The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-04-19
RIG HOLES IN THE EARTH.
The San Felipe Sink in Southern Cali
fornia.
From, the Nelc York Times.

From, the Ne1o York Times.
1xDro, CAL, April l3.--"Few divers care
10 descend more than 50 feet below the sur
face of the ocean, yet there are many per-
CONS on the Pacific coast who think nothing
- descending from 200 to 900 feet below the
surface level of the Paclnc, and not only
that. but live there"
This statement one often hears in Califor-
ria especially in the southern portion, and
n is somewhat pulling to the "tenderfoot."
II contains, however, the elements CT truth,
os almost every one who comes into South
ern California through San Diego county
masses below the ocean level.
Tie Southern Pacific railroad engineers
fonnd, when building the road, that in East
San Diego county there was a remarkable
donressiou. evidently the dry bed of an an
lent lake This is known as the San Felipe
Sink and presents a singular appearance,
oIlino to mind the famous Humboldt sink
farther north The San Felipe sink has
st;Il another name--the Conchilla valley
co called from the fact that its surface is
covered with shells, showing conclusively
that il has been the bed of a lake that at
least had a dense molluscan population some
time in the past, but how long ago it would
be difficult to say.
The spou 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 distant
east a large body of water had stood here.
when the surveyors ran their line across
the depression they found that it was one
of the most remarkable places on the CONT
nent-a cavity near what is now the town
of Salton, 26S feet below the surface of the
Pacific.
This sink or old lake bed is $50 miles long
nv 30 miles wide, and the point of greatest
l., halnUU
regiou is one of great interest In the sum-
mar il is SO hot that the Thermometers, &C
cording to native, are made on the tele-
sconic Dian, and 1867 is normal in the shade.
Still. sunstroke is never known in the sink,
owing probably to the low relative humid
ity.
rlace there are many things to attract the
attention On its northern side are some
fine date plants that have been growing
here for ages, at least beyond the memory
Of the Oldest inhabitants. They range from
60 to 50 feet in hight and present grand
and picturesque appearance against the
mountains. The trees bear dates of COM
,nercial value, the punches weighing from rs
to 125 pounds. The trees can be seen by the
passengers on the train as it passes the town
of Indio, and one wonders how long they
have watched over the dismal shores and if
the lake was lake in reality in their day.
Tat the lake was salt is shown by the
enormous deposits of this mineral. 1t is
especially noticeable at the town of Salton,
where for many miles the pedestrian travels
on a perfect crust of SALT ranging from a
few inches to several fest in thickness.
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
WI at was originally desert is now rich in
greens and various tropical and semi
tropical fruits and flowers are raised. The
tourist should stop at the town of Indio and
make this the central point from which in
vestigations can be made, and he will be
well repaid.
The native inhabitants of this curious
region are tribe of about 400 Cohuilla
India s. who have apparently strayed out
here from the Cohuilla valley. Those ex-
amined by the writer near the valley were,
as a rule a worthless set, with little or no
ambition beyond obtaining their living
from the government, and no little sym
pathv has been wasted upon them, though
it is true that they have been cheated aud
had lands stolen from them. DIR. Stephen
Bowers, in an interesting paper read
before the Ventura County Natural
History Society gives some new
ideas regarding them He considers
them lneal descendants Of the old Aztscs.
Their religion includes sun and fire wor-
ship at the present day, and they believe
in the transmigration of souls. Many of
their ideas resemble those of the Buddhists
Thus while the latter believe that the soul
of a friend enters into the elephant per-
haps 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 throughout the
country for grinding the mesquite bean
aud coffee, when they happen 60 have it..
We see, then, that this remarkable pit
has been utilized by mankind. Farmers
are taking possession, salt men find it profit
able, and the indians make it their home !;
but it remains for Dr. Lindley of Los An
geles to announce to the world that the San
Felipe sink is a natural sanitarium, SO to
speak. DR.. Lindley is the vice president of
the State Medical Society Of California, and
consequently is an authority.
During visit to the San Felipe sink he
noticed a large number of invalids, espe-
clally asthmatics, rheumatics and consump-
tves, many of whom claimed remarkable
progress The consumptives asserted that
the farther below the sea level they went
the easier they could breathe, while the
rheumatic patients said that the heat and
dryness had some effect upon their circula-
ton, or at least gave them help. DR.. Lind
ley In paper compares the conditions
which exist here incidentally to the pneu-
matte cabinet. He quotes DR.. II. b. La
throp as authority for the statement that
compressed air relieves ESTIMATES and
cases OF phthisis. He found that the COM
pressed air forced itself into the lungs aud
every portion of them, so that the pressure
was equallzed. This is, of course, a natural
result.
1t Is said that here one has conditions
similar to the compressed air treatment, but
VI. Llndley states that the pressure at the
potUom OF the San Felipe sink would not
De as much as that in a regular cabinet
me idea conveyed is that the great depres-
zion taxes the place or such a cure, enabling
one 10 live in the favorable conditions.
WnlIe patient enters a regular cabinet
several times day, at Salton he is breath
Jug according to DR.. Lindley. the com
pressed air all the time. No very extended
researches orinvestigatiops have been made
III luis direction, but those made are of
pecnliar interest to that unfortunate class
the invalids
mat there is something in the idea Is
snown by the interest taken I'm Europe.
wear inc River Jordan in the valley of the
Deao sea, an American is establishing a
sahltsrlum, proposing to endow it. The
elhk mere is far more remarkable than the
ohe I'D California, being fully 200 feet be-
low the surface OF the ocean. The founder
VI TINS institution built it in the belief that
Wnere the atmospheric pressure was the
greatest thaTa -