Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-09-19
DOWN IN DEATH VALLEY.
Word From Signal Service Observer Gle
at the Height Of the Heated Term


at the Height Of the Heated Term
From the Kansas City Times
A letter received by Mr.. F. c. Hall at the
local signal service Office several DAYS ago from
Mr.. John Clery, the young man who went from
here to take the position of observer in Death
valley, Cal, tells story calculated to make
the ungodly turn pale.
Mr.. Clery SAYS that he is writing in the bis
tering shade of plank shed. a single garment
and Q temperature of 40 degrees He veutured
the assertion that certain red-hot iron gates tn
a subterranean abode are not far distant aud
arc wide open. He also relates his experience
with the Indian mail carrier who stopped at
his shed for several DAYS. and tells how he
decorated that servant of the country for his
trip across the plains TO Keoler. few YER
batim extracts from Mr.. Clery's letter will
show something Of his berth with Uncle Sam
out west. He says:
when the Injun that brought in the mail
TOOK his departure he was as happy a clam
at high tide and his usual passive face was il
Illuminated by a large and well-defned grin.
II was caused by leather saddle mail pouch
that had secured to transmit the mail in. and
as II was the initial trip thought it proper
that 1t should be duly observed and SO gave
him some ribbon to decorate the name and
tail OF his horse and then pasted the follow
ing legend In the shape of half circle: The
missing link mail route and immediately
under it, You start the lnjun; the pony does
the rest All this surrounded by large
bright red seals. l got back at the world at
large by perpetrating the following, after Kip
ling's Overland Mail:
While there's breath IN his body
lie must bear without fail.
In the Maine OF John JoOleis,
The Furnace cree aIaIl
II took great pains IN printing the above,
and il was also surrounded by seals After
considerable difficulty got Mercury to un-
ders'and that it WAS penal offense to soil or
destroy the paper on the pouch. He solemnly
promised TO land it in keeier without rip, tear
OF rayel, and he was much tickled with il as
child with a new red toy. and would sit and
gaze at II by the hour. Have not heard yet
what his reception in keeler. but then an
Indian is like person from Missouri. He is
born to trouble anyhow.
How do pass away the time? Well / get
up at AS am. and take the observations and
then get my breakfast. after which l write mp
my journal and get forms up to date. IL is
then time to change the wind sheet which 1
work up, and am done for the day at $50 q. NJ
excepting the afternoon observations. 1 also
take one at noon and pm. to keep tab on
Paragraph and thermograph. also to get wind
direction and clouds. About that time the
temperature strikes the century line and then
humps itself to assert its individuality. 1t
stays above until or in the evening. when il
begins to fall off a couple of points. The high
est up to date was l23; have had that on sew
eral occasions. On the 18th instant a high
hot wind set in from the south. 1t was per-
| fectly sitting, and would lead one to believe
that hades was only block and a half away
and that they had thrown the gate wide open
to admit some one Of unusual importance and
had forgotten to close it,"