Sierra County advocate. [volume] (Kingston, N.M.) 1884-1960, 1892-05-20
THE KING OF SALT LAKES

The KING VI SALI LANES.
Mr.. Geo. X. Waite, member ef
the Western Society of Engineers,
in a paper read March I'd. says:
While locating the New York.
Texas & Mexican Railway in the
spring of 1882 from Victoria to
Brownsville, Texas (some 1876
miles), for Connt Joseph Telfener
and his brother in law John Mack
ey of California, i received in
strnstions, at santa Rosa Ranch.
to make thorough exsminat OF OF
the great salt lake, situated some
10 miles west OF the line OF survey.
With my Mexican guide and .
few of my party I started early in
the morning with teams, but had
NO roads, and soon reached the
lake to the west edge Of the chap
paral belt we were in. We found
it TO be in basin with no apparent
inlet and only an outlet at high
water. At that time the lake was
very low, about one mile in diane
ter and nearly round: surrounded
by small hills covered by scrub
oaks and other kinds of shrubbery.
The bills are from 20 to so feet
high. When the lake rose about
six feet, 1t would over flow to the
southeast into the tributaries OF
the Rio Grande river; aud our
guide said at such times cattle
would drink the water few hund.
red feet down the outlet, but only
when the water was at it's highest
stage, and then only for q few days.
All the surplus water has come
from the clouds,
The lake as We found it, had q
sand beach from 100 to 200 feet
wide, the surface under the water
was covered with q layer Of cry
stallized salt, beginning at neary
nothing in thickness at the edge,
and increasing to the center. where
it was about seven inches thick;
and the water over the salt floor in
creased very slowly in depth from
the edge towards the centre, where
il was only from SIX to eight inches
deep.
We tried at first to GO in barefooted.
but only succeeded in getting in about
200 feet FROM shore, when the sharp cry
stalls cut our feet 80 that VIC had 10 return;
then we tried to 80 in, in our stocking
feet, but We only got some 100 feet far ,
ther, whom We had to return the second
time, for Our boots, on account OF the
crystals still hurting our feet through our
socks. The first100 feet would not quite
bear us, but after that we had no diff
culty in reaching the center. The heavi-
est loaded teams can drive through the
AXE anywhere without danger Where
he crust next 10 the edge will not hold
up, the sand is so solid, that IL will hold
~ the heaviest load. Whom about half
way to the center we commenced to cut
lolss through tho crust aud took lro4ueAt
We found substantially the
results: First, some four TO
light inches OF water ON top, then from
I've to eight inches OF salt then about
me foot OF black decayed vegetable
mould, the odor from which is very Off
nsive. Next, n second layer Of salt from
wo to three inchos thick then third
aver OF salt from one to two inches thick,
nd lastly from three TO four more lest .
0 depth OF the same black material \, hut :,
ot quite 80 offensive TO the smell as the
rst layer, under the top crust OF salt.
tTnder all this, the iron rod struck some
hing as hard as rock, and We were Of the {,
pinion that the lake lay on bed OF
uarry rock salt, az all the soundines
truck this same hard bottom at about
10 same depth.