Wisconsin herald, and Grant County advertiser. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1844-1845, 1845-11-22
miner, commensurate with his talent
and industry.


the Platte river, and lies between Fort
Laramie and Rock Independence,
which is on the sweet Water river. I,
has much the appearance Of gate, by
which the Platte passes through a
ridge composed of white calcareous
sand stone. The length of the pas.
sage is about four hundred yards, with
smooth green prairie on either side.
Through this place, the stream flows
with aquiet current, unbroken by any
rapid, and is about seventy yards
wide between the walls, which rise
lperpcndicularly from the water. To
that on the right bank, which is the
lower, the barometer gave height Of
three hundred and sixty feet.
OF this Spring and gate, Captain r.
says.-.-
Edwards evening reached the cut,
which we named the Hot Spring gate.
hba eRsepS6TiRigS piss, 'feIgfvmg@ II hio 6aa
our descent in the boat;and when we en-
tered it this evening, Mr.. Preuss was
a few hundred feet in advance. Heat
ed with the long march, he came sud-
denly upon fine bold spring gushing
from the rock, about ten feet above the
river. Eager to enjoy the crystal wa
ter, he threw himself down for has,y
draughf, and took a mouthful Of water
almost boiling hot. He snid nothing TO
Benoist, who laid himself down to
drink; but the steam from the water ar.
rested his eagcrness, and he escaped
the hot draught. We had no thermom-
cter to ascertain the temperature, but |
could hold my hand in the water just
long enough to count two seconds
There are eight or ten Of these springs
discharging themselves by streams
large enoughto be called runs. A loud
hollow noise was heard from the rock,
which ! supposed to be produced by
the fall Of the water. The strata inn
mediately where they issue is fine
white and calcareous sand stone, COW
cred with an incrusation Of common
salt" st
The Devils Gate is another singular
view. II is situated on the Sweet Wa
ter river, Just beyond Rock Indedc-
pcndcnce, and where the Sweet Wa
ter cuts through the point Of granite
ridge.
The length of the pass is about three
hundred yards, and the width thirty
five yards. The walls of rock are ver-
teal, and about four hundred feet in
heinht md tho s,raa ~, - il.a .ses.s ;ssal-s
most choked up by masses which have
fallen from above. In the wall, on
the right bank, is dixie Of trap rock,
cutting through fne-grained gray
granite. Near the point of this ridge
crop out some strata of the valley for
nation, consisting Of n grayish mica
ceous sand stone, and fine grained con-
glomcratc, and mari We encamped
eight miles above the DEVILS Cate
There was no timber of any kind on
the river, but good fires were made of
drift wood, aided by the boiS dc cache.
The Hind Riper MoutaiaS.--Thesc
are at an important point. On the
southern edge Of them is the Great
Pass, through which civilization Is 10
advance to people the West to the
shores Of The Pacific. IL is decidedly
the most interesting feature in the
whole report of Capt. Fremont, and a
discovery of vast Importance 10 the
United States. In speaking Of this
pass, he says:--
"The morning Of the 18th was clear
and cold, there being white frost; and
the thermometer, little before sun
rise, standing at 25o 5. Leaving this
encampment, Tour last on the waters
which flow towards the rising sum- we
took our way along the upland, TO-
wards the dividing ridge which sepa-
rates the Atlantic from the Pacific wa
ters, AMI crossed 1t by road some
miles further south than the one we
had followed on our return in lS42.--
We crossed very near the table noun
tain, at the extremity OF the South
Pass, which is near twenty miles in
width, and already trayersed by sever
al different roads. Selecting as well
as could, in the scarcely distinguish
able ascent, what might be considered
the dividing ridge in this remarkable
depression 10 the mountain, took u
barometrical observation, which gave
1890 feet for the elevation above the
Gulf of Mexico.
Plies Peak.-Itis thus described.