THE SCIENTIST- 
IS? 
latitude 30 they move entirely around the 
earth, never die, and they increase and de- 
crease in force by reason of the position of 
the sun, moon and planets. The high and 
low barometers constitute electric pairs and 
the currents of electricity rise in the low. conies 
down in the high, forn^ing electric circuits. 
Cold waves, early fall and late spring and 
frosts are caused by tropical hurricanes. Early 
springs, late falls, cold and waim winters, 
drouth, rain belts, excessive heat, extreme 
cold, great storm periods atd the location of 
s'orms, are governed by the position of the 
planets. 
Each of these affirraa'.ive propositions will 
lequire careful arguments and illustration, 
and besides giving weeUy weather forecasts 
for all parts of the United States east of the 
Rocky Mountains, I will in my weekly letter, 
discuss the propositions stated above and en- 
deavor t) establish their truth. 
Written for the Scicr.tif-t. 
*<Sa!toii Lrtko.'? 
By Warren ^Vatson. 
The editor of the SciKNTis r has requested 
me to furnish some observations concerning 
that recent lacustrine phenomenon in south- 
ern California, now known as Salton Lake. 
My visit to the region was so brief and my ex- 
amination so unscientific that I do not feel 
that I have much to relate which will add 
anything to what is already found in print, 
yet as there are very contradictory views ex- 
tant as to the nature, origin, and permanenceof 
this lake, it will do no harm, at least, to slate 
what I saw and heard as to these particu- 
lars. 
The basin, heretofore, named on maps, 
"Dry Lake," in which the new lake has l)een 
formed, is depressed in its lowest part over 
300 feet below sea level and lies between 
ridges of hills composed mostly of decom- 
posed red sandstone. Its longest axis ex- 
tends north east aii_l south west perhaps 
150 miles, and its \\idth reaches in places 
about 30 miles. The lowest portion of the 
depression has frequently been covered with 
a few inches of water, in very wet seasons, 
by the drainage from the surrounding hills, 
but the water hardly stands longer than a 
few weeks on the porous soil and under a 
hot and thirsty sun. The last season is the 
first in the memory of man that the reservoir 
has assumed a genuine lacustrine character. 
But it is evident from the superficial exami- 
nation that in the remote past the basin was 
filled with water, either from the infiow of 
the Colorado river or Ijy reason of its form- 
ing a portion of the Californian gulf. If a 
lake, it was certainly saline, for the surface 
of tlie plain is covered with a layer of salt, in 
some places so pure and white and plentiful 
as to resemble snow. The dazzling ra) s cf 
the sun make it painful to gaze longer than a 
few moments at the landscape without rest- 
ing the eyes, and no vegetation can be seen 
except scattered clumps of a gray anel leaf- 
less weed. It is difficult to understand how 
a depression so close to the sea and to a great 
river, and which atone time received water 
from one or the other, should have lost its 
vast flood and become a barren desert, es- 
pecially as nothing but banks of sand are in- 
terposed between. Certainly no cataclysm, 
upheaving mountains or throwing down the 
earth's surface can be said to have accom- 
plished the phenomenon in this instance . 
More likely it is that the deposit of sand by 
the river and the sea and the action of the 
wind in arranging it in long dykes (such as 
may be seen on the Southern Pacific west of 
Fort Yuma, )finally brought about the condi- 
tion of things existing prior to the recent 
crevasse in the banks of the Colorado. 
Tor it is now beyond dispute that the in- 
flow into the lake comes from the CoLrado 
river. Some years ago it was discovered that a 
dry slough, or bayon, which sometimes con- 
tained water after a heavy rain, extended 
from this basin in the direction vf the river, 
and actually approached its banks about 75 
miles from the Gulf. It was named "New 
River." Between the southern end of this 
