The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-06-15


dicuit and dangerous precisely where felt
| teresied in making thorough Examination. We wcr,
inOyipg in iogs and clouds through region wholly un
knorn 10 us, ana without guides and wore the
obir,d to content selves With the examination OF
single line, and the sceriaument Of the winter cond
ton OF the country which il passed. which was Ia
| fact the main object Of expedition
Our progress in this mountainous region
rtiy slow, snc corss eu days which 1t occupied
pass through about hundred miles OF the
GUS country eorceioe the eastern c Of the Upper Col
TIE pines and "opens the ridges about two and IL
feet, and in tLs valley sabout SIN inches The atmos
phere is too cold And dry fv much saow aud Valleys
II, and warm We here fosud villages of Utah niiaus
IN thsr VI, terng gnni in stle valleys along the
OF the higher mos LsHin and bordering the open
country Of the Colorado vsloy Snow was here (Decen-
Der 2b) only few inches dcepthc grass generally ap-
peaIipg above ~ and fhere being under trees and
The horsrs of the utahr viug on the range and
and'ng that ties used in huDtiug we're
IL eyceleif condition One which we had occason to
kill foI food nsd il about inches fat being in as
good order as,ny buffalo ws had killed. in November
oue hurdr.o anssfty miles nc ,ossthe srans ufornci
that falls only ,ches in de ,th such as se
it at the ,u,-. Tho unadate vali~y Of the Upoer
colorado for abouSone hundred MILES in breath from
the th 10 the 22d VI January rey Jarc Of snow
and the weather ,caembed tns. Of autumn In this
country
The line here cntcrd the body of mountains known as
the Hdksdch and Ast ranges which arc practical
several places in this Iert of ttrr course; bat the
failing snow and destitute condtas of my party az ,,n
iniei,e,ed to impede examinations They lie between
western baso established the Morrnon Of
iafoSan and Cedar CITY, They are called for
eys ouS',as Inducements TO settlement and
great storehopse Of materals--tinber iron coa-which
wona be Of indispensable in ths construction and
maintenance OF the road and sob foundations TO
up the future prosperity of the repdly
salf y abundant tho eastern bore- mountains az
the Sis7 dt SJf, icing from it, In the aagcs
lying behind ihe Mormon Settlements among the moun-
tsns through which the line pa -ses are
sts of
heavy timber. These forests IL largest am ac-
auaiiteo With Ia ,hs Rocky Moun,ains HING in soma
places, twenty miles in depth ci connr, forest the
general growth Lofty and large frequenfy three
feet n diameter, nnd sometnrs reaching ave feet the
iec spruce and yellow pine preio inatng AT the u
southern eN'rniy OF the Mormon settlements consist
'rs q he tive enclosed towns Parowan Cedar city
rear to which our limo passed coal ioe has been open
Cd for about eighty afds ard iron works already esab
iisred iron here occurs IN extraordinary masses in
some IaSts aocunrlael nto nains, which comb out
yards long.
j. passing through this bed of mountains about four
teen dat bad been, coupled from January "a 20 Fehru
ary 4 the deepest snow here being ahont
NJ 70 the saede skirts four feet ,hi, occurring only
" occa enh drifts III the northern exposures
and in the small mountain fats hemmed in b. woods
and hs In the valley il was sometimes afsw inches
ceep ana IS often at al en- orr arri,a at the
Mormo, settlements February sti, se found it few
inches dep and there informed that the winter
had beea unusuy long contiau.d AMI severe the ther
mometer having been Ms low degrees below
zero and more having fallen Than in all the previ
Gus winters together since the esablShment Of this
colony.
At ths their farmers had usually been occu.
pied with their plouehs preparing the land for grain.
