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which is best described as a desert gash
in the face of the earth. Its floor is two
hundred feet below the level of the sea.
The temperature in this superheated
crevice is constantly from one hundred
twenty to one hundred forty degrees
Fahrenheit—a veritable Hell on earth.
It would hardly appear as an appropriate
place for the home of an important
industry, yet indomitable men have
conquered this arid area and have
wrested from it a treasure, which in the
past few years has added over thirtysix
million dollars to the riches of this
country, and which will yield more millions
in years to come.
This treasure is chemical borax—the
friend of every housewife—which is derived
from the colemanite ores found in
the mountains of Death Valley. It was
discovered in the early eighties. Like
nearly all treasures it has been difficult
to bring within reach and its methods of
transportation are shown in the accompanying
photographs. These show yet
other contrasts: the ubiquitous American
mule (California's substitute for the
camel) and his present day successor,
the aggressive and high-powered gasoline
motor ; the slow cumbersome wagon
transport and the light, rapid train. The
tiresome journey to and from the workings
is now an incident instead of an
event.
The mineral at first was transported a
distance of one hundred sixty-five
miles from the mines in the valley to
the railroad by means of the famous
"twenty-mule team". Twenty days under
the scorching sun were required to make
this trip. The water springs were about
THE GASOLINE CAMEL 575
sixty miles apart and it was necessary
to haul water for the men and the animals.
The outfit consisted of mules driven
two abreast; these formed a line 120
feet in length. The driver rode on the
"nigh wheeler" and drove the mules by
a single rein called a jerk line fastened
to the head of the lead mule. If he
wished them to go to the right he gave
a strong steady pull. To the left he gave
a series of jerks. Hence the name of the
line. These animals pulled two wagons
containing twenty tons of ore and a
water tank holding one thousand two
hundred gallons of water.
This method of transport was in use
from 1880 to 1888. The production of
borax steadily increased and the mules
were supplanted by traction engines.
These in turn gave way to a narrowgage
railway, using geared locomotives.
A few years later the mineral had become
of such importance that a standardgage
railroad was built to the Death
Valley holdings. In time these were
worked out and it became necessary to
open other deposits at a distance. To
connect the railroad with these new
workings, a narrow-gage railroad has
been built and the gasoline locomotives
haul a train of ten cars with a water
tank by way of caboose to carry supplies
for the mining camps and plants.
The engines of these trains weigh
about six tons and are propelled by friction-drive
motors of much the same type
as an automobile engine. They develop
fifty horsepower and consume from ten
to twelve gallons of gasoline in a work
dav of ten hours.