Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-01-09
CLOSE TO sUBTERRANEAN FIRE.
Are the Feet Of Those Who Walk on the
Burning Sand of Death Valley.


7'r Frederick Momsons lecture on
s'Deatn Valley" which was delivered at
metropolitan Temple on Friday. addcl
lom.'hing 90 our Enowiedeelot one o.
Ill. most cufious spots i'm the state. ID
us year on two after the discovery
rr gold that its existence was made
. ro,yu bv the flirhtul destruction of an
Immigrant party by thirst within H5
limits. .,.,.
tn. immilau,e were coming I'm through
~... county. Ecy.. obey crossed a pass IN
d.. Varamut mountains and struck INTO
tra valley. where their skeletons lie 70
tli4 day. Some ten years afterwards the
United States Boundary Commission sur
,rtcd the valley and pronounced ii 10
g. the bed Of "a former lake which had
lr.u drained in one OF the last volcanic
....,.ilsioue ou this side Of the mountains.
f.1ce then 20 bias been visited by occasional
t.rIorers and eftbercrs of boTaN. but as
. confirms up water. as the air u inn
t..cnatcI with mruhitc gases, and as
ft- thermometer sometimes registers as
l..cI as $50 degrees IN the shade ~ sum-
,..~ visitors have been few and far be-
attr0
Nct 10 is am interesting spot II is part
e. fe b.uteI world. 10 which the Great
's.rt Lake. the subicrranean river OF Mo-
a. Of which the geysers Of SonOma are
IN u0.hoot As Greenland is a relic Of
t.. Mst glacial age. So this distressed
fr-lou i- "a surviving relic Of the latest
s-ueus age. AN era when nothing was
Gmaiy settled. and Ore and water were
>1ut-ujiug for supremacy over the sou.
Similar regions exist In southern Calabria
sul ID the vicinity OF the Dead Sea IN
Jal.sunr: the volcanic force has so far
-, ii- primitive energy that earthquakes
..- Light and there are no erupuons'
llf Oh, volcanic gases continue 10 ESCAPE
s0 such quantity that travel is attended
with danger TO life. and the water
ipr.1ee nre polluted with salt. sulphur.
go poisonous ingredients. In the Califor-
ma Solfatara excessive heat is eddcd to
vte other horrors Of the place. The centre
o. tho valley Is hotter than SEMINAR
md fhe only animal ne Is few speci-
llene OF tropical reptiles.
~ rfomson is reported to have 'aid
trait Oh. bottom Of the valley Is the low
rs, depression on the earths surface.
T'is ls nos strictly correct The lowest
1evels obtained IN Death Valley are about
go feet below the sea, whereas inc sur
f4ca ~ the Dead Sea IN Palestine is
e so feet below. Iiut the hole which goes
by the name Of Death Valley Is pretty
teop The crust OF the earth through
rut the valleys Of san Bernarlno ana
InyO counties must be very thin. me
travellers feet are separated from the
internal body OF everlasting fire bF a
rim sheet ~ earth and rock, which
would offer hut a slight resistance 10
l..lsric force. few miles distant from
Death Valley there is a region which
may be surveyed by the eye. and which
contains "A thousand active Volcanoes-
rraU 81 their kind. to be sure. baby vol
canoes. so 10 speak. but stll actively
ENGAGED In throwing up mud ana water.
And not many miles away Is the range
- granite mountains, among which
alouut Whitney rears its head through
me clouds; solii masses Of primeval rocE
which must have worn the shape IN
which We see them now when the PLAIN
a their feet was a seething. ragirG cali
rrOn IN which Gre and water cpL1eaf-d
Cor the mastery.
TO see such marvcls Of nature 2rls
cross oceans. spend fortunes. and cary
Their lives In their hands Neither
Mauna Isoa nor Hecla offers surA S. u-
cers 20 the beholder as Death Na.lc5
and the Colorado Desert I'm j1rrWr
rnd February the heat Ia the valley if
teara ble-not over 30 degree 30 trt
rhade Excursion parties might be t,-
ted out with supplies OF food and N.i g.
md. ia "a few days. the visitors might
qe enough TO realize what The world
vas like In the Plutonic age. The CON
trHst between the pleasant valleys OF
The rivers. with their fr,nt-trces bursting
into blossom, and these dreadful des-
erla, with their awful chasms ana thelr
iide0us Inhabitants, would be u!nS
not easily FORGOTTEN.