Year: 1859

The head of what was the then existing, but


now defunct, lake was about twenty miles


below the head of the valley. BY the by,


while speaking of the sudden disappearance
OF that lake, l will relate an incident connect.


ed Herewith. While standing upon its shore


during our visit, in September last one of the
company, and old resident of the valley, re


marked that the lake appeared to be gradu-


ally reeeding each year, and iestingly pro.


posed to one of the company that he might
DO well to lay Claim to ranch Standing out
into the lake, as it would possibly be valua
BILE property, when his grandchildren should
have come upon the platform of human ac.
tion. Little did any of our company then
suppose that six weeks hence would find the
lake dry. All the old residents of that va.
ley. that | ever met with, have heretofore
contended that the only escape that the wa
ter of that valley had, was by evaporation;
whereas | always contended that the maiori-
itY oft escaped through subtemanean chan.
mel. never could see any atmospheric con-
dition in that vicinity, that could satisfactor-


y account, to me, for so extensive a waste of
of water in the form of evaporation. Two


aTge streams-Susan river and Willow creek
have heretofore emptied their contents into
this lake, but no visible outlet has there ever
been seen to it. Those streams now sink
some distance above the defunct lakes former
margin. But, Mr.. Editor, prominent amongst
the many natural wonders of the North
American Continent are the Boiling Springs
of Honey Lake Valley. They are located
twenty-four miles below Susanville, a verv
little below where the head of the lake was.
and in sight of where the emigrant road en-
ters the valley. They are certainly q remark
able wonder, and will well repay person
for making a visit to them. They furnish
positive and emphatic evidence that the
earths surface is not yet cooled off to any
remarkable depth, just in that particular
place; and doubt not that that subterranean
heat had much-if not ALTO do with the
sudden disappearance of the lake. The
springs are eleven, l believe, in number, all
situated around in one little group, not occu.
pying more than half an acre in space. |
Only one of the springs is of very much note,
that being about fifteen feet square, and its |
depth not ascertained they never yet having
been able to sound bottom. 1t constantly |
boils most furiously, throwing up the water
from four to six feet high all the time with.
out the slightest iptermission. There are two
other smaller springs in the group that boil
slightly, merely enough to make it percept. |
BILE that they are boiling. aud the remainder
Of them occupy the various degrees of heat,
from boiling down to fedid. 1t is my opin.
ion that an analysis of those waters would |
prove that they possess very valuable medi-
cinal virtues. Iron is the predominating
virtue of one of the springs, while alum forms !
The component part of another, and the lar |
5est boiling spring is strongly impregnated |
If a building was placed over the |
arge spring with the necessary conveniences
for steaming more Intermittent fever could |
be driven out of the human system with those |
steam baths than all the quinine in existence
could accomplish. The alkali bath is unques-
tionably an antidote to the miasma which
causes the ague; then why shonld alkali
steam baths not erase the last trace of it from
the system


w. WELLINGTON, G,