Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1904-12-30
THE PRICE OF GOLD.
Death valley-A Modern Proof Of the
Old Persian Proverb

Death Nalley-R Moderh Proot OF tine
Old Persian Proverb.
The moral of the old Persian proverb,
"the cheapest thing i'm the kingdom is
what men hold most dear" is called to
mind by the story which comes from San
Francisco of the daily sacrifice to human
lives I'm the mad search for gold in the
Death valley Past Funeral Mountains
which stand warder at the gate men are
struggling. lured by the lust of lucre. Men
have strayed into Death Valley many Il
time before, but II was when they were
crazed with thirst and knew that no tor
ment of the unknown could surpass the
agony of the known. From end to end
Death Valley Is strewn with bleaching
sun-dried and vulture- picked skeletons
II Is the most barren and forsaken place
i'm North America. Death turks on every
hand but men are giving up comfortable
homes by the hundred with chances a
million to one against them. and storm
ing Funeral Mountains in hope to straggle
into Death Valley in despair because gold
has been found a little further on. The
torlures awaiting them have been her
aided widely. but cannot daunt the ad-
venturous spirit of the argonauts.
All through Death Valley, as well as
along the fringe Of both the Mojave and
the Colorado desert, the atmosphere is so
devoid of moisture that everything is as
dry as a bone. The new arrival finds
that all superfluous fat and flesh appear
to melt away from him. He has to take
up several holes in his belt and he has to
drink gallons Of water every day where
he ordinarily drank several glasses.
In fact the system Graves so much
water that If 1t cannot be procured the
mans strength fails rapidly, and to be
without 1t, even In the shade. is sure
death after day or two. To run out of
water Oh the trail and to be forced to
/ vol tHnT l.. a.
of the sun means insanity in few min
utes and death in a few hours.
Not even the seasoned resident can re-
! sist this heat FOR long. The only recourse
| of the old resident who loses his water
| supply in any way is to seek shelter un-
! der a mosquito bush and to wait until
| the sun goes down. Then he must hit the
| trail and reach "A well before sunrise. or
unless he has wonderful vitality. his sSel-
| elton VIII be added to the large collection
! that lines all the roads through Death
! Valley.
| The old Persian proverb has been proved
| over and over again, but never more con-
clusively than in this case The hunt
for gold has always been the hunt for
| death. The Western plains over which
| the argonauts Of 1919 struggled toward
| California ana gold. the silent places
| along the ,hilkoot Pass. the great steppes
/ Of siberia, the great wastes OF South AZ
/ rica. wherever gold has been found. men
have offered in bounteous measure that
| which they hold most dear and vet that
| which Is cheapest in kingdom or republic.
| Men by the thousands have left riches
| at home to tempt fate and that will-o'
the wisp gold and have added their
! bones To the ftgA~r2l pyres that mari,
| every such struggle. The Death Valley
| rush Is hut another in the long list since
| men sought To find the pots OF gold at tho
foot OF the rainbow.