The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-07-25
WONDERS OF THE DESERT
FACTS ABOUT THE COLORADO
WATER THAT FORMS a SEA.

The United States Government Is Go
ing 10 Explore 1t Soon-Hottest Placs
by Far in All the Where the
Weird Mirage Tempts Travelevs-A
Mosaic Floor of Gems.
From the Washington Star.
The Colorado desert. a great part OF
which has been mvsteriously transformed
recently into an inland sea, may soon be ex-
plored by the government. OF late the
department of agriculture has been devot-
ing much Of It's attention to investigating
the waste regions of the United States,
with view to finding out what things, ami
NAL and vegetable, live in them. Two
wears ago the so-called painted desert of
Arizona was the object of inquiry, and, in
addition to geological and botanical speci-
mems for enriching collections, vivid pict-
ures were brought back of that red expanse
of heat and barrenness, with its scattered
cliffs of rainbow hues, topped by heaps of
fossil wood, and its sand storms threatening
the luckless traveller with their towering
columns of whirling sand dancing over the
plain,
THE COLORADO DESERT.
Not less weird are the descriptions sent
by the present expedition to Death valley,
respecting scenes and experiences in that
strange alkah sink But even Death valley
is nothing as 10 heat and picturesqueness,
when compared with the Colorado desert,
which was the original tornado del Muerto
or Valley of Death of the Mexicans. This
extraordinary region is 200 miles south of
the so-called Death valley, in almost a
straight line, being that much nearer the
equator, and is a considerably deeper hole.
1t covers 1000 square miles, and more than
quarter of this area, a space OF 100 miles
long by an average width of 25 miles, Is be-
low the level of the ocean. In some parts
its bottom is 230 feet below tide water.
Reliable authorities assert that it is the most
intensely hot spot on the face OF the earth;
the Sahara is nowhere compared with It.
ITS SURFACE
may fairly be said to be strewn with the
bones of human beings who have lost their
lives there Expedition after expedition
has been lost in attempts to cross it. Prof.
Gilbert Thompson of the geological survey
spoke recently in conversation OF an occa-
sion some years ago when a railway train
on which he was passenger broke down in
the Colorado desert. BY good luck the
nearest station was only three-quarters Of a
mile away, and g number of people started
out to walk the distance over the
ties Before reaching their destination
twelve of them were struck down
by the heat, so that rescuing party had to
be sent out for them. The thermometer
stood at 1876 in the shade. Many a time
tramps have undertaken to walk the track
for distance and their corpses have subse-
quently been found between the rails, some
times not 500 yards from a station where
safety was. Under such conditions people
cannot live for more than q very little while
without copious draughts Of water. The
water in the blood dries rapidly, all the Sc
cretions of the body thicken and constipa-
ton of a most diretul type sets in.
NATURAL CONDITIONS OF HORROR.
1t might be said that this tornado del
Muerto was the ideal desert of the world
In no other Of the earth's most fearful
wastes can be found such natural conditions
of ideal horror. Even the mirage, tempter
of the dying travellers despair, reaches a
more extraordinary development there
than anywhere else. On any fine day-and
In that region all days are fine, because there
is no rain-one can behold in the Colorado
desert, where all is hopeless misery around,
beautiful lakes, tenn pting verdure.and even
towns with houses and churches within dis
tances apparently small. Beyond all other
characteristics this desert possesses that of
the picturesque. For the aesthetic who can
live on pictures il should be an ideal abode
He would never be fatigued, because the
strange phantasmagoria is endiessly chang
ing.
FIRST EFFECTS OF A VISIT.
The explorer who is bold enough to vent
ure into this region of despair for purposes
of investigation is struck, to begin with,
with the welrdness of finding himself walk
ing on what was once the bed of the ocean,
hundreds of feet lower down than Neptune's
70 mil Il
knows that this branch of the sea subse-
quently became an inland lake, and it is
with interest that ne looks upon the shores
of what was erstwhile a mighty body of
water. A great shallow lake It was wears
ago, and the rocky banks which inclosed it
still remain-cliffs of imperishable stone,
with the ancient water marks still upon
them. When water was there the lime
which it contained was deposited upon the
rocky shores gradually for thousands of
years, so that now the cliffs are coated with
1t three feet thick in many parts. and one
is thus enabled to observe just how high
this strange inland reservoir threw its waves
In times gone by.
A DESERT WONDERLAND.
Its bed to-day may we'll afford a study to
the seeker after marvels as we'll as to the
geologist. 1t is a desert wonderland. I'm
agine plain Of clay, monOtonously level
relieved here and there by hills of sand
built in beautifully wave-like outlines.
These hills are not stationary, they travel
constantly, though slowly. journeying over
the plain as the winds direct. The sand
Of which they are composed ia not like
ordinary sand at all, but of a nature
marvellous. Most of the grains are trans
parent, others are translucent, while many
are Of rainbow hues, being in fact small
gems Of red carnelian, green chrysolite and
Varl'colored garnet. Looked upon beneath
microscope they are most interesting. A
majority of them are perfect spheres,
rounded and polished by attrition with each
other When mixed with a familiar acid
they efervesce like seidlitZ powders. Com
posed Of these strangely wrought materials
The sand hills look like great snow drifts
With here and there CLEAN of color. Con-
uaually they give forth rustling sound,
asthe tiny spheres are shifted by the winds,
slowly roofing onward.
BOILING SPRINGS.
In some parts of the desert, here. and
mere, water bOils up from springs, which
are surrounded by circular hillocks of car
'pohate OF lime from four TO eight feet in
height, TIE material of which has been
ueposited from the flowing fluid. The latter
a 80 Mighty charged with gas that it is very
' :. to keep corks in bottles filled with
~ II seems queer to find in such desolate
S.untry real soda water fountains supplied
" nature. Sirups are not offered to order
ruLortunately. The lime deposited on the
s9oAy shores was contributed by such
olllgS as these, bubbling up from what
N' Vhen the bottom Of the lake.