The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1904-02-01
Appalling Discovery
in Arid Land Of
Nevada.
TrampS and LabOreFS Are
the Victims Of Hunger
and Thirst.
Surveyors Find the Remains of These
Who Made a FOOlhardy Effort to
Cross a Waste Area.
Special Dispatch to The CAN.

Los VEGAS, New, Jan. 31.-Thirty
bodies Of men who persisted on the
Nevada desert from thirst and hun
ger have been found by party Of sur
veyors who are in advance of the San
Pedro. Los Angeles and Salt Lake Rail-
road
The victims Of the desert met death
within the last few weeks according to
all the evidence Obtainable and from
the condition Of the remains when dis
covered. The men persisted in attempt
ing TO cross the waste area that
stretches a distance of eighty miles
from Los Vegas to the California line.
Word that has just been brought in
from the advance party Of surveyors
tells Of many grewsOme findings, in
Guiding the remains of four, five or half
a dozen men lying in close proximity.
The hardy and seasoned men who are
laying out the railroad route are sick
with the horror of their discoveries. In
most instances the bodies have been
partially eaten by coyotes and buzz
yards to such an extent as TO be beyond
recognition. The majority of the vic
tins were trampS and railroad labOrers.
who have attempted to cross from the
railroad camps in Nevada to the more
agreeable climate Of California.
INSANITY BEFORE DEATH.
The thirty bodies just reported were
all found within a radius of a quarter
of a mile around Dead Mans Well"
the only water IN the entire desert, and
that a delusiOn which lures men to in
sanity and death. Several of the bodies
were absolutely nude, showing that the
crazed men had cast off their clothing
before dropping down to die on the
sagebrush plains.
One hundred feat from, tt,fe NJ H.
surveying party came across six bodies
lying few yards apart. They had been
frtghtfully torn and half-eaten by the
desert beasts and birds of prey.
This Dead Mans Well is about half
way across the barren territory that
divides the little settlements of South
ern Nevada from the hills of Califor-
MIA. 1t was sunk many years ago to
provide water for the people who al
tempted to cross the desert on foot in
spite of warnings The water. which
was struck at depth of 125 feet,
proved to be brackish, salt and utterly
unfit for human consumption. To
drink of this water means madness.
Hundreds have probably drank of it
only to go ravtng mad and wander
aimlessly about until the heat
added to other suffering, brought
death as a relief to their terrible suf-
ferihg. The men who have tried this
the desert ldIeW were
laborers. formerly employed on the
Clark road. who desired to get to Cali
fornia, and tramps who mistakenly
took this route.
PERIL IN THE WATER.
A short time ago a laborer started
across with a bottle of water; one
week later his body was found within
200 yards of the MOapa River. He had
evidently became insane from thirst
and persisted within a stones throw
of the fresh water river, which he was
unable to see on account of the dark
ness. Two days prior to this incident
two tramps were picked up near
Dead Mans Well" by a stage driver.
Both men were violently insane and
were wandering around in a nude con-
dition- They attempted to resist res
cue. but We're too weak. They died
before the stage reached Moapa.
A few days ago a railroad laborer
was found by a party of prospectors
in the middle of the desert. He, too.
had stripped off all his clothing and
became crazed. He imagined he could
hear water trinkling and CROPPED blind
ly about searching for 1T. He was
taken to Los Vegas, where he is
slowly recovering his senses. Many
instances of this sort have been re-
ported, but no one believed that such
a large number had persisted recently
as is now proved by the CHASTITY finds
of the surveyors party.