The morning call., 1893-10-24
THEIR TERRIBLE SUFFERING.
One Dug Deep for Water, but
Failed to Find 1t.
DELIRlOUs FROM THE THIRST.
Particulars of the Fatal Wanderings
of a Third Victim on the
Scorching Waste.

SAN DIEGO, Oct. 23.-Two foolhardy
men, John Pulzer, young miner, and
Conrad Limerick, an aged German, at
tempted to cross the Colorado desert early
this month. On the 7th inst. they were at
Laguna station and were given directions
to Yuma and the first water at Indian
Wells station. They started out without
filling their canteens, as the water was
brackish. they said. They passed by
Indian Wells station without seeing it,
and before night old Limerick became
Iight-headed from the heat and thirst, and
was alternately delirious and unconscious.
Pulzer was forced 10 leave him under a
mesquite bush.
The young man pushed on with four
burros until nightfall, finding no sign of
water. He made camp in little opening
in thicket of mesquite and tied the
burros. The next day he struck out afoot,
followed an arroyo several miles. then
struck across the dunes and finally back
to camp, tired out and suffering intensely
from thirst. The cooler night air allowed
rest and sleep. In the morning he took a
shovel from his pack and began to dig in
the sand. He stuck to the work all day,
resting often. By night he had dug only
six feet and found no sign of water, not
even moisture. Almost spent, he was de-
lirious when Dighr came. Somehow he
passed the night. but did not arise in the
morning.
he lay facing death, and in his rational
moments was racking his brain for some
plan to escape. The only thing he could
think of was to place flag at the side Of
the Yuma road. over which he had come,
and he attempted to do this. He mounted
burro and started out, but before going
hundred yards in the blazing SUD he be-
came light and almost fell from the
saddle. He turned back to camp again,
tied the animal and fell on the blankets.
He had tried before to extract moisture
| from the food, but again took an onion
and strove to soften his tongue and palate.
The next day. the 10th inst,
party composed of Joseph A. AL
lison and t. 81. Silsby of this city
were coming from the Allison ranch in
Lower California. accompanied by one
Castro, an expert vaquero and trailer.
They saw footprint in the arroyo and
decided there must be somebody hunting
water They trailed the steps over ten
miles, at last coming upon Pulzer gasping
for breath and gnawirg an onion.
MY Goo. give me drink. Pm choking
to DEATH" was all he could say.
He could not stand. Allison poured ont
a cupful of water. which Pulzer Tapped
like dog, begging for more. Small guam
titles were allowed him and in four hours
he had absorbed a canteenful. Then he
told of his partner. giving the direction,
and said: Take a shovel along and bury
him."
PrI1a
spot and the party struck out, Castro's
cunning eye finding the mesquite with the
trail of the old man leading back on the
track. Silsby followed it, while the others
returned to Pulzer. Silsby found the old
man at Laguna station. reveling in the
bracking and sinking water he had
scorned before. He had revived in the
night and took the back track. going within
few feet of a pond of water. Both went
to Pulzer's camp and found him unable to
stand. Allison had turned the four burros
loose. All took bee line for the water
and found 1t three-quarters of mile away.
The next day all returned to Allison
ranch. Allison brings particulars of the
loss OF Loreto Villa, a boy working on his
ranch, whose probable death on the desert
was noted in Yuma dispatch. Villa left
camp for the ranch and struck out from
the foot of Picachos into the desert for ten
miles. where there is a salt lake. There
he hunted water, unsaddled his mule,
which got away. the boy following.
Castro found the saddle September and
traled Villa twenty-five miles to four
miles east of Signal Mountain. He found
there hole under mesquite and saw
Villa had taken his boots off. The ground
was very hard and even Castro lost the
trail leading east. From there it Is eight
miles to New River. Allison thinks as
Villa was well acquainted with the desert
that he finally reached New River and
drank too much and died in the under.
brush on the bottoms. Castro notified all
the Cocopahs there to look for the body.