New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-03-27


,nios IN Iencth and varies from fifteen to
,n.,r,,. ,,i,os IN width. II has been found by
surveys To be about one-third of mile north OF
the line dividing the United States from Mexico
and engineers have ascertaincd that the terri
tory is about three hundred feet belo" the lever
Of the sea. To the north. towering skyward
their snow-covcrcd tops GlsteninS IN the sun
light. are the lofty Cucopa Mountains. and to
the far west just within range OF the VISOR
can be discerned the Coast Range. To the
south are also seen rugged creStS OF ahother
chain Of mountains. not 50 lofty as the Coco
pas but more broken. To the east Is SUN an
other RAGGED ribbon Of rocks jutting out sharply
AGAINST the horizon. In this rock-hemmed basin
are active and dead volcanoes, spouting gcysers,
boiling springs n lake of some black. sticky sub
stance resembling ink: craters that blow out
onlv dry ashes. others that vonit forth stones
and gravel. and still others that belch liquid
and blazing streams of mud. There are other
holes which emit only lazy puffs of smoke or
steam, while from all issues a punGeht odor oil
birthstone. Strangely in contrast with this area
OF fire and destruction, there are numerous
snrinrs Of clear and sparkling cold water. ex-
quisitcly grateful to the palate parched by the
heat and the sulphurous fumes. What is
stranger IS tnal inc VI ''i'' "'A'N' 90
often found in close proximity to the hot springs
and scparated from them by only a few yards
This is a land that has never been traversod
Human beings have tried it. but they never re-
turned TO tell Of their experiences or Of their
discoveries. as little heaps of bleaching bones
that can be seen scattered about here and there
over the Iava-strcwn surface OF tn" ground
testify Bones of animals also lie about telling
the story Of the fatal wanderings Of the brutes
Il is a dangerous spot in many ways y sudden
uI,hcaVal of molten earth. Il huge rock shot up
as from n catapult. or a shower Of scaldinG
water each or all Of them. may overtake the I'M
wary traveller and forever stop his progress
But those are not the greatest dangers. for IN
yariablv any upheaval or violent CONFUSION of
these forces Of nature Is heraldcd by a suIlen
roar and rumbling noises that shake the Garth
ard give one ample warning TO get away. The
greatest dlnger is from the sufTocatlng clouds
Of deadly. suphurous fumes that perpetually
hans, over this region, and which sometimes in
sidiousy steal down and overwhelrn the tray
cl!cr. or which some sudden gust of wind may
drive down with the same fatal results. For
this reason it is dangerous to venture far into
the interior. or indeed, far from the edge of the
basin. and even then pulfs Of these death-deal-
ing clouds may swoop down upon one. The only
thing to do in such emergency IS to run
and get outside the place as far as possible
and quickly possible. Twice the writer
thus caught. and each time he saved his
life by dropping rrostrate TO the ground. but
still enough Of the poisonous vapors were in
hailed to cause a feeling of sickness and nausea
that did not wear off for several hours.
There is not living object. either animal or
a
inanlmate mineral objects. The volcanoes are
Of conical shape. some of them clearly defined.
and with symmetrical slipping sides. while others
are more rounding and fiat at the top. Each has
the same distinguishing characteristic-a crater.
Some are dead, their fires having been extinct
for ages, and many of these are nearly filled
with ashes or solid masses Of lava which have
cooled. one Of these extinct cratcis near the
edge Of the basin is on Il mound whose apex is
about twenty feet above the surrounding level.
This mound is one Of the largest in the region,
and its base covers two or more acres The
crater is fully seventy feet across. and is flied
with water clear that one can see the sides
of the crater for many feet below the surface;
but further out this little elevated lake seems
bottOmess. as a line with a snker attached
sank a length of three hundred feet and did not
touch the bottom. one never sees Il bird here.
Not even a bug or n mosquito has been known
to venture into this valley Of death. AS for
trees or vegetation of any kind. there is none.
Even the cactus. that friend of the desert can
not find root here. At the springs OF cold water
not even blade Of grass a tuft of moss finds
lie.
REGULAR ACTIVITY OF A VOLCANO
An interesting object in this land is ~ huge
volcano that is on the outskirts Of the valley
proper, and Is. therefore. easy Of study. II is