The herald., 1894-07-29
Prospectors' Sufferings on the
Colorado Desert.
The Sensation Of Going Mad From
Thirst.
Tho Painful Adventures of tho Niilisrd
Party = Tho Shifting Sands
Which Destroy Land
marks.

time to have been lost on the desert.
The other members OF the party were
Nathan Millard, (Charles's father, "Di-
amond George" Simonds, and the West
Indian, Leon Eugene. Young Millard
told Union reporter graphic tale OF
his experiences in going through the
desert from Campo to the place where he
is now located, and where he is inter-
ested with his father in two promising
gold mines.
"We star.ed from Campo on April 49,"
he said. "The first night We stayed at
Jacumba, % miles from Campo. The
next day we went to Coyote Wells, and
the next day to Laguns. On the fourth
day we reached Mesquite lake in good
shape. Mesquite lake is fresh water
lagoon, fed by the overflow of the Colo
RADIO river. In the summer, generally
in July, the overflow waters of the Colo
RADIO pour into the desert, running in
the direction OF the Salton sea. All OF
that section is below sea level. The
water runs into Cameron lake, then
into the Laguna, and then into Mesquite
lake, flowing northerly. This year Mes
quite lake was filled in June. 1t was
low when we went there, but it always
has water in it and good fishing.
1--WE had gone to fish, hunt and pros
pect. At Mesquite lake three OF our five
horses got away and struck due west for
home, not following our back trail,
which was in southwesterly direction.
| followed their trail but could not ever
take them, Returning to the lake we
looked around and found the deserted
iacal Of johnson, the cow-man, who has
cattle there in the season. A light
spring wagon was standing there. We
took it, leaving our heavy wagon, with
a note explaining the situation. We
left aleo our seine, fodder, and large
quantity OF grub. The next day we
struck out for the railroad, going due
north. We expected to find water at
short intervals and took only half bar
rel with US.
''rhere it was that | first noticed the
mysterious movement of the ssnd hills
and even mountains. We would note
large range OF hills at some point on the
horizon ard look the next day to zee
where it was. Often it would be in an
entirely different direction. The sane
is continually shifting, often 80 silently
and lightly as to be unseen, but surely
inst the same. This, | have no doa br
ID ohe tsason why men ger iost. AN
other is the mir~so, winch is scontinually
deceiving person. In every direction
whether on level or rolling ground, we
saw cool little lakea iringed with palms.
Sometimes we saw solid rock bills, with
trees and lakes at their feet. 1nvaria'
bly, there was nothing to cause the illu'
sion, except, possibly, the low bushes
that were seemingly magnitied by the
rays OF heat and light.
''At noon on the day after we left the
lake our water Was exhausted. Then
for two days and a half we went thirsty.
| was surprised to see that my father.
an old man, stood the torture better
than |. Diamond George, too, seemed
not to sutier. The negro and l, though,
were greatly affected. l will describe az
closely as l can how l felt. Alter the
ordinary sensations of thirst, my tongue
began to swell, and the most in.olerable
feeling came over me OF pain wherever
anything touched ms. Ii my clothes
happened to rub me was seized with
an irresistible desire to throw them
cautioned me to keep my senses and
argued with myself continually, but
nevertheless l would find myself tearing
tai anguish, OF course, accompanied the
feelings OF physical discomfort. l
dreamed of water, thought of water,
l cav the cool little lakes just few
Il, IN N.
tongue swelled, filling my mouth, and
feeling like dry eponge. l could no,
talk, but If [ could [ would have
damned those fresh little lakes that
Knocked me. The thought Of eating
filled me with sudden disgust and ugly
temper. In spite of thstI tried to force
myself to eat something, but no sooner
had touched food TO my dry tongue
than | flung it away involuntarily. To
my tongue food was as tasteless as saw
dust.
In the evening of the third day, W hen
felt myself going mad, with objects
taking on the most grotesque shapes, and
the noise of the wagon sounding as if
miles away. We saw the smoke of pas
senger train rushing across the desert.
Without a word, father and Diamond
George began piling grub, barrel, traps
and everything out into the sand. The
ground was iearfully heavy, but they
urged the horses through, and we reached
the railroad at Flowing Wells. Never
shall | forget the first drink of water. l
was sick for two days, out OF my head,
they said.
Zone OF the horses was sck, and we
had to wait at Flowing Wells nine days.
The trains whizzed by, never stopping,
and our grub began to give out. We
had started from Mesquite lake with
$50 pounde OF -four. AtFlowing Wells we
began to divide it with our poor horses.
At night the horses gnawed the tele-
graph poles clean through, and the bot
tom OF tho wagon where they had licked
up the -four. AS coon AS possible we
started for Indio, pushing the wagon,
the horses being too weak to haul it. AT
Walters station we were overtaken by a
sandstorn. We tied q wagon sheet to
the section house and crawled under.
The next morning we were under two
feet OF sand, and had to burrow out.
The horses were wading around as if in
a snowdriit.
After great tribulation we reached
lndio and got grub aud water and good
rest. Thsn We struck out to the north
east, where We heard that gold was lately
discovered. In the Piiion mountains.
25 milss northeast of 1ndio, and beyond
Thousand Palms, we struck the camp of
fiugman and Holland, the dscoy-
erers ei the Lost Horse mine.