Des Moines courier. ([Ottumwa] Iowa) 1848-1854, 1849-11-09
From California.
Correspondence of the Mo. Republican.
srocKroS. August "a, ls49.

correspondence Oh tne MO. hepupHCdn.
STOCKTON, August "a, ls49.
After long, tedious and hard journey
have reached the Ell Dorado. To re-
count the difficulties, troubles and vexa-
tons which we had to encounter would
fill volume. So shall not attempt it.
But l will say that nothing on earth
would ever induce me 10 undertake the
the trip again. OF the six or eight thou
sand wagons that started through not
more than 1900 or 1000 will ever get
over; what the others will do the Lord
only knows. For when we passed the
Sink of Mary's river there was a perfect
desert of a hundred miles. have since
learned that there was no grass for more
than $50 miles above the Sink, making
desert utterly impossible of $50 miles.
The last As miles is perfectly horrible
when we crossed there was any. number
of wagons left all along it, and the num-
Der of dead mules, horses aud cattle was
over hundred. Agentleman told me
yesterday that the road had to be changed
on account of the stencil. We were all
ignorant of the extent of the desert, so
that we were taken completely by sur
prise, and suffered extremely from heat
and thirst. | saw several with tongues
so much swollen that they could neither
speak nor shut their m oulhs. Our mess
fortunately had plenty of water and got
over with less suffering than any that
crossed. We broke down all our mules
and had to recruit four or five days on
Carson's river before we could proceed.
We were the first that came through
withou, leaving our wagons on the desert
and driving our mules to water. With
four or five exceptions, every one had to
drive their stock to grass and water, and
recruit them before they could get their
wagons through. The next difficulty
we encountered was the California Noun
tains. Out of seven wagons that started
over with us four were smashed all to
pieces. Such another road for wagons
can't be found in all the world. In ma
ny places six mules could not pull up
our empty wagons. We were four days
travelling % or % miles. AT one point
for more than mile we passed over a
snow bank, But enough OF this.
We reached the Sacramento on the
18th of August, with both men and
mules completely broken down. had
travelled on foot with the exception of
two or three days, all the way from Fort
Hall, distance of over eight hundred
miles. My horse had given out at Fort
Laramie, and the mule which had there
procured gave out just beyond Fort Hall,
and was never fit to ride Afterwards
For week after our arrival, we did
some of the tallest sleeping and eating
that YOU ever heard of; the first three or
four days | never got up except to eat
After resting awhile we commenced
looking out for something to do. But
there was so much confusion, SO many
conflicting statements in regard to every
thing, and so much gold, that we were
perfectly bewillered. We found that
there was money to be made at any,
thing man could 60 at; but that it was
utterly impossible 10 attempt any thing
without more capital than most of us
possessed. The only chance for one
without money was to drive team, or
cart, chop wood or go up to the mines.
| was not sufficiently recruited to do Ell
Their of the first, though twelve dollars
day was exceedingly tempting, and it
was thought by all TOO hot to work in
the mines.
There are so many mining at present
that the labor is greatly increased and
and the profits very much diminished
Half an ounce being considered a good
average per day.