Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1907-08-30

PLANTATION for the Well-known saline
body is situated twenty-seven feet
higher than the lake at the Mormon
capital, and the slope Of the land near
the deposit is such that If water exist
ed there it would flow in the direction
oc the lake. With this as basis for
their deductions the engineers who laid
out the road have evolved the inter-
esting theory that some larger subter-
ranean body of water is gradually dis
solving the great salt bed from beneath
and carrying 1t away In solution
through underground 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 disap-
pear completely from the surface and
reappear miles away with greatly In
creased volume, the hypothesis Is
plausible, at least, and will doubtless be
investigated upon scientific basis as
soon as the Western Pacific is in posi-
tion to handle passenger traffic. Bor-
| ing through the salt, while similar in
difficulty to boring through solid rock,
should determine in large measure the
formation Of the salt beneath the sur
face and should settle the question as
| to whether or not body or stream Of
wa.' is eating away the salt body on
| Its lower side.
roya,Dnanf of8cio1s from tho wealth
er bureau are at present in the Salton
Basin studying evaporation, and may
take UP the study Of the salt deposits
when their present Investigations are
concluded.
Leaving Salt Lake City, the Western
Pacific skirts the south end Of the
lake, crossing it at one point for dis
tance of six miles, where the water
lies on both sides of the track, and at
mile post No. 80 enters the Great
American desert. Here, for nearly for
ty miles the trains cross vast sea OF
white alkali, cleaning in dry, dazzling
whiteness In all directions. Looked
upon with dread in the days when the
prairie schooner was the best means Of
transportation, the desert will now be-
come simply an object Of curiosity, to
be viewed in the same light as any of
| the other scenic wonders that are to
be enjoyed from western railroads.
The Forty miner, when he reached
the edge Of this desolate stretch of
drought ridden territory, figuratively
drew a long breath and plunged across
1t with something of the same feeling
of desperation with which a man fac
ing a prairie fire would dash through
the flames to the safety that lies be-
yond. When the new road Is COM
pleted the porter will walk through his
Pullman and call the attention Of trav-
ellers to the sea Of alkali and salt, but
the traveller will suffer no inconveni-
ence from making the trip which was
marked in former days by trail of
whitening bones and rotting wagons.
Over near the west end Of the desert
lie the salt beds. and here the dusty
whiteness Of the landscape changes to
the sparkle of a Christmas postcard.
Despite its rock-like hardness, the salt
deposit evidently contains large pro-
portion Of moisture. for 1t has been OBJ
served that all ties, telegraph poles and
other wooden objects which come In
contact with 1t become moist to point
four or five inches above the surface.
This is another fact in support OF the
theory that the deposit is being under
mined by a body Of water, there being
scarcely enough water in the air In
that climate to keep the huge deposit
moist at all times.
All over the deposit, since the advent
of the Western Pacific tracks, are to
be found placer claims staked out,
with the owners little notice Of loca-
ton fastened to one Of the stakes.
Though situated higher than Great
Salt Lake, the salt deposit has no
grade in either direction, evidence that
it was at one time in solution in some
body of water which evaporated. that
in fact, being the only way In which
such deposits usually occur Track
laying over this hard, level surface
which required no ballasting and nc
blasting. except for the telegraph poles
was a simple and rapid operation, and
the work occupied a remarkably short
time 1t is hoped that the Western
Pacific will be completed by the END
OF next year, and after that the tourist
and the scientist will have no difficulty
in visiting I'd observing this remark
able prOduc, of natures laboratory.