The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-06-01

made to bring this immense deposit OF
salt into commercial use. Two rail
roads were built to connect the rock
/ quarries with the Santa Fe. 1t was
round necessary to build a house in
the middle Of the deposit, and for this
purpose enough blocks OF rock salt We're
cut TO build a shanty 14x30 feet in d.
mension. flooring and roof COM
posed OF the peculiar kind of earth that
exists in that vicinity. completed the
| building. This salt house. or, as the
Mexicans called il, La Casa del SAL
was used for the purpose for which 1t
was erected. But in a short time the
salt mining operations were discontin-
ued, and the salt house was abandoned
10 the coyote and desert owl
For at least seven years before we
visited this building, about a month
( ago, IT had not been inhabited, and
probably very seldom seen by anv one.
I During the summer months in this To-
callty nne saline dust is blown in great
clouds through the desert. The heat
IS almost unbearable. What water Is
found is undrinkable, and woe to the
, prospector who finds himself in this
section with an empty canteen. A pc
culiar feature of the climate is that.
no matter how hot the day, the night
IS invariably cool, even cold enough for
forming ice.
During the summer of 1900 a. Swede
named Johnson, who had been pros
pectlng in the vicinity, started to cross
TINS dry lake of salt to Old Woman's
springs. When nearly half way across
terrific sandstone blew up. He
trudged' on until he came to the salt
mouse, where he and his burro sought
shelter.
Under the caves of the house he
found a number of galvanized tanks
partly filled with rain water. He con-
sldered this lucky find, for his can
teen was almost empty He drank his
MI OF the water he found and permit
ted his burrO to do the same.
The night was cold and the storm
continued. He determined to camp in
the hut over night. The dead embers
Of the fire were still to be seen when we
visited the place, evidencing the IN
usual severity Of the weather.
When we opened the door to this
desolate shack we were Mortified at
seeing what seemed to be a marble
statue lying on the floor. The head
Wa pf alabaster whiteness, the hair
AZ 'hiskers having fallen away. The
ket.
The sight was so uncanny that we
hesitated to remove the blanket, but
hnally mustered enough courAR to do
so. The body had undergone a singular
transformation, being nothing less than
complete, petrification. The substance
was of nature of gypsum, very fra
Die and pure white in color The out
line Of the body was perfect.
The darkness of the interior at first
prevented us from seeing the burro.
WHICH was standing in one corner. One
Of our party advanced and laid his
hand on the animal. when IL fell over
against him. Tho burrO had undergone
the same transformation as its mas
ter. The body Of the man was given
a decent burial near the house, and
the burro will be sent to the Smith
sOnian institution.
r. The explanation of this strange
phenomenon is to be found in the kind
Of water that was drunk by the man
and the burrO, and in the kind of earth
that composed the roof and floor of
the salt habItation. The water is
heavily charged with chloride Of So
dunn. The earth that had been used
for the roofing contained chemicals
which were taken in solution by the
rain water as it dripped through into
the galvanized tanks.
After drinking freely Of this water
the man and his beast had evidently
frozen to death and were gradually
petrifed."