Year: 1878




the Oceans Level.


Pyramid lake is nearly forty miles in
length by some fifteen or twenty in width.
1t Is but 1000 feet above the level OF the
sea, while Lake Tahoe is 6,2l6 feet above
the sea level. The lake contains many
islands, several of which, near the mid
die of the lake, rise to the height of some
hundreds OF feet, and are pyramidal in
form and light gray in color. One tall
spire, seen far down TO the northwaId,
where the lake seems shoreless, is per-
| fectly white. A white island, probsbly
the largest in the lake, contains five or
six square miles of comparatively level
ground and Is covered with vegetation.
| Upon this island number of goats were
turned loose some years since, and they
have increased at a wonderful rate, so
/ that they may now be seen feeding over
every bill. They need no care summer
or winter, aud are about as wild as the
goats found by Robinson Crusoe ION the
island of Juan Fernandez. The lake is
of immense depth it is said that near
the center 800 fathoms of line failed TO
| find bottom. The waters of the lake are
| brackish, except Immediately about the
point where the waters of the Turckee
river flow into it.


Owing to the brackishness of its waters,
TO its great depth, or to both depth and
brackishness, the lake never freezes.
Although the lake is generally very
rough, owing to its being EXPOSED to
sweeping westerly winds, the PiuUe In
dians fcarlessly navigate it in all direc-
tions, and almost at all times on their
tule RATS. These RATS are often nothing
more than single bundle of tules, but
when the raft is intended to accommo-
date more than one person, two or three
bundles are lashed together and drawn
into the shape of a clumsy boat. Near
shore they generally pole these craft
about, but they frequently hoist a sail
made of blanket and fearlesly steer
away so far out upon the lake that only
their sail remains visihle. These tule
boats very closely resemble the catama-
rands used by the natives of some of the
islands of the south Pacific. They are
so buOyaDt that it is impossible to sink
them. Far out in the lake among the
islands they set their long lines, strung
full of hooks. These they visit on their
RATS, and sometimes bring in not less
than three hundred pounds of trout at
one trip. The trout are sold at ten cents
| per pound at the lake, therefore it will
readily be seen that fishing is profitable
business.


At the north or lower end of the lake
are dozen or more islands of rock of
peculiar and picturesque form. These
are of solid rock, and are from three hun
dred to four hundred feet in height. At
distance they look like monster mush-
rooms or eggs standing on stems-such
eggs as might have been produced by the
rec, that bird of ancient times, one wing
of which, according TO Ibn- Wardee,
was 10000 fathoms long.


It is impossible to climb these rocks.
as, while their stems form perpendicular
walls, it is beyond the power of man to
ascend those parts where they begin to
swell out into domes. Mr.. Stiles says he
has sounded the lake at the base of come
of these fantastic islands, and, with the
longest line at his command, was unable
to find the bottom.


i One of the largest of these islands, the
tall white one seen from toward the head
of the lake, is not wholly perpendicular
on all sides. On one of its sides there is
a steep slope which it is thought might
be scaled in some way. A story is cur.
rent at the lake that John O. Fremont,
the great " Pathfinder" found a path to
the top of this rock. 1t is believed that
he left his field glasses and some other
instruments of value on the summit of
the rock. and many attempts have been
made TO climb it in order to secure these
articles.


The last attempt TO scale the pyramid
was by sailor, who used long rope.
throwing it upward till it caught a pro
, jecting point of rock, then drawing him
self up, and again throwing his rope to a
) rock above. He reached hight Of about
$50 feet, when he was unable to find any
more projections over which to throw his
rope, and came near never reaching level
ground alive He wasobliged to descend
in the same way be effected the ascent,
and when he finally got down he was com.
pletely exhausted his hands were bleed
ing, and he was cut and scratched from
head TO foot. The fishermen have now
concluded that the only way in which
the field glasses and other plunder can be
secured, is by attaching line to rock,
and then firing it over the top of the
pyramid from mortar.


One of the small rocky islands of the
lake is alive with rattiesnakes. 1t is SUD-
posed tkat the first of the ttock were
waited 20 the island on a raft Of tules or
dEiltwoOd. Doc. Wood, who has visited
i the island, says there is miilions in IL. -
The reptiles have their homes among the
rocks sud live on the eggs and young Of
water fowl, aud upon the dead fish that
are cast ashore upon the island. Mr..
Wood says that the stories that nave
been told of the snakes rushing in body,
kissing aud rattling, to attack any man
landing on the island, are untrue. He
found that whenever they were disturbed
) they ran away and concealed themselves
} in the cFsvices of the rocks, just as would
have been done by any other snakes
NeUada Enterprise.


We should never fnrne, that hnne !.