The daily sentinel., 1907-08-06


Engineers who have studied the
topography of this part of the cOun-
try are inclined to the belief that Il
large body of water underlies this
enormous salt bed. and that herein
lies the explanation for the famil-
lar saline quality of Great Salt Lake
The salt body is situated 27 feet
higher than the lake at the Mormon
capital, and the slope of the land
near the deposit is such that If water
existed there it would flow in the
direction of the lake. With this as
basis for their deductions, the en-
gineers who laid out the road have
evolved the interesting theory that
some large subterranean body of wa
ter is gradually dissolving the great
salt bed from underneath and car
rying 1t away in solution through un-
derground channels which lead to
the Great Salt Lake.
In view of the curious geological
composition of the country. in which
rivers are frequently known to dis
appear completely from the surface
and reappear miles away with great
ly increased volume, the hypothesis
is plausible, at least, and will doubt
less be investigated upon a scientific
basis as soon as the Western Pacific
is in position to handle passenger
traffic. Borings through the salt,
while similar in difficulty to boring
through solid rock, should determine
in large measure the formation of
the salt beneath the surface and
should settle the question as to
whether or not a body or stream of
water is eating away the salt body
on its lower side.
Government officials from the
weather bureau are at present in the
Salton basin studying evaporation,
and may take up the study of the
salt deposits when their present in
vestgations are concluded.
Leaving Salt Lake City. the West
ern Pacific skirts the south end of
the lake crossing it at one point by
siX-mile trestle, where the water
lies on both sides of the track, and at
milepost No. so enters the Great
American desert. Here, for nearly
40 miles the trains cross vast sea
of white alkali. cleaning in dry,
dusty, dazzling whiteness in all di-
rections Looked upon with dread
in the days when the prairie schooner
was the best means of transporta-
ton. the desert will now become sim
ply an object of curiosity, to be view
ed in the same light as any of the
other scenic wonders that are to
be enjoyed from Western railroads.
The Forty-niner, when he reached the
edge of this desolate stretch OF
| drought-ridden territory, fgurati-
vely drew a long breath and plung-
ed across it with something the same
| feeling of desperation with which
\ man facing a prairie fire would dash
through the flames to the safety that
| lies beyond. When the new road is
completed the porter may walk
| through the Pullman and close the
windows to keep out the dust, but
otherwise the traveller Will suifer no
| inconvenience from making the trip
which was marked in former days
by a trail of whitening bones and rot
ting wagons.
over near the west end of the des-
ert lie the salt beds, and here the
dusty whiteness of the landscape
changes to the sparkle of the Christ
mas postal card. Despite its rock-like
hardness, the salt deposit evidently
contains a large proportion of mois-
ture, for it has been observed that all
ties. telegraph poles and other wood
en- objects which come in contact
with it become moist to point -FOUR
or five inches above the surface. This
is another fact in support of the the
ory that the deposit if being under
mined by body of water, there be
| ing scarcely enough water in the ar
in that climate to keep the huge de-
posit moist at all times.
All over the deposit, since the ad-
vent of the Western Pacihc tracks,
are to be found placer claims staked
Iout. with the owners little notice OF
location fastened to one of the stak-
les. No remarkable mines are report
ed from any of these claims, but new
Iertbeless there seems to be plenty OF
prospectors who are willing to give
these claims their time and etort.
Though situated higher than Great
Salt Lake, the salt deposit mas no
grade in either direction, evidence
| that it was at one time in solution
| i'm some body of water which eyapor-
ated. that. in fact, being the only way
| in which such deposits usually occur
Track living over this hard, level sur
| face. which required no ballasting
and no blasting, except for the tele-
| rrraph poles, was a simple and rapid
! Ioperation, and the work occupied
remarkably short time. 1t Is hopeu
! t6at tbe western Pacific will be COM
pIeted by the end of next year anu
| after that the tourist anu
| the scientists will have no diihculty
in visiting and observing this remark
able product of natures laboratory