Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-10-01
THE SALTON DESERT
FLOODED AGAIN.

gers who came in on the belated Califor-
MIA train yesterday say the cause of the
delay was floods in the Salton Basin. One
of the reports was that the waters of the
Gulf of California had broken over the
sandbar which separates the gulf from
the basin.
If this report should prove true south
ern California will have the largest lake
or inland sea on the continent. In some
places it will be more than 800 feet deep
and the commerce of Arizona would
come up the gulf to a. point opposite the
Yuma. Many miles of the Southern Pa
cific road would be submerged.-Press
Dispatch.
The Salton, or Colorado desert, the lat
ter name coming from the Colorado river
and not from the State, is one of the most
remarka Bile spots on the surface of the
globe. 1t is also one of the hottest. They
have record at Salton Of 1877 degrees in
the shade, and even in December and jan
uary a temperature of so degrees is not
considered worthy of comment by the few
people who drag out red hot existence
about the railroad stations or the salt
works. The desert lies on the line of the
Southern Pacific railroad. and stretches
over one hundSed and thirty miles in
length by thirty in average width. The
lowest point of the basin is three hundred
and sixty feet below the level of the sea,
but the lowest point touched by the rail-
road is two hundred and sixty-three feet
below the ocean. There are but two lower
spots on the surface of the earth, one on
the shores of the Caspian sea and the
other about the Dead Sea, in Palestine.
The Salton desert was originally covered
by the sea, being northern continuation
of the Gulf of California. Through vol
canic or other physical action great ridges
of sand were thrown up across the plain
between the mountains near the southern
line of California and the valley of the
Colorado river, cutting off the water of
the Gulf of California from that farther
! north, and the salt lake thus formed grad
ually evaporated or was absorbed by the
earth, leaving the present depression and
desert. The depression is entirely sur
rounded by mountains, save at the south,
and along these mountains always al the
same plane, can be seen the shore OF the
ancient sea at the level of the ocean, the
action of the waves and tides upon the
rocks being distinctly visible. The sands
of the surface of the valley are also dot
ted thickly with sea shells, while about
Salton. covering an area ofaten square
miles the surface Of the desert is covered
with a deposit of pure salt from four
inches to a foot in depth. Many more
miles of surface are also white with salt,
but it is not in commercial quantities. AT
Salton there are extensive works for the.
gathering and shipment of this salt.
/ passed through this desert about the
middle of the past month of Septem-
Der, when the temperature was about 12S
in the sun and LOG in the shade. From the
car one could see quite across the valley
from east to west, the mountains on either
hand being apparently ten to fifteen miles
distant. The intervening space was
barren waste of sand, vibrating with heat,
and miles away across the level stretch
the ever present mirage gave an impress
sion of placid lake of water which 1t
was difficult to disbelieve. At certain
times in the early morning, when the
| mists are rising from the sand and the
sun is at the proper angle, l am told
that this mirage Is much more vivid, and
that one will be qualified he can see the
shore when there Is not drop upon op wa te9
within fifty miles. 1 personally could see
in the misty illusion, and could well real
| ize the truth of what others told me.
For at least fifty miles across this depres-
sion in the earth not blade of grass or
other green thing was to be seen. 1t was
simply hot sand, white as snow and glis-
tening under the intense rays of the sun
until the eyes were almost blinded. For
forty miles the track runs beside a ridge
nf yxyhi oh
which stretches across the country at it's
point of greatest depression, and it evil
IDENTIFY marks the shores of the former
lake for ages before it's evaporation. This
ridge of sand, probably forty miles long.
varies from twenty to sixty feet high
and is at least a thousand feet wide. as
nearly could be judged from the cars
1t is constantly being blown by the
wind into the most fanciful forms. pre-
senting all the aspects of a choppy sea
simultaneously transformed into a solid
waste of sand. 1 entered this desert at
the little railroad station of Indio, which
is fifty feet below the sea level. For near
ly fifty miles before it is reached the
railroad ruhs over barren waste, without
water and with but the scantiest vege-
tation. But at the railroad station 1
found date palms, giant cacti, and all
manner of tropical and sem-tropical
trees, plants and flowers. The spot is a
great resort for consumptives, rheumatics
and asthmatics and there are many small
cottages and hotels clustered about the
railroad station. ,Artesian wells have
been bored here, and never-faiing sup
ply Of fresh and pure water can be OBJ
tanned. One of these wells is flowing
thousand gallons an hour Melons, to-
| matoes, berries and all sorts of fruits
ripen in this spot, much earlier than at
other points in the State, owing to the in
tense heat. The agave. or century plant 4
which is indigenous in this desert, is
much used for food The roots. roasted
taste like stewed turnips, while the
stem, roasted. resembles sweet pota-
toes. From this plant is also
| made the Mexican drink. pulque
which is the native equivalent for
beer. Four miles from Indio on some
rising ground, is a magnificent grove of
about five hundred date palms. and about
these trees live several hundred Cohuilla
Indians. But a few miles away are fam
Gus mud volcanoes. From Indio can be
seen Mounts San Jacinto San Bernardino
and Grayback, upon which there is snow
all the year round. The entire section,