Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-08-16
IN THE NEVADA DESERT.
Travellers Suffering From Heat and
Thirst
From the Denver Republican

From the Denver Republican
The lessons about judging distances which
are learned in the clear air of Colorado
must be learned over when the face is
turned westward from the Grand canyon.
After spending half a generation in the
shadows of the Rockies l lost q bet that
the distance from rim to rim of the Grand
Canyon at Bright Angel trail was not four
teen miles. 1t was impossible to believe it
was half that far until l ran out a base
line and took the angles, which proved the
distance and cost me the price of a dinner.
One typical summer day with team and
wagon 1 started to cross valley to a camp
at a water hole fifteen miles away in plain
sight across an almost level sagebrush plain
1t did not seem that the trip could last
longer than three hours, SO the horses were
watered, a small canteen was filled for my
own use and no thought of danger from
thirst was suggested. Why should there be
any? The distance was small and the plain
so level. There are scores who have made
that mistake while a wife, mother, sister
or sweetheart was waiting, hoping, looking
and praying for him who went out under
the pitiless sun never to be heard of more
That fifteen miles over the roadless sage
brush plain was fifteen miles of sand from
which the heat rose as from an oven, burn
ing and blistering the face, cooking one and
calling all the time: Water, water, water.
The sand deep that the horses found
it hard work to drag the wagon and prog
ress was very slow. They stopped fire.
Quently, and soon it was necessary to use
the whip to make them go at all My cam
teen was soon empty. L pitied the horses
and got out to walk and tighten their load.
The sand burned the feet and was unbear-
ably hot and walking ceased The iron
parts OF the wagon were not enough 10
blister the hand. l felt as If i was drying
into a mummy. The old truth was remem-
bered that the way to forget troubles which
cannot be avoided is to fasten the mind
r1I< tyi.
to have told them to the ice man. The sun
in the heavens stood still and the water
hole seemed to be going farther away. Ny
mouth was so dry that pebble put in It
showed no moisture and the tongue felt as
If it were growing thick. A lizard with a
brilliant head and neck sat in the shade or
a sagebush, making cannibalistic meal OF
q small lizard in its mouth.
No thoughts could drive away the neat
After six hours and the longest ones that
ever passed, the horses staggered rather
than walked into camp at the water hole.
Had l tried to make the trip on foot these
words would never have been written.
No one knows how many hundreds have
tried to make such trips. Few accounts are
ever given of them. because few live TO tell
the story. All that is known is that man
went out and never came back.
1t is not strange that the desert should
have been many years In giving up its
golden secrets They are guarded by drag
ons that few are fitted to combat. The con-
test has developed a class of prospectors
who seem to be different from the general
kind. There is a peculiar camaraderie that
is generally absent, which reminds one of
the feelings toward one another of old sol
diers who have done the real thing-hard
service together. Sharing common dangers
creates a common brotherhood. In the
thickly settled communities, boasting of the
arts and refinements of civilized life, men
die of want and neglect. On the desert
every man has helping hand for his fell
low man, and when the game of life Is
played out there are always plenty to chip
in and give poor fellow decent iuherai'
and not allow it to be said:
Rattle his bones over the stones, .
He's only pauper whom nobody owns
Those who arrive at the water hole or
good luck seldom refuse to extend heip-
ing hand to the poor devil who has not
reached the cool waters and green shaoe OIL
success; nor does the Nevada prospector
look back and weep over the heat and WINDS
and bleaching bones in the drifting sands;
He forgets trouble as soon as the wind
covers the bloodstains and bones OF the
missing Prospecting never publishes It's
list of dead and regrets for suffering ana
failure If they exist, are as substantial as
the dreams of last Christmas drinks.