The Syracuse Journal, Volume 19, Number 51, Syracuse, Kosciusko County, 21 April 1927 — Page 2

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'By ELMO SCOTT WATSON

I-LATH VALLEY! What visions of horror those words conjure, up in the mind of. one who knows anything about this famous spot In southern California —visions of an inferno of heat and thirst, a narrow valley shut In between black walled mountains and lying below sea level, the lowest .point on the American continent;

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vlsioni of a white plain across which the I warm shimmer and dance, of mirages of cool lakes which appear before the eyes of dying RMn ,to mock their thirst, then vah I ah. of a deaolate. barren land, whose terrific heat literally drtea np men's blood In their veins and drives them rnad before they die; a plague spot tu*be abunnrf by, all living creatures. - Socii was Death Valley of yesterday. But the Death Valley of today la different. True, the beat itnd the thirst are still there, but it is no longer a place to be shunned by man. Instead. It Is now actually being opened to tourist sightseeing traffic and is being advertised as a new “playi round"' And the Invitation for tourists to visit Death Valley comes from no less a host than the United Staten national park service. The following announcement was recently made by Stephen T Mather, director of the park service: "A hotel for the accommodation of visitor* is just n»w bring completed on the very edge of the desert, a few miles from Ryan. A magnificent view of the valley with Its frame of 1 jagged mountains and fascinating colored cliffs may be obtained from the hotel. “Arrangements have also ben made for aide trips io various points < f Interest One of the most striking of these is Dante's peak, where from an elevation of 6.000 feet the visitor may look into Death Valley, which at this point lies 800 fert below sea level "Truvelers will be able to get on a train In Ixai Angeles about 6 p. m. and reach the hotel the next morping.” The new "playground" has already been opened —on February 1. to be exact but If you expect to vlst I>eath Valley this season you will huve to do so before May 15. for on that date the last tourls 1 , must be out of the valley Hereafter the season will open in the fall, but always May 15 w! i be the “deadline.” For Death Valley, pleasant as It la in the winter. t»ecomea an Intern > with the return of the summer sun and the te uperature runs up as high as 140 degrees or more. As the familiar saying goea. **lt Isn't the beat. It's the humidity." only In the case «>f Death Valley It's the lack of humidity that kills. The average humidity is only .01 of 1 per cent, oid-tli nera wilt tell yon that if you souse a blanket In a tub of water and pull one end out dripping. It will tjry thoroughly while you are scrubbing the other half. Or dip your handkerchief in water and hold it up It is dry in a mlnut »’s time. Jump into water fully clothed and you rill be gone dry to the last thread In half an hour. laiy an egg on the sand and in ten minutes It will be baked hard. Alfalfa cut in field Is cured and ready for stacking in less than two hours. Yea, it's HOT in Death Valley.' Death Valley got its name during the Days of M 9. Is the spring of IM9 a party of emigrants—--100 wagons strong—set out from Galesburg. Hl., for tie California gold fields Late that summer the emigrant train reached Sait Lake There they were told that the regular mountain route to San Francisco would lie beneath twenty feet of Sierra Nevada snow before they could reach the mountain passes. Tbsy were warned, too. <f the awful fate that had overtaken the now-ftmous Donner party, most of which had pertsted of hunger when It was caught In a bllzxard near Donner lake tn northern California. But the gold seekers were Impatient to reach their goal and. Joining with other argonauts, they get out under the guidance of John Hunt, who

• — . "■ -I —— * -j" - Have Found Means to Fight Beetle

The new attractive agent, geraniol developed by the bureau of entomology u an aid in Itscontrol work against jipaneae beetle. baa bean found Methods have been «orke d out whereby this material may q* id to concentrate the beetles tn a relatively small •***• It iras found that by spraying leas then i m acre of orchard with geraniol beetle k could be drawn on the leeward

