Los Angeles herald., 1892-01-05
ABOUT SALTON.
Has the Sea Produced Cold
Weather?
Frost Reported All Along the
Desert.
Interesting Facts About the Indians
Of the Desert.
Indications That the Sea Will Remain.
Gigantic Icicles on the Des-
ert-Indian Pol
iticians.

The San Francisco Chronicle of Sum
day contains letter from Salton, from
which the following extracts are taken.
SALToN, Dec. 26.-When visited Sal
ton in August last there were grave
doubts in my mind whether the only
industry in these vast sterile regions,
stretching from Banning to the Colorado
river, was not entirely destroyed. The
weariness of the desert cannot be ap-
preciated, nay, realized, except by those
who have travelled on it, and it was GER
tainly a relief to see in its center the
active evidences of civilization, taking
the form OF mills, the locomotive, the
Nelson T. Shaw, sliding over the track
level with the water, as if on highly
polished glass, fat and box cars, ware
houses and busy men. The gathering
of salt gives employment to several
Indians, whose labors are superintended
by two white men, the whole being un-
der the supervision of George w. Dur
brow, who owns large interest in the
works.
In August last the Salton sea was
ishment, the intense heat being the
active force, sucking up. as it were, the
vast body of water and leaving valuable
salt deposits. Then the water reached
to the mill and the lake was navigable
almost to the sharp rise OF the Southern
Pacific railroad track. But it was not
by any means certain that the lake
would entirely disappear, and there was
grave question whether the lake was
not a permanent institution. From
what has been seen during my visits to
the lake it is my belief that though
there will be for SOME time yet large
body of water to the south and east, the
limits of the lake will be very much
curtailed and willfinally disappear when
the hot weather commences. Whether
its presence has produced change ia
the climate is another most interesting
question. There is, however, one thing
certain. Never within the memory OF
the oldest desert-dweller has there been
SO early winter or one SO fiercely cold.
At Banning, which is decidedly fa-
vorite resort for those afflicted with
lung troubles, the weather has been
most severe. At Palm Springs, where
frosts we're almost unknown, ice has
been quite frequent, and the midday
sun has not been warm. At Indio the
water has been frozen in the pipes at
the hotel. At Walters an intelligent
and truthful brakeman assured me he
had seen icicles three feet long hanging
from the water cars. At Salton the
thermometer went down to 16 degrees,
and at Yuma the inha bitants declare
that the cold at Point Barrow could not
be more intense. Our reputation as a
truth telling people has been suddenly
attacked, and tourist in quest of warm
weather who is visiting the resorts from
Banning to Yuma fervently declared
that on December 25th and 26th .sthe
boss California liars went out in full
force" Another curious fact has been
noted. Fogs have been seen at Saton
which were most dense, thing Mr..
Durbrow, nor anybody else, had ever
before heard of. These climatic changes
must be attributed to the lake.
Salton's awakening hae, however, COM
memo d. The Indian village, which was
ruined and desolate, is already being
built up, and in more solid fashion. All
day long the squaws can be seen travel
ing to the places from where the water
has receded for the hoated timbers and
drag them to the nucleus of the settle
ment for the building of their homes.
Jacksonian cabins are rapidly springing
up, bits of stovepipe are peeping through
the roofs of various houses, and the fre-
quent tap Of the hammer, the cry of
children and the laughter OF the women
sound strangely pleasant. The active
interest that the Indians take in the re-
sumption of the work is positive proof
that they believe that no further
danger may be apprehended from this
quarter.
1t was the intention of Mr.. Durbrow
before the floods came to build for his
Indians some twenty small cottages, and
have the plot OF ground on which they
were located regularly laid off into
streets and squares. He intended to
have these streets planted with palm
trees, whose graceful proportions would
have much beautified this unique settle
ment. He would have elected cap
tain from among their number whose
duty it would have been to see that the
village was kept clean and orderly. 1t
would have been far step on their up
ward way, that. They would abandon
their wickiups is certain. Captain
Joe OF Palm Springs has tolera-
bly comfortable wooden house; others
among JDtm lldVc gOOu duoDCrs lucy
are naturally ambitious to live we'll and
are not backward to seize opportunities
to promote their welfare. The knowledge
that steady work can be obtained at
Salton naturally makes them desirous
OF here securing employment, and the
news that work had commenced at
tracted them to the scene Of their former
labors. There are at present two In
dian factions on the desert, one holding |
to Chief Cabazon, whose forefathers |
from time immemorial have been chief
tains. The father OF the present Caba-
zon was undoubtedly great warrior,
and it is said OF him that he had an |
armv OF 5000 men. However. the power |
Of this present Cabazon is much broken,
and wing Of the Cahuillas succeeded
in electing as chief one Captain Billy
Williams. The Indians who followed |
Billy Williams have secured all the
wood cutting that is done near Walters
and ssfroze out'' the Cabazon element. |
The latter are now coming into Salton
and securing work. A man belong
ing to the opposing faction is
therefore not welcomed. One, however,
came into camp and his loyalty to Caba-
zon was questioned. On finding that
Master Jim Duro's predictions we're
for Billy Williams, he was ordered to
nav s5 to Chief Cabazon for the privi-
iege Of working, Billy Williams having
levied that sum on the adherents OF Ca