The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1890-11-07
SALT LAKE LETTER.
The American Dad Sea-An In.
teresting Body Of Water.
Some Notes Regarding Great Salt Lake
The Story of Its Dlscovery-Its
Scenic Effects and tho Quality
or It's Water, etc.
Especial Corrcspondcncc.1

There is nOta moro interesting body of
water lying anywhere upon tho surface of
the earth. perhaps. than Great Salt Lake
Soon ut tho gray hour of twilight one
might easily fancy it sea living still
and lifcless in Il dead basin of the moon.
In it the mountain islands stand grim
and spectral, the shore lines swell away
in long, dim lines of peaks like immcas-
urablc rolls OF shadowy basalt, the
waters arc ashen, and there is great
quictudc as i'll a world where all life has
passed away.
But an hour ago when the sun was
setting, o little wind, which then was
blowing, but now is fallen quiet, moved
tho heavy waters into mimic ridges of
pearl, which, from the sheer weight Of
the brine, cracked open along their tops
like pouting lips, emitting little MUIR
murs and signs OF unrest. Had Il storm
been blowing then, as the writer has
seen it, the water when lifted would
have popped open along tho
creSts of the swclls in succession of
tiny surdal reports that are very mystic
rious and odd. 1t is the salty hcavincss
OF the medium which breaks it when it
rises. 1T never combs over, but hcaves
upward and splits like brittle masses of
opal and pearl, very lovely, very curious.
At the sunset hour the writer has
never seen u region moro enchanting.
The essentials are there tho face of an
unusual sea. indcscribably quiet, blend
ing the strangcst tints Of pink. the
vagucst tones Of violet with the shift
ing. milky, elusive fires of the opal.
The nDvirruiptr ,,,nuuto;,,s, ln,l- .,1,o
gcthcr unreal at that hour, smooth. tree
less masses of misty brownish bottle
green with tips of gold, and over all Il
Sky like that of Italy.
at noon tho salty sheet, wide. far
reaching, il often a plain of purest tur-
quois, beltcd here and there with SHIN
mcrlng roadways of silver. Then tho
mountains lying in it, and surrounding
it as far as the eye can reach, arc hu~c,
brown. vcrdurclcss heaps, pictures of
chaos and solitude.
But the bathing is fine. There il is
human and agrceablc--unlcss Won ret it,
up your nose or III your wind-pipr. then
it is cXccrablc. One lies floating upon
it's pale green crystal like an egg in I've.
No effort to keep upon tho surface is
needed ; you cannot sink if you wish TO.
Tho water is probably the most buoy
ant OF any known in the world You
wade out until the water is almost to
your lip but you can wade 10 farther if
you desire to, for it lifts you off your
feet and you rise to the surface and
float like cork You can stranglc TO
death, however. if indiscreet or you
nave heavy enough heart To crave that
nf hi I,,.. 4
full or two OF this crystalline lyc and the
heavens will turn green, and you will
probably turn green yourself before you
get your breath again. The writer has
recently assisted in getting two ladies
ashore who had committed this folly,
and SAW them sit in the attitude of
prayer OH the sand and gasp ut tic sun
for breath for what seemed an inter
minably long time. They had been too
risky where only mcrmaids used to
brine should properly frisk.
This was at Garfield Beach, which
lies where the north point of tho
Oquirrah range juts into the lake
twenty miles from the City of the Saints.
The bottom of the lake is nowdered
granite here, 4 clean, firm, white floor
for the waves and the sons and daurh-
tcrs OF men TO r0mp upon. Nearly one
hundred thousand OF the latter have
lonncd the eloquent flannel chow it
Toes give humanity away so far this
season at this point and tried the
water. 1t is exceedingly invigorating
and helpful to weakly people, and folks
who are we'll come out oil il with appc-
titcs like wolves. Ii is curiously stimu-
Eating to the gastric processes. One
may cat heartily upon entering tic