contracted to take them over the old Spanish trull to Los Angeles through San Bernardino. Progress was siow and some of the emigrants became dissatisfied. Having heard of a short ent leading west that would save 500 miles of their Journey, they decided, over Hunt’s protest. to make the venture. The result was that shortly afterwards they found themselves In what la now l>eath Vplley, hemmed in by mountains through which there appeared to be no opening. There the party split One group. 36 [>ersons In all. youog bachelors from Illinois who called - U»#t»selvea "The Jgyhawkere,” pressed on tovyard till* mountains to try vo find away out of the trap. Some of them died of starvation, some of thirst and others went mad and wandered away to their deaths in the valley. In all. 13 of the 36 jterished before they fought their way through . to safety. 40 the meantime the rest of the party, men with families, had found a tiny stream and there they c:»m|a*d to rest. Rut their food supplies began to run low. Their oxen began to die and their wagons to fall apart tn the blistering aun. So the leader. Asahel Bennett, sent two young fellows. Will Manley and John Rogers, forth to find away out of this living hell. As they departed Mrs. Bennett gave Manley a double handful of rice—half of all she had—and silently pointed to the hunger-pinched faces of her children. He understood her meaning. Upon the auceesß Os his dnd Rogers’ efforts depended the lives of ail the emigrants. Then the party sat down to wait for the return of the two scouts A week passed two—three — and still Manley and Rogers did not return. At the ead of the fourth week all except Asahel Bennett’s wife had aban ioned l ope. “They Will come back.” she maintai: ed steadfastly. But they d!'i not and the party rc-olved upon one-last desperate attempt to eacape. They l»egan stripping the canvas covers from tha prairie schooners and making pack saddles upon their emaciated oxen. And then Manley and Rogers returned! They spoke but briefly of the days of horror spent in struggling from me waterboie to the next across th.- ■ lie- of the Mojave desert, of the dead of the Jayhawker party whom they had found along the trail. But they had found food and. most vital of all. they had found away out of the valley. They guided the ?arty on the long climb to the summit of the Panamint range which frowns down upon the valley. As the emigrants reached the crest and h« ked hack into tue trap from whkh they had e-aped. Asahel Bon net J’s wife raised her arms In a gesture of farewell, “Good by. Iteath Valley!’’ she cried. And so It was named. Although this occurred three-quarters of a century ago, echoes of this tragic event have ' heard from time to time in recent years. As late as IS®S the two survivors of the Jayhawker party —Col. John IL Colton of Galesburg, 111., and Ix«renzo I>ow Stephens of san J«»se. Caltf.—met once more to talk ever their thrilling experience, but the last living link with the tragic past was snapped on February 12. 1921. when Stephens died tn Oakland. Calif , at the age of ninety-three years. Last November, however. the story of the Jayhawkers was recalled again when a crowd of merry-makers dined and danced in celebration of the opening of a new 24.000-barrel artesian well at Stovepipe Wells in Death Valley. It was on this spot that Manley and Rogers, the two scouts sent out by Asahel B«mnett. on November 23. 1849. first sighted the waterhole and members of the party sipped from the tiny depression, where now a great volume of water gushes forth, the few Ufe-savfng draughts which wave them the strength to struggle on. Scarcely less dramatic than the story of the naming of Death Valley is the story of how borax, which forma the basis of an Industry that helped make this spot even more famous, was discovered there. In the year 1880 Aaron Winters

aide of the orchard for a distance of nearly one-half mile within the first fifteen minutes after the spray had been applied. This makes it possible to destroy large numbers of beetles with a comparatively small quantity of a contact spray. Further wort has been done on traps baited with geraniol but although these capture large numbers of beetles, it Is not felt that a trap has been developed which

can be recommended for general use. Increased efforts were made last summer to develop a repellent which could be used on fruit trees without leaving a deposit on the foliage or fruit It was found that certain odors, particularly the odor of tar, are distinctly repellent to the Japanese beetle. Shocking Affair Ostriches may have fine feathers but they have bad tempers, so a darice has been invented to conquer ■

