The Deserts of Nevada 



497 



Range we look into the Panamint Valley. 

 Similar to Death Valley in form, but a 

 little higher in elevation, the floor is 6,000 

 feet below the mountain tops and about 

 1,000 feet above sea. 



Death Valley is by no means the driest 

 of the regions traversed, but the heat 

 and heretofore the inaccessibility have 

 made it difficult. In the mountains flank- 

 ing it are numerous springs and frequent 

 water-holes which, though dry in summer 

 through excessive evaporation, are avail- 

 able during the fall and winter. There 

 are many springs that are credited as 

 poison water; one of these we sampled, 

 but unfortunately the bottles were broken 

 before analysis could be made. In my 

 opinion, there are springs in which 

 arsenic is present, but most cases of sick- 

 ness or death are probably due to drink- 

 ing excessive quantities at one time, fol- 

 lowed by physical exertion in the heat. 

 Such springs as the Indians will not use 

 are better left alone or used in extreme 

 moderation, by no means an easy thing 

 for one throat-parched and speechless for 

 need of water. Each spring is a source 

 of supply for flocks of birds, many of 

 which are very tame. 



The desert region is being rapidly in- 

 vaded by the various transportation com- 

 panies, replacing the primitive methods. 

 The Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad is 

 building from Ludlow, on the Santa Fe 

 Railroad, through the Amargosa Desert, 

 to the mines at Bullfrog, with connections 



to the borax mines en route. The railway 

 from Las Vegas, on the San Pedro Rail- 

 road, to Bullfrog is under construction. 

 These roads plan to run through to 

 Tonopah, which will make prospecting 

 much easier and less expensive, give a 

 stimulus to the production and shipment 

 of ores, and make profitable properties 

 that would be practically valueless with- 

 out them ; they will lessen to a great ex- 

 tent the difficulties of travel. With these 

 and other changes the desert will repay 

 many fold those who seek its treasures 

 of gold, silver, and lesser metals and 

 materials. 



The traveler in the deserts should be 

 sound in heart, kidneys, and liver; have 

 calm judgment; obtain all information 

 possible of watering places before un- 

 dertaking a journey; never leave camp 

 without some food and water; discount 

 from 30 per cent to 50 per cent the phys- 

 ical efficiency of himself and his animals, 

 as experienced in other, cooler, fields, 

 and abstain from alcoholic drinks, es- 

 pecially when doing physical labor. Many 

 cases of collapse and death are due to 

 alcohol or overestimation of strength. 



Great mountains are a joy to the lover 

 of nature; they are an inspiration to the 

 artist, and express grandeur and nobility. 

 The desert has no such spirit, but has a 

 wonderful fascination, born of the im- 

 pressiveness of magnificent distance, 

 limitless sky, and the infinite patience of 

 an unbreakable calm. 



