Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1894-01-30
cIosr TO sUeYGRaANGAN FiRg.

Mr.. Frederick Momson's lecture on
Death VALLEY, which was delivered nt
Metropolitan Temple ON Friday, added
something To our knowledgc of ono Of
The moot curious spots In the state. IL
Was . year az two after the discovery
of gold that lie existence waa made
known by the frightfal destruction Of IN
smlsrant party BY Thirst within ms
limits.
The immixrsnts we're coming In
through Nye County, New, they cross-
Cd q pass IN the l'aranlnt Mountains and
struck Into tho valley. where their skel-
etous lle On this day. home ten years
afterward the United states boundary
Commission surveyed the valley aud
pronounced L 90 be the bed of Q former
lake, which had been drained In Que of
the last volcanic couyulsIons 90 this
aide Of the mountains. Since then u has
been visited by OCCASIONAL explorers and
gAiherrrs of borax; but ne u contains no
water. ne the air IL imprrgnsted With
mephitic gases, aud ~ the Thermometer
sou,etimes registers as much ne 100 de-
gree In the shsde In the summer, Walt
ors have been few and far between.
Vet 10 IL IN Interesting spot. 10 IL Q
part of the belated world, To which the
Great Salt lake, the subterrsncan river
Of Moj,ve aud the Colorado Desert b.
long, aud of which the geysers of Souo-
ma are an offshoot. IA Greeuland ls q
relic of the last glacial age, go this dis
tre.sed region IL q surviving relic of the
latest igneous age; an era when nothing
was finally settled, and hrr aud water
werc coutending for supremacy over the
coll. similar regions exist In southern
CAlsbris aud In the vicinity Of the Dead
Sea In Palestine; the volcanic fore has
so far Lost its primitive energy that
earthquakes are light, and there are no
eruptions; but the volcanic gases con-
tinu- Ia escape In such quantity that
travel IL attended With danger Ia life,
and the water springs are polluted with
sslt, sulphur, and poisonous ingredients.
In the California sofAtsrs excessive
heat IL added To the other horrors of the
place. The centre of the valley u hot.
ter than SEMINAR, aud the only animal
life IL . few specimens ut tropical
reptiles. =,
Mr.. Mom.ou !. reported 60 have said
that the bottom 10 the valley is the low
c.t depression on the earth's surface.
TIL. I. not strictly correct. The lowest
level. Ia Death Valley are about no feet
below the sea. whereas the surface of the
Dead Sea la Palestine !. M feet be-
low. Hut the hole which goes by the
name of Death Valley I. pretty deep.
Tie crust of the earth throughout ibs
valleys Of san l,ernarilno and inyo
Counties must H. very thin. The tray
elcr's feet are separated from the Inter
nal body 20 everlasting hv by . slin,
sheet of earth aud rock, which would
off.r but = slight resistance io seismic
force. 4 few miles distant from Death
Valley there I. . region which may h
survey -d by the eye, sui which contain.
q thousand active ,olcaDocs-.msll al
their kiud "a b. .ur-, baby volcanoes, 81
Ia speak, but still actively engaged In
thro~ing up mud aud water. And not
many mile. away !. the range Of granite
mountains, smong Which Mount Whit
ncy rear. its head through the clouds
solid mss.e. of prime,al rock which
must have worn the shape la which Ne
see them nov when 10. plain at tbeii
fr~t vas so-thing. raging csldron Ia
which Are aud water coutended for the
mastery.
10 ace such msryels % nature people
cro.. oc-sn.. .p~nd fortune. ani carry
their IIyrs In their hands. Neither
Msun, los nor ilcclA oncr. such ~on'
der. Ia the bebolder A. Death Vale,
aud the Colorado Desert. In January
and February the heat In the valley IL
tearablc-not over - DEGREES In The
shade. Excursion psrtie. might be a.
tel cut With supplies 81 fcod aud water
aud, In q fc~ days, the visitor. might
see enough Ia realize What the world
wss In the rlu,onlc age. The contrast
bet seen the pleasant valleys of the river
With their fruit tree. bursting Into bio.
.om, aud these dreadful desert. viii
their az fol chs.m. aud their hidcou. In
hsbltsnt., would bc . thing not easily
| forgotten.