PINK LAKE.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 984, 2 March 1910, Page 3

PINK LAKE.

STRANGE DISCOVERIES IN EAST AFRICA. Further details are to hand of the journey just concluded by Mr Shelford, the engineer, in connection with the projected railway from the Uganda Railway to Lake Magadi. This wonderful lake, which is only reached after a long and difficult journey over uninhabited and waterless country, is described as follows by Mr Shelford: "Lake Magadi is picturesquely situated amid weird surroundings at the bottom of a valley 3,000 ft deep. On one side are mountains 6,000 ft above sea level and on another a range having an altitude of B,oooft. There is no sign of human life, but on and about the lake are immense n|imbers of flamingos. From the surroundings the lake, which is ten miles long by two to three miles in breadth, looks like an ordinary sheet of water of somewhat reddish hue. On reaching the shores, however, we that the water was only a few inches deep and covered a hard surface looking like pink marble. "This is an immense deposit of soda, which was bored and found to extend to a considerable depth, thus indicating an area of at least twenty square miles of solid soda." Daring the expedition Mr Shelford discovered a,nd ascended a newt: mountain peak near Lake Magadi which is unmarked on any map. It rose 2,5001t above the plain and was very difficult of ascent owing to the looae rocks. From the top, where Mr Shelford left records in a bottle, he obtained a magnificent view extending right into German East Africa and the Rift Valley.