Al As point the line oil exploration the third
or astern section, pretending the mou uinous
plateau between the Wahsatca and the Sierra
teiyes to me for examination directly the
poson bstween the 37th and 3s, parallels the other
leeFng to the south of the nourtnirs, and following
Tor about two hundred mas down ho valley Of nio
Vrscn-Vrgn rivsr-thence disest to Trejon Pass
at sbe head Of the san Joaqnia valley
Tbs route down toe Virgin RIVER had been examined
the year before with view to settlement this
| by Mormon xIloring party under the command Of
Msjcr Steele Of Parousn VINO (and others of pary
rformcd that they found fertile valleys by
Indians who cultivated and melons, the rich
ground in many places matted with grape vines
The Ieion Passes tvs, Of them (from tho abun
dance OF vines at It's Loser end) called Caxon de las
Twas They of long use and were examiuei by me
and their bity ascertancd in my expedition of
isss-'s9; and in 1851 again passed through them
both bringing three thousand head OF cattle through
Knowing tho practicaty of these passes and conad-
ing In the report Of Major Steele to the intermediate
37th and SSth Iaralels 1t recommending itself to me
IS being direct towards San Francisco and prefer
could be found and also being unknown, the Nor
n ons infoIming me that various attempts had bscn
msde to explore it, ana all failed for want Of water
Although biased in favor Of tho Virgin river route
determined to examine this in the interest OF geo
eraphy and accordingly set ont for this purpose from
ling directly westward from Cedar city, (oighteen
miles west of Parowan.) We found the countay
high table land bristlng with mountains often in short
isolated blocks, and sometimes accumulated into
siderable ranges, with open and low passes.
We are thus always In valley and al says surrounded
by mountains moro or less closely which apparently
altered in shape and position we advanced The val
leys dry and naked without water wood the
wooded with pines springs very rare and occasional
small streams are at remote distances. Not human
being encountered between the Santa Clara road
near the Mormon settlements, and the Sierra Nevada,
over distance Of more than three hundred miles Tue
solitary character of this uninhabted regonhe naked
valleys without water courses among mounta with
n q hp
pearancc of an nnfnished country.
Commencing at the 38tb struck the Sierra Nevada
On about the 37th parallel about the 18th OF March,
On our route across had fog the greater part OF the
time pleasant and rather warm weather the valley
grounds and low ridges uncovered but the up
per parts Of the higher mountains Between the goth Of
February and 10Th of March bad several storms
sometimes accompanied with hail and heavy thunder
but the snow remained the valley grounds only few
hours after the storm II forms not tho least
impedment at any time Of the winter. ! wasprepared
to end the Sierra here broad, rugged and blocked up
with snow, and was not disappointed ia my expectation
The first range We attempted tor 7ss carried us to
elevation OF 600 1000 feet and if snow
which was further increased the 10th by conslera
BE fall
There was no object in forcing passage, snd ac.
cordingly turned at some sixty eighty miles to
the foufhward maA ing wide sweep to srikc the Point
OF the California mountain where the Secra Nevada sud
denly breaks OF and declines into lower country In.
formation obtained years before from tho niians led
ne TO believe that the low mountains broken into
many passes and at all events had the certainty OF
easy passage through either of Walkers passcs
When the point was reached found the Indian infor
nation fully verified the mountain suddenly termin ited
and broke down into lower grounds barely the
of the country, and making openings into the
valley Of the san joaquin entered into Tho first which
offered, Uakipg time to search as We we're entirely
out Of provisions and living upon hors, which led
open and almost level hollow thirteen miles long
upland not steep enough to be called hill into the
valley Of small afuent TO Kern river; the hollow and
the valley making together way where wagon would
not 6ni any obstruction for forty II lies.
The country aronnd the passes in which To Sierra
Nevada here terminates declines considerably below its
more northern elevation There was no snow to be seen
at all en- its eastern face and in the pass hut
were In the milst Of opening spring. flowers boomng in
fields on both sides of the sierra.
y Between the point OF the mountains and the head Of
the valley At the TETON the passes generally free
from snow throughout the year. and the descent from
them 10 tho IA distributed long slope Of more
than two hundred miles The low dry country and the
long slope In contradstnction to the high country and
short sudden descent and heavy OF the passes
bind the bay Of San Francisco among the consdera
oDs which suggest in favor Of the route by
the head OF the San Joaquin.
The above results embody general impressions made
upon my mind during this journey. II Is clearly estab
fle Nj ~ ,,s4i.