Marshall County News from Marysville, Kansas • 14

MAF.SHAIX, COUNTY NEWS, THURSDAY, JANUARY 8. the original owners one item especially was Mrs. J. silverware. Others were placed in museums in California.

The air is so dry in Death Valiey, and quiet also, that wood, cloth and metals last a long time without changing. There were Diaeticallv nn wild 'They sorely lacked containers in which to carry water. I During the days when these pre-'parations were going on the sun shone I with a scorching fierceness and the high mountains frowned on the un-i fortunate beings that they had lured I ints this trap. This was the first timelthat the Jayhawkers were down for most of them now realized THE JAYHAWKERS OF DEATH VALLEY By JOHN G. ELLENBECKER For two days Manly had been ahead exploring and bad the night before camped with the Jayhawkers, so when he met his group eight miles up Furnace Creek canon he told those at this camp how badly the Jayhawkers fared at their camp and that they were abandoning their wagons and trying to get out, westward.

This report so excited the men, and the women especially, that all wanted to leave that camp in the morning and Death Valley is only a smalt-area. But In the floor of it are around 1,500 square miles. And when people traveled over this waste in the early years without a trail and not knowing where the springs were, there Is no wonder that they suffered and died of thirst f-. There were Indians encountered throughout all this region, but as "a rule so timid that' they fled on the approach of the white people. These argonauts marveled as to how these Animals or birds and the Indians that they would be lucky if they reached the California mines with their-' bare lives.

But their leaders move southward where Manly had seen a kind of lake. did not even give Manly time to go ahead and seldom venture far from their familiar haunts where they can find water and food. Many peaks in the brown and purple Panamints reach 10,000 feet and more in altitude; and considerable snow lies on their summits each winter. But the Funeral ranp' nnlv explore any more. manfully bore up and lesolved to put forth every ounce of strength to save their lives, and the lives of their comrades.

Rev. Erier and those with him had abandoned their wagons at the Furnace creek camp and made preparations to pack as many of their be LOXE ELM NEWS Mr. and Mrs. Harm Ehnen and family, spent Tuesday evening with Mrs. Elsie Ubben and family.

Mr. and Mrs. George Fossenberger were Marysville shoppers one day last week. John and Frieda Wilken of Adams, Nebraska, and Johnny Wilken of Philadelphia where he is employed in the Navy, visited with Mrs. John Hofeling and Mr.

and Mrs. William Downie and other relatives. Mr. and Mrs. George Pollman and family, spent Sunday with Mr.

and Mrs. Egbert Gastman and family. Mr. and Mrs. George Fossenberger entertained company from Franklin.

Mr. and Mr. Reiner Zimmerman and daughter visited at the home of Mr and Mrs Herman Hofeling and son Mr and Mrs Ralph Poppen and and son, Henry Poppen and son's August and Alfred, Harvey Anton's, Racie Saathoff, Ruby Pollman, Marie and Minnie Lieneman, visited at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Mimke Freuhl-ing and family, last Sunday.

Mr. and Mrs. William Schroller, and family, Mr. and Mrs. John Lieneman and family, Mr.

and Mrs. William Downie and Mrs. John Hofo-ling called at the Herman Hofeling home. face, and the minds were sorely perplexed with their awful plight. They Shoulder Their Loads Due north of them 20 miles was what they had called "Martin's Pass" no pass at all.

Some days after Christmas the Jayhawkers with Haynes and Doty bent their weary way over rocks and sand dunes towards this long sought goal and reached the foot of the mountain by night. This camp had nothing but salt water and there was practically nothing to eat for the oxen. They were still on the floor of Death Valley. The cattle stood around and tried to eat some dry brush, but dropped it from their mouths again. They stood listlessly around or lay down and gritted their teeth in dispair.

Panic now grasped the whole group, though thus far calm. The face of the mountain was so redmen could live in Buch an Impoverished land. But the Indians ranged over a large country. They no doubt knew where all the springs of good water were and also planted gardens and corn and these products with the berries in the mountains made a living that at times was very scant. The floor of the valley was generally made up of sharp Tocks, large and small, resembling flint.

The rocka of the mountains look fresh and the colors, yellow, red, blue, brown, green, are keen and idistinct, showing either little rainfall or of recent upheavals. The air is very dry always. During the summer very hot; but in the winter months, temperate. It might be stated here that Governor Blaisdel's party ten years Across Death Valley CHAPTER VIII Christmas In Death Valley A few days before Christmas the vanguard of the Jayhawkers were on the summit of the Amargosa range and looked down into that most forbidding abyss of all the world Death Valley 150 miles long north and south, from one to twenty miles wide and some parts 300 feet below the level of the sea. Lying at the base of the almost perpendicular east slope of 10,000 feet, of the Panamints, made the floor seem all the lower.

