South Bend News-Times, Volume 35, Number 210, South Bend, St. Joseph County, 29 July 1918 — Page 9

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THE SOUTH BEND NEWS-TIMES

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The Remains of a Party of Travellers in Death Valley, Which Has Cost More Lives Than Any Desert Area of Equal Size

and Has No'v Been Dotted with by the United States By Rene Bache. T Hi: T'nifpd States Gcoloslral Furvry hr.s just ascertained the rather startling fact that cae-fnth öf our wholp rnuntry r70' 111 il.- is arid drsrr. nr.d sprrndinir rapidly. Thf Survfy has lTctitly onridotr-d the plantins: o( "uaipr sin po-ts' ovt 0.000 milf; of thi rpzion. and it is now planning inai:rr; to htk tn1 growth of the whole drsf-rt and to make it s;if and habitable for man. At th" sr.n:f time, it has com-pilf-u a a:st amount of valuable information about tlii vast, interest in.c yet teriif i im rsion, which lias condomnrd thousands of nini and women to a cruel death. It is c irio'ii to know t hi f tlioe parly Americans, 'lie c'.in dweller?, created very useful !;arriers against the desert at such S'Mllments as the M-sa Verdo by building wat'T tanks and by irrigation, and that :)!' valuabl methods ve:e abandoned b modern man. The desert supports ario'l- plains. ir linliiiir tiio cac tus and other families, which have an extraordinary pitttr of attracting water here there is apparently n..ne. and diese, if -ul; iv atod, would help greatly in che'kinR desert I erils. Ti:e Grand Canyon of the ColQrado. whi'h we adinire so srratly as a natural marvel. i really a creator of deserts, for It river ia constantly w nrinr a deeper t hnnel in fhe earih and carrying away all cf th m .v' :i net'drd water fio:n the arid conn 'T.v in its rihin? rurretit. T!i most perilous rtecrrt ppctiot:. roverit.:; abo.ir T".00i) stjuare r.ilK. includes so it'ieasi e ! California tfrorn Death 'alley to t!ir Moir;in boribT riinl so iih.we-; Arizona. It ii the Iin'fsr, ilryrs'. ;aiidief rr.ci'Mt on this 1 until. eiit ; ?A?o th" leas: krit n. It i? a report in which water-holes are farf.e.i apart and niist diffieulr of ;htp-s, and in hich evert nowadays nu n and animals oft n peri -h of thirst. Perhaps tb" ntot ditrsins: feature of p 1. h trai;-di, 1- that usually the victim r'ie ui'uin ei- h rat h of wa'er. if only t!,v ki),v liiere to look for i'. It wa- t" provide acnii:- happeninc? of tliis kind that th CJeoiosieal Surey started out about a year ac to n!ant icn posrs all cer thi inhospitar.'e territory, indicating the dirett.' ei and distan.ee of ?he nearest wn't r ho!o Tti work ua now I f on praet; all-' comp' te i. The met hd !-; -.v; einip'e and !ntr:,r.i e Sra p it 'ier, wer.- out CM er th'' de--rr i i ' u ' - n-riel on tr.t'k hcd'e! ard v-y-: Tis j;t camp eq:ipn'":1.'. r' a :ct'.- d a f.- ot'oer requisite-. The pst wer ;!;:"ped .':oni l.o Anft!es to local railroad Station, where they were transferred "o th." atitoniobiles. They ere .calvanized steel pipes, two inches in riiarr.er and twelve fee? lone. To each one. when driven into thrt ground, was f.i.-'er.ed a steel enameled white, with dark blue lettering, very conspicuei-. One such sign post was "r.t up r.ea the Tinajas Altas. on the ?4exican hon! r in Arizona, where on one occasion nearly niO persons perished cf thirst. If the por had leen ther then nol.hir.p of the sort would ha e h- ; pen-d Many t ho. .sand- of püor. have died of thir.xt in t!ie I-"orty-Milt Desert of Nevada and yet. if t!,ey had onlv kr.on it they could have to? plep.ty of pood dr'.nkJnr water b di.ssine to a depth of Mf'eeu cir t wenty fe(. D-a!h Valley, whose un-jory name and reputation riv it o errify:ns a nntorietv. ha! -prins of plen'if. l wer water p.! the Lead? o socie of the gorges that run

