Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1854-03-18
CENTRAL PACIFIC ROUTE.


Extracts of Letters from Col. Fremont and Su
perintendent BEALE to COL BENTON, communl
Gated to the National Intellgencer.
Col. FREMONT writes from "Bg Timber" Upper. Ar
kansas, about seventy miles below the mouth of thu
Huerfano under date of November 10th, and says "h
the early part of the month the weather was colo
and bad the thermometer usually at daybreak in thu
morning standing at l5o and Ito below the freezing
point but for the last ten days it is beautiful yester
day and o-dsy quite at midday, and not par
tcle of to be seen and this at time when oui
Surgeon Dr. EBERs says that in Germany there is much
The expedition far has been successful enough
to crafty all expectations both in its general
suits and in its particular object The coal formation
reappears in this neighborhood and have become
"quained with locality where the beds said to be
developed largely and the line of the road The
coal has been tried and found to burn perfectly well
have purchased sixteen fresh mules this place. and
laid in supplies for the winter struggle in the
tans, appearing in view. am determined to car
the enterprise through to the end contendng with
the winter and every obstacle prudenty and cautious
y, but never giving way. have presents to conciate
the Indians, and vigilance will prevent attacks
Our movement will be struggle with the winter
We have December and January the mountains and the
sly, but do good work The astronomical, barometri-
CAL and typographical work all go on we'll After sur
mounting some difficulties with our dagusrre (Which
it required skill to do it has been emneny success
fu and we are producing line of pictures of exqui-
site beauty which will admirably illustrate the country
We hope to get through III two months and to make
complete winter exploration of the route"
| Superintendent BEALE writes under date of ia
| nd Iofac tba In
dian Reserve. u. "".. '."
'There is confusion here about the of this
Pass 1t is precisely in the latitude aud longitude of
Walkers Pass on Fremonts map; but it is called TETON
(Tayhone) here. 1t is very excellent one and known
to the Mexcans since their settlement in California But
there is another miles north called by the Indians
7hiehpea, which have explored, and find it most beau
u 1t is filled with gigantic oaks and contains about
twenty thousand of perfectly level land and leads
through the Sierra Nevada from APPOINT directly oppo
site Kern Lake in the Tuare valley to the Great Basin
on the other side should not be surprised if it should
prove to be the best Pass in the Sierra Nevada have
packtran of one hundred mules bringing wheat flor
the reservaon They carry three hundred pounds each
animal and so far have not been delayed but one day
by snow, though they the Sierra each time they
take load and are now on their twentieth trip and
have kept their flesh very well what they find in the
way. We have been very busy with farming work.
and have poughed up two thousand in one field
and sown in wheat and shall plant many more in
corn-al the work done by naked Digger Indians Of
whom have about two thousand on the reserve and
sleep in the middle of them in much security as if
was in the Capitol at Washington We soon expect Free
mont" ."..
These naked Digger Indians are thus described by
Fremont: They live in the Great Basin, and exhibit
human nature in its lowest form and in its most ele
mentary state: dispersed in single families without
firearms; eating seeds and insects; digging roots
land hence their name J rabbit the largest animal in
their desert; their greatest skill to snare it. The wild
sage is their largest wood sometimes six or eight feet
high and foot in diameter and this serves for build
ing shelter for sort of covering for the feet and
legs in the extreme cold, and shelters the rabbits All
other Indians living in communities repuse the misera-
bic Digger" Such are the people whom the magic
touch of BEALE has collected into community convert
ed into farmers and who will be able to give Fremont
bread when he arrives among them in their new abode