The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1891-09-19
tlbS PLAYGROUND.
FRESH CHAPTER THAT CAP3
The CLIMAX OF WONpFRS.

rr "a Valley Explored oJ7r',
t,. ana Dead Biscts-A Is,
,ics Long a Land as Eot -
.lp for the Sea Of sa't q
e 1e following worllA w
- ron the San Frauciao ci'g.a-
g. Hart GItriaw. cA& Of t'o
alss B!olo .al Survey, ha- JAS
FROM Doth Valley. Last h.-..s
he s.oryof his advcnHroa. sid
Dcath Valley and its towering black
of barron rock are weHl %
snbiime in their deco t.lH.
and miles the curiou, iiu;.a.-
e lry ba seen outlined u-ans ole
oa fy ErQw the top 81 Etaa a1c
] ote may look down a C.24y p.asl
II c' i9D01 feet to the Level of the
w. D dazzling white as slow
..f.alj from Jho 9oa3e .u's font
are tt lienine fla 81. .ar rs
au1 .arHluuu stream o. s}.. +i
luia, waters. iu drink OF U4en 10
dip 'iAa Scene IS one OF iui,a5 .i..
fra of giaris whites aul c,v.i
hicFs.
val cy is the mo- b)rr "u.' + 10
lo,, .,s q series il .-an -
and 5.Hjt western Nevadt. a 100 4
oa5i.ata it is about 153 fret 3
l"ctaf the sea. lt runs !, 9st Us fa: e
and ulh, althoueh ie5 $40 ra "a
turns 20 the northwest. slG3Io. o.tjd
LAS been named Gesquite Valley. Ii is
& reSioa far worse than Death Na"sy
proper The valley may be con- .,va to
the Grand Canyon Of the Colorado ltis
rather an immense chasln E.aa ~ valley.
It is about 140 miles Ion Z, and at its
jroadest part is only IS miles wide In
sune parts it is no more than Is mikes in
width
"On either side of the valley, stretch
ing almost its entire len th, is ra:l. . of
mountains absolutely Barron Of ahnal
and vegetable life. Tho western raug- is
ti,e Puuaw mint, avera III il height about
y,..0 ,ect. The CTS EN- 4oueo is the Fu-
II r,tl, q suggestive aud not unfit name.
he Funeral Mountains rise fully 1000
rs=5 above the level of the sea. These
n ultains are blaca, with tA2 exccp .iun
curious patches OF red rock. Away to
north is Mount Mlsrier Bsy ond
/ lle distance rise the heights of the
Scrras. Almost at the southern limit
OF the valley is Mount IvanWatch Be
hud ,it is the Lewis Playground,
re. OH of absolute barenuess.
Down the val y /; hot, suGocating
wind, blows with terrific velocity In
It's Course through the stricken region it
gathers a black cloud Of hot, shifting
san:l that has blinded many an uuwary
horse and rider. Under the glistening
beds of crystalized salt in places are run
ming streams of salt water Beneath
there is still another bed of salt.
"In other parts Of the valley are wastes
of hot sand drawn in some places into
high mounds by the whhlng blasts that
sweep down the canyon There, too, is
i the most curious earth have ever seem
self rising earth it has been called. As
far as the eye can see i6 appears in curv-
ing outline, up and down, as if puffed
by natural yeast. The unfortunate
animal that steps upon the little hills will
crash through, for they are not much
more than fragile crusts.
Still stranger is that section of the
valley which. for want Of better name,
is called salt earth. Innumerable pin
nacies tapering to points as fine as
needless and over foot long, rise in close
array from the ground. They are as hard
as stone and as dangerous as sharpened
steel. Beneath and hidden by them are
| pitfalls, tumble into which means
broken leg or arm. There, too, are the
rich fields Of borax, which have lured
many a man to death.
Dreadful as is Death Valley, its
northwestern arm, Mesquite Valley, is
worse. All of the water on its surface is
poison. The wind has thrown the sand
into immense mounds, one of which is
three miles long and 300 feet high 1t
was in this valley that the immigrants
lost their lives.
Professor Merriam's party is working
for the Department of Agriculture, which
proposes to mark off into zones all the
| great Western country. The idea is to
inform settlers as to what will grow in
each zone, and as to what will not grow
"'Wehsve found, said Professor NJ,
Chat in certain zones certain flora and
fauna flourish. Each zone has its pocul-
lar species which will not flourish in
others. These zones are both horizontal
and vertical. The party chose the desc
late region of Death Valley for its laborsi
for from it and not far distant can be
traced the seven zones we have estab'
lished.
@Death Valley, he continued, not
withstanding its barren elements, has
many phases of life. 1t has 80 or 40
species Of animals and fully as many Of
vegetable growth.
"'Alany theories have been advanced
| 10 acconnt for tho formation of Death