The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1849-04-16
INTELLIGENCE BIZ THE MAILS.
Our Washington Correspondence.

III and f,;lo Rorte-Ihe Santa Fy and Cevtvol
Rout, ofhe SEP. 'er Rarr, through the Great b.
sin-Importaat Dis, ""y Sa,d Ro~te-1As
Northern Route, ria III. Salt Lake and Mary's
Rira- Collector Golfers H. rpeait'o''-Aasa-ds
of the Great Dsset-Pros,'ecf % Starvatsos
among the Emigvunts-General .'K" % '"s WA@'e
Subject.
| And the long caravan .
| Trailing, exhausted. DER the desert pl NiS'
| Under fiery sun, rejecting lakes
| Ofsparkling water on the burning waste,
| Which constantly rccede, or melt away
Into the blazing air
There are several overland routes to the Colder
Valley within the limits of the United States.
l. The route from Corpus Christi, up the Rio
Grande, TO the Paso del Norte thence over to the
Giia rlver, and down the same to the Color, ,dO !;
!nence, IN northwesery direction across FL
Sofhada del Nluertos, (or deadnan's Journey,) To
can Dlego thence up the Pacific coast some ia VI
hundred miles, to the gold region.
| q. The route nom Santa Fe down the X A =
GIande, to FL Paso del Norte, to the ella
8, The route from Santa Fe, up the Rio Grande.l
10 Its head waters thence, across the mountain ma to-
the Sewer river, and up the same across the Great
basin, 10 the Sierra Nevada thence over to the
Laramie; thence, via the South Pass, westward.
ly, to the southern end OF the Great Salt Lake and
| me Mormon settlement, or nOrthwardly, to Fort
Hall, on the Oregon trail, and thence south ardlv
| TO the Salt Lake thence across the Great Basin
to Marys river; thence, westwardy, down said
river TO It's sink In the sands thence tho
Pyramid Lake, at the foot of the Sierra Nevada,
and, by Fremont's Pass, to the Sacramento.
By any OF these routes, the only difficulty to-
travellers, OF any consequence, east of the Rocky
Mountains, Is from the wandering tribes of In;
dams that ntes the Great Plains Here is the buff
1alo range, OF from SIX TO seven hundred miles WIDE
extending westwardly from the United States from
tiers to the base of the Rocky Mountains, and
southwardy from the British possessions to Texas
and New Mexico. The vast herds of buifaloes
and other game which feed upon these plains sub
slst the Pawnees, the Camanches, and other pre-
datory hordes, who are constantly the look om
for unprotected detachments of traders or travel
lers, for purposes Of plumber. The larger the
| caravan, therefore, IN crossing the plans the
greater It's guarantees of safety; and, from tho
| abundance OF grass, the animals of "a company Of
| ten thousand may be well subssted as those Of
! detachment Of twenty men.
After penetrating the Rocky Mountains, the real
difficulties of an overland Journey begin. The
| county assumes the character of confused ISIS
OF volcanic ruins and desert journeys between des-
ttue ridges of ragged mountains The Great
Basin, OF five hundred miles wlde lying between
the Salt Lake and the Sierra Nevada is a II almost
unmltlgated desert. The course OF the ella, south
Of this basin. is through desert; and, indeed the
whole country, from the Columbia Rlverln Oregon,
between the Sierra Nevada along the Pacific, and
the Rocky mountains, from six to eight hundred
miles IN the interior, down to Sonora, In Mexico.
is desert IN It's character generally destitute OF
timber and grass with here and there only river
or lake, with of limited extent at all in
habltable, even by the Digger Indians.
Taking up the several routes indicated in detail,
the journey by the Gala perhaps the most ad-
visible; for, though somewhat circutous 1t is tho
shortest to the Pacific, from the Rocky Mountains.
