Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1849-04-20
TVE RICHMOND ENQUIRER.

| SNOW ueepenlnB as We dTose, dbu III ioa' -
days of this struggling and climbing, all on 1901
we reached the naked ridges which he ABOVE
| the line of the tiubered region, and which form
the dividing heights between the waters OF 'n'
Atlantic and Pacific oceans Along these naked
heights it storms all Winter, and the raging
winds sweep across them with remorseess fury
On our first attempt to cross we encountered {
pouderie-(dry snow driven thick through thu
air by violent wind, and in which objects art
visible only at a short dis!ance)- land were
driven back, having some len or twelve mon va
riously frozen-face, hands or feet. The guide
came near being frozen 10 death here, and deae
mules were already lying about the camp hres
Meantime il showed steadily. The next day
December we renewed The attempt to scale
| the summit, and were more fortunate, as il then
seemed. Making maus, and beating down q
road or trench through the deep snow, we
forced the ascent in defiance OF the driving
po,de,i e, crossed the crest, descended little,
and encamped Immediately below in the edge oil
the ,imbered region. The trail showed as if 9
defeated party had passed by-Packs, pack sad.
dies, scattered articles OF clothing, and dead
mules strewed along. We were encamped about
/ - 600 feet above the level Of the sea. West
ward the country was buried IN snow. The
storm continued. All movement was paralyzed
To advance with The expedition was impossible
to go back impossible. Our fate sood reveal
ed. we were overtaken BY sudden and inevl-
table ruin The poor animals were to 80 brst.
The only places where grass could DC had were
| tue extreme SUBMITS of the Sierra, where the
sweeping winds kept The rocky ground bare and
where The men could not live. Below, in the
tmbered REGION the poor animals could not get
about, the snow being deep enough 10 bury
them alive. Ii was instantly apparent that We
should lose every one. took my resolution
Immediately, and determined TO recross the
mountain back to the valley Of the Rio del
Nore, dragging or packing the baggage by
men. With grea, labor the baggage vas trans
ported across the crest to The head springs If a
little stream leading 10 the main river A few
days were sufficient TO destroy that fine band Of
mules which you saw me purchase last Fall on
the frontier OF Missouri They generally kept
huddled together, aud, as they froze, one would
be seen TO tumble down, and disappear under
the driving snow Sometimes they would break
off, and rush down towards The timber, still
stopped BY tie deep snow, where they we're
soon hidden BY the ppuderis. The courage OF
some Of the men began 10 fail.
ain this situation | determined 10 send in a
parry TO The Spanish settlements Of New Me1i-
Il
| baggage. With economy, and alter We should
leave the II. ules, We had not two weeks pTOvls-
ions in he camp AM these consisted of a reserve
oi macaroni, bacon, sugar, &C., intended Tor The
| last extremity. Il was indispensable 10 send tor
| relief. | asked Tor volunteers iur The service
| From the many that offered chose King Brack
| cHritge CIeutZeld and the gu Williams;
ami placed lhe pauy under the command OF King,
WIN directions 10 seal ne an express in case ot
| The least delay nj The settlements Ii was the
1 day after Christians mat mis- lille parry sci out
Tor reie That day, ike many Christmas days
ios years pas, was spent by me on he siie of
he winlry mountain, my heat filled with aux.
iuu> thoughts and auomy ioleb iinss You
! mas be- sure we CnElfdsieL il with the Christmas
| oil home, and made warm wishes tor your hap
piness Could you have looked into Asrirpa's
glass for lew months oniy You remember Inc
! volumes II Blacksonr's Commentaries which |
| took from your fathers library when We were
overlooking il al our TREAD Bfants They made
my Christmas 'amusemenB." | read them 10
| pass The time, and Ia xii! the Consciousness oil
my situation. Certainly you may suppose that
my first law lessons will be well remembered.
