Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1893-10-17
DESERT OF COCOPAH.
FOUR YEARS EXPERIENCES OF TWO
DARING GOLD MINERS.
A California 1nfe rho Which Has Swallowed
Up a Small Army of Plucky Seekers Aft
aged on Their Terrible Trim.

California 1nft rho Which Has swallowed
Up a Small Army of PIucky Seekers Aft
. err the Yellow MetaI-How Two Men Man
aged on Their Terrible Trip.
God may have wrought place more tel.
gible than the Cocopah desert of Lower Cal
Ifornia, but if so it is unmarked by the
trail of mortal. A desert from which Dante
might have added to the horrors Of his an
ferno" level of gray death, feared of man
and forgotten of its creator; region sepa-
rated from the seething caldron below by a
thin crust of sand, through which the
fumes and heat from the ebb and flow of
fire seem plainly apparent.
As n starting point for desert trip find
Campo, n village in southern California
near the Mexican boundary and about 60
miles back of the coast line Twenty miles
south Of that as an initial point, run line
of 100 miles southeast until it touches the
gulf coast line. Between that line and the
gulf lies the famous Cocopah desert with
its range of mountans--a territory about
100 miles square, but as little known as the
interior of Africa. An innocent looking
little spot on the map, but on the surface
of what il represents lie bleaching the bones
of many men, both white and red You
VIII hott u Is ttbl HiitTkeu WITH tHe zig
Tag lines which generally denote water
courses, nor il it marked with the shaded
lines representing mountains. Whys Sim
ply because as yet there has been found no
corps Of engineers with sufficient hardihood
to attempt it's survey. There are maps of
the region, but they are scared on the brains
Of less than half dozen hardy prospectors.
Standing on the line you have drawn and
looking eastward you may see the outlines
OF range Of low mountains distant, with
water 40 possibly 60 miles Without wa
ter eternity intervenes between you and
that range Of hills rising darkly purple
through the shinmering heat That
stretch of 40 or 30 miles is the worst part
OF the Cocopah desert--a wide stretch of
arid, sterile, sandy plain lying far below
the level of the sea and absolutely devoid
OF vegetation and life in any form. Too
hot and dry for even the lizard and horned
toad, the heat radiates from the sand and
rocks with scorching effect, blistering the
skin
Forty or 90 miles is not n great distance,
you say, and ought to be covered in less
than "a hours. Other good men have
thought the same and tried it, Their bones
scattered about on the sand afford proof of
their error Every year for nearly half
century that desert has claimed its vic
tins singly and in groups. Yearly since
the Argonauts drifted south from the gold
fields in the center of California men have
started for the Cocopahs and never re.
turned.
Once having reached the mountains, YOU |
are not saved from death by thirst. There !
are but two or three places in all that range |
on the west side where water fit to drink |
may be found, There are strange phenon- |
ena in that region, however, which are
worthy of u scientific exploration. At the |
foot of the mountains, on the west, is a lake |
known as the Laguna Salado. 1t is prob
ably eight miles in length and from one to
two miles in width, lying parallel with the
range The water is very salt and has tides
IKE the oceans, Its shores are fringed
with marine vegetation, and it is evident
that the lake is fed from the gulf of Cali
fornia, but the gulf is more than 60 miles
away, and range of mountains ntervenes
What lures men to that locality and
tempts them to cross those burning sands?
Gold.
or the hundreds that have tried to reach
these mountains, that Ell Dorado of mucho
ORC, there are hut pitiful few that have
ever returned Among the latter are j. NJ
Brown and Jacob Crawford, two old time
miners. Four years ago they "outftted"
at the little village of Campo and started
for the Cocopah country Two years later
yaunt, thin and hollow eyed, they drifted 1,
into the little Mexican town of Ensenad.
some 60 miles down the coast. Their belts
were full of gold, however, and after rest g,
ng they refitted and disappeared. From ,
hat time nothing was heard of them until !
Monday, when they arrived in this city. +
When they started for the desert. in adj !
htion to the usual supply of provisions and
necessary prospecting tools, they had made
our canteens of zinc, each of six gallons
capacity and so constructed as to fit the
PACKS OF their burros. On the back of eacb : .
'urro was also 5-gallon key Their way :
ed them south from Campo to Taio, some /
W miles south of the Mexican line From "
mere tney went down the Canon de la Pal +
mas, ana nine miles brought them to the
uSe OF the desert. They decided to steer
tfalght Tor what appeared low pass in
ne Cocopah range and one that could not he .
One night the canteens and kegs
we're hlled at the spring 215 miles up the
anon, ana the next morning they started !,
n their journey through that yeritable val
ey of death.
1hey had hoped to make the pass bv
raveling constantly in "A hours. but hera
heir experience failed them. The heat was
'orse than that of the Sahara. and the dry Il
ess OF the atmosphere something of which o
hey had not dreamed They soon found ST
hat they could not engage in conversation
fithout their Threats and tongues becom- 81
ig lnilamed, and they went along in 81. o.
snce. The hot air seemed to shrivel their OF
cry lungs, Their canteens were constant. h
drawn upon, and by the time the NOM W
hns We're reached those 1872 quarts of wa
r mad disappeared, though it had been
SEQ sparingiy Suddenly the old burro
'umnling along in front half paused
lfew up ms head, the long ears went for.
ara, and his nostrls work ed conyulsivelv
he pause was but for an instant. Then
went forward at pace that hurried hia
ore heavily packed companions to main
lie had scented water The first visible
en 10 the men was spot of damp sand
lueF 'he cage OF bowlder in the bottom
.he canyon short distance farther un
NIUE stream trickled over the rocks and
% iar above was u spring.
The ever present heat was too intarso Co..
ehi 70 carry on their operations except in
e early morning or late in the afternoon
1t they managed to get an ounce If ,yoii
DAY. The nights We're but little cooler r
an the days, and after the men had sno,,t
e usual two hours after shutdown in ~
acers they would stretch out naked an ~
nd and endeavor to pass the night -,
Yep. Mosquitoes and other insects ala MOI
ther them, the heat being too great seem.
siy Tor even them to bear.-San Die,,,
Dr. San Francisco Examiner.
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