The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1906-01-17
NARROWING IN THE DESERT
N DEATH VALLEY MANY PROS
PECTORs HAVE DIED.
In One Place the Mountain Is Nearly
Eleven Thousand Feet Above the
Sea Level, While Sink Is
Forty-Five Miles Below.

Sea Level, While "a Sink Is
Forty-Five Miles Below.
After being marooned in the desert
bv his burros stampeding in search
of feed and after nearly perishing IN
a sandstone, besides suffering terri
bly from the heat and thirst, D. D.
Neville of this city still has such
faith in the gold bearing district sur
rounding the famous Death Valley that
he is planning to return to it for Sec
ond time, says the Denver Times.
Mr.. Neville, who is manager OF the
Free Coinage Gold Mining company
of Cripple Creek and resides at NO.
1856 Odgen street, this city, has just
returned from a trip through Death
Valley, where so many prospectors
have met their fate. 1t was trip
fraught with peril at every step, yet
Mr.. Neville and William Hurley, also
we'll known Colorado prospector,
covered practically every foot OF the
mineralized district surrounding Death
Valley and were so impressed with
what they saw that they are planning
to return.
THAT place is rightly named, " said
Mr.. Neville. MANY people have per
ished there, and it is a wonder that
more have not died in the valley.
The heat is something terrific. Around
Salt creek and Furnace creek IS about
the lowest and hottest place. Why,
last Nav we suffered with the Their
m0meter at I35 in the shade, and it
was lO3 degrees at midnight when
we we're on Furnace creek. Our hands
and faces swelled up like roasted
meat, and the hot winds almost burn
ed out our eyes. 1t is only within the
last few days that my hands have
resumed anywhere near their normal
size, and now they are blistered and
cracked.
lone of the most exciting expe-
riences we had was at BreytOgle's
tank. when our burrOs left US and
went back twenty miles in search OF
feed before we caught them. Three
was water, but no feed at Breyfogle.
OF course, the great question IN the
valley is to get water AT Salt creek,
for instance, there is a barrel sunk
in the earth, and If you find 1t the
water is good for stock, but not Tor
man. [ carried a canteen that held
about a gallon and a half, but that
would last a man only about three
hours.
owe found that heavy wooden I'M
derwear was the best. 1t would re-
main wet and the evaporation would
keep you cool, so you could stand the
heat better.
''The. sandstorms are treacherous, |
and the cause of many deaths. The
sand drifts with the least excuse Just
like snow. 1t piles up in hills that
change the whole character OF the
landscape and make you lose the
trails, SO that sometimes you travel
dozen miles to go five or six be-
tween springs. The sand covers the
springs and you have to dig several
feet to find water. Most of the pros
pectors meet death from Surveyors
wells, south. The Colorado men,
Titus and Wells, were found by a
party on the way to these wells.
eve had a narrow escape by being
caught in a sandstone while going
from the hole in the rock to StOvepipe
springs. We got out of our way about
six miles, and when the storm caught
us, about two in the afternoon, we
could hardly see our hands in front of
our faces. We sought shelter behind
a sand hill and mesquite bush and had
to remain there until after shutdown.
The burrOs were unable to take step
while the storm was in progress.
"The country surrounding Death
Valley is all heavily mineralized and
what it needs is men to do some work.
IN,
the country now needs some one to get
below the surface and develop what
probably will mean a great big camp.
81 met lots of friends at the now
famous Scotty.' Walter Scott, the
cowboy miner who makes the record
breaking railroad trips at Ballarat.
None of them knows where his mine
is, although they know of several of
his camps and claims. Most people
in that country surmise that 'ScOtty
has found the caches of robbers who
operated on the stage lines in the
early days Others believe that he is
paid for advertising by the railroads.
Anyway, no one seems to know OF his
selling any large amounts of ore
"Prospectors are going into Death
Valley rapidly now, for the winter is
the best time. They are talking of
building mill at Bullfrog, and the
surveyors of the Clark road told US
that they expected to get line into
Bullfrog from Las Vegas by August
next Then the indications are that it
will be a big camp. There is plenty
of ore there now, but nothing under
$40 ton is worth shipping at present.
ITO show you the difference in the
country up there, Telescope mountain,
on the western edge of the valley, is
10, 9O3 feet high, while the sink of
AmOrgosa, in the south-central part
of the valley, is fOrty-five feet below
sea level"