Los Angeles herald., 1892-06-15

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twelve feet, while artesian water
could be had at depth of
100 feet. The temperature Of Garden
valley is like that OF Los Angeles in
summer, while in winter not more than
| two or three inches of snow fall at any
time, which melts in q few hours.
Here Barton saw 10000 acres of rye
grass, as high as man, in one place, and
It is we'll known that this grows lux
uriantly only where water is close to the
surface and the soil very rich.
Another valley, northwest OF Pioche
and fifty-five miles away from Garden
valley, is White river valley. 1t is par
TALLY settled, but otherwise has all the
qualities Of the frst-described section.
Here apples and cereals are grown in
large quantities, and Barton never cav
such splendid oatfelds as he met there
anywhere else.
The nearest road to these unequaled
valleys is now from Eureka, New,
whence it is necessary to travel two or
three days on wagon roads over the
mountains to reach them. In the north
east part of White river valley, shRle,
coal and petroleum exist in large guam
titles. This is only twenty miles from
the proposed railroad. The Piutes and
Shoehones were the former owners OF
this grand section, but the few yet re-
naming are dying off quickly. They
themselves ascribe the mortality to
the use of -four. They are splen-
did workers and peaceable, although
very superstitious. They have the
greatest fear Of writing, and while they
will steal anything lying around loose,
they dare not touch anything to which
a written tag or card is attached. This
they call '.paper talk" and they fight
shy of it. These Indians are swift rum
ners and one took letter over rugged
country to Hico, which means "white
man." a distance Of $50 miles, for So, in
two days.
RELICS OF LOST IMMIGRANTS.
While on the trip out, some two years
ago, Mr.. Barton saw Kade sprin gs,
seventy-fve miles north of Ash Mead
ows, in the Death valley country. This
is the place where the emigrants who
perished in the valley in 1847
left their wagons in their last
attempt to escape death by thirst. One
of the survivors of this expedition, a
man named Benson, who now resides, at
an advanced age, in Lake county, had
written Barton that the lost Gunsight
mine lay within fifteen miles of this
spot. Barton and his party therefore
loaded number of burros with two
canvas sacks apiece, each one of them
containing twelve and half gallons of
water.
| When they reached Kane springs,
these were emptied in large canvas
tank and the animals were Immediately
sent back for more water. Kane springs
lies in volcanic region, and the trail of
the hapless emigrants has never been
obliterated by water or sand. Their
camp was finally found and here wagon
tires, tent pins, and some old-fashioned
square nails which had been used in the
construction of wagon beds, were found.
The wagons themselves had long ago
been burned by Indians. The emigrants
had been compelled to leave their
wagons behind here because they found
themselves unable to get into Death val
ley except by the way they had come.
On account of the scarcity of water they
left all their valuables behind, retraced
their steps sixty miles with their cattle,
all to die a horrible death soon after.
Barton prospected for the Gnnsight
lead for many day in every direction
but failed to find it. There is no water
anywhere away from Kane springs at a
shorter distance than sixty miles. As a
consequence birds that live in the
desert must necessarily come there to
drink. Doves were met by the thou
sands. They feed in the desert on the
small seed of sort of grass that grows
there. They come TO the springs in the
evening, roost on the ground all night
and leave in the morning. They were
SO tame and so numerous that the
prospectors used to kill them by the
dozen by merely shying rocks at them.
TULE LAKE.
In the southeast end of Death valley
quite volume of water runs out OF the
ground, and is, called Saratoga springs.
This forms a small lake called Tule
lake. In this spring and in the lake are
found small fish, two or three inches
long, shaped like minnows, but speckled
like trout. The prospectors fried some of
of these, but did not like them because
they tasted like borax. The water bub-
bles up violently and in great volume in
the center of this spring, and is about
swim in it. 1t is 25 feet long by 15 feet
wide and feet deep, and although he
remained in it only half an hour he be-
came very weak, owing to its mineral
qualities. Ducks are found in the tules
throughout the year.
vENoMoUS CREATURES.
The ubiquitous rattlesnake. both OF
the sidewinder and mountain varieties,
is here in great numbers and ever
ready to fight, especially in hot weather.
Indians are not partial to rattlesnakes,
but if anything will inspire them with
wholesome horror it is black spider,
the size of thumbnail. It's back is the
color of gold. This amiable arachnid
builds nest in the ground, although it
has no cover like that of the tarantula,
runs very fast, and its bite is so poison
Gus that death is nearly always the re-
suit of it. Other uncanny insects are
plentiful and are aggressive.
Among the most unpleasant is very
large tarantula, covered with stiff yell
low bristles, and 30 pugnacious that it
will sink its fangs into anything pre-
sented to it.. While Mr.. Barton was
cleaning his gun one day he saw yellow
tarantula crawling out of his bed. Stick
lex his hickory ramrod in front of the
spider, the latter lost no time in biting
it, and with such violence that the
marks of his four fangs were imprinted
in the hard wood.
THE CHUCKAwALLA.
Mr.. Barton noticed that all lizards in
the Death valley region, although not