The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1892-10-01
DEATH FROM THIRST.
Terrible Experiences in the Colo
RADIO Desert
An Arid Region Whero Life In Any Form
Is Hard to Sustain-SNnd Storms
which Cut Down TeIe-
graph Poles.

W mon Nub Down ICie-
graph Poles.
The great Colorado desert, which
forms a part Of San Diego county, al.
lured three Prospectors to their death,
as was recently reported. These men,
who were seeking gold, died within a
few thousand yards of an abundant
water supply, simply because they made
a slight miscalculation as to what was
needed to carry them safely over the
hot, dry, treacherous desert plains, says
a San Diego correspondent of the New
York Tribune One Of their stampeded
mules died at the edge of the water
pool Tho other mules were found
alive. The bodies of the men were
found not far apart. as they had fallen
when overcome by the death weakness.
This is only one of thousands of in-
stances of the terrible possibilities of
death from thirst in the western des-
erts. During the summer their average
daily temperature is over one hundred
and ten degrees. The air is absolutely
dry, and a strong man cannot count on
living unless he gets water at least
every six hours. Cloth-covered can
teens containing several gallons of
water are usual receptacles used in des-
ert marching, and five quarts day will
keep man feeling pretty comfortable.
A great danger in desert marching is
the liability of finding water holes,
where the nights encampment is to be
made, dried up. Years ago Gen. Candy
marched brigade or so across a forty
fve-mile stretch of desert in Colorado.
The water holes along the route were
dry, and for many hours the troops were
without water. A number of the men
died en- route, and many others were
carried along in army wagons, at
deaths door, physically. The utmost
eXertions of the officers were needed to
keep the men from lying down and
dying. All the dogs of the command
died on this awful trip, their bodies
swelling to twice the natural size be-
fore death ensued. Upon reaching the
Grand river, after an all-day march, the
thirst-stricken troops were allowed to
drink all the water they desired.
The symptoms of approaching death
from thirst are an overwhelming lassi-
tude which rapidly increases. A kind
y
obscures the vision. The mouth, tongue
and throat become parched, the tongue
feeling like corncob, as it grows
dry and hard Hallucinations fit
! through the brain until the weak
q ness becomes so great that unconscious
! ness follows and death soon ensues,
as the unwatered blood thiclSens
and interferes with the functions of
the heart. Men have been known to
/ 60 without water for forty-eight
! hours, but the conditions were different
from those of the desert. A San Fran
cisco sailor, who was taken from a
waterlogged ship, had been without
water for fourteen days, save such a
scanty supply as he could lick from the
spars in the form of accumulated dew.
When found this mans throat was actu-
ally closed up and before an entrance
to his stomach was obtained by proper
medical means the poor castaway died.
When it comes TO a question between
the dangers of desert or sea the natives
in these parts much prefer the sea as
being safer than the desert. Winds on
the desert can be as fatal In effect as
the veriest hurricane on record. A long
continued sandstorm deals death al
along its route. This sand is so oppres
sive to section hands Of transcontinent
al railroads that they wear goggles fol
the protection of their eyes, Th'
sides OF telegraph poles exposed to the
prevailing desert winds are literally
eaten out by the constant friction, anC
the station windows on the windy sid,
are quickly turned into ground glass b!
these sand blasts In crossing the des
ert a freight car containing supple
{ mentary water tanks is attached to tn
2 locomotive. Stationary water tank
4 are an unknown quantity on the des
e erts, except in rare instances