The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-07-05

PHANTOM CITY is
SEEN BY PR0SPECT0RS
Lone Freight Outfit Has De-
ceived Many of the Most
Hardened.

The White Haze of Lost Valley rises
to the top OF the Grapevines each day
when the sun has not been fole6 In Its
purpose by rain. Opposite Lost Valley
stands Telescope peak, heavy with the
snow of centuries. and throws down
long shadow at an early hour. 1t is
strange quartette, this valley this peak,
the Orapevlnes and the sun, a quartette
OF desert wizards who at this place md
hour coniure up a specter from Lost
Valley, the wrath of lost desert and
n lost city Every day in the heat of
summer the White Haze from Lost Val
paints the White mirage over the
Grapevines.
Daring prospectors enter Lost Valley
Daring prospectors cross the Grape
vines. The craze for wealth surmounts
in men OF the desert the fear OF death
from thirst and these men drive their
train of pack animals into the region or
the White mirage. A few come back.
Others pass over the Grapevines, across
Lost Valley, on into the shadows OF
Telescope peak. and the shadow OF the
White mirage, These are the ones that
have been hired on by the lust for gold
and the Irresistible adventure TO seek
for the city OF the Grapevines which
has streets made OF gold. These fall
victims TO the picture Of the White
Haze. even as unfortunate mariners fall
victims To the grewsome witchery OF
the Flying Dutchman. over the Grape
vines on a hot summer day these pros
pectors see the White mirage of a city
IN the haze above the mountains and
their fate is sealed.
The desert has its secret we'll in hand
Each dag the sunlight slanting obliquely
over the Panamints touches up pic
ture that fills with awe the heart OF
desert man. Almost each day some lone
the desert in search OF hidden wealth
stops before the. painted city in the
clouds. He sees the 'dobe walls OF the
crumbling buildings. the long streets OF
4 dead city, the plaza, rows of houses
which once held inhabitants OF superior
intelligence. Ais eyes stare out in won
der The heat has made him uncertain,
but he feels sure that the city is the
storehouse Of great treasure. and then
IL is lost city, which alone would be
enough 10 tempt him onward, He
until it almost blinds him. The picture
in the clouds brightens and dims and
then fades into the White Haze. and so
fades the secret OF Lost Valley. For
this valley. as its companion farther
south. has its spooks and It's tragedies
and frequently it pictures these on its
the sun begins to settle behind The Pan
anints and Telescope peak drops
shadow into the valley, these spooks
from Lost Valley come up TO play their
The Grapevines that hold the secret Of
the Lost Breyfogle and a thousand
otner secrets take a leaO1DS part. ne
Lost City glistens like gold clouds. but
the secret Is never disclosed, No one
has ever found the way that leads into
the broad street OF the town or TO the
plaza in the city OF the White Mirage,
Freighters driving from Amargosa TO
Greenwater across the Amargosa see at
some distance from the road freight
Ing outfit that appears 10 have been
stalled there in the sand. This outfit
was first observed in April when the
warm weather set in One man. stopped
one day 10 investigate. He left his
team standing in the desert and has
tened across the desert 70 the strange
outfit. AS he walked. however there was
no difference in the apparent nearness OF
most lost sight OF his own team. and
finally gave up the attempt TO see what
manner Of apparition he had been fol-
lowing,
But whenever the freighter passed
the same place on the road he could see
the outfit in the distance. 1t was not
close 10 tie ground. and ii was distinct
enough so that he was certain il was
not an optical Illusion. He pointed the
thing out to an automobile man and
thus another attempt was made 10 dis
cover the character of the object that
remained anchored so definitely in the
desert. For time the automobile was
driven straight toward the object. Soon,
however, rugged road was encoun-
tered Some dctours had TO be made.
and when the party again came into d.
rect line WIN lne 1EclSnliDS OuLnl, OF
the particular spot where 1t was visible,
the appaTtion was gone. The party
searched the desert thoroughly for some
distance. but nothing could be found Of
the fre!ghtiag team and wagon. When
the auto got back TO the road however,
the specter was there again 1t is there
today. Any cne passing along the road
over the AmarCosa desert can seen this
outfit At certain hours of the morning,
yet no one can say for a certainty what
II is. Upon closer approach it suddenly
disappears. but yet il is always there
Death Valley ChuckWala.