Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1894-08-20
HOTTEST SPOT ON EARTH.
TO THE COLORADO DESERT BE-
LONGS THIS DISTINCTION.

N the reclaiming of the famous
'Death Valley" in the Great
American Desert, in Colorado. 1t is
proposed to make of it an inland sea
by turning the melting SHOWS and
rains that fall upon the Sierra Nevadas
into this "dry sea-" The valley is
200 feet below the floor of the desert,
is $50 miles long, thirty miles wide at
the northern end, tapering to about
three miles in width at the southern
extremity. One of the schemes to re-
claim the desert is to turn the Col
orado River into the lower end, or,
as it is called, the Colorado Desert,
from which water would naturally
seek its level in Death Valley.
Death Valley is the hottest place on
earth, so far as known up to date.
There is no spot so deadly, more
desolate, and SO thickly strewn with
dead. 1t is appropriately named,
for human life cannot exist amid its
poisonous vapors, and even the birds
are infected with its noxious gases
and fall dead in their fight. Heavy
rains never fall in this death bringing
place, and the few light showers only
make the atmosphere more humid, if
possible. With the thermometer at
| 136 degrees in the shade, and the sun
beating against the black bristling
rocks, rejecting back the intensified
| heat, one may form some idea of this
desolate region. 1t is the dryest
place IN the world-the bodies of
h., ,nriohaI
been found in after years completely
mummitied. The corpses were not
disturbed by even the prowling hyena.
Animal life cannot exist there-only
the reptile species. Men have died
from thirst, and yet water within
reach.
The blistering heat and dryness of
the air rendered it impossible to keep
the body to the proper temperature
to sustain life. This valley was named
by Governor Blaisdell, of Nevada. He
and few others were making sur
vey, and found the mummifed re-
mains of about twenty emigrants, who,
in attempting to cross the valley, lost
their way and died of thirst and star
walton. One of the survivors of this
party, now citizen of Los Angeles,
Cal, gives picturesque account OF
that voyage of perhaps unparalleled
suffering in this "dry sea-"
Before the days of the transconti.
mental railroads." says he, "the over
land immigrants came to California
by the southern route mainly, thus
avoiding the mountains of the north
ern route as well as the SHOW in win.
ter. There were about fifty in our
party, about half that number being
women and children. About the third
or fourth day after entering the val
ley We began to realize that we were
lost. We had aimlessly travelled from
one point to another and saw that the
valley was walled in on each side by
steep and craggy rocks, and that there
was no way to cross it, or get out Of
it, except at its lower terminus. So we
continued on, hoping to find our way
out. We wandered around in this land
of desolation for about three months
the drifting sands had obliterated
the trail that we set out to follow and
covered our tracks so that we could
not retrace our steps when we found
that we were lost in this land of burn
ing sand.
''Our provisions became scant," he
continued, "and we were reduced al
most to starvation. Finally our
wagons were abandoned and we
packed up what we could upon the
backs of oxen, and the women and
even some of the children were COM
PEELED to walk. The supply of water
was SO near exhausted that only
enough was taken at time to moisten
the parched lips aud the swollen
throat. Refreshing streams and
cleaning lakes were seen in the dis.
tance, and, nerving every effort to
reach this haven, we found only blis.
tering beds of alkali. An occasional
spring was found oozing from the
burning sands, which gave lis TEN.
porary relief. Day by day the pro.
visions ran lower, and the oxen per-
ished one by one. All baggage was
now abandoned; every one was COM
PEELED to walk, excepting those who
were completely exhausted. and they
were carried on the shoulders of
others. We took what provisions was
left, with the very small supply OF
water, and trudged along, travelling
mostly at night, but even then the
heat was almost unbearable.
SAT early morning we would travel
while it was cool and our sufferings of
mind would be intensified by the re-
fiections of lakes and rivers, so clear
and distinctly defined. The tall green
trees that lined their banks were
plainly seen. OF all delusions mirage
in desert is the greatest. One night
we camped under ledge of rock;
our party could go no further. Seven
or eight had died on the way, and at
this camp or resting place twenty of
them died. We buried them there,
and in few days continued our pain
full journey. We had brought along
some meat of our dead oxen, but could