Los Angeles herald., 1909-05-03
GIVES ACCOUNT
OF WATER HOLES
GOVERNMENT ENGINEER COM
PILES LIST
OVER THREE HUNDRED PLACES
ARE DESCRIBED
Maps Show Also Principal Roads of
Desert, and Mountain Trails Yet
Unsurveyed, but Fairly
Accurate

The southwestern part of the great
basin-that portion Of it including the
arid areas of southeastern California
and those of Nevada that are most
easily reached from California points
is known generally to the jewellers in
the less arid districts west of the
Sierra as 1.-The desert" but local names
are applied to it's various subdivisions.
The most important of the subdivis-
ions are the Colorado and Mojave des-
erts and the Death valley region.
The Colorado desert extends from
San Gorgonio pass southwark to the
gulf of California and includes the
depression known as the Salton sink.
The Mojave desert lies farther north
and it's boundaries are not so definite,
but it includes much the greater part
of San Bernardino county and the
eastern portions of Los Angeles and
Kern counties. The Death valley re-
gion, which lies north of Mojave des-
ert, stretches eastward from the Sierra
Nevada, covering large part of Inyo
county, Cal, and extending into Ne
vada 1t is named from its central
on the continent
Resources of the Desert
At the present, time public interest
in this desert region, which comprises
an area of about $4,000 square miles,
is intense, largely because of the dis
covery and development within 1t of
mines that are heavy producers of
gold. The resources of the desert,
however, are not confined to the pre-
cious metals, but include wide range
of products of economic value, among
which may be mentioned several valu-
able salts, including borax, soda, gyp-
sum and common salt; building ma
terial including marble, onyx, brick
clays and cements; baser metals, like
copper, iron and lead; and gems,
among which are turquoise and opal.
These products are widely distributed
throughout the desert counties, and,
although the existence of some of them
in commercial quantities and availa-
BILE form is as yet problematic, others
already form the basis of important
industries
The wells and springs of the desert
region are few in number and very
irregularly distributed-so irregularly,
indeed, that while in some districts
watering places occur in groups, III
others they are thirty to fifty miles
apart.
Influx OF strangers
Unusual activity in railroad work
has so stimulated prospecting that
there is a large influx of strangers,
many of whom do not fully realize the
danger of travelling through an arid
region, and it is highly important that
the springs and other watering places
should be located as definitely as pos
sible and described for the benefit OF
prospectors and other travellers. 1t is
-. El.a k1a.
dissemination of information in re-
gard to the location of known water
ing places and the possibility of To-
eating and developing water at other
favorable points will be met in part by
a report by Gilbert e. Bailey, which
has just been issued by the United
States geological survey as Water
Supply Paper 224."
For many years Mr.. Bailey was
obliged to travel repeatedly many of
the main desert roads and trails, and
the information presented in his report
was in the beginning intended for his
personal use The authors acquaint-
ance with some of the desert districts
is necessarily more intimate than with
others, and the records are therefore
by no means complete, nor are they OF
uniform value, but it is believed that
on the whole fairly adequate and ac-
curate descriptions are given OF most
of the better known ana lIloES dCSosSi-
BILE springs and wells, and that many
of those that are less well known are
included. More than 800 watering
places are described and mapped, and
the map shows also number OF the
principal roads through the desert:
These roads have not been surveyed
and only approximate locations are
possible but the map at least indi-
Gates the usual routes of travel
A copy of Mr.. Bailey's report can be
obtained on application to the director,
Geological survey, Washington, ID. G.