St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1905-05-20
YUMA DESERT cURIoslTIEs.
Singular Formations in Stones ana
Shells Found in the Sandy
Waste.

Shells Found in the Sandy
Waste.
There is a section OF the ColoTadt
desert where nature has left some re
nlarkable records. She has visited TN
region, alternately, with fire and water
and has left it with neither. It is tnt
most desolate, wild, barren, forDlddlns
Part of the desert, says the Los Angeles
Times, and it is Stunned alike by mar
and beast. That there is good ano
sufficient reason for avoiding this 10
cality is attested by numbers Oh graves
for the most part-founo
in the terrible region.
These graves are simple affairs, mere
~ mounds of earth with border OF
stones about each and pile OF rocks
two or three feet high at the head. Each
tells the story of a tragedy OF heat
thirst and death. Those items are about
all that is ever known of the stories
of those who perish. Their mumml-
fed bodies or bleacned bones are found
long aftes the struggle is over and the
finder, respecting the memory OF the
unknown, scoops hole in the earth.
lays the CHASTITY relic within, and piles
up the only monument available in that
wild region.
AS recently as December IL, 1904, the
bones of a thirst victim were laid in
one of these lonely, fowerless graves
on the plains of Yuha.
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
derful 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 one passes through re-
gion which he at once names the cab
bage patch, for it presents the ap-
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-
actly like the crockery 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-
eIcising the muscles of a giant, and
weighing 80 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-inch guns Of modern warfare.
And all are of stone, all formed in ma
lures workshop.
There are other objects innumerable. I
There are stone 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
craters, but when he approaches the emf
nences he discovers them to be monu-
ments to an ancient life-the records of
species now extinct They are shell
great beds OF prehistoric BIZ
valves which were left stranded when
that ancient sea swept back from the re-
sion and left dry and desolate land.
One of these mountains, the large one.
is 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-
semble as to lead to the suspicion that
hey are the remains of the ancestors OF
,ur much priced bivalve.
The lesser hill is composed OF tiny
shells of 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 dwellers of these
hells vanished several centuries ago, so
'erfect are the shells one almost ex- :.
'ects, when he opens 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 Sc per
ent. of nickel, which is practically
variable in volume with ordinary