CMEfO’ItM ‘»• .lOVRNAL

lived with his wife. Rosie. In a frontier home In Ash Meadows, a tiny oasis east of Death Valley. To their home one day came a wandering prospectblQwho told the Winters of the borax deposits in the state of Nevada and how a great fortune awaited anyone who could find more such deposits. Winters asked many questions. Including the question of how a person could know borax If he discovered it. He <vas told that the best test was to pour certain chemicals over the supposed borax deposit and then to fire it. If it were borax the chemicals would burn with a green flame. Winters had made visits Into Dearth t and talking ,to tiw prospector wps convinced that there was norms there. So he set out Immediately. his wife, qtd soon afterwards encamped onXurnace creek. Uu the marsh (which appears on Furnace creek the spring) he gathered the most likely-looking deposit. That night he made the test as the prospector had told him. There was a breathless moment of suspense and then Aaron Winters cried “Rosie, she burns green! We’re rich!" The borax industry of Death Valley had come into existence. The next problem was bow to get the rich borax deposits out of the valley. Out of necessity came the famous 20-mule team wagons which are Inseparably associated with the name of Ik»ath Valley. For years this unique transport system brought the borax wealth out of Death Valley. Then the modern tractor tvrote “finis”.on another chapter of Afnerican transportation -one whose like the world has never seen elsewhere. That was written last year and It marked the passing of another era in the history of lH>ath Valley. But borax Is not the only wealth which It contains. Gold was discovered there many years ago and It has been a favorite haunt for the old-time prospector, the lure of Its wealth being all the more attractive because of the dangers which £uard It. Rememt»er the picturesque "Doath Valley" Scotty, whose “find” there made him rich and who gained nation-wide notoriety by the freedom with which he “blew” his wealth? Even more picturesque another prospe<’tor who became known as the “Good Samaritan of Death Valley." Lou Westcott Beck ,was one of the great nnmtH’r who rasbed to Death Valley ait the news of Scotty’s And. He nearly lost his life on Its barren wastes and when he finally escaped he resolved to devote Jiis life to saving others from the fate which he had so narrowly escaped in that dread region. Each summer Beck made a trip Into the valley .of purple mist and great thirst, piling up rocks and placing signs on them to guide prospectors tv waterholes, searching for lost travelers and guiding them to safety. For 13 years he did this work aud during that time he and hl* companion, a Newfoundland dog named “Rufus." saved the lives of between three and four hundred travelers In the great American deserts—the Uolorado and the Mojave as well as Death Xalley. Then in 1917 I>eath Valley “got him" at last. During one of his trips he came to a spring which he had always used and drank from it. He offered some water to Rufus, but the dog refused to drink The spring hsd become Inflected. AfteY a terrible trip to his home in Pasadena, where Mrs. Beck awaited their return, the “Good Samaritan" went to bed Hl *nd never rose again. The work which Beck inaugurated has been carried on by the United States geological -survey until Death Valley Is now supplied with enough sign posts so that It is. safe enough to travel for anyone who will use ordinary <x»n*mon sense and not take foolish chances. Those who do not »oon learn the truth of the prophetic wanting of old-timers that “you can’t fool with the desert If you do she'll get yon every time.”. And now the latest announcement of the United States park service means that even those who “fool with her” have better than an even chance to escape the dangers of thia “land of thirat”

these birds It consists of a handle six feet long, with a fork »< the top which carries a strip of brass. When pushed against the neck of a charging bird, an electrical contact is made and the bird is given such a shock that docility results. Says the Deacon Some folks who cannot save themselves are great on preaching salvation sermons to other*. —Atlanta Con atltution.

Uhe War at Clo.se Rantje Described In a Series Dy an Office’’ of the Marines — ' tf « Cap A. Job n W J Thomason > Jr. * /Illustrated by the Author from A— .-> Made on the BalHerteldJ nzi hy Th» &»!!MHU J«r^< a

STORY FROM THE START The author describes how the First battalion of the Fifth marines are quartered near Marlgny during the first part of June, 1918. when they -are suddenly sent up north to relieve the First division, bearing the brunt of the German offensive. Part of the Fifth wrest Hill 142 from the enemy and wait there for the German counter offensive they can see forming. A terrific German attack soon develops, wreaking feaiful havoc among the marines. but not dislodging them. In the immediate vicinity other fierce encounters are reducing the American troops and forcing the necessity of replacements. C>n the sixth of June the Fifth runs into bitter fighting in the vicinity of Champillon and drives out -.he Boche. but at great cost. Then came the Bois de Belleau and again the tuarlges acquitted themselves marvelously.

