DEATH VALLEY. A desert valley in Ingo County, Cal., lying between the Panamint Range on the west and the Funeral. Amargosa, and grapevine ranges on the east (Map: Cali fornia. E 3). The Panamint range rises to a maximal!) altitude of 10.037 feet in Telescope Peak, while the eastern ranges have altitudes of between 7000 and S000 feet. of the valley is below sea-level, the lowest point being 480 feet below -en. The valley has a length, including the northwest arm, sometimes known as :Mes quite Valley, of 135 miles. It varies greatly in breadth, being in few places less than 10 miles wide. and in some places having twice that loeadth. while the distance from summit to summit of the bordering ranges is In to 30 miles. There are several places where ordinarily drinkable water van he in the valley, among them Saratoga Springs in the southeast ern part. Bennett Wells on the west side, and a point near the mouth of Furnace Creek at the north end of the Funeral range.
!--.everal watercourse s enter the valley, among them the Amargosa River from the south and Furnace Creek from the east, but it is only after heavy rains. which Are of very rare occurrence. that they contain any water. The valley formerly the bed of a salt lake, along the east side. There is a white salt deposit, with borax appearing in several places. in the western part a salt marsh still exists.
The salty bottom of the valley is destitute of vegetation. hut on the west side is bordered by
mesquite; the east and west slopes possess a sparse vegetation of cacti and desert shrubs and grasses. A growth of tall coarse grass is found in the salt marsh in the northern section. Ani mal life is confined to a few species of desert animals. chiefly reptilia, such as snakes, lizards, and horned toads; but flocks of blackbirds have been seen there. The meteorological eonditions are very interesting. and during one summer the United States Weather Bureau instituted special observations here. The temperatures in the valley during the summer are excessive, a maxi mum of 122° F. in the shade having been ob served on successive days. The air is very dry and dew never forms, the relative humidity averaging Ind• ;limit 23 per cent. During Live summer months not quite an inch and a half of rainfall occurred, and on only nine days was the rainfall sufficient to permit its amount to be measured. The summer rains are of local character. It is probable that four or five inches of rainfall occur during the year. The prevailing wind is from the smith in summer time; the average wind velocity for the season is about 10 miles per hour, which is high for that locality. Sand-storms and AN hirlw inds occur with considerable frequency.