The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-12-21
DESERT LANDS
CALIFORNIA IS MAKING THEM
VERY PRODUCTIVE.
Their Mineral Resources-Practically
Pure Niter-Immense Wealth to
Be Ultimately Drawn from
Great Wastes.

San Francisco Chronicle.
1t Is unsafe to condemn any part Of the desert
lands of California worthless because the
surface is barren Of vegetation. The barren
lands OF Kern County have been found to
cover inexhaustibls reservoirs Of crude petro-
ieum and grounds which few years ago no
one would buy from the Government at IS
cents per acre is worth at the present time
much more than the richest agricultural land
in. the San Joaquin valley. The discovery Of
gold on the confines of the MoJave desert at
desert at Hedges and other points opened new
mining fields OF great Importance, which have
since added materially TO the mineral produce
inter are among the mineral products which
these deserts and their inhospitable and I'm
inviting environments are also yielding for
The saline deposits OF the California deserts
promise. however, to be ne most valuable of
their varied mineral resources Death valley
figures in the early annals OF California in tho
role OF Dantes Inferno" and, like the lat
who VIII; en- enters here leaves hope behind" In later
years this graveyard Of emigrants and luck
less mining prospectors who attempted 70
cross its parched floor and died OF thirst and
the absorption OF the moisture In their bodies
by the intense heat and drxness OF it's atmos-
Of mineral wealth. Covering the bottom Of
the valley are great beds Of borax and the
bleak range surrounding tcontain inter de-
posits which are destined to outrank the ia
nous beds Of Chile and BOLIVIA in productive
ness and wealth. Added to these are enormous
veins of rock salt and beds Of chlordes capable
If supplying the wants OF the world for all
time The climate OF the valley and its en-
vironments has undergone change, but it's
"rrors have almost wholly disappeared through
re discover What nature has made It great
neral stoFehouae.
lr Gilbert e. baileys account of the saline
posits of California, which Is given IN
Ilitornia State mining bureau bulletin,
new light on the mineral resources OF
The deserts. The known area of the inter beds
in these wastes aggregates IS. 900 acres. The
minimum thickness of the surface deposits Is
put at six inches. Rejecting g. 900 acres I'M
workable. the remainder of this saline veneer
ing Of the mineralized distSict Is estimated to
contain q, 900. 900 tons Of commercial product.
But there strata in the formation ranging
In thickness from three to ten feet, IN which
the inter is in places practically pure. These
strata contain, taken a whole. from 10 to
upward Of 40 per cent Of the precious mineral.
Figures fail 10 express the aggregate contents
OF these veins. DR. Bailey shows the wonder
tul similarity between these inter deposits and
the Chilean fields, which now practically
supplying the world and from which the little
.cpubic IL drawing enormous revenues. For
ne past years they have been yielding
IN average of over 1. 600 900 tons a year, valued
at tS5. 900. 900. In round numbers ut the
liter in the California deserts is
tensive and the volume of the mineral in
hnitely greater than in Chile. may form
some idea Of the immense wealth which will be
inally drawn from these wastes whep their
mineral deposits intelligently opened.