The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-11-02

Josiah Edward Spur, geologist OF the
United States Geological Survey is max
ing preparations for trip to the Great
American Desert In southern Nevada.
southeastern California, southwestern
Arizona, including the Yuma OF Colorado
Desert the Maiobe Desert. the Amazon
Desert, the RalstOn Desert, the Death
Valley region, aad other places. The ey-
petition viii consist OF altogether four
attaches of the Geological Survey, and is
organized for the purpose of finishing the
geological explorations begun last year by
the same officials.
Speaking Of his experience and re-
searches in that inhospitabIe country. Mr..
Spur said that since the days Of Prof.
Wheelers survey, about thirty years ago.
no white man has ever traversed that
land. Mr.. Spurs party made the trip
Quilted with mule team, saddle horses,
casks for carrying water, canteens, etc.
They started from Eureka. New, from
whence they proceeded eastward, enter
ing Utah, thence northwest on a detour
20 Eureka, westward across the Gobbs
Valley Desert to Carson, s0uthoastw8rd 10
the region Of the Silver Peak and vest
ward across the Ralston Desert, recrCss-
ing the State OF Nevada to Phoebe, south
ward to Meadow Valley, westward again
across the State OF Nevada, along the
edge of the Amargosa Desert into Death
Valley, by way of Furniss Greek, south
ward to Death valley, across the Mojabe
Desert to San BcrnardinO, the end Of the
trip. The party in its five months ex-
plOring tour traversed distance of over
1000 miles.
Speaking Of the water in those regions,
Mr.. Spur said that the entire water sup
ply is received from springs. which can be
found al a distance Cf 80 10 100 miles
apart The appearance Of these Amer
lean desert lands corresponds with those
of Africa. neither of which supports any
vegetation. The routes Of travel are usu-
ally laid from one spring to the next.
Generally there is a trail between these
wAter-supply The blackboard
track can be seen in the sand" said Or.
Spur, after lapse CT ten years. But
there are many places where the tracks
cannot be followed, on account OF their
being covered up by the fierce sandscoTms
which prevail in those lands, At times
the track is lost in the very keart of the
desert AID then the whole party is Obliged
to go scouting until it Is rediscOveTed-
Very few people live in that des0late
part Of the country. And those that do
live there" said Mr., Spur. are generally
very small rangers who make their homes
from which they derive enough water to
raise a little hay aad truckagc. The only
settled part IN that whole country Is the
strip from Carson southeastward along
the margin OF the Sierras which is va
tered by this mountain chain The great
CT population Of Nevada is centred in
this belt We travelled on occasions as
many as ten days without seeing a living
person. There is nothing in that country
OF popular interest in a geological sense.
It's mountains, however are rich in min
eral wealth OF II kinds.
1t would be enc Of the richest mineral
regions of the country, except for the fact
that wood and water are almost absent.
so that the properties cannot be developed
In spite Of this fact there are a few thriv
ing mining camps. although not one-twen-
tieth part CT what there used to be thirty
years ago.
1T Is a peculiar thing" said Mr.. Spur;
this part OF America has steadily gone
back FOR the last thirty years. Hot springs
are very common feature; very often
there is no other kind Of water to be
found The water is from the boiling point
down. The climate is a typical desert eli
mate, extremely dry the days are in
tensely hot When the sun sets the tenn
peTatuTe, which may have reached 100 de-
grees in the shade during the day, drops
to such an extent that frOsts at night are
not uncommon. We required more bed
ding IN that country than We used ii
Alaska: we suffered more from sleeping
in the cold at night than in the gold dig
gings on the Yukon. The only rainfall
practically is IN the shape of occasional
cloudbursts, which come rushing down the
ravtnes OF the mountains in the shape of a
roaring mass Of water. so that it isn't
safe to camp in rayines during the summer
season. HaiIstOTms, snowstorms. biz
yards, in the early part of October. are
very often succeeded by weeks of fine.
warm weather.
Death Valley derives its name from a
party OF 100 emigrants who years ago at
tempted to cross it, but who persisted from
thirst and heat after having proceeded as