Year: 1877



 than now, and he will know more.

 MIR. WILLIAMS, chief editor of the San Francisco Bulletin, came down here lately (possibly to get "points" froth the SENTINEL man) and here is what he says about

 THE COLORADO DESERT.

 Nopen can describe the utter dGsolation of this region. The valley of the lower Jordatl and the shores of the Dead Sea are not more barren. For many miles not shrub Or even blade of grass is seen-only bowling wilderness of rock and drifting sand. As we approach Indian Wells the country improves slightly. We see in tn: distance along the base of the foothills. clusters of palm trees; various forms of palm trees peculiar to this valley appear: the mesquit tree relieves the eye by it's tufts of green and the sage brush ekes out sickly existence. From the San Gorgonio we gradually descend until two miles west of IndiO we reach the level of the sea. From this point for distance of sixty-one miles we descend further and further into the depths of this extinct ocean bed, until near Dos Palmas we are 263 feet below the sea level! The line of the road runs for long distance over the bed of dried lake. Its beach is well defined; the water marks are as distinct as if but made yesterday. Ev- erything indicates that we are passing over former ocean bed We can almost fancy we hear the waves surging against the sil,nt shores, can see noble ships sailing across the trackless waste.

 One of the greatest difficulties in the construction and operation of the railroad has been the absence of water The com pany have spent great deal of money in sinking artesian wells. but thus far with indifferent results. At Flowing Wells they struck fine body of salt water at the depth of about 16O feet, and at Mammoth Tank they have bored 164 feet through the hard est kind of hard pan but, as yet, have not found drop of water. They propose to continue the work of boring at this point until the question of water or no water is definitely settled. At present over seventy miles of the line has to De supplied with water by water cars. Tanks have been built underground at the various stations along the waterless region. They are lined l with brick and have a capacity of several thousand gallons.

 There are immense salt deposits in the | Colorado desert, the largest having an l area, am told, of 16O square miles. Mud | also abound. saw one in full | blast. The mud was spouting up through at least twenty holes, in some instances rising in vertical column several feet | high; in others boiling up in lazy sort of 1 way, very much as I have seen mush boil in kettle over slow fire Below tn. surface rumbling noise was heard while through crevices of the ground a no&ious vaDor arose. Near by was second volcano, partially extinct, where here and there mud OoDed out. On its outer rim lay, side by side, two little birds, dead. They had evidently been attracted by the moisture, had inhaled the fatal gas and been stricken down. There was something pathetic in the fate of the beautiful little creatures, evidently mates, coming to this deadly spot to quench their thirst and per shing thus miserably. These volcanoes Ire cold. A few miles off are number Of 'pouting hot springs. A railroad em mployee who visited them short time ago broke through the crust into boiling lake of water and was terribly scalded. The whole 'eglon hereabouts is so strongly suggestive 'f certain unmentionable bad place that was glad to get away.

 fear the volcano, reported as having ,roke loose on the desert some months ince, must follow the famous Ship in he Desert, discovered by the late Colonel ( Evans, to the limbo of exploded myths. t The most diligent search fails to reveal a | 'estige of it. The railroad people are dis (