Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1845-09-13
NArIONAI. INTELLIGENCER.
CAPTAIN FREMoNTs SECOND EXPLORING
ts. acknowledgements,

u
patience, or exhausting their curiosity, by con-
tinued recurrence this truly national production
and it is indeed one Of which any people might be
proud-yet we do not wish to trespass too much
upon the pleasure which win be experienced from
the regular perusal of the work by the detachng Of
passages, however interesting they may be, from
the connected narrative. We shall, therefore, now
bring our notice of these important expeditions to
close. We left the party at the Utah Lake. The
narrative thus continues
. In arriving at the Utah lake. had completed an i'm
ense circuit of twelve degrees diameter north and SOUTH and
ten degrees east and and found ourselves in May 1914
on the same sheet Of water which had LETT IN September
lS43. The Utah southern limb of the Great Salt lake
and thus had that remarkable sheet OF water both al
its northern and southern extremity and were able to nix It's
position at these points The circuit which we had made
and which had cost US eight months of e and 500 miles
of travelling had given Of Oregon and Of North Cali
forna from the Rocky Mountains To the Pacific ocean, and OF
the principal which form bays habors the
Of that sea- Having completed this circuit and being
about the back upon the Pacific slope Of
tnent and to the Rocky Mountains is natural to
look back upon ooeps and take brief view of the
leading features and general structure OF the had
trayersed These peculiar and striking and differ essen
tally from the Atlantic side Of country The mountains
all higher numerous, and distinctly defined
their and directions and what contrary the
natural order OF such formations of these ranges which
is the coast he Sierra Nevada and the Coast Range
presents higher elevations and peaks than which
be found in the Rocky Mountains themselves In our eight
months circuit we were out Of sight of and the
Sierra Nevada where crossed near higher
than the South Pass in the Rocky Mountains. In height
these mountains greatly exceeded those Of the Atlantic side
constantly presenting peaks which enter the region of eternal
snow and some OF them volcanic and frequent state OF
activity They at great distances, and guide the
traveller in his
The and elevation of these ranges give direction
to the rivers and character the No great does
take its rise below the Cascade and Sierra Nevada
range the distance to the too short to admit o The
rivers OF the San Francisco bay which the largest after
having their about line with the Dales OF the Co
lumba and running each valley its between Coast
range and the Cascade and Sierra Nevada The Column
ba is the only which the whole breadth Of the
country breaking through all the and entering the
Drawing its waters from section OF ten degrees OF lati
tude in the Rocky Mountains which collected into
by three forks (Lewss, Cas, and the North
fork the centre of the Oregon valley this great
thence proceeds by single channel the sea- while its three
forks lead each pass the mountains which opens the
way into the interior of the continent This fact relation
the rivers of this region gives immense value the
Columbia Its mouth is the only inlet and and from
the its three forks lead the passes in the
IT therefore the only line Of communication between the
Pacific and the interior Of North America and all operations
OF Of national social intercourse be
conducted upon T. This gives value beyond estimation
and would involve ireparable injury if lost In this unity
and concentration of its waters the Pacific side of
nent differs entirely from the Atlantic side where the
Of the Allegheny mountains dispersed into many rivers
having their different the sea- opening
lines Of communication with.the interior"
The Pacific coast equally different from that Of the Allan
tic The coast of the Atlantic low and open, indented
with bays sounds and estuares, accessible
every where and opening by many channels the heart OF
the country The Pacific coast the contrary, high and
compact with few bays and but that opens the heart
OF the country The Immediate what the call
iron bound little within, it is skrted by
ranges OF mountains standing amparts between the
and the interior country and get through which there
but gate and that and easily defended This
structure of the coast backed by these ranges of
tans with its concentration and unity of waters gives the
country an immense military strength, and will probably
der Oregon the most impregnabe country in the world.
Differing much from the Atlantic side Of our continent
in coast mountains and rivers the Pacic side differs from
in another most and singular eaturetha of the Great
interior Basin, Of which have often spoken and the whole
form and character Of which anxious Its
existence vouched for by such Of the traders and
hunters have knowledge Of region structure
ii the Sea Nevada Of mountains requires to be there
and my own observations confirm It, Mr.. Joseph Walker
who well acquainted those parts informed me that
from the Great Salt lake there Of lakes
and rivers which have outlet to the any connexon
with the Columbia with the Colorado Of the Gulf of Cali
foa He described of these lakes being large with
numerous streams and considerable rivers falling
them In fact all concur in the general report these interior
sand lakes and for force and
power evaporation which soon establishes an equilibrium
between the loss and supply waters of whpoos
subteraneous outlets has gained belief the only imaginable
way Of carrying off the waters which have visible discharge
The structure OF the country would require this formation
interior lakes for the waters which would collect between the
Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada not being able
this formidable barrier get Columbia or the
Colorado, must naturally collect into reservoirs each which
would have its little system of and supply IT,
This would be the natural effect and what saw went TO
confirm IT, The Great Salt lake formation Of this kind
and quite large and having streams and one
Considerable four five hundred miles long, falling into
it, This lake and river and examined yself and also
the Wahsatch and Bear River mountains which enclose
the Of the lake the and constitute in that QUAR-
the rim of the Great Basin Afterwards along the east
base OF the Sierra Nevada where travelled for forty
two days, the line Of lakes and rivers which lie at the
foot Of that Sierra and which Sierra the rim Of the
Basin. In going down Lewss fork and the main Columbia
crossed only inferior streams coming in from the left such
could draw their water from short distance only and
often the mountains their heads white with snow
which all accounts sad divided she of the desert from
those OF the Columbia and which could be other than the
range of mountains which form the Basin on its
northern side And in returning from California along the
Spanish trail far the head of the Santa Clam fork of the
Rio Vgen, crossed only small making their way
south to the Colorado lost sand-as the Mo-hah-ve
while TO the left lofty mountains their submits white with
snow, often visible, and which must have turned water
TO the north well the SOUTH thus constituted on
this part the southern rim Of the Basin AT the head of the
Santa Clara fork and in the Vegas Santa Clara we
ed the ridge which parted the systems Of waters We
entered the BASIN at that point and have travelled
since, having its southeastern (the Wahsatch mounain
on the right and crossing the which flow down
IT, The existence of the Basin therefore an established
TACT IN mind and vet to he better
ascertained cannot he less than four or five hundred
miles each way, and must lie principally the Aha California
the demarcaton latitude OF 42o probably cutting segment
rom he norm part OF the rim OF its interior but little
known. II Is called desert, and from what saw Of it,
euy may be It's prominent but where there
IL 20 much water, there oss The great river
and the great lake ro,aI