Rensselaer Republican, Volume 25, Number 48, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 July 1893 — GREAT SINKS OF NEVADA. [ARTICLE]

GREAT SINKS OF NEVADA.

Report that They Are Explained by the Discovery of a Subterranean River. The Walker Lake- Bulletin publishes aii account of ttie discQvery of a subterranean river in Nevada by John L. Obendorff, a prospector and miner well kgown in that State. Mr. Obendorff says: “It has long been a mystery what ! became of our sunken rivers. v Now it is probably explained by the dis- ! covery of a huge subterranean tuni nel which I have named The Monarch, which contains a running stream, hbw wide I could not tell, as the light was insufficieift. “The discovery of this tunnel was . purely accidental. While working J in the bottom of the shaft 0$ the. 1 Monarch mine I put in a shot, and in descending to see what execution had been done? I found that I had broken throffglf into what looked like a cave, with a strong current of air coining up from it. On investigation Hound that the opening continued down on an, incline. Determined to see what there was be- . low I put in a cross-timber and at- ! tached a rope' to it. I went down a considerable distance. In some I places the opening was very narrow ' and at other places four Jeet wide. In some places it was nearly perpendicular, but -generally it was about half pitch. I proceeded down • to the end of my rope, put in an- ( other cross-timber and so I conI tinned. It took three days’ hard work before I reached the bottom. “When I got to the bottom I saw a wonderful thing—a large cavern and a river flowing through it. At ’ first I thought it was a lake, but on reaching the edge of the water I found that it was a flowing stream, 1 and by throwing in a piece of lighted ■ paper I found that it had a current of about three mis - ar. hour. “I was on the southeast shore, and the bank sloped down to the waters edge gradually, like the sea beach. The roof was thirty or forty feet high, the temperature was mild and * a slight current of air was perceptible, flowing in the same direction as the water. Being without facilities for further explorations I returned to the surface. “The next morning Flowered three four-foot planks to the bottom of the shaft, and supplying myself with , lunch, rope, capdies and matches I descended to the which I think is about 600 feet below thesur- ■ face. 1 lashed my planks together and made a raft, placed two lighted candles on it, and 1-t her go to the I end of the rope. In this way I ascertained there were no falls in that distance, and continued in this manner for over two miles. In this distance I met with no obstacle, only ■ hert? and there where the tunnel cut th cough a hard formation there were rocks projecting to the water’s edge, but not preventing me from walking over them. “The average width of- the stream is about 100 feet, and from bank to bank Is over 200 feet.