The Goldfield news. [volume] (Goldfield, Nev.) 1904-1911, 1905-10-20
NEWS FROM DEATH VALLEY
Jack Taylor Tells of Trip and Its Dangers - Mystery of the Map
and Arrow King of the Panamint
(Rhyolite Herald

the proper care ana there
need be no more danger in crossing
Death VALLEY than any other waterless
valley.
"After an experience of twenty-five
years on the deserts of California, All
IONA and Nevada, / am convinced that
nine-tenths of the suffering and deaths
on the desert is caused by earelessness
and want of foresight on the part of
prospectors themselves; a lack of
knowledge of the conditions which
they are going to meet and unprepare1-
ness to meet them.
"When about to raverse an un-
known country, over unfamiliar trails,
and knowing the location of water by
report only, / have made and follow
the invariable rule to carry enough
water with me to take me to the next
spring and BACK to the place of start
ing in ease | should miss it. Il this is
done the danger is reduced to a min
imum. Such a rule is absolutely neces-
sary, as water is often located in such
a secluded place that one might pass
within fifty feet of a spring and not
find it.
"Another thing, and of vital import
ance, is to keep from getting panic
stricken. When a man begins to worry
and is fearful that he is lost, his thirst
increases ten-fold and all his water will
be consumed in a short time. Men
have been found with plenty of water
in their canteens. There is something
unexplainable about it, but it seems
probable that they become frightened
and the intense heat causes them to be-
come insane, when they begin to circle
round and round until they drop from
exhaustion.
ga man starts out from a spring in
the morning feeling cool and refreshed.
He has his fill of water, and like one
after a full meal, he thinks he will
need put little. The sun mounts higher
in the heavens ana with the increasing
heat comes increased thirst. Frequent
draughts from the c~anteen causes it 20
grow rapidly lighter and doubt arises
in the wanderers mind of its lasting
until the next spring is reached. Doubt
grows into fear and fear into a panic
stricken condition bordering on insan-
ity, which soon becomes a reality, and
Inconsistencies follows, with the in
evitable result. 1t is a strange fact
that a large per cent of the men lost IN
the desert are strong, husky young fell
lows, who have an abiding faith in
their ability to withstand any hard
ship, and this over-amount of self con-
fidence is their undoing, when it is not
accompanied by experience.
"When we went out we camped first
at Willow Springs, then went to Hole
in-the-rock, where we found johnson,
who reported that he had lost his part
ner Riff the day previous. According
to his story they started out early two
days before in search of Tule Springs.
They had to cross a high ridge and go
through canons, and though it was a
hard climb, they arrived at the spring
by noon. They conceived the idea that
it would be much easier to descend by
the Death valley side and skirt the
hills rather than make the hard climb
by the way they came. 1t was clearly
an error of Judgment, as the shortcut
over the hills was but seven miles,
while the roundabout way was nearly
twenty-five miles. The lower they got
in the valley the more intense became
the heat. Riff finally refused to go
further and johnson staggered on in
hope of getting to camp and back be-
fore his partner persisted. 1t is quite
likely that Riff was c~ircling in delirium
before his partner was hardly out of
sight, at any rate he was never found.
eyes, the demand for water depends
largely upon the state of the mind. ]
left observation-disclosures with one and a
half gallons of tea and two gallons of
water. Went direct to Salt creek in
bottom of Death valley, arriving be-
fore 4 O'Clock, stopped for two hours,
Travelled until I in the morning,
camped till daylight and arrived at
Emigrant Springs at 8 O'Clock with all
of the water and half of the tea un-
consumed. / stint myself to one drink
every hour, slipping it very slowly, thus
getting the full benefit.
81 never yet heard of an old desert
~prospector losing his life for lack of
water. 1t is always the Ia unused to
conditions who perishes."