Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1892-09-15
ACROSS DESERT AND LAVA
From Los Angeles to Texas
and New Mexico.
THE WONDERS OF THE MIRAGE
Travelling by Rail With the
Thermometer at 1852.
The Awful Heat of the Mojave Desert--
Texas Town with Abundant Rail
roads--The big Strike of the Old Abe
Mine--By Stage to White Oaks,

LAS VEGAS, N. NJ, July 31.-i left
Los Angeles on the evening OF the day
| wrote You last for Mojave and arrived
there about Z O'Clock with the ther-
mometer ut about lOOo outside, while
inside the hotel think it must have
been about 1l0o. As to sleeping, that
was out of the question, owing to the
excessive heat. Morning came at last
and gladly took the train hoping
thereby to get the cooling draught Of
moving train, but oh, We gods-wlat II
disappointment, the further VIC travelled
the hotter it was, until prompted by
curiosity | looked at the car thGr-
momctcr and found it registering only
1859, while the cooling breeze IeXpccted
was simply hotter than the air in the
car, so that we were compelled to keep
the windows closed, Just think of one
shit up in II car Mt 1862 during whole
day, or from 7.3O II. nj. until 7.30 p. M,
or from MniHyc to the Needles, a station
on the A. d r. railroad ON the banks of
the Colorado river, which is the diyid-
ing line between Colorado and Arizona.
After we had crossed the river and
began the ascent Of tho mountains it
gradually grew cooler and by midnight
one wanted Il blanket 10 get rid of the
cooler atmosphere.
think If there is a detestable place
III our whole country in the summer
season the California desert is that place.
| And yet the ride is rather a pleasant one
and the scenery somewhat pretty. The
| mirage is wonderful and did not Won
| der that the bcwillered and thirsty
| traveller miStook the dclusion for lake
of clear, cooling water 1t has, from
| the cars, the exact resemblance of a
pretty lake of blue and ripping water.
| The mountain scenery is very pretty
and there is very much to attract and
please.
| Passing through Arizona one secs vast
beds of lava. For miles and miles this
stretch of lava is the one prominent fea-
| ture and il subject for much thought as
| to when it occurred and who were the
people then living here. One can easily
conjecture all sorts of theories, but
then the right one. Here you will see
| the dry bed of former lake or river,
and in the district along the base of the
mountains, perched high up on its sides,
inaccessible except from above, the
homes of the cave jewellers, the entrance
to which is so low as to make one feel
that they were dwarfs in size, or else
preferred entering their dwelling places
in u STOPPING position or posture.
Reaching Gallup, New Mexico, /
stopped over day. Gallup is coal
mining town, containing population
of perhaps 800, about 4O0 being miners.
The coal is semi bituminous, but they
do not seem to have sale for it at re-
munerative prices, the freight on the
railroads being SO high; result, the coal
miners have work about half time.
Leaving Gallup took the railroad
and visited I'll Paso, Texas. This is d
thriving, busting town of about 12,00C
inhabitants, located on the Rio Grande
and opposite Juarez in Old Mexico. L
Paso is the centre of u system of rail
roads, as Southern Pacific, Texas
Pacific, Atchison, Topeka Il Santa Fe
Mexican Central, and l think one OIL
two others, and now the Denver FL PasC
Short Line, which is to connect Denver
Pueblo, Trinidad, Las Vegas, White
OAKS, and Ell Paso in one direct north
and south trunk line, is to centre there
So that if railroad terminals will build q
large city I'll Paso ought in the near
future to be one of, if not the largest
city in Texas.
Speaking of this new road reminds
me that, my business calling me to
White Oaks, took the stage at Car,
thage and rode over plains and noun
tains distance of SIS miles to this grow.
ing town. 1t is surprising how the town
has grown within u few years, Gold
was discovered think in 1879 or 1880
in the mountains around White Oaks
gold quarts and rich. This of course
would bring in the inevitable prospectul
and in year you found every noun
tain side filed with prospectors' stakes
and location notices. was here in the
winter of 1890, and the place was very
dull and the people ilocking to new
finds in other localities; just about the
time left one of the owners, John Y
Hewitt, of the "Old Abe" mine, told me
that he thought they had made {
strike" on the "Old Abe" mine, and sure
enough subsequent examination!
showed that they had. The result OF
the strike is that they have taken out in
less than two years over 100000 in
gold over and above expenses.
Of course the town shows it in its i'm
proved appearance. Solid and pretty
business buildings now adOrn its bust,
ness street, while handsome and costly
residences grace the many beautiful hill
side residential sites. And the very
thought Of II railroad coming in inspires
them all with hope, and they feel prou.
Of their little mouutain-hill city.
Tho country abounds in iron, lead
gypsum, soda, marble and sand stone
and has IN itself plateral enough t,
make il the largest and busiest city il
the territory. Inc one drawback to thu
country is the scarcity OF water; still
they get il and have enough for ordi
nary purposes as well as 10 run the iiv,
stamp mills which are here. The golI
. seems to abound IN the Baxter Noun
tains, as also in the picarilles, distan
about 10 miles. The soil is prolific
only the scarcity of rain is the crea
drawback, but in time this will be RENE
. died by irrigation. On the whole, M,
, trip has been II pleasant one, and hay
seen much to please, interest and in
struct.
| omitted to state that the engineer o
the Denver ElpasU Short Line told IN
to-day that they expected to complet
, the new railroad in one year from il
commencement, and further that tn
financial arrangements were being com
plGted, 50 that III short tlmG they hope
to be able To begin work ut three points
, viz Trinidad, Las Vegas and III PasC
, The weather since | left the Cali.orni
: desert is just lovely, and one enjoys
refreshing sleep under blanket.
G. IL. G.
BucKicn's ArnIca snIye.
, The hest salve in the world for cuts
bruises, sores, ulcers, salt rhcum, feve
: sores, letter, chapped hands chilblains