Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-04-28
Provision for Birds.

| Provision for Birds.
| Inside thick crust of bark is a fibrous
pitch which, botanists say is nature 8
provision for the birds of the desert.
They make their nests in the scales and
bore holes with their bills through the
bark to suck the moisture they find in
side. The thorns on the tips of the
| scales protect their nests from rattle
snakes and other invaders. Many of the
| cacti have arms that extend at right
angles for few inches and then turn
upward like the elbow joint of a stove
pipe. Some have double and treble arms
like the Jewish candlestick with its seven
| branches
| These great cacti flourish in the driest
spots of the desert. where no other vege-
tation can be found. but they are Of no
practical use except as protection to
| the birds.
After driving for twenty-five miles
| across this wonderful valley we turn to
| the left and enter a wide canyon. which
grows narrower as it winds around be-
tween the mountains, whose sides are
ablaze with the California poppy. which
appears in a half dozen shades of yellow
from the deepest orange to the palest
| lemon. and grows so densely that the
color may be seen for miles. We cross
the divides from one canyon into an
other. gradually rise in altitude, and are
| reminded strongly Of the road from Je-
| rusalem to Jericho. The distance from
! Mesa to the Roosevelt dam is about the
cities. We pass a gold mine, owned by
George w. Young. a son of the Mormon
prophet, which has produced millions of
dollars. and is still operated in a small
way. There are several rest houses, wa
tering places and corralls, where team
sters who haul the freight back and
forth between Mesa and Roosevelt feed
their teams, and where thousands OF
other people who are continually cross
ing the desert find water and shelter.
Road a Money Saver.
This road was built by the government
OF the United States a distance of sixty
miles In most substantial manner for
transporting material and supplies during
the construction Of the dam. 1t cost
about three hundred thousand dollars,
varying from five thousand to twenty
thousand dollars a mile, but paid for it.
self several times over by saving the gov
eminent fifteen dollars a ton in freight
charges. and II cared for properly will
last forever. With the dam and the rest
of the irrigation system. it will ultimately
become the property of the water users
when they take over the project. All the
work Of construction was done by Apache
who lived as savages in the Tonic basin
fifteen years ago. They now live in
camps along the road. in tepees made
with withes from the forest covered with
blankets, hides and canvas. They are
serious. intelligent men, and, as l told
you the other day. make skillful, reliable
wOrkmen. They are paid $2.25 q day, and
the contractors prefer them to either
Mexican or white labor; but 1t seems
queer to see an Apache Indian carrying a
dinner pail.
The scenery along the road Is superb.
Several of the canyons resemble the Grand
Canyon Of the Colorado, but, Of course, on
a smaller scale. The walls are brilliant
low to the deepest purple. that seems
often almost black. The combinations OF
tints are remarkable and the variety Is
as great as you can find In the canyon
of the Yellowstone. Peaks and pinnacles
and palisades have been carved by the
wind and rain into fantastic forms.
The weather is a wonderful architect.
Some Of the piles of rocks look like
castles, others like cathedrals. and
others like monuments that rise from
pedestals of perfect proportions. In
places the canyons are vide. and at
times they become so narrow that
there is scarcely room for the road
which winds in and out and around
gerous. especially when reckless men
are allowed to drive automobiles at
high speed
At places the walls of rock rise
1900 feet on either side. The surround
ing mountains are not particularly
high. The tallest peak is less than
1900 feet, and that stands at consid-
cradle distance. Several Of the canyons
used to be occupied by the cliff dwell
ers, strange. prehistoric race which
once occupied a large portion Of the
southwest. and travellers who are not
in a hurry can visit interesting ruins
that lie short distance from the main
road. There is an attractive halfway
house kept by blind man, where you
can get an excellent luncheon and stay
all night if you like. There are several
places for camping at intervals. for
sixty miles is long drive for horses,
although people frequently go up from
Mesa to Roosevelt and back by auto
mobile the same day.