The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1845-08-09


Fremont states this determination, and his
for it, which we give in his own worlds
"Ihe camp now occupied Ia making the necessary
preparations for our homewsrd Journey which, though
home ward contemplated route, and great circuit
the south and southeast and the exploration OF the Great
Basin between the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nepada
Three principal objects were indicated by report by
maps being this route the character or existence
which wished to ascertain and which assumed as land
marks or leading points on the projected line Of The
first OF these points the Klamath lake on the tableand
between the head of Fall river which comes to the Com.
BIN aud the sacramento which goes tue bay Fran.
CISCO aud from which lake of the same name makes
It's way westwardy direct to the This lake
are often called k'aae but have chosen It's
according 10 tho indian pronunciation The position of this
lake on the line OF inland communication between Oregon
and Csllona, Its proximity to the demsrcaon boundary
Oh latitude ~ degrees its imputed double character Of lake
OF meadow according 10 the season OF the year and the
hostile and waike character the Indians about
y all made i desirable object and examine From
this lake our intended be about southeast
exported lake called Marys at some days journey in The
Great basin and thence still southeast 10 the reputed
Buehdreniurd river which has had place in many
maps and connenaneed the belief of the existence OF
great RIVER Moving from the Rocky mountains TO the bay Of
san fancisco From the BueDayentur the next point
intended 70 be in that section OF the Rocky mountains which
includes the heads OF Arkansas iger and OF the opposite
ra'eia o. the California ga and thence down the Aran
ss 10 bents oIt and home This projected line Of
reuTna great part Of il absolutely new 70 geographical
botanical ard geological science aud the Of reports
IN relation TO lakes rivers deserts and sayages hardly
above the condition OF mere wild animals which inanod
desire TO know what this terra ineogra really contained
was serious enterprise at the OF winter
y consisting only twenty-five persons and they Of many
natlons-American French, German. Canadian indian and
eoiored and most Of them young setefal being under
twenty.cne Of age All knew that strange country
was TO be explored apA dangers and harhps be
tered but no one hlenched at the prospect on TIE con-
trny courage aud confidence animated the whole party
CheeTnness readiness suhoTdnaton, prompt obedience
characterized all nordd any extremity of peril and pIiva
ton, 20 which afterwards exposed belle or
derogae om the fine spirit Of this brave and generous
commencement The course of the narrative will show at
what point and for what reasons prevented from
the complete execution Of this PLAN after having made
siderable progress upon IT, and how forced by ds
artt
south aud near 10 the Pacific and along the
base OF the Sierra Nevada where indeed and am.
pie field OF exploration opened itself before For the
present; follow the narrative which will first lend
south along the valley of FAN river and e eastern base
Of the Cascade Range TO the Klamath lake from which
its margin three go in three directions west to
The ocean, another NORTH to the Coumbia thehird south
to California
From this time until trecrossed the Rocky Noun
tans, IN the month of June, in the following year,
the expedition became of novelty, boldness per-
severance, peril and suffering, seldom paralleed in
the annals OF adventure, and never surpassed by
anything. that we have read. Everything is new
and strange, both of people and Of countries. The
Klamath lake, and its inhabitants--the descent into
the Great Basinthe progress along its RIM i. e. the
Sierra .Ntuada on the rght-lakes and deserts on the
left-lhdians who had never seen white people, and
who fled, filling the country with the barbarian sig
nal Of alarm, columns of smoke from hills and
notwithstanding tic Sierra .NcpddG--arrival at
.Niera Heirrtia (Suucrs settemenD and the beauii-
with Christian Indians from the Jesuit missions
crossing the Great Desert on the confines of the
Lower Cafornia--its Arab inhabitants employed in
robbery and murder-meeting the warlike Uiahs
lying in wait for the great California caravan-com-
bats between the Uiahs and .4apaLoes in the South
Pass of the Rocky Mountains urged to Join each
party, and forced to fortfy against cach such wers
the leading events of an enterprise which consumed
eight months of time, and some four thousand miles
OF travelling, and which traversed regions of which
no account had ever before been published. In
this long line of bold and successful adventure
where every movement was attended by some new
and strange interest," the crossing Of the Great Ser
RI Nevada must stand pre-emnent for thehardihood
OF It's conception, It's successful execution, and the
perils and suerngs it imposed. 1t was the 3Oh Of
january, and after having been nearly three months
out from the Columbia, struggling in snow and ice
men suffering for food, and horses furnishing for
grass, that Capt. Fremont became satisfied that any
further progress towards the United States was i'm
possible, and that any further attempts to proceed
eastwardy must be attended by the probable de-
struclion of the party. To change his course, and
reach some Californian settlement, became the i'm
perious alternative. Correct instruments and as
observations informed him that he was
in the latitude of the bay of San Francisco, and that
at one degree west, the Nuera Htipefia of the
Swiss emigrant, Capt, Suffer. But that degree
the lofty ridge Of The Sierra called Sno,cy
.Neraaa) because eternal SHOWS rest upon its sum
this mountain, in opposition to all the circumstances
of the Indians, now become tame and familiar from
the kind treatment they had received, and who !
pointed to the skies to show the height of the noun
tains, and to the trees TO show The depth of the |
SHOWS and indicated great chasms and gorges into
which themselves and horses would slip and fall, |
1t was all in vain.
The attempted passage was resolved upon; the
captain and his men (by whom he was bravely sup
ported trusting 10 the resources and the energies
OF the white race, to conquer difficulties Insuperable
to others. They did it, but at an immense cost |
Above thirty horses and mules persisted: several
men became deIirious, and remained for days de-
ranged: horses, mules, dogs, acorns pine-nuts,
were eaten: an elevation of nine thousand feet was
conquered: SHOWS of twenty feet passed: and
all without guide, no reward being sufficient to
hold any of the Indians to their engagement when
they approached the flownng Sierra its sides black
with walls of volcanic rockets SUBMITS white
with everlasting snow. All deserted, andleft Amer
lean enterprise to work its way alone to what as it
seemed to them, was inevitable destruction. After
twenty days eXcrtion, the summit reached, and
a view had into the far-6elow valley of the Sacra-
mento; but the descent was yet to be made, and
though less laborous, was as intimaed by the In
dams, more perous than the ascent Ii was, in
deed, case, as the report says, IN which the de-
scent was not easy; and, in fact the heaviest losses
and greatest suilerlngs sustained in this getting
down from n mountain of volcanic impression, in |
the chasms filled with snow--and the gorges roar
ing with plunging cataracts 1t was not until the
9Th of March--forty days after these modern Tians
had commenced climbing the formidable Sierra on
the east-that they cleared its western base, and
emerged upon the astonshed vision of the raqueros
Of the Sacramento to whom they looked more like
spectres than living men. 1t was from this point,
and by way Of Monterey and the Pacific ocean, that
the expedition heard of, for the only time from
leaving the Columbia in November in lS43 until il
reached the frontiers OF Missouri in August, 1874
and certainly it may be said that more bold and
perous crossing Of an unknown mountain, in an
unknown country, three thousand miles from their
own homes, was never accomplished by such a
handful OF men, led by young lieutenant
Capt Fremont decs not indulge in theories and
specuations. His report is daily narrative of,
facts, uncolored by opinions; but before leaving the
western slope of our continent and when approecl-
ing the base of the Rocky Mountains, he very natu-
rally took retrospective view of the general form
and face Of the country which he had been ira
cling his devious way for eight long and eyen,ful
months. This is briefly and graphically done, at