Los Angeles herald., 1891-07-01

THE following report was received
from the HERALD's special correspond
ent at Salton, by mail last evening
Other information about the phenome-
non will be found below:l
SALToN, CAL, June so, '91.
Special Correspondence to the HERALD.
Your correspondent arrived at Salton
about l O'Clock this morning, being
called hither by the various rumors OF
old Nature trying to make pond out
of the desert hereabouts. E. F. Hour,
editor of the Redlands Facts, was of the
party, and DIR. J. G. King, OF Banning
ca4e along to administer to any possible
cases of snake bites. We were met at
the station by Hon. George w. Durbrow,
mayor OF Salton, who was arrayed in a
light and airy costume consisting of a
pair of boots and a winning smile. He
said he wore the boots as
a protection against snake bites. The
station agent walked proudly
around in a newly laundried, frilled
night gown. The moon was just COM
ing up, and had beautiful effect upon
the waste of waters which stretches out
to an interminable distance. 1t was too
late to do anything, so the party retired
to rest on the luxurious platform of the
station, move suggested by the
thoughtful Durbrow.
AWAKENED BY WAVES.
At O'Clock this morning we were
awakened by the dash of the waves
upon the sands, and one could almost
imagine oneself at Santa Monica. After
a hearty breakfast at the Hotel de Dur
brow, the party was ready for explor a.
ton. The HERALD has kept its readers
we'll informed of this really wonderful
freak of nature, but being on the ground,
1 will give it little more in detail, run
ming the risk of being prosy and of re-
peating few facts given before.
sALToN DESCRIBED.
Salton is station on the Southern
Pacific road ninety miles west OF Yuma
and about one hundred and fifty miles
east of Los Angeles. 1t is in basin in
the Colorado desert and is two hundred
and sixty-eight feet below the level of
the sea. 1t is the most sultry, miser-
able, hot and God-forsaken hole on the
face Of the earth, and there are only two
explanations as to how the road hap
pened to be located in this basin instead
of on the high mesas, either on tn 3
north or south. One is that the engi-
neer had the Jim jams, the other that he
ran down in this hole in order to give
him good start up the two thousand
foot hill east of Banning.
About three miles south of Salton are
immense salt deposits and a spur runs
out to them. The whole region was
once under water, as the water line can
be seen high up the mountain side as
clearly defined as if marked with a
whitewash brush. Within the memory
of man, however, it has been entirely
dry, with the exception of little
pool of brackish water at the salt works.
One week ago it was noticed that the
marsh was filling up and the pool ex-
tending. Where the water came from
no one knew. There was no breaking
forth of springs, no rushing of waters,
and the noise heard by George Monroe
last Saturday was water running
through hose from water car and
emptying into cistern. But still the
water crept in, and now am writing on
the banks of lake forty miles long by
twelve wide, and ranging in depth from
two to four feet; and week ago there
was not enough water in that lake to
fill sprinkling cart. The mathemati-
clan of the party figures out that there
is one hundred billion gallons OF water
in the lake today.
THE NAVAL EXPEDITION.
A boat and crew had been sent from
San Pedro, and it was placed on fiat
car, taken to the end of the spur, and
under the direction of Captain E. J..
Mullerhill, was successfully launched.
When we had gone about mile out on
the waters we picked up little dead
fish; it was a salt water smelt, and in
the minds of some of the party it con-
clusively proved that the water came
from cloudburst, while others still
clung to the theory that the water
comes from the gulf, by way of sub
ierranean passage. After going out