The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1905-12-13
SAVING LOST TRAVELLERS
slGNPoSTS WILL BE ERECTED IN
CALIFORNIA DESERT.

Iron Posts and Stenciled Sheet Iron
Plates to Direct to Springs and
Water Holes-Narrow Escapes OF
Desert Wanderers and Deaths From
Thirst.
The last California; legislature ap-
nropriated $4,000 for expenditure by
desert border counties for the erection
of signposts in the desert pointing to
water holes and in locating new
springs and protecting old ones from
becoming sand filed or polluted by
the bodies Of dead emimals, says the
San Francisco Chronicle. A lesser
sum was likewise appropriated by the
last Nevada legislature.
To augment these state appropra-
tions several boards of county super
vsors are setting aside auxiliary
funds, and generally the initiative for
concerted action, taken by the Los
Angeles chamber of commerce
through the persistent and untiring
efforts of George w. Parsons, an old
time mining expert is being earnest
ly followed
From several OF the ten border
counties committees are now going
out into the silent wastes to gather
exact data rs 10 trails, springs, etc,
and their preliminary work will be fol
lowed up at once with post paintings,
spring rcnovatings, well diggings and
the like. A more humane undertaking
could scarcely be conceived in the
mining field.
Some of the supervisors favor the
erection of iron guide posts, deeply
anchored in the unstable sands to
insure permanency; also the cutting
of directions into sheet iron boards,
as precaution against the fierce de-
sert heat; which makes short work OF
such previous substances as wood and
paint. Other supervisors suggest the
molding of the lettered directions into
the very iron OF the posts. Why? Be
cause unbelievable as it may sound,
there are human fiends abroad in the
deserts of California and Nevada,
afoot and ahorse who think it fine
sport to unlimber their revolvers and
shoot to pieces, for mere devilish pas
time, the few signboards they encoun-
ter in their wanderings-the while
knowing, as only such as they can
know, that the vandal act may mean
and often has meant, bewilderment,
torture, delirium and death to the next
man who fares along the dim trail.
A few instances of death by desert
thirst and Of escape from death by
chance meetings, taken at random
from record kept by the writer dur
ing the last few months, will H.
mstrate more than could any more
statements of opinion the desperate
need for just such action as now, at
this late day, is being taken by county
officials in southern Nevada and south
ern California. For breyity's sake
the facts will be stated in outline on
E.
On the 9th Of July James Il. McRae,
prospector, reached San Bernardino
with the news of fearful tragedy
barely averted "a the Telescope noun
tains, in the Death valley region. His
horse had died Of heat and ovcreN-
water cask the animal had been car
rying He filled his canteens and
started afoot to the nearest spring, 10
miles away At the end of the first
five miles he found that half of his
meagro supply of water had been lost
through nunsuspcctcd leak in the cam
teen. He drank what was left to save
it, then lay down in the blazing sun
under a mesquite bush to await the
cool OF night.
When the sun had gone down he
started again for the spring. The fol-
lowing day he came in sight of it, and
let out Of his parched throat shrill
cry of JOY. Instantly an answering cry
came out OF the shadeless depths of
| a nearby canyon, greatly startling
McRae. He hurried to the spring and
| filled his leaky canteen, all the time
keeping up shouting that was an
swered at intervals family from the
gulch. Following the direction of the
sounds he came upon six prospectors,
lying about in the scant protection of
the brush, all but one of them too far
gone in the agonies of thirst to call
| out or get upon their feet. The one
who was most alive had done the
shouting for the rest. McRae dosed
them with water in small quantities,
and when they had revived a little
| he led them to the spring, not more
than half mile away. There the lost
men covered their faces and filed
their cracked and blackened mouths
with mud to draw out the intoerable
pain. After three days they were able
to travel on, having filled their cask
and been given their bearings by Nc
| Rae.
A lost child saved Manuel Sepul-
| veda, his wife and three children from
| death on the desert near Moapa on
July 10. They had started by wagon
from Euvada for Searchlight, and had
kept to the beaten track as far as