Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1891-10-16
COLORADO DESERT
nr1gp WASTE WHERE A
J erA HAS FORMED.

,,.;,- on WhAs was once Fart
p' .,e Oceans Bed--A Mosaic
a,,r of oemA
colorado desert, great part Of
r has been transformed into an H.
f' ". a. may soon be explored by the
ser, vi late the Department of
s'u uIfurc has beec devotiny much of
f'. .s",ion to Investigating the waste
s ~. 81 the United States with a view
!' limo out what things, animal and
Pa .alIe live in them. Two years ago
.,'' mll ID Painted Desert of Arizona
~ object Of inquiry, and, in I'd.
an WI 10 Geological and botanical speci-
gu ior enrichiug collections, vivid pic
y we're brought back of that red
s,se Of bsrrenaess, with its scattered
T. XII # rainbow hues, topped by heaps
s<sjl wood, aud its sand storms.
s,trnins the luckless traveller with
lowering columns of whirling sand
'r;ns over the plain.
u, less weird are the descriptions
!, by the present expedition to Death
I'ey respecting scenes and experiences
,hst strange alkuli sink. But even
,,h valley is nothing as to heat and
,,reso,,encss when compared with the
1T,do Desert. which was the original
nvlo del M.sereo. or Valley of Death
the AeAicans. That region is 200
y, south of the so-called Death VAL
in almost straight line, being that
,h nearer the equator, and is a con-
rr.bly deeper hole. 1t covers 5000
r,re miles, and more than quarter of
.s7e., space 100 miles long by an
nsc width Of twenty-five miles. is
ow inc level of the ocean. In some
t, its bottom is $50 feet below tide
her. Reliable authorities assert that
the most intensely hot spot on the
4 Of the earth; tho Sahara is no.
ere compared with it. Expedition
,r expedition has been lost in attempts
cross it. Prof. Gilbert Thompson, of
Geological Survey, tells of an oc-
ion some years ago when railway
u on which he was a passenger broke
Tn in the Colorado Desert. By good
K the nearest station was only three
Brters of a mile away, and number
people started out to walk the distance
the ties. Before reaching their
Etination twelve of them were struck
En by the heat, so that a rescuine
Fy had to be sent out for them. The
rmometer stood at 1875 degrees in the
de- Under such conditions people
mot live long witcout copious draughts
water The water in the blood dries
IDLY, and all the secretions of the
Ey thicken.
might be said that this tornado del
erto is the ideal desert of the world.
no other of the carth's most fearful
les can be found such natural con-
ions of ideal horror. Even the mirage,
bpter of the dying travellers despair,
ches more extraordinary develop
bit there than anywhere else. One
behold in the Colorado Desert, where
is hopeless misery, beautiful lakes,
bpting verdure, and even towns with
Fses and churches within distances
Farently small.
fhc explorer who is bold enough to
(turc into this region for purposes of
|estigation is struck, to begin with,
b the wcirdness of finding himself
liking in what was once the bed of the
BAN. hundreds of feet lower down than
punes waves are flowing few miles
h. He knows that this branch of
sea subsequently became an inland
h. and it is with interest that he looks
pn the shores of what was erstwhile
sAty body Of water. A great shallow
it was ages ago, and the rocky
! ks which enclosed it still remain
!, of imperishable stone, with the
Nut water marks still on them.
ben water was there the lime which it
Ftained was gradually deposited on
rocky shores for thousands of years,
that now the cliffs are coated with it
Zee feet thick in many parts, and one
thus enabled to observe just how high
strange inland reservoir threw its
YES in times gone by.
Fts bed to day may we'll afford a study
tie seeker after marvels, as we'll as to
geologist. 1t is desert wonder
ID, Imagine q plain of clay, monot-
leus!y level, relieved here and there by
Is Of sand built in beautiful wave
eoutlines. These hills are not sta.
mary; they travel constantly, though
PyIy, journcying over the plain as the
nds direct. The sand of which they
composed is not like ordinary sand.
M of the grains are transparent;
aes are translucent, while many are of
aoow hues, being in fact small gems
red carnelian, green chrysolitc, and
n'colored garnet. Beneath a micro
'pe they are most interesting. A
a'rity of them are, perfect spheres,
aade'i and polished by attrition with
Nsnother. When mixed with GER
u nclu they effervesce like Seidlitz
Sders. Composed of these strangely
Fought materials the sand hills look
great snow drifts, with here and
He CLEAN Of color.
some parts of the desert, here and
a i;, water boils up from springs,
acA are surrounded by circular hill
'Ss Of carbonate of lime from four to
u, feet in height, the material of
.ell has been deposited from the flow
'imd. The latter is so highly
Isea with gas that it is very difficult
Keep corks in bottles filled with it. 1t
.us queer to find in such q desolate
s.4Y'rry real soda-watcr fountains sup
wv oy nature. Syrups are not offered
.%;aer, unfortunately. The lime de-
IS aeo on the rocky shores was con
.VUNe0 bY such snrinps as these. bub