CHAPTER lll—Continued The lieutenant went happily back to qtjls' men. The word had already gotten around, by the grapevine route, and grinning heads stuck out of every hole. ‘•Well, sergeant, pass the word to get set—g<>in‘ out tonight.” ‘‘Yes. sir! - Ready right now! Is the division bein’ relieved?” —“No. Sixth regiment coinin’ in—” "Well, sir. I hope to God they ain’t late. Hid you hear. sir,, anything about us goin’ back to St. Denis, and gettin’ liberty in Paris, an' a month’s rest —" That unaccountable delusion persisted in the* Marine brigade through all of June and into July, ft never happened. “No. I didn't hear any such thing. Rut it’s enough to get out of here. This place is like the wrath of God!” It was nearly -midnight when the relieving troops came in. The lieutenant’s opposite number reported, chap he hadn't seen since Quantico, back in another lifetime. —“Well, here we are! Out’-you go— r “1 say. Is it you. Bob? Heard you Mrera killed—” “Oh. not at all—heard the same thing about you—not strange: lot of serious accidents have happened around here— ’’ “Well, good luck—” “Sure —bon chance? eb?—so long—" The platoon left the wood and angled down to the Torcy road. A string of shells howled overhead. 88s by the sound of them, and broke on the road. The lieutenant halteil and watched: “Dam’ unusual, shellin' here this time of night—must know it's a relief —” It was the conviction of all that the Roche knew everything, down to the movements of the lowest corporal.—“l think we'll cut a corner, and take a chance of gettin’ through the line over yonder—” He led away from the road, through the trampled wheat to his right, away from the shelling. This was really Np Man’s lam!, for the lir.e curved from the wood, and thrust out again along the line of another crest, also wooded. Such intervals were watched by day and patrolled by night, and ration parties, carrying details, and other wretches who had to traverse them always sweated mightily and anticipated exciting incidents. It was full of smells and mysterious horrors in the starlight, that wheat. Once the platoon came upon a. pig. feeding unspeakably. . . , The woods ahead grew plain; the men walked gingerly, straining their eyes at the shadows. . . . “Eighth machinegun in there—take it easy, you—risky business, this—wish to God I d—” The platoon stopped, frown, as they heard the charging handle of a Hotchkiss snick back. A small, sliarp voice barked: “Halt —who’, there?"—“Platoon of the Fortyninth—can we get through here?” “My God. 1 dam’ near gave you a clip! Khat the hell, cornin’ up here—don’t you know you ain’t supposed to come bustin’ around a machine-gun position you—” “All right—all right!— shellin' the road down there”—and the platoon scuttled past the Hotchkiss gun. while Its crew reviled them. Machine-gunners are a touchy let. prone to shoot first and Inquire afterward: the platoon gave thanks for a man who didn’t scare. They turned left now and finally reached La Vole du Chatelle, where Regimental was, and there the old always shelled. It was a little farm, pretty well knocked to pieces now. but Regimental was reported to prefer it to a change; they had the Hoche’s system down so that they could count on him. His shelling always fell into method when he had long enough, and the superior man could, by watching him a few days, avoid unpleasantness. La Voie du Chatelle. as the world knew, received his attention from 11:45 to 12:10 every night. Then he laid off, until 3. when his day-shKt came on. You could set your watch by it. Tha platoon went cheerfully past. A full kilometer farther they hiked, at a furious pace. Then the lieutenant considered that they might catch a rest 1 ; they had come a long way and were in a safe spot. Ten minutes’ rest out of every hour was the rule when possible. He passed the word: “Fall out to the right of the road.” and sat down himself, a little way off, feeling for his chewing tobacco. You didn’t smoke on the front at night —lights were not safe. And chewin' was next best. Then he observed that the platoon was not falling out. They stood In groups on the road, and an •ntrrv mutter reached him “What

