Arizona republican., 1899-04-18
WORD FROM MIKE RICE
A Description Of inc Awful Glory of
 Death Valley.

M M. Rice, the ubiquitous news
 paper man, prospector and all around
 good fellow, known in Arizona as
 Mike Rice, and who has been connect
 ed in a clerical capacity with many
 Arizona legislatures, writes to 3
 friend the following interesting letter
 from Manvel. California:
 Yes, this is going to be a great IT.. h.
 ing country, and is very active at pres
 ent 4 vast amount of mining ma
 chinery is coming in every week, and
 much attention sven it by capital
 Sullivan Of Denver has been looking
 up the situation, and has taken hold
 Of property. The Ivanpah copper com
 pany have just completed their plant
 and are turning out vast quantities Of
 bullion. The Mineral Union company
 at Good springs, over the line in Ne
 vada IS now erecting a reduction plant of 100 tons capacity, and A. A. Dough
 erty, formerly of-the Gila Bend canal,
 and builder of the Randsburg railroad, is developing some promising gold property at SearchNght. This camp will certainly prove a second Bodie. Yet on the whole it is no poor mans country as labor IS cheap, and supplies difficult to obtain, transportation is high and all pay heavy tribute to the railroad. I am informed by a prom inent official of the California Eastern road that rates will soon be nominal over their Ine. It is the distributing branch of a vast area Of country reaching to Death valley on the west. the Colorado river on the east and as far ncrth as Pioche, Nev.
 Referring to Death valley recalls to my mind, my recent wanderings in that almost unknown region. I sealed the summit of Fanimint peak last fail, and I shall always retain the i'm pressions the scene conveyed. ln that dreary solitude at an elevaqOn of $500 feet 1 spent almost whole day, and there I experienced that feeling of intense and indescIibable solitude. pc cuIiar to the desert, as to no other spot on earth. There is no ether pos | sible condition capable of conjuring up | an immediate desirelto fly back to the l turmoil of activity in populous com | mercial communities, or to appreciate | the beatitudes of association with | friends and acquaintances, than sol | itary vigil on this sizy-scraping peak | in the center of a sea of sand The 1 distance from my camp to the summit was about 12 miles, over 3 'eC'-tuOuS trail, traVersa ble only on fOCi5, occupy | ing six hours in ascent and descent. The vision commands a radius of fully 200 miles. The atmospheric cOndi- tions were perfect-sOmething uD~ usual in those parts-not dust cloud obscured the view, and what a viewl 1 have gazed into the som'bre gorges of the Grand canyon of the Colorado, scanned the sublimity of the far famed Yosemite. viewed the panorama at the base of Shasta, wit messed the glorious landscape from the Sierra Madra summit, marvelad at the grandeur of the National park and with nature in the Gar den of the Gods but in none of those DanOramas have I experienced that intense impression of the nothingness 1f self, as this scene engrafts on the mind.
 At my feet toward the east lies the Death Valley scooped out of the bowels of the earth by some Titanic hand, devoid of animation or mois- ure, although it's saline surface lies athoms below the level of the sea- ( Here many an unfortunate argonaut \