And if a barren, bleak, waterless, plantless waste generally, could suggest death most forcibly, this spot certainly did; and all who beheld it, if they did not openly call it the "Valley of Death," they thought it. But no human being but Indians had ever seen it before and it had yet no name. Converging from their separate paths on the Amargosa range, one group after the other came trailing down the mountain slopes and Furnace Creek canon to the warm springs So the next morning hey started south with their wagons. Their path lay along Death Valley floor and along the course of Salt creek. They passed huge blocks of salt some partly covered by the drifting sand.

They were yet along the east side of the valley at the base of the Black mountains. By noon they saw that they must get over to the west side to the high snow covered mountains so as to find water. By this time the Salt creek had formed a marsh or shallow lake, now called Bad Water, of which the liquid was so bitter that one 'mouthful would strangle a person. They drove thrpugh this shallow lake The bottom of the lake was firm and as clear as glass. It was nine or ten miles across the valley.

On the west edge of the valley they found a little water 6,000 feet, and snow seldom is found on the peaks. But during the winter of 1936-37 the summits of the Funeral mountains were covered with snow for several months, a condition that had not existed for E0 years. There was also more rainfall in Deatli Valley that winter than dui'ing any ether winter and there were severai destructive floods. Death Valley is now nted the year around and a railroa and modern highways traverse its whole length and a half dozen good highways lead to it. In 1933 about 2,500 sq.

miles including Death Valley was set apart as a National Monument, in 1937 this was increased by 478 square miles. The U. S. government has spent over a half million dollar on his park. (To be continued) afterwards and later parties who abrupt that no man even afoot cculd longings as could be taken in that way; and by a different route over tne sands they had reached this Jay-hawker camp farther north while these men were yet deeply engrossed with their preparations for flight the next day.

But they were to go north for another camp before starting the ascent to the west. The Martin-Town, group caught up first and then the Briers came to this camp of dispair. The Martin-Town group were first ready to set out on the ascent of the mountains to the west. Jas. Martin gave to Rev.

Brier (who tarried here) all his 20 oxen for he (Martin) thought they had enough dried meat and flour to last them; and without the loose oxen to goad along, they could travel faster. They struck out westward from here to ascend the rugged Panamints to flounder for days in the high north slopes of Telescope Peak. They suffered much from both heat and cold in the varying altitudes. Lack of water, rought roads and fatigue taxed all to the utmost. After spending ten days making visited Death Valley found the wagons left by the Jayhawkers almost in the same condition as when abandoned: climb up, and no canon could be found and all the articles as dishes, silver through which wagons could be taken to the summit.

Searchers were sent out to find a pathway of escape on foot. ware, violins, hardware and clothes Miss Deloris Mohr left Saturday for Wichita, where she attends business college after spending the Christmas holidays with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Fred Mohr. were in good condition.

Some of these Have You Rear! the Classlfied's? At length boulder-strewn gully and fair grass and made camp. This camp was at what is still called "Bennett Wells." The next day they drove southward again and camped. The day was very hot and the sand storms very disagreeable. Here a canon was discovered leading to the west into the mountains. This they followed for about eight miles when they found themselves all at once shut in by al articles -were retrieved and given to was found to the north and west, up which they could go without wagons and drive their oxen loose.

Because most perpendicular walls all around; no wagon could get out that way. Although no water and no grass here, they camped for the night. The next morning they turned back and re these preparations the Jayhawkers iite ear does start traced those weary eight miles. The road was sandy, rocky and uneven; with Haynes and Doty started the climb, followed by Rev. Brier, who also moved out of Death Valley over this route farther to the north than and since the heat during the day was intense the people and cattle suffered a great deal from thirst.

By night they reached the springs where they had camped two days before. They the exploring party led by Mr. Town found this way of escape from their awful plight, it was afterward called "Town's Pass." This was during the closing days of the year. Reluctantly it had been resolved to abandon the wagons at this camp and all their belongings that they could not carry or pack on the few oxen, were left here. Many valued and highly cherished articles were left here with the wagons.

Here Capt. Doty left his fine -violin. They killed four of the weakest oxen and making fires from the wood of their wagons cooked their meals and dried the meat, and from the hides they made moccasins for themselves and shoes for the oxen for some oxen weie so footsore that unless their feet were protected, they could travel no farther. They also made iron ox shoes from the strap iron on the wagon tongues. But those iron shoes lasted at the mouth of Furnace creek.

It took the Jayhawkers three days and far into the last night to make the descent, so worn out and tired were the people and the oxen. Many of the people were sick yet from the bitter waters of Amargosa creek. First came Capt. Haynes and Capt. Doty and their people and then Rev.

