THE SPRINGS OF SOUTHEBN NEVADA. 691 



become submerged in the mire. At one or two places Bliallow trenches or 

 ■vats ha\e been scooped out, and the salt water collecting and evaporating 

 in them leaves the walls and bottoms covered with beautiful crystals of 

 pure salt. 



Traveling westward frem Silver Peak, a distance of eleven and three- 

 fourth miles, during which the Eed Mountain range is crossed, Mountain 

 Spring is reached. This spring bubbles up at the foot of Eed Mountain 

 peak. The water is clear, cold and not in the slightest brackish. Its ap- 

 pearance was hailed with joy by men and animals. At last water had been 

 found that would slake instead of increasing thirst. Here, in the short in- 

 terval of less than ten miles, the physical characteristics of the water sup- 

 ply had radically changed. 



On the east side of the Eed Mountain range the springs were thermal,* 

 brackish, and often nauseating, while on the western slope they were pure, 

 cold and refreshing. 



A few miles west of Eed Mountain Spring, in a dry ravine, through 

 which the traveler passes to reach Fish Lake Talley, is found Mamie 

 Spring. The water is excellent and plentiful. Its situation is rather unique. 

 In the bottom of a dry wash lies a very large boulder of conglomerate, or' 

 more strictly of breccia, transported from some distance, from the under 

 side of which the water of the spring gushes into a little pool or basin it 

 has made for itself. Prom this basin the water, overflowing, traverses for 

 a few yards the gravelly bed of the wash, when it sinks and is seen no 

 more. The huge boulder that shadows this little basin with its overhang- 

 ing edge is m.ainly composed of a very hard arenaceous matrix, in which 

 are seen imbedded many rounded pebbles of various sizes, and also large 

 angular fragments of rock. The most remarkable thing about this spring 

 was the fact that it had only been running about two years, having sud- 

 denly sprung into existence, the miners said, since they had been in the 

 vicinity. 



Upon the eastern edge of the Amargoza Desert is quite a large area called 

 Ash Meadows ; so named from a small species of ash tree growing there. 

 The meadows are covered with good grass and are well watered by numer- 

 ous warm springs. 



The principal spring Avas about thirty feet in diameter and situated at 

 the foot of a small butte. The water issued from the bottom, through a 

 tufaceous mass of rock. 



It was about four or five feet deep, and was cooler than the other springs. 

 The stream of water that flowed out was five inches deep and two feet wide, 

 and clear as crj'stal. The sides and bottom of this spring were covered 

 with a white, chalky-looking deposit, that gave a milky tinge to the water 

 when stirred up. A few small fish were seen in this spring. Many of the 

 .springs in this vicinity contained quicksand. 



Southeast of Amargoza is Pah-rimp Desert. About the middle of the 

 upper end of this dreary waste of sand and sage bushes are several little 



