The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1890-06-15
as TO DESERTS AND 1HIRsrs.
A CalifornIa Colonel Tells why re Loves
One Desert and Hates Another.


One Desert and Hates Another.
Col Juan D. Mccarthy OF California sat in
,ha ooolest corner Of the Hoffman House art
gallery on n hot and humid afternoon, painting
for breath and using 1t, when he caught any.
| to denounce In picturesque terms the climate
| oi Manhattan Island which he said was hotter
than the Duke OF Sheol's spurs. Upon tho
table In front OF the Colonel was work OF art
he bar it was a bit OF still llio,
strong sTU and rich, in color and mastery ,d ,hS
Colonoi's appreciative nature through straw.
The colonel said it was good 6nt ne 9s Eew
touch and truer feeling for composition. and
he was sure that Prof James Gibbs USED sNuine-
ror eoorinG mGt9TTlSi IN nls f f S6one IN
| vited another man TO JOIN MIN IN -. n' 5rinS nc
studies and requested the old master 10 pTbhnE
stray. 49,, 49,, =, woo,bor continues" said
| Col Met nrthy. =" III have to go out TO Tue no
/ iaVe desert to cool OF. There's no humidity3 on
the desert and ts the humdty t6at stew d s9e
here at 90o than 1t is on the desert when It's
n man gets to love the desert after he has lived
In It and suffered IN II aNG s pe 40 desoIate
th I horned Htoads wont grow and The cactus
gets discouraged. I've had to travel ten miles
every day to get water; a Wasp pT'k good water,
either. and had to put whiskey IN II 10 KEEP y;
Every night would dream 91 eTery day ia
swear that II eyer got back to San francisco
ten vaqueros couldn't drag me with their riatas
! back to tho cursel desert again. Sometlmes
I'd mako strike. cell out claim. and be fixed
for an easy lie in the city. but in little while e
tn. nto city ny S St%Pd bee bssom S''i ha,oa
ing for the dead silence and loneliness OF
the desert would come over me, and I'd mosey
of again to the great Molaye: pretenuIIhhRa n W
Then In week or Two L u Do
dreaming, agnin about Jimmy Gi99 Sn, mins
!uens and telling myself bDd }h ia6 dun nave any
But there is a di Inference in deserts anq
don't mean to say that I'm stuck on h ne To Dig
ado River and the San Bernadin9 Mo9 Mo-. q.
I've well established horror OF that OFT OF
Fac crossing the Yuma Dessert vas tn the ra Last
lines in Arizona, and the Southern Pacific
BBs sfRSsn H Ya@a ani Seven to
the two ends OF the railroad before 1eciu ih
thought it best to drive over aud n Street, me
started from Cotton in a light wagon drawn by
two good horses. Our load was made up NAM NAM
The real sand desert. in which there is no lly3
miles vide, and in those days not a drop OF
water could be had on the route. The distance
the day time no shelter from the heat could be |
found. and it was no worse to be moving slowly |
than be At rest bt hand wes
metallic Why. when they built the, railroad |
across there the men had to use wooden tonss
SHaii way across the desert we came upon
party OF four men whose horses had given out.
and as they had no water we divided our stock
with them so that they could get t,,1 back
bs6re T S9f knew lost fs5sE
mouths now and then with a wet sponge. and
when we had thirty miles, still TO so they col,
lapsed IN the afternoon we hf h }Ps5 pRs sT o,
parched with thirst. drank about a third OF
the pint and set out afoot for Yuma leaving
Walking In the sand was hard, slow work.
Colorado cH River. That strip OF silver CLEAN in
the sunlight was the most blessed sight my
tSS St the river with Wild desire to plunge
into the water and drink the s stream dry
hadn't been stopped ia have killed myself
with drinking. That's pointer for your cold;
that time would have killed, me quicker than
all the whiskey my. skin could hold. BY good
gag across the plain toward the river. and
knew by my actions that ! was desert crazy;
fought them in my frantic desire to reach the
river and plunge Into II. But they oyerpow-
cred me, ana gave me just q SIP OF water Ut u
time until the worst OF my thirst was
quenched. and then became rational and told
them about the driver.
and started out with plenty of water in q wagon.
and had recovered sufficiently to 60 with the
party. When We got to where had left the
outfit. We found only the wagon and the two
dead horses. The driver Ind disappeared. 1t
WAS easy to track the man. however, as the
wind had not blown his footpri nts full OF sand.
and in aq hour or two we found him, after
his aimless and erratic wan
behring's. Ill never forget the sight.
The mans tongue. swollen and black
ms your boots. protruded from his
mouth. his eyes we're buIginR from his head
and staring like maniac's and he was coy
in his throat. Thirst had made him crazy, and
when the feeling OF suiTocatlon III his throat
had become intolerabe. lie had slashed his
neck vertically on each side OF the wndpipe:
In the vain hope OF relieving the tension. OF
course the cutting did no good directly, but
possibly the letting OF blood did no harm. The
mans suffering must have been hideous. We
caught him with some difficulty and took him
back to Yuma, giving him q little water every
few minutes on the way. and he final ly recov-
cred after some weeks In the hospital.
Il didn't put any stage line across that cor
ner OF the desert you can bet. When | think
the desert-that kind OF desert, mean"
sion. and nauRht was heard In the art gallery
save the gentle RurglinR Of two works Of art
through two straws. as Col. Mccarthy and the
other man meditated upon the horrors OF I'M
quenchaole thIst.