The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-11-25
DECEIVED BY 4 MIRAGE.
The Weird Adventures of Il Bold
Prospector In the State of WASH
ingtOn.

San Francisco Call: John Wick
ersham of Los Angeles, who for some
months past has been riding an Indian
pony in the northwest, partly for his
health and partly while prospecting for
gold, has returned here on his way
home He says there is a stretch of
desert lying between the Columbia
river and what is known as Coulee
CITY, in the Moses COulee of the Big
Bend country in Washington, that
enormously surpasses in drearinesS
anything that he had ever before seen.
Mr.. Wickersham carried pick and pan
with him on this trip; he was also pro-
Vided with. q roll of blankets and
lariat for roping his pony. His pro-
visions consisted chiefly of a piece of
bacon, some prepared coffee some
flour, sugar and salt. The culinary out
fit was as light as it was possible to
make it. In this way, with only a
single 45-calibre pistol to defend him,
he moved about, camping each night
wherever he might be.
Il have seen and hear a great deal
about dreary sections of country" said
Mr.. WickerSham. Il have been on the
plains of Colorado and Arizona, and on
the Mohave and Colorado deserts in
California. 1 have also been in the
dry regions above the Humboldt Sink
desolation. However, l passed over a
region in the Big Bend country that
is, If possible, more frightful than any
or these. L came near furnishing there
for want of water, my pony was COM
pletely tagged out, and it was only
with the greatest eXertion that I man
aged finally to get through to Cou1ee
City. This dreary stretch of desert ex-
tends for a distance of 40 miles along
Foster creek, from the mouth of the
creek to point nearly on the high
tableland on the south It must have
been merely in derision that the broken
gulch was called a creek, for during
no year from the time of which the
memory of man runs was there ever
any water in its bed, except at the
lower portion during freshets. Into
this CHASTITY region, not knowing that
tnere was really no water there went
on my exploring trip. Foster creek
winds by some chalk-white cliffs for
several miles south of the Columbia.
and finally, when the trail made by the
Indians leaves this. gorge, you traverse
an almost level stretch of sandy desert
On either side are great bare places.
as White as the chalky cliffs These
mark places that are poisoned by al
kali, so that even if there was water
nothing could grow there.
In traversing all this long distance
SdW HO INlHS IHln3 except q lew
horned toadS and some curious brown
birds that had no tails What the
birds lived on I cannot tell Aside from
these there was no bird, no animal.
nothing in the air or on the earth: the /
suit beat down frightfully with a baleful |
glare: it was so hot that presently I
was so overcome could scarcely sit on
my horse. Riding over this desert one
becomes desperate; what he has been
becomes memory, and overcome by |
the thirst and heat you feel as if YOU |
had been projected into new and |
strange world. In trying to reach the |
hamlet, of Coulee City, which is on a |
branch railroad from Spokane, l took
the wrong trail at point on the des-
ert. and for a time ] was lost
ut was while l was lost on. this des-
ert that l saw a beautiful lake before |
me. 1t could not have been more than !
a mile away. and came suddenly into
view. l wondered that l had not seen
1t before. AS / rode toward it saw
that some willows were growing on |
the opposite side of it. and to my right /
was some waving green grass. AT the |
same time refreshing breeze swept |
over my face. thought 1 would soon /
have plenty of water, and pushed for
ward as fast as 1 could toward it.
Strange to say. my pony showed |
no energy, and was surprised at this, /