Show I Suicide Gulch Death Secret Solved d by bpi Scientists W WASHINGTON ASHI Dec 2 uP- uP Federal scientists today discovered discovered discovered ered the secret of Suicide gulch where death lurks in the earth it itself itself itself it- it self and every blade of grass is poison where the flowers themselves themselves themselves them them- selves sm smell ll like rotten eggs and very every whiff of dust is a witch's brew The valley in which Mother Nature Nature Na Na- ture by some queer quirk of geology geol geol- geology I ogy has turned murderess is located southwest of Pueblo Colo Coo in the St. St Isabel national A forest Its walls erod eroded d yellow and red and purple from the winds of the centuries and its floor covered covered covered cov cov- ered by such semi desert plants as s milk vetch woody aster and 1 Suicide gulch covers covers covers cov cov- ers deadly acres In 1931 a weary herder halted sheep in Suicide gulch and bedded down for the night At sunup the next day sheep were dead Only three of the animals were alive and even they were glassy-eyed glassy staggering as if they E. E had drunk some potion No one knew why this one particular particular par par- spot should be fatal to the flocks John T. T Miller of the soil survey survey division of the bureau of chemistry and soils department of agriculture became interested He sent samples of earth and weeds to the laboratories here Chemists found that f for r every million parts of soil in the samples sam sam- plea pIes there were five parts parts' of se selenium the poisonous nonmetal nonmetal- lie lic element which conducts electricity electricity electricity elec elec- which burns with a blue lue flame and whose mysterious properties have not yet been fully investigated d by science The plants which grew in this soil seemed to have drawn the poison in concentrated ted form into their veins so that the milk vetch had parts of ot selenium per million the and the woody aster 1750 O When a plant has even 10 parts of seeni selenium per million the agri agri- culture department said it is dangerous dangerous dan dan- to The weeds ds dan I of Suicide gulch were lethal poisons |