The St. Johns herald., 1892-12-15
Deserts of the Far West.

lnelate or the Breedlove party
 on the desertbrings to my mind an experience of fifteen years or more
 in the same locality" said Grove A.
 Johnson, an old pioneer. "Since
 1877 the old trails have been super
 seded by the Southern Pacific Rail-
 road. But three or four years ago prospectors again began fiocking | into the country, and my expe-
 rlence may be of use to some of
 them.
 "Forty-two years ago last May I
 crossed the desert with party to
 build ferry at the junction of the
 Gila and Colorado rivers. We left
 San Diego in the latter part of May,
 our party consisting of fifteen men,
 with OK teams and wagons, carrying
 in addition to water and provisions,
 everything necessary to build and equip the boats. I crossed the des- ert four or five times that year dur ing the hottest months, June, July,
 August and September. In the lat ter part of November Major Heint- zleman arrived to establish Fort Yuma. After determining that the river was navigable for flat bottom ed boats I began their construction, and for the next fifteen or twenty years 1 was acting as superintend- ent and manager of the line of steamboats on the Colorado. During that time crossed the desert four or five times each year.
 "My experience has been this Never travel in the daytime. Lay by at the water holes during the hottest part of the day and when the sun begins to lose it's power leave for the next watering place.
 "The next thing is the care of water. I used leather bottles, the leather was naturally dressed, like buckskin, being the best for the purpose, as it is sufficiently porous to permit of evaporation and thus keeps the contents cool. If the bot ties fall they do not break. If obliged to use a canteen cover it with canvass lined with raw wool and thoroughly soak it when filled. The blanket covering is all right if you have sufficient water to keep it wet.
 "The next consideration is pro- visions, Take quart bag and fill it with pinole. This is made of parched corn or wheat, ground very fine. Put a pound of sugar in bag and tie both to your saddle horn. When thirsty take a pint cup of water, and a tablespoon full of sugar and enough of the pin ole to thicken it the consiste ency of soup.
 "Never drink water in the desert | except in this way, as it not only acts as food but neutralizes the ef- feet of the alkali in the water, and the water will go four times as far The water on the desert is alkali, and taken in it's native state only increases thirst.
 "The remainder of your provi- sions should consist of tea orcotfee and pilot bread, Three or four days before starting cut some fresh beef nto strips two or three inches wide md three quarters of an inch thick. Rub in a very little salt and hang n the sun to cure. Take no salt ,r fat meats of any kind, and above III take no stimulants. Your jerk d beef thrown on the coals does lway with frying-pan, and a quart up in which to boil your coffee is Ill the cooking utensils you will leed.
 "Avoid travelling on wheels. For he legitimate prospector burro is 4mple to pack all supplies, is pa ent, faithful, never strays outside # camp and can live on grease ,ush. A man that cannot ride mule or walk behind burro has no