MAJOR Emory's notes prove 1t to be lmpracucdble
Tor wagons; but Tor pack mules, it has the advan-
tage Of constant supply OF fresh water, with
slona patches OF grass, sufficient tor the animals
! even OF ii hundred men. Its whole being
| Though cham of mountains, Col. Cooke, with
the wagon train of Gen. kearnys army, turned
! them by route to the southwark, but came near
penshng, from the absence OF grass and water
The route up from Santa Fe and across from
the head waters of the Rio Grande to the Colo
RADIO, thence through the Great Basin is compara-
lively unknown, never having been officially or
scientifically explored Ii the object of Lieut..
Colonel Fremont, in his late enterprise, to clearup
The mystery of the southern section of the Great
though defeated by the. disasters of terrible
winter, in the Sierra de los Mimbres, it is
to be hoped that he will yet finish his
work of reducing to maps and charts tho
whole OF our country west of the Rocky
Mountains, from the Columbia to the ella.
A recent letterin the Herald, from trapper of the
Colorado, would go to show, however, that this CEN
trail route is known to his fraternity and that the
Sewer rlver, which is set down upon m lps AZ
taking circuit through the desert, and then losing
itself IN the sands, does such thing. But, the
contrary, from the letter of Mr. Nc Douga, 1t would
appear that SAID river rises near the Sierra Neva.
da, and flows enthusiastically course of near
seven hundred miles, to the Colorado, afording a
wagon route along ITS banks, from the Colorado to
the very foot of the gold mountains. And he fur
Their AYERS that the margin of this Sewer river
abounds with grass along ITS whole course, and has
occasional Indian settlements, indicating its COM
paratve fertility the general face of the desert
through which 1t passes. The writer OF said letter
also says, that the route from Santa Fe across the
Rocky mountains to the valley of the Colorado and
the junction of the Sewer river, is practicable for
wagons. II this be so, the route here laid down the
most direct, easiest, and safest of all the overland
routes through the United States. IL traverseS the
Great Basin, along river border all the way, af-
fording abundance OF water and grass for the ami
mails Of a caravan, and strikes the Sierra Nevada
in the very centre of the gold region. But, more
than all, 1t IS the very route desired for railroad
TO the Pacific; and for the determination of the
facts stated by Mr.. McDougal, it would Justify a.
specific appropriation by Congress for an official ex-
ploration.
The northern route from Independence to the
South Pass, Fort Hall, and the Salt Lake, and
thence through the Great Basin, via Marys river,
TO the Sierra Nevada, is too well known to need
further description 1t is the great line of travel
overland to Oregon and California And yet, of
all others, this Is the route of which we apprehend
the greatest disasters, during the coming summer.
west of the Rocky Mountains. From the Salt
Lake you have seventy five miles of desert plain.
OF salt ashes, and sand, to cross, before reaching
the waters of Mays yer , There u Is water on
and moving armies of spectral giants, calculated
10 deceive the superstitious with ideas of an en-
chaned region, n ma e BY race Of anedlla-
you find occasional patches OF heritage, willows,
and tough grass upon which lew mules may
subsIst on the journey, II not ovtrladen but the
water OF the river thlckens from day to day, as you
descend the stream from an impregnaton of salts,
alkales, bumen, and various volcanic substances
mixed with the soil, until, at the point where it
sinks in the sands, 1t is dense, black, bitter, and
ieiid poison. From the sink the lakes, at tho
eastern base of the Sierra Nevada there is another
desert jornada of IS miles, with only one spring Of
water on the way, or rather cluster of them, on q
mountain side, of "a very bountlful supply OF bitter
liquid but boiling hot and boiling over, from The
volcanic fires underground
From the very meagre supply of grass to eat, and
even Of water that can be drunk, along this route,
and fiom the fact that thousands of emi grants, with
thousands OF horses, mules, and cattle are setting
out on this line for California, apprehend that
there will be much suffering among the adventu-
rers and great sacrifices of animals and baggage,
if not of human life To carry provisions tor the