Bisbee daily review., 1905-09-06
HAD NO WATER
 FOR SEVEN DAYS
 0N THE DESERT
Saved Himself by Display Of
 Remarkable Endurance

Yuma. Sept. 5.-The Sun says: most remarkable story of escape rom death on the desert and well-nigh su- nerhuman resistance of the craving for water. is told by Prof. w. T. Me Gee. ex-chief of the ethnological dc partment of Smithsonian Institute. Prof. McGee has for several months past been camped at Tinajas Atlas, a water hole on the trail leading from Yuma to Sonoita, in Sonora. The point is about fifty miles southeast of Yuma and directly in the midst Of a terrible desert.
 At dawn on Wednesday morning. the 2Srd inst. Prof. McGee was arous- ed by a sound as of wild animal growl but upon recurrence it sounded something like a human voice. Re pairing to the spot whence the sound came the professor found man pros trate and exhausted, naked to the last vestige of clothing, his flesh torn and en unmistakable look in his eyes which told that he was famished, feebly and hoarsely asking for water The man was Pablo Valencia, a Mexican pros pector. and before he was revlyed sui ficiently to tell his story Prof. McGee knew half Of it. Three or four days previous an old vaquero arrived at Trinajas Atlas and reported that his partner, Valencia, had on the 18th gone into the mountains with sin gle canteen of water and was evident ly lost. as he had searched for him two days without success. The Vaquero then came on to Yuma to notify James Tucker. who grubstaked them, while Prof McGee sent an Indian out on his best horse to make further search for the lost man. The Indian return ed in a couple of days and Valencia was given up for dead-anOtheT vic tim of the desert. This much Prof McGee knew when he found Valencia exhausted near his camp, and it was with considerable difficulty that the re- mainder Of his story of escape from a terrible desert death was learned, for Valencia was crazed with thirst and for hours his utterances were in coherent. When first offered water he repudiated it, imagining he was be- ing given something else
 When Valenca finally recovered sui ficiently tc tell his story it was iearn- Eu LDA- He SCpdl GlCu run HIS No-AA- panion eight days before, about forty miles southeast of Tinajas Atlas, and that for seven days and nights, in the midst of a red-hot desert August, he had not had drop of water nor a bite to eat, with the exception of two or three Unripe cactus fruits and a scorpion which, iI his crazed condi- tion he caught and pulling the stinger from it. devoured. After three days of wandering in the mountains Nalen- cia struck the Yuma trail, and recoS- nized it. He was then exhausted and. according to his story, had given up hope. lie was within few miles of Tuie Wells, which he and his part ner had passed a few days before. Hel had noticed that the wells were caved in and contained naught but mud, and that too far from the surface to reach without a rope. The famisAed and discouraged man made up his mind 10 crawl to Tule Wells, throw himself in the mud and die He struggled on in a half demented condition all night, and in the morning discovered that he had passed Tule Wells. This he took for a good omen, and taking heart crept onward Of his experiences of the last three days he could not re- member much, except that he crawled by night and laid in such shade as the desert affords by day. His clothes all gone, his flesh torn and iacerated, but no inflammation appeared until a couple of days after his rescue.
 James Tucker arrived at Tinajas Al tas on the 26th. summoned by the old vaquero. On the 2Sth the party re- turned to Yuma, bringing Valencia, who is rapidly recovering from the ef- fects of his terrible ordeal.