Brier and family and then James Martin and his twenty people. The Bennett-Manly group were a few days behind them. The eleven young men had perhaps reached Death Valley farther to the north a few days earlier. At the mouth of Furnace creek the Jayhawkers found fair water, some grass and willows, and there made camp, for they needed rest and wished to enjoy this little oasis during Christmas day. They killed an ox and divided the meat to those gathered there so that they might have at least one fair meal.

At these springs some water was warm and all took a long deferred bath and also washed some clothes. The Christmas spirit was not wanting nor neglected; in the evening Rev. Brier delivered a sermon suitable to the occasion to the wayfarers gathered there. But in spite of all this there was a look of dispair in every the Martin-Town group. Manly had scouted ahead two days, had been to the last Jayhawker camp had continued back to Bennett Wells and returned to meet Bennett, Arcone where there was good water and grass.

and the others still eight miles up Furnace Creek canon. The Bennett-Manly group made the three days descent and reached the Fanic Strikes Them Also Now their gloom had no bounds. They were afraid to leave this place where water -yet' could be had and Furnace Creek springs about the 28th of December, where they also camped a few days to rest their cattle; here they killed an ox and prepared the meat. But they did not abandon their feed for the cattle until they had found another such place. Although tired out their sleep was so troubled that they awoke next morning as if they all faced certain death.

The men had discussed their fate and wagons yet for they had decided to scarcely acvoss the Panamint desert. drive southward a while over the They also made pack saddles from the wagon boards, halters, pack straps Death Valley floor before they sought plans by which to escape death late and knapsacks from the wagon cov into the night. ers, and canteens out of powder horns. to scale the. mountains to the west.

Manly had advised this. Abandoning Wagons This abandoning of wagons meant That morning the four teamsters of more than we at first realize when we hear that assertion. Most of these Bennett and Arcane who had learned that the wagons had to be abandoned here, announced their decision to strike out at once on foot. They eaet carried a blanket and a little provisions and one had a gun. So after a brief farewell that brought tears, they walked away.

The names of Bennett's two men were, Silas Helmer and S. Abbott. They were four fine young G-L-A-S-S WINDOW AND AUTOMOBILE GLASS CUT AND GLAZED, ANY SIZE HOWELL LUMBER CO. LUMBER AND COAL PHONE 42 men. I have never seen the names of the others.

1 Now there were still twenty people and seven wagons at this camp. The plan already arrived at during the evening's deliberations Was that two of these people should go ahead with ten days' rations, explbre a road, and 9 Announcement! people were well to do. They came with means and they had come to remain in California. They brought all their clothes, bedding and cooking utensils that they might need on the road and in their new homes. They had good tents and the tools they might use the first years.

They brought those things that were dear to them as heirlooms, keepsakes, pictures, books and family records; some musical instruments and firearms all that a strong wagon or two could carry. These too were left behind. When they left their wagons on the desert all these things had to be abandoned except what a person could carry on his back. It is true that some put packs on their oxen, but this was a niggardly pack compared with a wagon load of supplies. Those wagons were their homes; they had their beds in there or in their tents both off the ground and under good cloth covers.

Those who were weak or sick could ride even after the oxen had become poor. But when the wagons had been abandoned nothing but the barest necessities remained with them and all the people had to walk. Only a blanket for their bed at camps, a knife, a cup, a camp-kettle for the entire mess, but no stove, no chairs, no table, no tent, no extra clothes; and still provisions, made a load to carry all day. The abandoning of those wagons was especially distressing to the women the mothers. For example Mrs.

Brier had brought all her best silver tableware along. Several albums of family pictures besides plenty of cloth jj -lOl a A'gtS Your STANDARD OIL DEALER wants you to TRY this new Gasoline for QUICK STARTS AND LONG MILEAGE I wish to announce that Robert Taylor has purchased a half interest in the Standard Service Station lease and in the future the service station will be known as the Weber-Taylor Standard Service Station. We invite the public to try our service. FLOYD WEBER ing for themselves and their three little boys. All this was left at their last camp in Death Valley, taking along only the clothes they wore.

The women and children could no longer properly change their clothing and they came to the end of this awful journey in tatters and rags. Few if any of those 85 people had any more clothes along than they were wearing. Mrs. Bennett, Mrs. should they reach California where food could be obtained, come back at once with provisions and lead the others on foot out to safety.