th’eli?—Goin' out. an’ then he wants to rest!” “Yeh. ‘fall out on the right of the road.' he says, the 1 fool—” The lieutenant knew his men. as you know men you live in hell with. He got up. chuckling.—“ Well, if that's the way you feel about It—come on. you birds!" and he set them a killing step, at which no tnan complained. The daw*n was coming when they rendezvoused with the battalion In Bois Gros-Jean—beans for breakfast, and hot coffee, tins of Jam! That <O=.Wi £-> Prussians From Von Boehn’s Division in the Bois de Belleau. afternoon they had off their clothes for the first time In three weeks or so, and swap in tlje Marne at a place called Croutte. And at formation they heard this order published: VI Armee Etat-Major (KBQ 2 Au G2a le 30 Jnfn. 1018 In view of the brilliant, conduct of the Fourth brigade of the Second United States division, which in a spirited tight took Bouresebes and the important strong point of Bois de Belleau. stubbornly defended by a large enemy force, the general commanding the Vlth army orders that, henceforth. in £ll official papers, the Boide BeUeau shall be named “Bois de la Brigade de Marine.” The General of Division Degoutte Commanding Vlth Army. (Signed) DEGOUTTE. “Yeh.” said the battalion. “Now. about this liberty in Paris—” But they didn't go to Paris. They took a road that led through Soissons. and St. Mlbiel. and Blanc Mont, and the Argonne-Meuse, to Nieuwied. on the Jar side of the Rhine. • •••••* We can now consider some marines singing one of the marine songs: “Bang Away, Lulu”.

Pathos in Survival of Colonial Remnant

About a half acre of colonial New York survives on the west bank of the Harlem river, just north of the University Heights bridge that connects West lordham road with West Two llundrvd and Seventh street.. A long, low - ue covert a goodly portion of this plot that smacks so obviously of a more roomy past. The dwelling droops wearily us if under its staggering weight of years. It was erected when the Harlem was a picturesque stream with >ome pretense to scenic attractions. . The loneliness of this colonial sur-. rival Is emphasised by the present commercial and industrial character ol the locality as a whole. The river Is lined at this point by brickyards, coal pockets and other similar effects not connected with exclusive society. The trim little craft that can be pictured as once pansing at the landing below the house have been su«-p,anted by Finishing Sealskin Natural sealskin is so' heavy and salt-impregnated, so thick, greasy and coarse-haired, that no woman would care to wear the fur until it had been properly dressed. It requires a number of oi>erations to finish the raw skins. They are washed, dried, cleaned with oil-soaked sawdust and skived to one-third of their original thickness. The skiving requires the most sensitive touch, as the knives must go deep enough to loosen the roots of the stiff hairs but must hot touch the roots of the fur itself. When the bristles are loosened the skins are turned over and the bristles are rubbed out. The skins then go to the hot rooms, where the fur side is exposed to blasts of hot air. The last operation is the dyeing that gives the fur Its characteristic color. Unlike ordinary things, sealskin is colored by being painted with coat after coat A dye. put on with a brush.