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"Water Sign Posts' Geological Survey far into the mountain rane on eithT si'le. If the traveler knows in which gorges they are he is safe enough, but if he is uncertain on this point he U likely 10 succumb to the most cruel of deaths while trying to find one of them. Here and there over the desolate plain of black lava and salt ar. scattered the dead bodies of parties that have attempted unsuccessfully to cross that ghastly valley. They include men and animals. They did not know where to look for the springs. They miht have been saved ? they had known that at the south end of Death Valley there are deep pools, In which last Januarv the men of a Geological Survey expedition enjoyed a delightful swim. There are fi?hes in those pools of species unknown anywhere else in the world. The air of Death Valley is much than that of the African Sahara. exposed to it. the moisture of the evaporate? with surprising rapidity. supplv the loss one must drink at Death" COO miles south of Death Valley, obtained its unpleasantly supsrestive name from the mummied remains of men and beasts scattered all over it. It is fairly strewn with the bones of human beings who have lost their lives there. Much of it (as is the case with Death Valley! is below the level of the sea. It Is probably the most intensely hot spot on the face of the parfh. The mirage. tr;r.pter of the dyinjr traveler's despair. Is said to reach a more extraordinary development there than anywhere else. On any f,np day and in that rainless region all das are rlneone may behold beautiful :ake5. seductive verdure, and even towns within seemingly short distances. formerly in the .Tornado del Muerto it was eighty miles from water to vater. nut -ince then t few sprines have been located; and. oddly enouch. some of them are of natural soda water. Th fluid come h lbbling forth so highly charged with car bonic acid sas that It is hard to keep corks in bottles filled with It. The terr y here described as the "hottest, dryest and sandiest" is but a fraction of the vast desert region which fas the United State? Geological Survey state? covers approximately one-fifth of the who'A area of the United States All of this region, about ."TO.OAn cqnare miles, I. deemed suff ielently arid to Justify the p'anttur of sicn posts pointing to the neare potable water. It embraces the part of Oregon and California east of the Cascade Hange and Sierra Nevada, all of the State of Nevada, al! except the northeastern part of Utah, all of Arizona, southeastern Colorado, and the parts of New Mexico and Texas west of the Feces River. Taken as a whole, it is a fan-shaped area. The handle of the fan Is in southern California. One side of it is outlined by the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Mountains. The other side extends along the Mexican border, while the outer edge of the fan Is traced by a line stretching from eastern Oregon through Salt I-ake City and Sar.'a 1-V to the mouth of the IVcos. It must be understood that the dvrt cot -ery-whert continuous, but ! dotted w!th highly fertile !eghn- At the handle of the fan !s the highly developed coactal section of California; &nJ one might regard the railroad? anu automobiles highways running eas' and norheast ftom this section as representing the ribs of the fax

two gallons of water per day. and even r,Vyv-.v Iben one suffers from :hirst. If o.ne did nothinc hut sit down and drink water all the time he would still be thirsty. f;

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A Remarkable Example of the Giant Cactus, Which Throws Its Roots in All Directions and Obtain Water Where There Is Apparently None, and, on the Right, the Mighty Grand Canyon, Which Is Adding to Our Desert by Burying the River Ever Deeper in the Earth and Rushing It Away from the Arid Country.

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A Laboratory in the Desert, Where Scientists Are Raising Cacti and Other Plants That Thrive on Arid Soil.

Th rier erfion enntair.o pro?pero'i? cities, fertil' agricultural districts, forestclad mountains and rich mines. Rut the watered localities are wisely separated oases in a wide expanse of silent, changeless, unproductive desert, where the most impressive feature"! the great distances, and the chief evidences of human occupancy are long. Ions roads that lead from one water-hole to another. To him w-ho has become acquainted with the region it has a peculiar fascination and few serious dangers; but for the strancer who penetrates it without adequate information it forever contains the most frightful of perils. The sign-post planting work, begun in the southwestern part, where the aridity Is most extreme. Is to be carried eastward and northward gradually until the entir region shall have b-en covered It will cot cme-thiriit-th of t. cent per HTe. twen-tr-rhr cents per svjuare mi!. or about U'O.oi'O. to complete the job. Inasmuch as a larg jar: of tht Territory concerned Is Immediately adjaimr to the International (Mexican) bo .indary. the work Jso far as r u a T area 1 concerned) has a definite military importance. Kxact Information regarding th location of available water supplies is of obvious ftrateei.ralue. - CoDj-rltnt. s. r.i S;ar . Crra-u

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quare - . "". i, r ur - : .. . J;". vi - The above estimate of coct Inetndes surveys, which have yielded tho req iisite data for maps that will show every water-hole in the territory they cover, with the roads leading to them. These maps will be published in a series of "guides," which will contain descriptions of the routes, detailed information in regard to each water-hole, tables of distances between water-holes, and analyses of the water thoy furnish. It is tin interesting detail that the expeditionary automobiles carry alone with them bottles for the collection of samples of water from the holes they visit. The content?. later on, are duly analyzed, and the results become matters of definite and exact record. The "guides" will cover not only the principal roads along which, by the way. there were already a guol many signs, put tin by the Automobile Club of Southern California and oMitrs. before th Governn:nt took up the business - but also the outlying and more reiao'e districts, with information about -ourres of good water in r frequented p!aes. orT :h main ro.itea. These booklets (containing accura'e maps) will be fre-iv distributed to r.uri-ts. An iia constantly in view is to "develop" the water-fcc . can them up and a them into 'ter shape. Also to discover ar.d develop o'her and new waterGret Britain Rijfct ResrvL

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"Water Sign-Posts

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The Ruins of a Cliff-Dwelling Community at Los Frijoles Canyon, Showing the Gardens Which Early Americans Cultivated in the Desert and Which We Have Abandoned.

