The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1913-04-03
THE DEAD SEA OF THE NEW
WORLD.

The most novel and remarkable
sight to treveler crossing this wide
continent, over the Union Pacific
Railroad, is that broad, shallow
sheet of water in the northeastern
corner of Utah known as the Great
Salt Lake. After passing some dis
lance west from the City of Ogden,
its salty shores are reached. The
train glides along just above the
indigo waves, either over a low tres
tie or upon a solid ballasted road
bed, with scarcely anything to be
seen on both sides save the blue
waters of the broad lake.
l was told that in the construction
of the railroad across this great
basin the builders came to a point
in the current that appeared to be
bottomless. In this the engineers
sunk huge railroad ties, which had
been linked together in the form of
a long ladder and laden with heavy
stones. Upon the top of these 9TH
ers were lowered; and still others
heavily weighted, until finally the
surface was reached, on which a
solid foundation was made for the
steel rails. The entire distance
which is many miles-through the
big pond, the roadway is said to be
gradually sinking in the soft sand,
requiring almost constant labor to
keep the track raised to the proper
level.
It is a curious fact that timbers
buried in that briny water do not de-
cay, but after long period begin to
petrify, and will in time become as
heavy as stone. Another peculiar
feature is that at certain times the
water may be seen rushing through
a channel straight north; and then
after a few hours will be observed
running equally as swift in a south
ward direction.
This great body of salt water lies
just eleven hundred miles west of
the Mississippi River, six hundred
and fifty east of the Pacific Ocean,
and twelve miles from Salt Lake
City, the capital of Utah, and the
central seat of what was once the
Mormon power. It is situated in
what is known as the Great FIRE.
mont Basin" a fertile valley of the
Rocky Mountains more than one
hundred and twenty miles in extent.
The big lake is seventy miles long
by about forty-five broad at it's
greatest expansion, and covers an
area of about nineteen hundred
square miles. It's bottom is over
forty-two hundred feet above the sea
level and is said to be slowly ris-
tag higher and higher.
The water of Salt Lake is re-
markable for it's compactness and
pungent bitterness, containing as it
does six and one-half times more
salt than ordinary sea-water, or
nearly one-quarter of solid matter,
and next to it's rival, the far-famed
water in the world.
Numerous rocky islands bob up to
the surface here and there, half
dozen of which are of considerable
size. Stansbury Island, the second
largest, is huge ovate mass, with
a high central ridge rising dome
shaped, and peaks that tower near
ly three thousand feet in the air. It
measures about twenty-seven miles
in circumference. Antelope Island,
the largest in the group, is still
higher above the water, is fifteen
miles long, and affords pasture for
big fiocks of sheep. Some years ago
wild antelope pursued by dogs
and hunters, swan from it's shore to
the mainland over twenty-five miles
away, and clambered safely upon
the dry banks. This probably gave
the island its name.
The lake is now navigated by a
line of small steamers between
points along its southern border.
The water supply is received from
four small rivers; the Bear, the
Ogden, the Weber and Jordan all
empty into it, draining the entire
western surface of the Wasatch and