Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-08-03
n ARIZONA DESERT
Oasis Which Only Daring
Prospectors Visit.
DAN GERS DEPICTED
DESCRIPTIVE LETTERS WRITTEN
BY PROF w. J. MCGEE.
Series of Beautifully Picturesque Nat
ural Tanks, Worn by Water
in Solid Rocks.
DAN GERS DEPICTED

in Solid Rocks.
Prof. w. j. MCGEE, late of the bureau or
ethnology, is at Tinaias Atlas Ariz., where
from May to October he will rest. accom-
panied only by his Indian cook Jose From
Tinajas Atlas, desert oasis which Ameri-
can scientists and daring prospectors only,
and not many of them. have seen, Prof Nc
Gee, who is said to love the desert as many
, love the mountains the sea, has sent
some interesting letters which depict the
, dangers and the fascination of the desert
with graphic touch. In the perfect quiet
of this practically inaccessible region Prof.
MCGEE is recuperating his strength after an
. exhausting period of work.
Tinajas Atlas is little more than seventy
miles from the headwaters of the Gulf of
California south and the Colorado river
west 1t lies on the east slope of the ella
mountains, from which westwardly stretches
the great Yuma desert. The wells are quite
thirty miles south of the nearest station on
the Southern Pacific. and lie practically on
the Mexican boundary. The name Yuma
desert is applied to the entire country in
Guided between the ella river and the ella
range, the Gulf of California and the Colo
RADIO river, a region without water and COW
and scrubby growth of rosewood.
In the side of a natural semicircuar am
phitheater on the east side of the Sierra
de las Tinajas Atlas, about three and one
half miles north of the boundary line, are
the Tfnajas Atlas, a series of beautifully
picturesque natural tanks, worn in the
solid rock by the waters of a narrow, rocky
valley, several hundred feet above. which
during the infrequent rains come tumbling
down the narrow gorge on the west side
of the amphitheater and fill the tanks
These tanks hold about 1900 10000
gallons in all when filed. They consist of
seven large wells and number of small
one'; but. with the exception OF the lowest
tank, which can be approached by ami
mails they are very difficult of access. The
next three are reached by climbing the
steep. water-worn rock on the left Of the
gorge, but the upper ones can only be
reached by ascending to height OF sew
eral hundred feet the steep ravine on the
right of the gorge.
Siphon Brought Into Requisition.
TO render this water available for use
during the boundary survey it was
siphoned from the upper tanks to the
lower one by a suitable length of hose
The water. although sometimes covered
with a green scum, Is deliciously cool and
palatable. Unless consumed by prospect
ors or smugglers, which is seldom the
case, water can be found at all times in
some of these tanks, as there is no loss
from Seepage, and as the steep, rocky sur
rounding and overhanging walls greatly re-
tara evaporation; to what extent is shown
Dy the TACT that on Il reconnaissance from
Yuma to Qutobaquita in the winter of
1893 these tanks We're found nearly half
ful, although the rainfall at Yuma for the
preceding twelve months had aggregated
less than three-fourths of an inch a re-
markable deficiency even for this dry sec
ton
Ihat this water supply was a very uncer-
-hn,, h.
Yuma was much travelled (as was the case
during the RUSH to California in the ffties
ana TO the Colorado river diggings in the
siHues) becomes painfully apparent from
the NUMBER OF graves-about fifty in all.
on the bluff just east of the tanks These
graves, covered by stones on the ground in
the form of cross, mark the resting place
of thirsty travellers who had pushed on to
the tanks hoping to find water there: but
disappointed in this and too weak to tour-
ney on, had persisted miserably of thirst
their suferings aggravated in MANY cases
by the knowledge that the water which
they craved could be obtained in one of the
tanks but a few yards above them had
they put the strength to climb to it.
Although these tanks are now but little
known, few Americans having ever visited
them. yet 1t is very interesting to note that
they are shown on the map made by Father
hlno, the Jesuit missionary of the region
around the ella and Gulf of California as
the result of his travels from 1858 to 7OI
The road from Tinajas Atlas to Yuma is for
the most part very heavy; the Mexicans
can IL FL canine del diablo." 1t is hard
TO imagine more desolate or depressing
ride Mile after mile the journey stretches
through this land of silence solitude and
sunshine with i...4e to distract the eve from
the aWrul surrounding dreariness and desc
iation except bleaching skeletons Of horses
and the painfully frequent crosses In a
single days ride sixty-five of these graves
We're counted by the wayside. one contain
Ing an entire family. Their bodies had
peeh round by travellers during the follow
ing rainy season and buried In one grave.
Near by lie the skeletons of their horsea
ana the broken fragments of their water
bottles over 400 persons are said to have
perlshed on the road during the few wears
Ia "hlch II was much travelled. Along the
boundary between Mexico and the I1nfted
states monuments of granite or iron mari,
the line. At Tinajas Atlas an iron sbaft
monument, No. 100, divides the countries,
Prof. McGee's Letters.
Interesting letters from Prof. McGee,s
camp at Tinajas Atlas. where no habitatio,
exists. and where the camper at night
craWis into his sleeping bag after thorough
ly inspecting 1t to see that IT is free from
intrudlng tarantulas. gives a graphic story
or the experiences to which the prospector
may be exposed who dares to penetrate the
arid region. wv
- "July-'O5
But two tinaljas remain-one that of saw
200 gallons of rather bad water the other
of say fifty gallons of fairly good water he
sides more in the sand, though how much
more don't know l incline to consider
this sort of spring drawing supply from
the ground water In the granite rocks. in
which case 1t will probably hold out This
t1njas Is an hours climb Ground trip away
the other is as far. e., 1t is 200 Yards
distant and 200 feet higher than camp over
enormous shelving lodges Of the granite
making up the ella range. Many birds and
insects and some big horns share the water.
ana have not yet shut them out. l shot
a yearling big horn over in Mexico last
week and we've eaten 1t. I'll probably kill
another in day or two. The meat Is like
Venlson. Last week there were local rains
rev miles away, with no more than a
sprinkle here, and II is now promising for
the showers in two or three days. A smart
shower would clean out and fill our tinajas,
though the chances are much against so
fortunate an event; otherwise, we await
events"