11. .. ... utsv a vi i ;. the Marine Corps hymn. It Is taught, along with close order drjll and things like that, to recruits at Parris island and on the West coast. It begins: s “From the hails of Montezuma To the shores of Tripoli, We have fought our country's battle* On the land and on the sea. . . and it closes, gloriously: “If the army and the fisrvy Ever look on heaven’s scenes. They will find the streets are guarded By United States marines. . . ." This platoon, however, led by a brazen-throated gunnery sergeant, is roaring out: “Bang Away. Lulu. . . CHAPTER IV Ominous Events Leading Up to the Charge at Soissons. The First battalion lay in Croutte-sur-Marne. It drank ffi'ep of the golden July weather, and sjwaffi noisily in the Marne, which swupg a blue and shining loop below the town. The battalion took hut little interest In the war. which could be heart! growling and muttering intermittently to the north and east. Indeed, the tinpleasant Bois-de-Belleau-Rouresebr-s area was only a few hours' march distant, and Chateau-Tiiierry was just up the river. The funs were loud and continuous in (that direction. But the Second American division —marines and troops of the regular army—had just finished a hitch of thirty-eight days attacking and holding and attacking again, from Hill 112. on the left, through wood which the French now called the "Bois de la Brigade de Marine." to \ i'!\. on the right; and in :l is bin / n. as in th- oth'r units of the division, such men as had service. were 1 quite willing to Ihink of something ♦■lse. July 14 came. “Sort Frog Fourth o’ July." explained a learned corporal, standing in line for pioridng chow. But Croutte took on tpis day no especial joy in the far-bff fall of the ’ Bastille. . . In tile afternoon a Roctte came out of a cloud at.d shot dowfr'ih tlanu s the fat observation baloOn that lived just up the river from Croutte. Certainly there grew to t>|e a feeling in the air. ... ® I About one o'clock the nippling of the 15th the Roche dropped nine-inch ■ shells into the town. The battalion was turned out. and stood mnl r arms in the dark while the.’battalion gas officer sniffed around busily to see if the shells were tfie gas variety. They were not. but the battalion, after the shelling stopped, and the casualties were atteiidtd to. observed that in the east a light not of the d.i’.vti was putting out h,te stars. The eastern sky was all atllame with guntlashes, and a growing | thunder shook the still air. The tiles remarked t:hat they were glad not to be wherej all that stuff w.as lightin’, and after breakfast projected the usual swininiißg parties. A<l’Uttic sports were tllten vetoed by regretful platoon comijiianders. since it appeared that Ratta ion H. Q. had . directed the companies to hold themselves in readiness for instant movement to at: unspecified place Thereupon the guns eastward took on a uiore than professiona interest. The Civilians looked and listened also. . Their faces were anxious. They had heard that noise before, The hot July hours passed ; the battalion continued to be held in readiness; and got practically no sleep in consequence. There was further shilling; and the guns were undoubtedly louder—and nearer. I Breakfast on the ?mh was scant, and the cooks held out little encouragement for lunch. Lunch was an hour early., and i consisted of beans. The shadows were lengthening when the bugles blew “assembly” and the com] anics fell In. taking the broad • white road that led Apwn the river. Ar the next town—towns were thick along the Mgrne from ChateauThierry to Meaux they pass«>d through the other baltalipns of rh> Fifth marines. jeering|y at ease beside the road. (TO BE CONTINUED.)

squat scows, riding Iqw beneath the burdens of rugged merchandise they ferry to and from the yards. The silence of the section, that was twSce broken only by the natural nbtes'of birds am! insects, is -now shattered by the snorts of straining tugboats ami th-- . . i.orns of motor cars.—■ New York Times. Hancock a Real Patriot During the siege, of Boston, General Washington consulted congress upon the advisability of bombarding Boston. John Hancock, a distinguished merchant, was the president of congress. When Washington’s letter was read, a silence ensued, and all waited John Hancock's opinion. Naturally, be was personally interested to a great degree, for his large and valuable estate was located in the heart of Boston.. John Hancock, after a moment’s silence, addressed the committee in the following words: “It is true, sir ; nearly all thb projvertyi • 1 have In the world is in houses and other real estate in f the town of Boston; but if tbe expulsion of the British army from it. and the liberties of the country, require their being burnt to ashew —issue the, order Immediately for that purpose.”—The Market for Exchange Lifting Machines Old Idea Lifting machines with pulleys, ropes and winding drutms, are as old as Archimedes. 236 B. C. They were use<l in the coliseum in Rome; in the Middle ages for military purposes; and the germ of the modern elevator la tn the drawings of the universal Inventor, Leonardo da Vinci, and in Agru-ola. But the earliest knywn primitive passenger elevator is that in the convent of St. Catherine, on Mount Sinai. It was worked by a caiman, and carried both people and stores to the upper floors, to be safe from tbe deaert rubbers.