The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1912-09-12
RESCUED FROM THE BUZZARDS.
Man Who Fell on Desert Saved oy
the "Angel' of Death Valley.

Going the rounds in the halls OF
CONGRESS there's adocumentthat calls
for $4,000 with which to get GUIDE
posts under proper survey IN the
most treacherous portions OF the
great American Desert.
The money is wanted by all the
neople in the West by miner ana
docert traveller, and Lou Westcott
Reck in particular. For many years
Mr. Reck. accompanied by his faith
full dog Rufus, has made extensive
trips to the great desert, paying par
ticular attention to Death valley
where repose hundreds OF oones'
souvenirs of the pioneers VINO los'
their lives in trying to blaze the trail
- california. His self-imposed and
ANNA, duty is merely to set up as
many guide posts as possible single
handed, which point the way to the
nearest live spring, and to succor any
feve-stricken wanderer, VINO may
fall by the wayside.
Countless lives have Beck ana MS
dog savedand to many wealthy MILL
ers of Nevada, Arizona and Call1ornla
the two are heroes without ha". Inc
man and dog are called the "Angeis
of the Desert" and we'll named they
are On his trip last year MS last
rescue was dramatic in the extreme
In the heat of terrible afternoon
manv miles from water OF any Klno'
Reck saw some tiny black objects IN
The distance, soaring about IN
circle. A stranger would not kno"
what the objects were, but to Beck
thew were significant enough. ne
called Rufus, and, pointing the dogs
nose to the flying shadows, said:
"Buzzards."
Instantly the dog was OH, ana
Beck plodded on. In short time
Beck smiled as he saw the Vuitures
scattering and flying in disorder TO-
ward the west.
"Rufus is there" he murmureo.
And sure enough when Beck came up
with the dog there was the PROSTATE
form Of a desert traveller, dust COW
ered and motionless. Beck ran up
and examining the man, saw at once
+hat life still existed but that his ears
were bleeding.
ouicklv Beck was at work, and'
opening the bag hanging on tne
breast of the big st. Bernard TOOK
out brandy, forced it between the
mans lips and then, taking MS can
+oon used the water first to wash the
mans face and chest, and tnen'
when he revived little, poured
eone of it down his parched throat.
Reck then placed the canteen in the
mans hand, and, tying the dog TO tne
victims leg, hastened off for help.
And that man is alive to-day.
Twelve years ago Beck and COM
n.nion lost their way on the MoJave
desert and wandered for two days anu
NIGHTS without water. So terrlole
were their sufferings at that time
that Beck has ever since deVoteo
whatever spare time and money ne
nossessed toward the establishment
of sign posts throughout the oesert
that would give travellers on the
thirsty roads accurate information as
n distance and water supply stations.
One instance which Beck always
sneaks of when explaining the rear
fn1 need of signboards is the time
when right in the heart OF 'Deatn
Valley, he found three men stone
dead at the base of a butte on the
other side of which was a flowing
snring. The men were looking Tor
water but they had faailed. II there
had been a signboard in the vicinity
their lives would have been saved.
Beck has leather shoes made Tor
his dog to protect the feet of the anil
NAL from centipedes and wounds OF
the cacti. For himself he wears
shoes with knee tops as a protection
from the rattlers, type of those
known as side winders abounding.
They arc from IL to % inches long,
but are as deadly as the Gila mon
ster, another terror of the desert.
Beck, if bitten by them, injects red
prussiate of potassium into the
wound after filling a pocket of flesh
near the wound with powder and ex-
ploding it.
There are wild camels now in the
American desert, said to have found
their origin in the camels that fled
from white men in that region a half
century ago. Camels, according to
Beck, would be the most practical
animals for desert travel, but dogs