Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1901-02-13
al GREAT LAKE OF SALT.
THE sNcW.LIKE DEPOSIT IN THE
BURNING COLORADO DESERT. j.

The Method OF Obtaining the Salt is to
PIow it Up by steam-A Mystery Howthe
Indians Can Work in Such Climate.
The greatest wonder of the Colorado
desert is. its crystal lake, as white as
driven snow; lake IF chloride Of sodi-
sum extending for miles, which, with
plow and shovel. work the Goahuilla
Indians ten hours a day in q tempera=
ture of $50 degrees, writes the Indio
-{Cal.) correspondent Of the New York
Sun. SO level is the region, so singu-
lar in all its details, athat the irresisti-
BILE conclusion is that ages ago the en-
tire country was part Of the Gulf of
California; indeed, the old shore line
can be traced, and, along the rock the
traps Of the early fishermen seen.
In the centre of q wide valley $50
feet below the level of the Gulf of
California, glistens a; sheet of molten
silver; no bank of virgin snow Is more
beautiful. During the day IT is dazzling
white, a lake Of crystal indeed, and
rs the sun goes down crimson hue
pervades it, and transformation scene
Of marvellous beauty Is set on this des-
ert stage. The traveller who reaches
the region at night might we'll imagine
that miracle had occurred and that
! snow storm had fallen, as the area Of
white extends to the horizon, and by
the largest building, the mill in Salton
great heaps of seeming snow are piled,
cleaning and scintillating in ,the sun.
But the snow Is salt. 1t is not the salt
left by the ancient sea, but the deposit
: of peculiar springs that are ever run
ming down from the distant mountain.
The salt is spread over a great area,
and Is so pure that all that is necessary
to do Is. to collect and dry 1t. Usually
steam heating appliances ere neces-
sary to dry the product of salt mines,
but the intense heat Of Salton Is all
that Is needed.
TIE method Of obtaining the salt is
to plough 1t up by steam, the ploughs
cutting burrows eight feet wide and six
inches deep; the harvest for each
plough each day being 700 tons. which
Is suggestive of the immensity Of the
deposit. The salt is put on cars which
are rum out into the salt lake.@ its is
then hauled to the mill and dried, when
1t is ready for transportation. Thou
sands of tons Of salt are heaped up
in small mountains here, presenting a
remarkable appearance.
How men can work in such a eli
mate seems one of the mysteries, but
the only real difficulty one has at Sal
ton is from the glare of the salt, which
makes green glasses a necessity; "A
temperature of $50 degrees in New
York for five minutes would I'LL the
hospitals and create panic, but at
Salton q case Of sunstroke is un-
known. This is due to the fact that
the humidity is very low here; moisture
is almost eliminated from the atmos-
phere.
This feature has given this part of
the desert fame as health resort, and
at Indio. which is an oasis in the des-
ert, health resort is rapidly growing
ND. and winter and, spring find many
consumptives here The Colorado Des-
ert from Indio to the sea is an inter
esting region. Astounding in mining
claims, from copper to coal. Here one
may 90 down, as at Indio, 300 feet be-
low the sea, literal hole which would
be filed and become a deep lake II
the. sea should break through from the
Gulf. This was the cause Of the Sal
ton Sea some years ago; the Rio Colo
RADIO broke its banks and flowed out
upon the desert, forming a vast lake,
and demoralizing the Indians, who fed
to the mountains and watched the fl
ling Of the great depression with fear
and trembling. Midway between here
and the Gulf are many mud volcanoes
Of exceeding interest, suggesting the
uncertain character Of the crust in the
vicinity. 9,i5 -.s ae&
THE Arabs of this desert are the
Coahuilla Valley Indians, and their
!, thoroughfare is trail leading from the
CoahuilIa Valley to Indian Wells. and
SO on to Yuma. After leaving Torres
Mountain thereeis WATER but once be-
tween there and Indian Wells, and