have been growing
ere for ages, at least beyond the memory
Of the oldest inhabitant They range
from 60 to so feet in height and present a
brand and picturesque appearance against
/ .e mountains The trees bear dates of
commercial value, the punches weighing
seen by the passengers on the train as it
passes the town of Indio, and one Won
ders how long they have watched over the
dismal shores, and if the lake was lake
In reality in their day
That the lake was salt is shown by the
enormous deposits of this mineral. 1t is
especially noticeable at the town of Sal
ton, where for many miles the pedestrian
travels on a perfect crust of salt, ranging
from a few inches to several feet In thick
ness.
The principal business followed here is
the collection OF salt. A number of large
mills collect and grind it, and several tons
are shipped every week to various parts of
the country. In some parts of the sink
artesian wells have been developed and
what was once a desert is now rich in
green's and various tropical and semi
tropical fruits and flowers are raised. The
tourist should stop at this town of Indio
and make this the central point from which
investigations can be made, and he will be
well repaid
The native inhabitants of this curious
region are a tribe of about 400 Cohuilla In
dians who have apparently strayed out here
from the Cohuilla valley. Those examined
by the writer near the valley were, as a
rule, a worthless set, with little or no am
bition beyond obtaining their living from
the government. and no little sympathy
has been wasted upon them, though it is
true that they have been cheated and had
lands stolen from them. DIR. Stephen
Bowers, in an interesting paper read be-
fore the Ventura County Natural History
society, gives some new ideas regarding
them He considers them lineal descend
ants of the old Aztecs. Their religion in
cludes sun and fire worship at the present
day, and they believe in the transmigra-
Ions of souls. Many of their ideas re-
semble those of the Buddhists. Thus, while
the latter believe that the soul of friend
enters into the elephant, perhaps, the
Cohuilla believes that the coyote that
prowls around may perhaps be all that is
left of some of his people. The dead
are cremated. This band makes and uses
the stone mortars so common through
out the country for grinding the mesquite
bean and coffee, when they happen to have
it.
We see, then, that this remarkable pit
has been utilized by mankind. Farmers
are taking possession, salt men find it prof
liable, and the Indians make it their
home; but it remains for DIR. Lindley of
Los Angeles to announce to the world that
the San Felipe sink is a natural sanitar
ium, so to speak. Dr. Lindleyis the vice
president of the State Medical society of
California, and consequentlyis an author
ity.
During a visit to the San Felipe sink he
noticed a large number of invalids, especl-
ally asthmatics, rheumatics. and consump-
tives, many of whom claimed remarkable
progress. The conservatives asserted that
the further below the see level they went
the easier they could breathe while
the rheumatic patients said that the heat
and dryness had some effect upon their
circulation, or at least gave them help. DIR.
Lindley in a paper compared the conditions
which exist here incidentally to the pneu
matte cabinet. He quotes Dr. II. B. Lath-
rop as authority for the statement that
compressed air relieves estimates and
phthisis He found that the compressed
air forced itself into the lungs and every
portion of them, so that the pressure was
equalized. This is of course natural
result
1t is said that here one has conditions
similar to the compressed air treatment, |
but Dr. Lindley states that the pressure at
the bottom of San Felipe sink would not
be as much as that In regular cabinet. /
The idea conveyed Is that the great de-
preston takes the place of such a cure, en-
abling one to live In the favorable condI- /
TONS While patient enters a regular /
cabinet several times a day, at Salton he Is |
breathing. according to DR.. Lindley, the /
compressed air all the time. No very eX-
tended researches or investigations have I
been made In this direction. but those made /
are of peculiar interest to that unfortunate
class-the invalids.