'Thc party for relief being gone, we Of he
camp occupied ourselves in REMOVE g The bag
! gage and eQuipaee down the side OF The noun
tain 10 the river in the valley, which We accom-
| plished II lev days. Now came on The tsd,nm
| OF waiting for the return Of The relief parry. Day
| alter day passed, and no news from them. snow
| tell almost necessarily in the mountains. The
| spirits OF the camp grew lower. Lite was losing
lis charm 10 ;hcsc who had mol reasons beyond
themselves 10 i,ye. Proue laid down in the Trail
| and iroze 10 death. In sunshine day, and hav-
| ing with him the means 10 make IRE, he threw
| his ba nket down on The trail, laid down upon II,
| and laid there ull he iro1e 10 death! We were
| not hen with him.
| Sixteen days passed away, and no tidingS
| from The party sen, 70! relief. became oppress
| ed with anxiety, weary OF delay, and determined
10 go myself, both in search OF the absent parry
and in search OF relief in The Mexican settle
| men,s. | was aware that our troops IN New
| Mexico had been engaged in hostilitieS with he
| Spanish U,ahs, and with The Apaches, who
| range in the valley uf the RIO del NOrtc and the
mountains where we were and became fearful
thai they King and his pauyl had been cut OF
by these IniianS. could imagine no other &C.
cident 10 them Leaving The camp employed
with The baggage, under the command OF Vincen-
haer with njuncions 10 follow me ~ three
days, Sc If Gown The river with a small party
consisting OF Cooley, his young nephew, PIeuss,
and Saunders, [colored servant. We carried
our aims and provisions Tor Two OF three days
Ia The camp (leit unue! the command OF Vincen-
| thalrfl the messes only had provisions ior lew
| meals, and supply of i've pouniS OF sugar 10
| each man, II | Jailed 10 meet King my inien.
ion was 10 make tn MEXICAN sc dement, On The
Colorado, liulc afluenl OF The no del N@ts,
about hall uegree above Taos, iyou will see ii
on my rnap,l and thence send back the speediest
relief possible to the party under Vincehthaler.
"On the second day after leaving the camp
we came upon fresh trail of indlans-two
| lodges with a considerable numbsr of animals
| This did not lessen our uneaslness for our long
absent people. The Indian trail, where we fell
upon il, turned and went down the river, and
! we followed it, On the 5lh day CATER leaving
the camp we surprised at Indian on the ice OF the
river. He proved TO be Utah. sun OF Grand
River chief whom we had formerly known, and
he behaved to US in fricnily manner We
enc 4mped near them al night. BY present OF
rife, my two blankets, AMI other promised re-
wards when we should gel in prevailed on this
Ind an TO 20 with Us as guide to the Little Rio
Colorado settlement, and 10 take with him four
Of his horses to carry our little baggage The
horses were mi.crabIy poor, and could Only get
long al slow walk. On the next day (the
sixth of our progress) we left the intlan lodges
late, and travelled only some SIX or seven miles.
About sunset we discovered little smoke, ~
grove Of timber, of from the river, aud, think
ing perhaps il might be our express party King
and his men) on their return, we went to see
This was the twenty sccond day since tina, par
ty had left us, and the sixth since we had
left the camp under vlncen,haler. We
found them, three of them: Creutzfeldt, Brack
enbrdge. and Wiiliams-thc most miserable OBJ
ccts had ever beheld. | Jid not recognise
Creulzfeldt's features, when Breckenridge
brough, him up and told me his name They
had BEEN starving King hal starved to death
a few days before His remains were some six
or eight miles above, near The river. By aid
Of tt" Indian horses we carried these three with
Us, down the valley TO the PucbIa, on the Little
Colorado, which we reached the fourth day
afterwards, (he tenth after leaving the camp
on The mountans,) having travelled through
snow, and on foot, one hundred and sixty miles.
Il lood upon the feeling which induced me 70
Sc, on. rom he camp as an inspiration. Had
IL -.