The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1849-05-16
Col. Fremont and E,is Party.--Fur-
Their and Final Particulars.
From the National Intelliren,

Letters, prefacing them with some brief descrip-
ton of the localities made memorable by disas-
ter, for the information of those who have not
recent maps at hand. g - - - 't
| 1t is known that the great Rocky Mountain
. chain, with general direction north and south,
sends out branch towards the south east from
between the heads Of the Arkansas and the
Rio del Ncrte; and this branch forms tho divi-
ding ridge between the upper valleys of these
two rivers, and between the head waite; of the
Red river and the Del Norte; and having ac-
complshcd these purposes, it subsidies and dis
a pears in the plains of Texas The highest
part of this branch chain, and the governing
object in it to travellers, are the Spanish eaks,
first made known to American geography by
the then young Lieutenant Pike. These Peaks
are about in north latitude 37it degrees, and
west longitude from London los degrees, and
about on line, longitudinally. with the Puc.
bios of the Upper Arkansas, distant from them
half degree, and in sight. They are seen at
a great distance, and uro guiding objc Gets to
trav elers.
The road to Santa Fe passes below these
Peaks, and crosses the chain about two degrees
SOUTH Col. Fremont passed above them, and
entered the valley Of the Del Norte high up
above the Mexican settlements, and above
! Pixies stockude. and intended to follow the
Del Norte to its head, and cross the great
Rocky Mountain chain thro' some pass there
to be found. He therefore, to speak,
going into the forks of the mountain-into the
gorge of two mountans-and at great eleva-
ton, shown bv the fact of the great rivers which
issue from the opposite sides of the Rock
| Mounta ms at that part-the Arkansas and Del
Norte on the cast, the Grand river fork Of the
Colorado Of the Gulf Of California on the west.
1t was at this point-thc head of the Del Norte
where no traveller had ever gone before, that
Col. Fremont intended to pass, to survey his
last line the continent, comp lete his
knowledge of the country between the Missis,
sppi and the Pacific, and crown the labors Of
long explorations by showing the country be-
tween the great river and the great sea to be
inha bitable by civilized people, and practical
BILE for great road, and that on several lines,
and which was the best. He had been seven
years engaged in this great labor, and wished
to complete it. 1t was the beginning OF De-
cember that he crossed the chain from the
Ark nsas valley into the valley of the Del
Nor,c: and, although late, with the full belief
Of the old hunters and traders al the Pucblos,
the guide inclusive whom he there engant33
that he would go through lie was provided
with every thing to carry the men to Califor
MIA, and with grain to carry all the animals IL.
cross all the mountains into the valleys of the
tributaries of the Great Colorado Of the w est,
where the SHOWS would be light, wood and
grass sufficient, game abundant and the hard
ships 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 Gel. Fremont showed in com.
ing back. This was the cause of the first ca
Iauily-tAe loss Of tho horses and mules. The
sumo guide consumed twenty two days, when
wit hp ~, lar a.,
distance which Gil. Fremont, (wilh Cooley,
Prcuss, and scrvHnt,) without guide, on
foot, III colder weather, deeper SHOWS, q nd ha If
furnished, made in SIX. That was the cause Of
the second and irrcparable calumity-Me death
OF the men.
The immediate scene Of suffering in this
great disaster, where the ascent OF the great
mountain was forced and its summit scaled
must have been about north latitude 49, and
west long itude from London l07, the elevation
above twelve thousand feet, and the time that
Of dead winter Christmas! From this point
the noted objects, Pixies Peak and the Three
Parks, would bear about E. N. E., and the
Spanish Peaks about Il. S. E.
| With this notice Of localities, to which a
mournful interest must long attach, we pro-
coed to give extracts from the remain ming and
final letters from COL Fremont. The first of
these is dated
TAOS, New MExlco, Feb. 6, 1949.
CATER long delay, which had wcaried me
to the point Of resolving to set out again my
self, tidings have at last reached me from my
! il-fated party.
"Mr. Vincent Haler came in last night, hay.
ing the night before reached the Little Co!ora.
! do settlement, with three or four others. In
GLIDING Mr.. King and Mr.. Proulx,* we have
lost eleven of our party.
"Occurrences, since ! left them, are briefly
these, SO far as they came within the knowledge
OF Mr. Haer: say briefly, because am now
unwilling to force my mind to dwell upon the
details Of what has been suffered. | need re-
prieve from terrible contemplations. | am alb
| solutely astonlshcd at this persistence Of mis-
fortune--this succession of calamities, which
| no care or vigilance of mine could foresoe or
prevent ~,
''You will remember that had left the camp
Qwenty three tucn) when set off with Cooley,
Preus, and my servant in search OF King and
succor, with directions about tho baggage, md
with occupation sufficient about it to employ
them for three or four days; after which they
were to follow ms down the river. Within
that time, expected relief from King party,
if it came at all. They remained seven days,
their scant provisions about exhausted, and he
cad mul les on the western side of the great
Sierra buried under snow @a 800.
"Munuel-(you will remember Manuel--a
Christian Indian of the Costume tribe, in the
witty ol tLc oan Joaquln)-gaVc way TO the
feeling of despair, after they had moved about
two miles and begged Vincent Haler, whom l
had left in command. to shoot him. Falling
to find death in that form, he turned and made
his way back to the camp. intending to die
there, which he doubtless soon did. ....,.e F
1.-THE party moved on, and at ten miles, Wise
gave out-threw away his gun and blanket,
and, u few hundred yards further, fell over in
to the snow, and died. Two Indian boys, (coun.
trymen of Manue) were behind. They came
upon him, rolled him up IN his blanket, and
buried him in the snow on the bank of the river.
mo other died that duy. None the next i
"Carver raved during the night--his imagi..|
nation wholly occupied with images of many
things which he fancied himself to be cati.lg. !
In the morning he wandered of, and probably
soon died. il He was not seen again. .alauaa II
''Sorcl, on this day, the (the fourth from
the Campo laid down to die. They built hin,
a fire, and Norm, who was in dying condi-
ton, and snow-blind, remained with hlm.-J|
These two did not proba bly, last till the next
morning. That evening q think it was) Hub
bard killeda deer. sI5s afc7g fsa,E. =, ra..
g N"They travelled on, getting here and there
grouse, but nothing else, the deep snow in the
low ha v,nr driven ofF tho ~, M. -