The Goldfield news. [volume] (Goldfield, Nev.) 1904-1911, 1905-10-13

After Trip to Death Valley Noted
Archaeologist Arrives in Goldield

Archaeologist Arrives in Goldfeld
Dr. Frederick Monsen, the noted
archaeologist, who recently lectured
before the members of the Montezuma
club, returned to camp Monday after
noon from a visit to Death valley, that
scorified and ~neat-cursed section which
brands the broad bosom Of the CONT
nent. DR.. Monsen's stop in Goldfeld
was short as on Wednesday he depart
ed for San Francisco from which point
he will journey in a few days to Brook
Ign, New York, for the purpose of ar
ranging for the initial lecture of the
series on the "Great Southwest and
- Southern Nevada which he intends
delivering before the members of
prominent clubs of the east during the
winter and spring months. 1t had been
hoped that the noted savant woul
again favor the local club with an ac-
count of his wanderings in the forlorn
places of the earth, but lack of time
made it impossible for him to do so.
The recent journey to that land of
forbidding though gorgeous grandeur,
is the second made by the doctor and
in revisiting scenes of his former pill
q image he lived over again many
episodes of the past. Tire trip was at
tended by no untoward incident and re-
suited in his obtaining a number of
photographs of picturesque landscapes
which he will add to the already large
and valuable collection of stereopticon
slides with which he illustrates his re-
marks. In speaking of his journey 20
a reporter for the News DIR. Monsen
said:
Enjoyable Trip
81 had a most enjoyable trip into
the Death valley region by way of
Beatty and Bullfrog and although my
time was limited l succeeded in secur-
ing much valuable data and a rare col
lection of photographs for use in my
lecture tour of the east during the
approaching winter months. Some Of
the views are sublime and far exceed
in their beauty of perspective and
.coloring anything / had hitherto Sc
cured. The vivid tints of some Of
them are, / believe, unsurpassed, and /
am inclined to doubt if their equal be
possessed by any other collector. / suf-
fered some little inconvenience from
the cold on m y return trip, owing to
the recent sudden change in the
weather, but / can assure you that I
needed no blankets while in the val
ley. I.S-e is no humidity there, but
the heat radfat;oEs are so pronounced
they cause a shimmerIns u the atmcs-
phere that resembles TO great extent
the shimmering so noticeable when IA
is viewing a series of moving pictures,
The phenomena was highly interestip
and had a tendency to puzzle me gre.
ly in Judging distance. In all my wan
behring's, which have extended over a
period of fifteen years, i have seldom
witnessed such scenes of awe inspiring
grandeur as those that reward one for
a journey unto the all but trackless
wastes of Death valley. The memory
OF those magnificent distances and
buttes of gorgeous coloring will remain
with me always, and / shall avail my
self of the first opportunity to again
visit them.
Signs Of Civilization
"There are many more signs of the
advance of civilization throughout that
section than were apparent at the
time of my first visit, one of the most
noticeable being the survey for the
IOpOSeu rdliIudu lIOm LuulOW btdtiou
on the Santa Fe Pacific, to the Monte
blanco borax deposits at the mouth of
Furnace creek. In that connection i
may state that ! recently received a
letter from a friend who is attached to
the engineering department of the
Santa Fe, apprising me that he was
billeted to assume charge of operations
along that line. The communication
also states that 100000 worth of rail
road material has been distributed
along the right of way and that the
work of construction is to be pushed.
I From Furnace creek into Bullfrog
/ saw no evidences of the presence If
the surveyors and | doubt if the road
will be extended to that point for
sometime. Still the line can be ex-
tended to that point at comparatively
small cost by following the bed of the
Amargosa river to Beatty, as the
grades are easy and offer few topo-
graphical problems for the engineers
to solve.
Prospectors Abound
"There are many prospectors on the
trail to the Funeral range and l believe
that section is to experience a boom
this winter. In fact | am surprised
that the country in that vicinity has
not received more attention ere this
as the mineral indications are excel
lent. The towns of Rhyolite, Bullfrog
and Beatty appear to be iourishing,
but / failed to see many evidences of
the much heralded boom. The mines
there, / am told, are proving up well
and offer good inducements for the ad-
vantageous investment of capital.
Rivalry Intense
"The rivalry existing between the
towns of Bullfrog and Rhyolite is in
tense and tends to add to the luridness
which generally associates itself with
those localities. The line of demarka-