Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1841-1853, 1845-07-03
OREGON.

fFrHere is rather a hard story about the road to
Oregon, &c. of course we do not vouch for It's truth.
PASSAGE FROM THE STATES THROUGH TIE Rocky
NouxrAtxs-Tboug several parties have penetrated
into the Oregon territory from the United States
through the gorges and over the towering heights of
the Rocky Mountains, yet 1t may be safely asserted
from the concurrent testimony OF tie traders, traPpers,
and settlers, who have themselves passed these natural
barriers, that the difficulties are SO numerous and
formidable, and the time necessary for the passage so
LONG. that there is no secure expeditions, or commo-
dious track which can be ever used as a highway so
as to afford facilities for an influx OF emigranis over
land. Several routes have been tried of late, and
each differs only from the other in the p~rvatlons
which the passengers undergo None but the wild
and fearless free trappers can Chamber over these pre-
cipices and tread these deserts with security, ana
even these are quitting them as haunts, and now using
them only as unavoidable tracks Ii Is true there
have been published more favorable accounts, within
the last year or two, by parties who have made the
Journey safely, and who encourage others TO make a
similar experiment. But these accounts are IN such
a spirit of brarddo, and accompanied with expressions
of thankfulness by the parties for their own success,
that they are indirect proofs OF the difficulty and
danger of the undertaking., and of the utter hopeless
ness of such a route fer general purposes. For hun
dreds Of miles the several tracks present nothing but
frightful barrenness underfoot, and overhead Scorching
heat or piercing cold. The country, even west OF the
Rocky Mountains, is broken with towering cliffs, deep
r3vlneS, and SunSen streams, from which the traveller
cannot draw a drop to allay his burning thirst; and
the soil is either sandy, in which he sinks at every
step, or of a black, rugged stone, which tears his feet.
The travellers have been obliged to feed on the lean
carcases of their animals, which have died from hun
ger, thirst. or fatigue. Farnham says, that his party
were at last Obliged to kill their universal favorite
and pet-their dog, and economise bis flesh. lie
further says, that during eight days Journey, and he
had proceeded with the expedition of one travelling
for life, he had not met with a single acre Of land
capable of grain or vegetables. Another American
traveller, Townsend, says, "Our only food was dried,
c~rumbling neat which we carried and ehewed like
biscuits as we travelled. There are two reasons by
which the extreme thirst the w~ayfarer suffers IN these
regions may be accounted for; first, the intense heat
of the sun upon the open and exposed plains and,
secondly, the desiccatiOn TO which every thing here is
subject. The air feels like the breath of a slrocco,
the tongue becomes parched and horny, and the eyes,
mouth, and nose are necessarily assaled by the fine,
pu~lverized lava which rises from the ground with the
least breath of air. Bullets, pebbles of chalcedony,
and pieces of smooth obsidian were in acquisitions,
and almost every man was m%umbling some OF these
substances in an endeavor to assuage his burning
thirst. The lead bullets and the other substances
which they chewed were for the purpose of producing
spittle, which they swallow to prevent Inflammation
and death.-Duan's History@ Oregon Territory.