A Brig In The Desert

' 'One of the queerest and most surprising Rigiits I ever saw in ail my wanderings over the wilds of this country, ' ' Baid E. C. Traver, a well known prospector and civil eugineer, a few days ago, "was a uewly constructed brig lying ou the floor of Death valley. And it is there yet, so that anybody can eee it "When I first saw it, I was almost paralyzed. I could not believe my eyes and thought I must have passed through some mental lapse and was not in Death valley at all. But, after gazing at the strange object a few minutes and then looking around me and seein' the wastes of burning sands and feeliug the hot breath of the desert wind, I knew that everything about me was most realistically real "It was by the merest chance that I ran across the vessel, " said Mr. Traver, "because had I been a few f eet farther south I would never have seen it. You see, I had been working on the eastern side of the valley f or several weeks without success and concluded to go to Mount Darwin, where I would at least be sure of expenses. I was crossing the valley at the northern end, which is quite narrow, but about the lowëst spot on the earth's surface. I am not exactly certain, but I think that where the vessel is it is about 200 f eet below sea level. "After the first surprise had wom off I began to figure out how the craft canie there. That the vessel was a relie of a past age never entered my head for a moment, because it was constructed on perfectly modern lines and the wood had a yellow appearance, indicating that it had not been cut very long. I am something of a sailor myself, and the first glance told me that it was the work of some modern shipbuilder, but that only made the mystery greater. "Going close, I made a careful examination of my strange find. It proved to be a perfect brig of about 400 tons, that had never been in water. Everything about it was of the best style of workmanship and showed plainly that the builder had put forth his best eff orts. The keel was laid flat on the sand and the starboard side placed up against a small reef of rocks. The port side was supported in the usual manner. "Cliinbing outo the deck by a small rope ladder, I found everything shipshape. The decks were as clean and white as a man-of -war's, and every rope was in place. Entering the cabin, I found everything neat and clean and several buuks with bedding ready to sleep in. Such a thing, however, would have been impossible, as the heat was simply unbearable, and I had to go to the door, gasping for breath, before I had completed my investigation. The more I looked the more mystified I became. It was plain the brig had been built where she was, but by whom and for what? ' 'I spent the whole af ternoon climbing over the vessel. I went into the rigging and looked over the surronnding country, but could see no sign of a human being. When night came on, I concluded to camp uear by, but had no sooner got fixed comf ortably when a voice from some where called 'Good evening!' You may be sure I jumped, as my nerves were feeling a little weak through my strange afternoon's experience. ' 'There was no need to be alarmed, thongh, for a good natured looking man, with gray hair and beard, was smiling at me. Of course I at once concluded that he knew something about the brig. I was right, and in a few moments he explained the whole thing to me and also showed to what ends a foolish idea will drive a man. "He said that his nanie was Frederick Evans, that he was a ship builder by trade and on of the California pioneers of '49. He had never made a big strike, but had always kept prospecting, and when the water rose in Saltón lake a few years ago he was at work in the mountains around Death valley. It was then that he got it into his head that the water would eveutually reach that locality, and he was determined to have the first vessel to float in the new sea. "Evans was not a poor man, but had money enough to hire a couple of men to help him lay the keel of the vessel, put in the masts and do the other heavy work. At first the work was pushed rapidly, but when the water commenced to recede Evans took things easily and did all the work himself, because he thought the water would not come again for a year. He has been disappointed every year since, but still thinks that Death valley will become a sea, and he is ready for it. "I was well treated by Evans, " said Mr. Traver in conoluding. ' 'He took me to his abode, which was a deep cave a few feet from the brig, with a delightful temperatura I staid with him two days and found him a well educated man and very interesting, but when I left him his lastwords were, 'When the water rises, I will be ready for it. ' " -