The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1905-05-13
YuHA DESERT cURIoslTlEs
Singular Formations in Stones and
Shells Found in the Sandy
Waste.

Waste
There is a section OF the Colorado
desert where nature has left some re-
markabIe records. She has visited the
region, alternately, with fire and water,
and has left it with neither. 1t is tbs
most desolate, wild, barren, fornidding
part of the desert. says the Les Angeles
Times, and it IS Stunned alike by man
and beast. That there is good and
sufficient reason for avoiding this To-
cality is attested by numbers Of graves
-nameless, for the most part--found
in the terrible region.
These graves are simple affairs, mere
" mounds Of earth with a border of
stones about each and a pile OF rocks
two or three feet high at the head. Each
tells the story Of tragedy OF heat,
thirst and death. Those items are about
all that is2eyer known Of the stories
of those who perish. Their mumnll-
fed bodies or bleaehed bones are found
long after the struggle is over and the
finder, respecting the memory OF the
lays the CHASTITY relic within, and piles
up the only monument available in that
wild region.
AS recently as December Is. 1904, the
bones of a thirst victim were laid in
one Of these lonely, fowerless graves
on the plains of luha
The plain now lies nearly 100 feet be-
low the level of the sea. and the rocks of
the plain and the bases of the noun
tains are washed and eroded in a won
Gefful manner. Mingling with the
burnt stones and volcanic debris are
rocks worn by the waves and shaped
into hundreds of fantastic forms. There
are many acres of these stone curios-
tiles, and certain sections of the field
seem devoted to certain shapes and
figures.
For instance. enc passes through a re-
gion which he at once names the cab
bage patch, for it presents the APP
pearance of field Of those vegetables,
which have been turned to stone The
waves have worn the rocks into round
powders about the size Of the vegetable
which they SO much resemble, and have
cut into the globes, Eliminating them
in perfect imitation Of the leafy layers
Of the garden vegetable.
Another locality is devoted almost ex-
clusiVely to dinner plates. Thousands
Of round thin disks are scattered over
the plain or are piled scores deep in
singular piles, each piece shaped ex-
aetly like the eroekery which adorns
our tables, and quite as thin and sym
metrical.
Another section of this truly won
derful region is given almost wholly
to dumb bells. These vary in size from
pieces weighing one or two pounds, up
to those seemingly calculated for ex-
ercisfng the muscles of q giant. and
weighing 50 or 40 pounds each. In al
most every instance these natural dumb
bells are well balanced. the balls at
either end of the connecting piece be-
ing Of the same size and. weight.
There is in this plain an arsenal.
also. While guns and swords and
bayonets and powder were not there to
be found, there are thousands OF can
non balls varying in size from two
to three-inch balls to those fit for the
big 13-ineh guns of modern warfare.
And all are Of stone, all formed in ma
lures workshop.
There are othsr objects fnnumerabIe. |
There are store roses, stone lilies. stone
tulips, stone leaves, stone birds, stone
animals, stone quoits, stone ornaments
in varied and unique designs; stone
canes-in fact almost everything con-
in nature or art initiated in |
stone on the plain of Yuha.
In one portion of Yuha rise two hills.
or small mountains. One might mis-
take them in the distance for ancient |
sraters, but when he approaches theemi- |
lences he discovers them to be monu- /
nents to an ancient life--the records OF I
species now extinct. They are shell |
great beds of prehistoric bi: |
valves which we're left stranded when
hat ancient sea swept back from the re-
zion and left a dry and desolate land.
One OF these mountains, the large one.
S composed wholly of large rough
shells, much larger, but less elongated
han the shells of the modern oyster,
which in some respects they SO much re-
'emble as to lead to the suspicion that
hey are the remains of the ancestors of
'ur much-prized bivalve.
The lesser hill is composed of tiny
'hells of a prehistoric type of brachio-
)oda. Like the larger shells they are
ound. except on the surface, in an I'M
disturbed state, both valves of nearly
very shell being found in position. Al.
hough the mollusk dwel1ers of these
he1ls vanished several centuries ago. SO
'erfeet are the shells one almost ex-
'ects, when heSopens the valves of the
hell, to find the living creature within.
New Metal in Watches.
The new alloy called invar, consist
ng of steel mixed with about So per