Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-09-13

In NJ as Death valley, in attempt
ASSNH ing to cross which-though
cI it is only about IS miles
broad-so many unfortunate
people have lost their lives, :"
said an officer Of the, geological survey to q
writer for The STAR.
Having myself been across IL, I am able to
testify TO its horrors. Imagine a narrow strip
of arid plain shut in between two mighty walls
of mountain, the peaks stretching up 10000
feet into the burning sky. So PERCEPTIONS are
these rocky barriers that in journey of IA
miles you pass from an eminence of 2 miles
above sea level to the plain It's feet below the
ocean tide mark. When / visited Death valley
few years ago my party went through pass
on the west side and stopped for the night at
spring about 5, 900 feet above the sea. The
next morning we descended, our faces famed
by cool breeze from the east. Before we got
to the bottom that same breeze had become
sitting hot. One thing worth mentioning as
to the view in the valley was the graysh haze
that commonly hangs over the landscape there,
giving misty look to the opposite mountain
peaks and lending to everything word and
mysterious aspect
Zone look at the landscape Of Death valley
Is enough to convince YOU Of the appropriate
ness OF the name. There is vegetation, it is
true. but even it does not seem to be really and
truly alive. 1t is mainly composed of cacti.
which enjoy only a sort Of subtle in the plant
way anyhow. Whatever else there is of a yege-
table nature is extremely thorny and spiny,
with leaves not green, but of the graylsh hue
OF ashes. The ground is a dead level OF cream
colored salt crust and black lava. Through
the crust OF salt perhaps an inch in thickness.
the hoofs of your horse break at every step.
And the heat! 1t is unspeakable and intoler-
able. There is breeze, but such a breeze!
Instead of being cool it is scorching hot-so
that it actually blisters your face. The sun,
which pours its rays into the valley with never
a cloud to interrupt them from ono years end
to another, is blazing overhead. and the black
lava, extraOrdinar,- for its power to absorb
heat, gives it forth again to raise the tempera-
ture few degrees higher. My thermometer
inside my saddle bag, when crossed the val
ley, went up to 80 degrees and then burst.
ABSENCE OF WATER.
"There is something unearthly about the
whole appearance of things in the valley-the
two ranges Of gigantic peaks that hem it in
between them looking like the backbones of a
couple Of monstrous beasts, and the gray haze
rendering everything indis.inct to the view
But it Is the absence OF water that is the
supreme horror of this natural furnace So
intensely dry the air--scientific observation
has declared it much drier than that OF the
Sahara-that the moisture OF the body evap-
crates with astonishing rapidity. This means
that you have to drink more water: in fact. one
needs two gallons u day instead of the three
pints one ordinarily consumes, and still one is
thirsty all the time II you did nothing but
sit down and drink water all the time you would
still suffer from thirst As it is. consuming
two gallons daily, your blood becomes thick
ened and your features grow thin and peaked.
Obviously, in crossing the valley, one cannot
very well carry with him more than enough
for one days supply of water. The
only way to do is to hurry across and reach
the other side before one succumbs for want
OF drink. There are springs at the heads of
some OF the gorges OF the mountains on either
side. II you know precisely in which of the
gorges these springs are to be found, it is well
enough, but if you are not certain on this point,
you are likely to become exhausted. after
travelling up to the heads of one or two gorges
fruitessy, as to find nothing better to do than
to he down and die, what according to tho
testimony OF those who have had experience,
must be the most horrible Of deaths In the
year l crossed Death valley two guides lost
their lives there. One OF them was with nv
surveying expedition. The water gave ont
and hnally-the party was not tho one was
whit was agreed not to go any farther. So
the party went back to the spring it had left
that morning, while the guide obstinately
pushed ahead, sure that he would find water
Evidently he was mistaken, for his corpse, not
decomposed but dried up to mummy, was
subsequently found
I'VE got across the valley all right, though
we drank up our supply of water during the
morning, not getting any more until the next
morning, when we were fortunate enough to find
II OIL the other side. The sign OF water 80 eagerly
looked for III that region, is green. Wherever
there Is water plants that have green leaves
spring up Ill the midst OF the gray desert vege-
tation. OF course we suffered considerably.
In Death valley thirty-six hours without water
means death. We spent night in the
valley. The temperature at midnight was III
hoUraRa nd Il no aa,v ,vth I'D
the aspect Of the desert in the moonlight
cacti of a curious sort that stand upright look
ing for all the world like dead men in curious
pastures about US.
sUSBURSr ROCKS.
"a suggestive feature Of the Death valley
landscape is the color OF the mountain rocks.
which are actually sunburnt to an iron-brown
hue. Chip off little flake and you find the
stone OF Its natural lighter hue underneath
Streams flow from the mountain springs down
toward the valley. but never reach il because
the heat dries them up on the way. Once in a
long while there will be great storm to the
southwark. and a river mile in width will
flow into the valley. Does it flow out again
at the other end! Not much. 1t is dried up
and lost before It gets that far. In Death val
ley everything dies. Here and there over its
plain OF black lava and salt are scattered the
remains OF parties which have attempted to
cross 1T. Their bodies, men and animals lie
tncre orleu and preserved as mummles FOR
ages to come. 1t was during the mining fever
in that neiShborhood, from 1872 to 1878. that
most people were lost trying to pass over this
Valley OF Death, having no knowledge Of the
location Of the springs. There are some springs
at the south end of the valley which are deep
pools, and In them certain kinds OF fish arc
found unknown elsewhere in the world. The
naturalist with our expedition caught some OF
them and preserved them for classification
''Seventy miles south of Death valley is the
so-caiied Devils Fairgrounds horrible desert
across which wind like q furnace blast con-
tinually blows. the black lava and hot sand of
Its great plain radiating back the suns heat so
that the whole landscape is tremuous to the
eve. Southeast OF Death valley 100 miles is
Dead mountain. on the side Of which nv
thermometer has registered 140 degrees in the
shade. On the east side the prccipitous rocks
are much brokon up. and the sun shining on
their white points aud angles makes the noun
tain look from q distance as il whole conven-
lions OF ghosts were assembled upon it. The
Indians believe, on this account that the
mountain is the abode of their dead warriors.
Hence its name"
The PERFECTION OF RAILWAY TRAVEL il ex-
empihed IN the Royal Blue line trains now
running between Washington, Baltimore, Phila-
delpbia and New York via Baltimore and Ohio
railroad. Each car in every train is vestibuled.
including baggage cars. day coaches. parlor
cars and sleepers. All are heated by steam
and lighted by Pintsch gas The anti-telescop-
ing device Is attached to every car Around
the ordinary traveller. riding in the day coach,
Is therefore thrown the same degree Of safety
as guards the more exclusive passenger occu-
pylng the parlor or sleeping cars The COM