The Logan County banner. [volume] (Logan, W. Va.) 1889-1903, 1891-10-22

u q Y y Il n y
Fand fifty feet below the level Of the
sea It runs generally north and rdath,
although It's worst region turns to the
northwest This portion has been
named Mesquite valley. II Is o
region far worse than Death valley
propcr. The valley may be compared
| TO tie Grand canys p Of the Colorado II
| n rather m irnneusN chasrn than a val
| ley. III is about one hundred md forty
miles long, and at Its broadcast part is
only eighteen miles vide. In SOMA
tfHEfs it Il no more than Hftcsn miles in
width. In this frightful place, baked
ana blistered by the intolcrable heat,
holding within itself manageable ele-
ndefits Of death, revealing strange as
poets Of natural deselatien, our party
has been at work for months.
''On either side Of the valley, stretch
ing almost its entire length, Is a range
of mountains, absolutely barren of ami
NAL and vegetable life. The western
observation-disclosures in
hcsg nine thousand feet be eastern
/ range Is the Funeral, suggestive and
not unftname. The Funeral mountains
rise fully seven thousand feet above the
| level of the sea These mountains are
black, with the exception of curious
patches Of red rock. Away to the north
is Mount Magruder Beyond, in tho
distance, rise the heightsof the Sierras.
Almost at the southern limit Of the VAL
| ley is Mount Ivanwatch. Behind it is
the sDevil's Playground, pa region Of
absolute barrenness.
Down in the valley hot, suffocat-
ing wind blows with terrific velocity.
In it's course through the stricken region
it gathers ablack cloud of hot, shift
ing sand that has blinded many an mn
wary horse and rider. Under the glist-
ening beds of crystalized salt in places
are running streams of salt water. Be
meath there is still another bed of salt.
I'm other parts of the valley are
wastes of hot. sand drawn in some
places into high mounds by the whirl-
ing blasts that sweep down the canyon.
There, too, is the most curious earth I
have seen -seH-rising earth it has been
called. AS far as the eye can see it APP
pears in curving outline, up and down,
as if pulled by q 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
nacles tapering to points as fine as
needles and over a foot long rise in
close array from the ground. They are
as hard as stone and as dangerous as
~, 1cta -1
by them are pitfalls, a tumble into
which means a broken leg or arm.
Then, 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. AL Of the water upon its sur
face is poison. The wind has thrown
the sand into immense mounds, one of
which is three miles long and three
hundred feet high. 1t was in this val
ley that the immigrants lost theirl lives
Water may be obtained only by Dig
ging deepwells, and then it is none too
pure. 4
"Our party, the biological survey OF
the United States government has
been in the valley for months 1t left
there after having finished its investi-
cation. The general purpose of the
department of agriculture, under which
we work, is to collect facts relating to
| the distribution of species with varia-
tions of temperature and humidity
throughout the United States. and par
ticulariy in the western part The re-
suits obtained will be of the utmost
value TO agriculture, for they will save
millions of dollars spent in experiment
by farmers who wish to test the capac-
ity and character of their land.
eve have found that in certain zones
certain fora and fauna flourish. Each
zone has its peculiar species which will
not flourish in others These zones are
both horizontal and VERTICAL
s"The party chose the desolate region
of Death valley for its labors, for from
it, and not far distant, can be traced
the seven zones we have esta blished.
The valley, Notwithstanding its barren
elements has many phases of life.
1T has thirty OF forty species of ami
mails and fully as many of vegetable
growth, Nothing, of course, will live
on the salt or borax bottoms, bnt on
Uue euStS Vi IHeSc ul6bTlCVS VdTlouS
hardy plants thrive. In the sand
wastes are gophers, mice, rats, bats
and many other animals, and not a few
reptiles
MANY theories have been advanced
to account for the formation of Death
valley. think itsquite probable that
it was once the sink of the Mojave
river."-San Francisco Chronicle.