The morning call., 1893-05-28
DEATH VALLEY.

The great Death Valley is in the north of
Inyo County. wnch is bounded on the northeast
! by The state OF Nevada.
1lis frightfu place. running in from the
south. between the Armargosa and Panamint
mountains, is desolate region having an eX-
tremr length Of one hundred miles by twenty
| miles wide
According to observations made by party of
the United States boundary expedition the
whole OF this llain is sunk four hundred teet
| heiOw sea level, giving IL greater depression
than the Gas ian Sea. and nearly as great as
| thai OF the Dead Sea, the sink of The Jordan IN
! Palestine. Only seventy miles west OF Ii are
| clustered IA number of the highest pea OF the
Sierra Nivada, many of which are from $4,000
| 10 $1,000 feet IN height.
These facts will afford some idea OF the wild
confusion ef mountains, canyons and depres-
>ionS HAT mark he topography OF this remark
able lorttou Of the 5 ate.
This valley owes its name 10 the melancholy
! fate OF Il large parry of immigrants, who
ershed from thirst within its limits in 1850.
The heat of this basin, uncomfortable of en-
In wint't. is constant and terrible throughout
the entire summer. the thermometer ranging
from 11O o 140 degrees during the day.
| From the absence OF animal life and the slug
giSh STATE of the atmosphere an ominous silence
| broOds perpeluay over ii, giving In conjunc-
| tlon with the terrific heat aHd ardty fearful
| Significance 10 he name popularity applied TO it.
| The immigrants, already referred 10, making
| their way overland To California soon alter the
discovery Of gold at COloma, strdyed into This
valley, and having wandered through its en-
| tire length sought to escape by scaling the
mountain range that shuts it in on the north.
Being unable, however, to hnd any fresh
water several of the party, together with most
of their animals, periShed from neat and thirst,
they having become nearly exhausted before
reaching The point where they at length gave
out.
The evidences of their suffering and final dis
aster were until recently sill 10 be seen I sew
| eral points along ther route Scattered about
! one OF their camping grounds are numerous re-
| mains of wagons, kettles and other cooking
utensils, indicating a purpose of relieving them
selves from all us less equipage. Some miles
farther on where they lad become entanged
among the saudhillS and soft bottoms along
Salt Creek is what seems TO have been the cul-
minating scene of their sufferings Here the
bones of animals and the fragments OF wagons,
camp furnitu re. etc. are thickly strewn about;
and here, no doubt, covered by the drifting
sands are the solitary and unmarked graves OF
those who died.
To understand something of the terrors Of
'he valley 70 a parry of strangers its main
features mly be further described.
The valley is probably The bed Of former
lake, the waters or which were heavily charged
with salt and soda.
fOr IOfly-IVe miles IN le0Rln anu HIttou
miles in width along its center is a salt marsh
with thin layer of soil covering an unknown
depth Of soft. gray mud.
A man cannot travel over 1t in he winter
without difficulty, it being impossible for ami
mails at any season 10 cross 1t. In spots where
tnere is less moisture til surface ls so porous
t1at = ilolSe SstAs Iulo ii haf way To the knees,
rendering l. aye slow and laoorlous.
Water can be obtanrd almost anywhere by
digging down a few feet, but it is so saline and
biIer that 1t cannot be used by either man or
beast.
with the RECEPTION Of few clumps of worth
less shrubs near Its borders. tbs plain is desli-
tute OF even the slightest traces of vegetation
nor are any signs Of animal lie to be seen upon
IL, except a small black gnat, which, swarming
in myriads during the summer, greatly aDnoys
=, the traveller, entering his eyes, ears and nose.
the attacks being persistent and The sting
= peculiarly annoying
The valley is encircled by barren sage
!, plain, from three to six miles wide, which. be-
, | ginning al the base Of the mountains that sur
:, round 1t on very side but the south. slopes
gently down to its margin. Coursing across
. This sterile belt on which nothing grows but
: the wild sage, intermixed with few tufts Of
n bunch grass are numerous faynes. the most
of Them dry exeert, perhaps. at long intervals
- The streams that flow through their upper por
=, ttons at the season of the melting SHOWS, sink
. ing into the dry and porous earth soon after
they reach the foot OF the mountains.
= = Among the features OF the valley are the de
= serted horax works, the salt-wat spring'
y called Coyote Holes. Furnace Creek Canyon
the only canyon through which fresh sweet
d warer runs inio the valley. and the Funeral
. hohntainS.
o Recently an oasis OF thirty acres was formed
5 in The middIr of the valley by San Fr9ncscC
. company, organized to wOrK the peigbborine
q borax marshes, but which failed. The re-
deemed spot Is called Greenland. The only
' resident OF the valley is James Dayton, who
acts as watchman ovrr the borax works and
= rancher of the oasis
! curiosity to be found here is bridge OF
salt eigin miles long formed Of the natural
crust over the slush of the valley marsh six
, miles below Greenland, beaten down by means
: of sledgehammers.
. The frequency of storms here is proverbial,
aud one OF their features are the sant-spouts a
= mile high which career down the valley with
extraordinary rapdty.
: At point about thirty miles north OF D attn
I I Valley the Armargosa. River. stream of small
volume but great length. takes its rise, and
= flowing southeast for more than a hundred
miles makes detOur when far OUT on the great
= Moiave Desert and bending round to the north
west runs in that direction about forty miles,
VIII n, having reached the southern end OF this
arid PLAIN, it finally disappears.
considerable stream flows also into the
. nor end of the valley, but like the Armargosa
- as we'll as all the springs anG such streams as
. do not descend directly from the mountains
= = the wafer is so impregnated with salt as 10 be
, unfit for drinking.
The ArmareOsa River sinks INTO the marsh
which occupies the center of the valley. The
. SIDES of the valley steep and barren. Its
western bank is formed OF gravel and hardened
mud on The east IL is bounded by high noun
tains of slate and granite.
y The whole surface OF the valley, except the
, marsh in TIE center, is covered with sand and
gravel, and is SCARED i'll all directions with
deep grooves, which appear to have been made
by fresbets, caused by heavy orms or bursting
.. .. of waterspouts, that occasionally have done
considerable mischief 10 the surrounding re-
gion.
As already stated the heat In this valley is
d fearful in summer. An ex lOring party which
visited il in January one year, the coolest sea
D son found he temperature 30 deg. Fahrenheit.
When there is 10 breeze through the long
! canyon the air becomes SO dense that respira-
!. tion is painful and difficult.
During the spring rrrible gales of wind blow
{ through this canyon In opposite directions. fill.
y ing the air with salt, gravel nd sand in clouds
! as black as cual-smoke.
Altogether 1t ie ric'ured as dismal and dreary
place as can well be imagined. and one which
II Is insiJnctiyely avoided by all animal life as
1hmicabie 10 the very principle OF being