The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-06-18

Over . PseetDaee asa gnao DeafA
valley.

r r. KING. Hhe owns q mine csose -
81 Death valley, Ia tAe great Pana-
mint range came very rear losing
~ LIE while On . prospecting tour lately.
King n . typical California miner. raxxed
and sturdy. and does not seem much the
.Uorna for bis experience Bat he admits
that his nerves are pretty well saaasu. and
- a6frms mast soaemnfy tina; he wOuld
not 80 through the ssue thing again for
~ the seaita of Guzerat or Gelc0nda.
sOns blazing hot day. says King. Il
left my camp in Pleasant canyon. where
the bis ied<es are 10 be fsznd-
After Climbing The back Of Tia. immense
ridge which leads by series Of broken
dfkes and rugged zsceptx almost to the
foot II Telescope peak, that giant sentinel
of the range, which towers for nearly II. ei6
tket into the burning sky Of the desert,
my eye lii upoE some Wei1-defned oas-
Groupings OF quartz. This seemed q uksIy
npof ut which TO eomruenee my prospect
ing, and. hobbiing my barrp and taking
Uy prospecting pick. ! began slowly TO
Traverse the urse Of the VEN ~ II was
defined by the groupings. As descended
taware the Death valley slope Of the ridge
ths vein showed stu more strongly. and.
intensely interested. failed to notice
that the ground over which was slowly
picking my way grew more and more pre-
eipstous.
suddenly. ~ I rounded rocky escxrp-
mens the awful panorSma of Death valley
unfoited itself TO my view. I had never
contemplated tbs scene without a certain
feeling Of awe. and I now stood mlosson-
less before the vast spectacle.
Seven thousand feet below me lay the
valley. hideous. rspuisive. appalling In It's
VISA OF deaeiatfon. its course dcdned By ap-
parsn1iy ensiiess upaeavals of volcanic
origin. while borne on the wings of an APP
preaching storm, an enormous cloud was
sweeping toward me AZ least hall = mile
flashed inceazans iigbfnings. and the re-
ysrbsrasions Of tho accompanying shsan-
Or. sebosng from rock 70 rock. completed
oh3S picture OF q verisabie inferno.
i can't tell you just how {. happened
hut something moved under my feet az
stood watching the STERN. and before !
could help myself I was slipping down,
down. with . ranidity that took away my
hreAth. toward the shear edge of the prect-
pics.
"As slid. howsver, retained sufficient
pfessnce Of mind 10 clutch al everything
which might impede my progress. but
there was net much on THAT barren slope
The next few seconds were terrible. : l
knew that U nothing stopped me was lost.
II Vas while / was sliding these last II w
1eel that the phenomenon 50 often e1pe-
T5snced By men who have been suddenly
PUT IN extraordinarily pcrisous positions oc-
CURED In my own case In q single Instant
u eeemsd a. u the whole panorama OF a
busy life. extending over q years. was
flashed before ne. l PASSED In ore mo-
unent from ray ehiidhccds home I'm Con-
necttrut 20 the awful realfxa hon Of pres
en1 peril Then there Was sudden shock.
] was brought up nv something that struck
~ under the iess arm and l opened my
eyss slowly to find myself Ia a peculiar
pSsisicn.
Il was lying On rny back at an angie
Of about s. degrees. my feet resting
ogAfnst ono Of shose yeiiew. coGs~shaped
cAcu which take such deep root In the
0of Ny left arm vas clutehinx pro-
3octfnG rock. which titted to a length OF
about - inches from the face OF the prec-
tptcA Neither Ut these would Of Itself
have arrested my fan Unchecked By my
oraamodie but wholly unconscious seix-
urs o. ihs rock swept past IL. on the
ene hard l mus, have plunged through
eha cactus against which my feet now
rested On the other hand. II my feet had
not struck the cactus my bold would
hsve been torn from the rock. which I'm It's
turn parity supported the
! wis saved~tsis was my sirxt retsec-
ton Saved les. for a lingering and
csus1 Gate
Il was miles from human haAltasian.
Accustomed Ia be gen. from eauap a
week or more a; tlns. my partner
would NOT he al all alarmed by ins abb
scncn Besides. how long could l retain
my present position Asreaay any ,.s,
arm was stinened and cranng@i by hold
ting on 10 the rsek. for I was afraid 10
trust all my weigh, on the eactun
Just then shadow asset. between
re anu the sum locked NJ. An ener-
NOUS vpffure was floating a few seer.
yeet asosr me. I felt my nsrycs gradually
breaking ssuwn as the utter hapwt.s~.e.S
~ escape farnest its~is upon me
All this time | had not noticed tina,
estH graspea IN NV right hand the a-,att
psespeetoTs nfek With which Fad start
81 oat. sslii heid Ii sn a canvx.IxIv.
clutch. I; was this which finally saws,
me.
~ say. ! aad utterly lost rwv na~ys
dared mat sianee Downward Tier. xxas
ersaastl attraction about tar awrn,
abyss which { tns:surf1xsfy ri, .,a,,as
cra< nse Ca destruction A voice xe.ss,.s
" WHISPER. Way pfoleng this torture
Let 80 your a"it IL wiz seon s,ss over
reviewed every action ~ nay nas.
NE severed fPuTn al hofss. NJ sssy.s,fv -,
tsrnsd aas thoughts 70 heaven Aav.
no assstfct recollection ssr hoe ianr ,hs.
S"nttNo"ss, bot he sun went ,fssur, ara ~,
stars came ntIt ard I eeli fnte a l.rs -.
frsnse seen tire rnoon penetrated ,,tc
tSe valley ara cast tbs shsA.,w ~ "a,
great peaks IN fantastic Ssreakx r,,a..s a.
length. So thss 81 -s1S sseakenet, x.,.e
saneied giants wer@ asfyanrsrs ay~r shs
noef ~ ss1e vast. ssniI~si parker
Hours passed A !~fxatft8 thsyx. 80
sssasiSa a7e. EXPRESSED as had l.s.-, sfs 80
10 tSe turning ysys ~ TIE san ana rn,,
fsit sns tesnsue swollen - sssrs1 an xxs.,,
shsf Y seemed Is 81 rnv naas.fa ; s.,,,,s
n"t Summon "a particle ~ rnaszsare Is nav
cracked nes.
THE n;sat Passed thus Nhen &.x
essaess ! ssii3 hsl8 ~ PICK xrA -,,v r.vx~s
ssi saHse = seat Tcteve~vsf snetr ,ssr-nat ss,,.
dls8sr t. 9as th~n TIA; s.~ks--,x,sssr.s
fnr the Hs$s iiysa~ ffs possibility - sxs.rf-v
steps sp iae sisaoSt pswesssltgus face - "a.
rssgsisSsr
How 6it - aas,sst - I es~..ek "a.
PIX ~ n torkssTi sazy. .. nv right s~r-
hsto tAs earsh. ssissvtssx =gv1asf az ga
weigh ant ~ see same t'nsz frx~tn- --.v
rssA; hsssi: tss@a s5assN lss~as.s vvgv -
any face ansi sssTgsas;4ssz ynyeegs wt,s N.
cactus. taGxAt ho'a - Ae rssck Mia rzx
-1ssf Ssaa SGT tAs vvrssss POSITION
49, q