Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1849-04-27
From tie Springfield RePu6liean
Col. Fremont and his Party.

amount Of suffering, to which history furnish
cs few parallels The scenes through wheh
these men passed. when rightly put together
and fully drawn out, will make tale TO
which Imagination, with all It's dreams oil the
wonderful and the horrible, can offer no RI
val.
No apology will be necessary for our occupy
ing large space in reproducing the accounts
given in the lntelligcncer We first give that
papers explanation Of the country which was
the theatre Of Col. Fremont's plans and their
disastrous fsilure'
1t is known that the great Rocky Mountain
chain, with general direction north and south,
sends out branch toward the southeast from
between the heads of the Arkansas and the Rio
del Nortc and this branch forms the dividing
between the upper valleys Of these two MYERS,
and between the head waters OF the Red River
and the Del Norte and having accomplished
these purpdses il subsidies and disappears in the
plains of Texas. The highest part of this branch
chain, and the governing objects in il to travel
ors, are the Spanish Peaks, first made known to
American geography BY the then young Lieut.
Pike. These Peaks are about in north latitude
81 1-2 deg; and west longitude from London
1906 deg and about on a line longitudlnally with
the Puebos Of the Upper Arkansas, distant from
them half degree and in sight. They are
seen at great distance, and are guiding objects
to travellers. The road to Santa he passes Do
low these Peaks and crosses the chain about two
degrees south Colonel Fremont passed above
them and entered the valley Of the Del Norie
high no above the Mexican settlements, aud
above Pixies stockade, and intended to follow
the Del Norie to It's head aud cross the great
Rocky Mountain chain through some pass there
TO be found. He was therefore, so to speak, go
ing into the forks Of the mountain-into the
gorge Of two mountans-and at great elevation
shown by the fact OF the great rivers which IS
sue from the opposite sides Of the Rocky Noun
tains at that part-the Arkansas and Del Norie
on the east, the Grand River fork Of The Colo
RADIO Of the Gulf of California on the west. 1t
was at this point-the head OF tbs Del Norte-
where no traveller had ever gone before, that
Col Fremont intended to pass, to survey his last
line across the continent, complete his knowl-
edge of the country between the Mississippi
and the Pacific. and crown tho lahors Of long
explorations by showing the country between
the great river and the great sea 10 be inhabita-
Die by a civilized people, and practicable for
great road, and that on several lines, and which
was the best. He had been seven years engaged
in this great labor, aud wished to complete it,
l, was the beginning of December thai he cross
ed the chain from the Arkansas valley into the
valley of the Del Norie and although late, with
the full belief Of the old hunters and traders At
Pueblos, the guide inclusive whom he there en-
gagged, that he would 20 through. lie was pro-
vided with everything to carry the men to Cali
fornia, and with grain TO carry all the animals
across all the mountains into thc valleys Of the
tributaries Of the Great Colorado Of the West,
where the SHOWS would be light, wood and grass
sufficient, game abundant and the hardshps Of
the expedition all surmounted and left behind.
In two weeks he expected to be in these mild
valleys. Unhappily, the guide consumed these
two weeks in getting to the head of the Del
Norte-a distance which only required four or
five days of travel, as Col Fremont showed in
coming back. This was the cause of the first
calamiiy-he loss Of horses aud nudes. The
same guide consumed twenty-five DAYS, when
sent with the party for relief, in making the dis
lance which Col Fremont, (4,ith Cooley, Pcrusc
and seryant) without guide, on foot, in cold
er weather, deeper SHOWS, and half furnished,
made in six. That was the cause of the sec
ond and irreparable calamity-Me dsoh Of The
men.
The immediate scene Of suffering in this great
disaster, where the ascent Of the great mountain
was forced and ts summit sealed must have been
about north latitude 80 l-2 and west longitude
from London l07, the elevation aboyu Twelve
thousand feet, and the time that OF dead winter
Christmas From this point the noted objects,
Pixies Peak aud the Three Peaks, would bear
about Z. NJ E. and the Spanish Peaks about
E. S. E.
The following is an extract from the first let
ter of Col Fremont, These letters were ad-
dressed to Mrs F., but she having already start
ed for California by way of the isthmus, they
were opened by her father, Senator Benton.l
The 18th Of December we found ourselve. at
the mouth Of the Rio del Norte canon, where
that river issues from the Sierre San Juan--one
OF the highest, most rugged, and impracticable
OF all the Rocky Mountain ranges, inaccessible
TO trappers and hunters, even in Summer
Across the point Of this elevated range our
guide conducted U.S. and, having still great con-
hdence IN this mans knowledge, we pressed on
ward with fatal resolution. Even along the riv-
er bottoms the snow was already breast deep for
the mules, and falling frequently in the valley
and almost constantly OH the mountains. The
cold was extraordinary. AT the warmest hours
OF the day (between one and two) the thermom-
eter (Fahrcnheit) stood, in the shade Of tree
trunk, at zero; and that was favorable day,
the sun shining and moderate breeze. Judge
oil the nights and the storms
We pressed up toward the summit, the snow
deepening as we rose, and in four or five days
OF this struggling and climbing, all on foot, we
reached the naked ridges which lie above the
line Of the tmbered region, and which form The
dividing nights between the waters of the Allan
&c anil Pacific oceans Along these naked
nights it storms all Winter, and the raging wind
sweep across them with remorseless fury. Or
our irst attempt TO cross we encountered a pou
derie-(dry snow driven thick through the All
by violent wind, and in which objects are visible
only at short dis,anee)-and were driven back
having some ten or twelve men variously frozei
face, hands, or feet The guide came near be
ing frozen to death here, and dead mules wer
already lying about the camp fires. Meantime
1t showed steadily.
The next day we renewed the attempt to seal
the summit, and we're more fortunate, as it the
seemed. Making mauls, and beating down
road, or trench, through the deep snow, we force
the ascent in defiance Of the driving pOuderi,
crossed the crest descended little, and encamE
cd Immediately below in the edge Of the tin
bered region. The trail showed as If defea
ed party had passed by-packs, pack saddle
scattered articles of clothing, and mules slrewe
along We were encamped about twelve thol
sand feet above the level of the sea- Westwar
the country was buried in snow. Tho storI
continued. Al movement was naralvzed Il