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5. . j - j-'- . -v. ..":- vawv vhob. Vhen the plan ha bean extended o-er the entire region, there is to be a "roinjr over" of the whole dert territory every five years fcoverinz one-ftf'h of the total area each year), to revi?e maps and "guides." to repair ism-posts and to erect new posts and signs when needed. An incidental study is being made of the water that is beneath the surface of the deserts. Por it appears 5'jrprisin? though It may Feem that there is water even in the driest deserts. Death Valley is underlaid by streams that can be tapped by bored weilg. Even the Jornado del Muerto is not so waterless &s it. looks. Over large areas of the bare decerts it is pos ible by pumpisc to ob'oin sood witer from a depth of 200 or 300 feet. With a w-ir.dmill to operate the pump, a little oasis may be created. There are n.my such artificial oa.s in the region here described. Indio. iir southern California, was formerly the dryest spot in th CniteJ Srate. The climate wan nizzlinir. and ther- whs nrt a drop to drink for man. for bat?t or for plant. To-day in that locality warr in plenty i drawn from the d-p'Lrt of 'he earth through pipes and distributed over fe-ti fl-Ms and fruitful orchard- Indio ha? now become a veritable jrarden. an abode of ceerfu'ness and prosperity.

Plants

urvey Over 75,000 Arid Xerntor to Dave JLost Trave li ers f rom a Crue Deatk and Dis covers l any ;in e-w? Facts At out G rowing Menace a Always an eanomi prohlem (is involved. Underl.Ming tb5 dry dr.rt is a sheft of watey. But howvdeep doe3 it lie? If toodeep, it may cop t too much to pump the fluid to the surface more mongr. that is to say, than the vegetablesor fruit will return to the grower. ' Mark that point, however1--flirre Is water in all deserts. The natilre people and animate know how to find) it In regions where a Ftranger would perifeh of thirst. There are plants that furnish 1L Th "waterbarrel cactus" is the Kite of beerkeg. It is covered with fearful spines. P it a dexterous chop with a maoihete will re move its top. rprealinR a mas3Sof pulp tha is 96 per cent good water. ( It lfja vetabl l water-tank. The explorer. Campbell, In Central Africa, in a region where as far-as the, fye could pee. there was nothing but eand, found luiurlant creepers coTte5' with biz berries, each containing three rteaapoonif ill of palatable water. Looklngcloser.h ,4 saw a number c" desert mice tarpparerrtlj the only living creatures thereabout engaged In carrying the berries tohelr bir rows, much as seamen carry Wasks-of water to their phip?. Our desert territory within ro?ntveari has assumed n new aspect from the-podnt of view of tourists. It Is look! mjaa as the American wonderland liffeneit frrgn anything that has hitherto been known or understood. The automobile jha-sinadeit, for the first time, accessible. Until recently thirty miles a dayfwai about as yreat a distance as uhe c-6ert traveler could cover; and he wras obltd to carry with him a supply offwate- for himself and hi? beast. Rut the automobile can easily "do" 200 miles, and th problern of drink (90 long as the rio!3r.e nupp'y does cot give out) is of lss importance. The desert roads, furthermore., are Ideal. They are ready-made. One mexy travel over the desert 1n any diTect1oaand th going is smooth and delightful. Our deserts are the jrreatj opert-air breathing places of the future. They will attract multitude of people ffrcmi our crowded centres, not only for arensement, but for health. The air of thedert li jrerm-free. Folk will go to the-edeerti to get well. The statement, made by th United States Geological Survey, that one-fifth of the total area of the Tnited State is desert may be recarded a? rafbr alarm, ing. but. in fact, it does not tell all the danger that menaces us. For the truth 1 that the deserts are steadily and rather rapidly spreading over he earth. The planet on which we dwell is drying up, and the areas capable of agricultural production are becoming lees wih every century. In effect, we have already lost or.e.fift.h. of our territory. We shall !- nnre ar.1 more and more, even thouph w reclaim part.s of it here and there. There is no disputing the fact that the earth Is drying up. Great regions fin Africa, for instance) that wer productive within historic time are now deserts. The fow of rivers everywhere is d'miniehirg The trouble erri? to be that the urface ater are sinking into the rarh They are bei.' steadily absorbed by tue rock of the globe. The prooc-s ! going on 0 rapidly that, even in a centurr or two the progre- of it ha b--n n.arkeoh noticeable Our ultimate fate doe net m to te 0 very far distant. The pit-t ori Llcli e dwell I to become ijke th n.oou. ts urface wafers abcrb-d lth:n--its very (.ac, drierl up it rill tie, "om- a ded orb. travelling th:o;2!i cuuntiei a tenantlc-fs. about tad run.

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