The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-03-12
QUEER THINGS OUT WEST
NATURAL CU2IOsITIES FOUND IN
ARIZONA AND NEVADA.
Whole Mountains Of Sslt-Strsnge
PetrifactiOu, Subterranean Rivers
and PrabFssorso Earna41z

Whole Mountains of SsIt-Strsnge
Petrifaction, Subterranean Rivers
and Prehistoric Remains.
From the Netg York Press.
In the state of Ne vada and the territory
OF Arizona OCCUR the most extensive nat
ural stores of salt in the United States.
Not only are there salt springs, wells, lakes
and ponds. with fields of salt in the deserts,
but also immense deposits Of rock salt.
In the early days OF silver mining on the
Comstock lode salt, for use ia the
amalgamation OF the ores. was brought
over the Sierra Nevada mountains by
teams, as it had been seeu by the emigrants
to California in crossing the plains,
but the owners Of the teams could
not be induced to venture out
into those great wastes and waterless tracts.
In 1862 camels were brought 20
the Comstock mines for use in the
deserts, aud a train Of fifteen of
those animals was employed in packing
salt from Sand Springs. This was IN
desert of sand and alksli, about eighty miles
east Of Virginia City. Wagons being used
in the transportation of salt from this de-
post, as well as the camels, the price Of
the article was soon reduced 20 $50 a ton.
Soon tue occupation of the 'ships of the
desert" was gone; prairie schoonersn
crowded them to the rocks. They were
sold 70 MexlcRns, who used them in packing
wood down the mountains Among the
rocks the poor bTutes became footsore. and
by i'll usage were reduced to mere skeletons.
They were then sold to a compassionate
Frenchman who owned ranch on the
Carson river. Their new owner turned the
animals out 20 roam at will The bitter
and prickly shrubs of our deserts being the
same as or akin to those of their native
deserts, the herd soon increased TO over
thirty, great and small. They were at last
sold 60 parties in Arizona 20 be used in
packing ore from the mountains 90 mills in
the valleys. But csmels are too slow for
Americans. The Arizona men soon turned
the whole herd loose to shift for themselves
in the wilderness. At last accounts they
we're running wild on the ella river, where
they find a Congenial home.
The saliniferous lands nearly always
occupy the basins Of extinct lakes.
Nevada's ancient. lake system can be
traced from the southern boundary
Of Oregon, about the Warren lakes.
in an almost unbroken line to Death vail
ley in Southeastern California. South
ward, toward the Colorado basin,
in Lincoln county, the continuity of
the system has been broken by the upheavel
Va WIG CudlLo VI EuBBou HIS ny euSn u
heavals isolated lakes appear to have been
formed or segregated from what was ages
ego one great body of water. AS even the
lowest of the wave lines are at a consider
able hight above the dry beds OF the lakes
it is evident that the final disappearance Of
the waters was due to evaporation. The
waters dried and left their bones, the
minerals they held in solution-the SO inns
mense deposits of salt, soda and borax.
The Piute Indians have many traditions
pointing back to time when the whole of
Western Nevada was covered with water
and the present mountains were only seen
as islands. In their language ''pah" is the
word for water. and though at present
called Piut by the whites, Pah-Ute is the
real name of the tribe. Pah-Ute means
water Ure." and the name must have
been given the tribe when their country was
flied with lakes or covered by the waters
Of one great lake.