MAN AND BEAST MEET FATE OF LOTS WIFE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIX, Issue 12070, 13 September 1902, Page 2 (Supplement)

MAN AND BEAST MEET FATE OF LOTS WIFE.

TURNED TO ROCK SALT IN THE COLORADO DESERT.

WERE FROZEN TO DEATH. George H. Tucker, a mining prospector, who has just returned to Pittsburg, U.S., from a trip through the Mojave and Colorado Deserts, tells a, remarkable story of the discovery of a petrified man and burro in one of the large saltfields that abound there.

" One of the most desolate places in the Colorado Desert," says Mr. Tucker, " is 32 miles south-east of Danby. Here is a large deposit of rock salt fifteen miles in length and from one and a-half to three miles in width. There is not a spear of grass or any kind of vegetation. In many places the rock salt crops out of the earth, and anywhere in this section rock salt can be obtained by digging ten or twelve inches. No one knows how deep the salt goes. A number of prospect holes have been sunk, but the great amount of water encountered at a depth of twenty-five or thirty feet makes further mining impossible without pumping apparatus.

" Some ten years ago an effort was made to bring this immense deposit of salt into commercial use. Two railroads were built to connect the rock quarries with the Santa Fe. It was found necessary to build a house in the middle of the deposit, mid for this purpose enough blocks of rock salt were cut to build a shanty fourteen by thirty feet in dimensions. A flooring and roof composed of the peculiar kind of earth that exists in that vicinity completed the building.

"This salt house, or, as the Mexicans called it, 'La Casa. del Sal,' was used for the purpose for which it was elected. But in a short time the salt-mining operations were discontinued, and the salt house was abandoned to the coyote and desert owl.

"For at least seven .years before we visited this building, about a month ago, it had not been iuhabited, and probably very seldom seen by anyone. During the summer months in this locality fine saline dust is blown in great clouds through the desert. The heat is almost unbearable. What water,is found is uudrinkable, and woe to the prospector who finds himself in this section with an empty canteen. A peculiar feature of the climate is that, no matter how hot the day, the night is invariably cool, even cold enough for forming ice. " Dining the summer of 1900 a Swede itemed Johnson, who had been prospecting in the vicinity, started to cross this dry lake of salt to Old Woman's Springs. When nearly half way across a. terrific sandstorm blew up. He trudged on until he came to the salt house, where he and his burro sought shelter. " Under the enreii of the house he found a number of galvanised tanks partly filled with rain water. He considered this a lucky find, for his canteen was almostempty. He drank bis fill of the water and pcimitted his burro to do the same. "The night was cold and the storm continued. He determined to camp in the hut over night. The dead embers of the lire were still to lie seen when wo visited the place, evidencing the unusual severity of tha weather.

" When we opened the door of this desolate shack we were horrified at seeing what seemed to be a marble statue lying on the floor. The head was of alabaster whiteness, the hair and whiskers having fallen away. The body was outlined under a. thin blanket.

" The sight, was so uncanny that we hesitated to remove the blanket, but finally mustered enough courage to do so. The body had undergone a singular transformation, being nothing less than complete petrification. The substance was of a nature of gypsum, very friable and pure white in colour. 'The outline of the body was perfect. " The darkness of the interior at first prevented us from seeing the burro, which was standing in one corner. One of our party advanced and laid his hand on the .•i.irjmau, when it fell over against him. The burro had undergone the same transformation as its master. 'the body of 'the man was given a decent burial near the house, rind the burro will be sent to the Smithsonian Institution.

"The explanation of this strange phenmrnon is to be found in the kind of water that, was drank by the man and the burro, and in the kind of earth that composed the roof and floor of the salt habitation. The water is heavily charged with chloride of sodium. The earth that had been used for the roofing coutained chemicals which were taken in solution by the rain water as it dripped though into the galvanised tanks. After drinking freely of this water the man and the beast had evidently frozen to death, and were gradually petrified.."