The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1890-07-19
Deserts and Thlrsts,

says Colonel Juan D. Mccarthy, c
California, in an interview publishe'
in the New York Sun, ''and [ don
mean to say that I'm stuck on tn
big sand valley that stretches be
tween the Colorado river AM
the San Barnardino mountains
| I've a we'll established horror O
that bit of country, and I'll tell yo,
why. You may remember that tht
section of the Southern Pacifi'
crossing the Yuma desert was tn,
last portion of the road built. While
the road was being constructed
owned some stage lines in Arizona
and the Southern Pacific people
asked me to put on line between
Yuma and Seven Plains to connect
the two ends Of the railroad. Be.
fore deciding, | thought it best to
drive over and inspect the route
and, taking one of my best drivers,
| started from Cotton in a light
wagon drawn by two good horses.
Our load was made up mainly OF
water barrels, and we calculated we
had more than enough to carry US
through. The real sand desert, in
which there is no living thing,
animal or vegetable, is about 13O
miles wide, and in those days
not drop Of water could be had
on the route. The distance was too
great to be made in the night, and
in the daytime no shelter from the
heat could be found, and it was no
worse to be moving slowly than to
be at rest. The heat was appalling,
and we couldn't put hand on any
thing metallic. Why, when they
bull the railroad across there, the
men had to use wooden tongs to
handle the rails, and they needed
gloves even then.
HALLWAY across the desert we
came upon a 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 back alive. Then one Of our
barrels sprung leak, and we lost
a lot before We knew it. Our
horses suffered terribly, but we
could do no more than cool their
mouths now and then with wet
sponge, and when we had thirty
miles still to go they collapsed in
the afternoon. We had just a pint
of water left at that time, and both
of us were parched with thirst. |
drank a third of the pint aud set
out a-foot for Yuma, leaving the
rest of the water for the driver, who
was too much used up to walk.
"Walking in the sand was hard,
slow work, and it was broad day.
light whenI sighted the Colorado
river That strip of silver CLEAN in
the sunlight was the most blessed
sight my eyes ever rested upon, and
| broke into a run toward the river
with wild desire to plunge into
the water and drink the stream dry.
was half-crazed with thirst and
fatigue and had no more sense than
a mile post, and if | hadn't been
stopped I'd have killed myself with
drinking. There's a pointer for
your cold-water cranks. Intemper-
ate use of water at that time would
have killed me quicker than all the
my skin could hold. By |
good luck somebody in Yuma saw
ne running zigzag across the plain
,oward the river and knew by my
action that | was desert crazy. A
party of men ran out and stopped
ne, and | fought them in my frantic
lesire to reach the river and plunge
nto it. But they overpowered me,
md gave me just a sip of water at
! time until the worst Of my thirst
vas quenched, and then I became
ational and told them about the
lriver.
"\Vithin an hour a relief party
vas made up and started out with
'lenty of water in wagon, and
lad recovered sufficiently to go with
he party. When we got to where
had left the outfit, we found only
he wagon and the dead horses.
he driver had disappeared. 1t was
asy to track the man, however, as
he wind had not blown his foot
rints full of sand, and in an hour
r two we found him, after follow
ng his aimless and cratic wander
1gs. I'll never forget the sight.
he mans tongue, swollen and
lack as your boots, protruded from
is mouth, his eyes were bulging ,
rom his head and staring like /
laniac's, and he was covered with l
lood that flowed from two wounds {
1 his throat. Thirst had made J
i'm crazy, and when the feeling of t
lffocation in his throat had be- 6
ONE intolerable, he had slashed
is neck vertically on each side of :
1e windpipe, in the vain hope of ]
slieving the tension. Of course, \
le cutting did no good directly, 6
ut possibly the letting of blood t
id no harm. The mans suffering c
rust have been hideous. We caught
i'm with some difficulty and took i