It was the last, chance. 1 W. L. Manly and John Rogers volunteered to go on this mission. At once an ox was killgjif'the dried meat and a little other provisions packed into knapsacks and ai! fund of.

sixty odd dollars to which atf had contributed; and the next morning these two boys set out up the canon where the wagons had turned back; in 15 days they reached San Gabriel mission and securing horses and provisions, in twelve days returned to the camp in Death Valley. They had an awful journey over those two deserts but, I will spare the reader from reading what these two boys suffered on this outward trip and return. While the Bennett-Manly group awaited the return of Manly and Rogers they made terfts of some of the wagon covers to shade, their oxen from the intense sun and sand storms during the day, and "the people, of course, used tents also. They could hardly move around in the open during the day on account of the sun's heat. Had it not been in the winter season not one of these people could have survived in this dreadful spot.

It was an awful month of inactivity. The Indians might attack them any day. Their two scouts might never return. They might all starve here but for most of them the plan led to their deliverance. It had taken these, people 48 days to 'come from Mount Misery to Death Valley and the new year 1850 Just begun.

Peculiarities Of Death Valley The floor of Death Valley where it approaches the base of the bordering Panamint and Funeral ranges is about at sea level. But from these outer edges toward the middle is a gradual sag of about 50 feet to the mile. So in the center along the main wash the floor reached a depression of 300 feet below sea level. This main wash is made by the Amargosa river that after its great sweep towards the southwest around the Black mountains turns northward and enters the floor of Death Valley at the south end. For countless centuries its infrequent floods have carried rocks, sands and a vast quantity of saline matters throughout the valley's length.

And hence the vast quantities of Bart and other mineral matters deposited there. Salt creek, not so long, comes from the north also on the floor of Death Valley. The vast salt lakes on the floor of the aalley are called Bad Water, Just east of the Bennett Wells. Here the depression is 310 feet below sea level the greatest lake depression on earth. This vast area In Death Valley called Bad Water, Into which the Amargosa and Salt rivers empty covers over 100 square miles.

At this point where these "salt sinks" ars Many Late Model Cars Sales of the new models have brought us many fine used cars that we are selling at bargain prices. All makes and models are included in this sale and they are all good cars. Mir 2ai II whete. MururuAwintuu TO SOUTHERN TEXAS NEWMEXICQ-ARIZQNA Arcone, Mrs. Wade and Mrs.

Brier left enough cloth and clothes on the desert to have lasted their families for years. Most of the men had thrown away their shotguns and rifles. Many a set of mechanical tools was left on the desert. They Buried Gold At one place in the Panamint Desert Thomas Shannon buried $6,000 in gold coins, for he was unable to carry them any further. It is said that he offered any man one-half of this gold if he would help him carry it through; but no one accepted the offer, not even Captain Doty, for he had all he could carry with his rifle and other luggage.

At a camp farther on a Jayhawker was heard to say: "If a stack of gold eagles were piled up before me I would not be tempted to take one. I would not carry them away for they would only weigh me down. AH would not buy me a drink of water where there is none." So little did they now car for the gold, under these trying circumstances gold which they had come so far to mine. EaDoLTODLTIjODa 1936 Chevrolet Coach. 1935 Pontiac Coach.

1933 Pontiac Coupe. 1933 Chevrolet Coupe. 1931 Chrysler Coupe. 21931 Pontiac Sedans. 1937 demonstrator Buick Sedan 1937 Pontiac 4-door Sedan.

1937 Plymouth Coach. 1936 Oldsmobile Coach. 1936 Pontiac 4-door Sedan with trunk. 1936 Pontiac Coach. 10 Other Good Used Cars Thu wHl changed conditions alter For many years, in many ways, we bave been telling the story of this famous Winter Vacation Land where you can play out-of-doors the year 'round.

It is an old story, but each year brings new improvements, faster trains new comforts to make your Santa Fe trip more pleasant. This winter, Santa Fe offers a new high in travel comfort, convenience and variety of service to the famous' Winter Vacation Lands of the tunny, healthful, out-of-doori southwest. There will be matchless winter service to and from San Bernardino for Palm Springs. We will gladly supply you with complete Information about trains, fares, and other details concerning an economical winter trip to the C. II.

ROEHLK, D. F. Si P. A. 50fl Francis Bt.

Jowph, Mo. our view of material things, and even the alms and purposes of life. Too often man's actions at first are motivated by superficial or chimerical considerations. Tho Ilonnott-Manly Group The Bennett-Manly group had Marysville Motor Sales reached the springs at the mouth of 517 Broadway Phone 110 Furnace creek three days after Christmas and camped there to rest little bit. The Indians In the Furnace Creek canon had shot arrows Into three of their oxen.

One of these oxen was killed for fear that he might die. (U situated Death Valley la nearly twenty miles across. Telescope Peak, west of this area, is 11.045 feet high. Too often people get the Idea that.