The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1857-07-07
From the 81 Louis Republican, juno 2s
INTERESTING FROM THE UPPER MISSOURI


INTERESTING FROM THE UPPER MISSOURI
-a, COUNTRY.
Through thecourteay of Captain samuel A. Turner. of
the government steamer D. H. Morton, which arrived
here Saturday afternoon from ten-months trip TO
Fort Pierre on the Upper Missouri enabled to lay
before our readers an account condensed from the dog
Of the incidents and accidents Of the trip.
The d. III. Morton left St Louis the morning of the
10th of September 1856 and proceeded her course
without material interruption until the Ilth day of octo
ber when she struck snag few miles below Nebraska
City. BY this accident hole broken ON the port
knueke, under the pennant shacklehoe of the dimen
sons Of twentyfour by sixteen inches She was mme-
daey headed to the nearest bar and the carpenter and
engineer set to work TO build bulkhcad around the
hole Before they could succeed in stopping the leak
the water had gained three feet in the hull In the eve
ming light bulkhcad completed and the boat get
ting under way succeeded in reaching the wm about
half mile below Nebraska City Here it was discovered
that there lumber at the mill of the proper char
acer to repair the damage and the carpenter des-
patched to the woods, where he cut tree, which
brought to the mill and fashioned into the proper shape
On the 10th of October the steamer again got under
way, and on the 18th in sight of the Omaha viii
lage at the foot of Blackbrd Hills They soon began to
meet frozen ice, and tho 30th Of December were frozen
up at Yankton village, or what is better known as
of dare Creek, twelve hundred and fifty miles above
st. Louis and eighty miles below Fort Randall During
the entire trip up to this point the wind blew almost
gale every day, and the weather was intensely cold.
Finding they iccbound, the officers and made
preparations for passing the winter best they could
The chmneys taken down, the rigging slowed away,
and everything got in readiness for winter quarters
On the 25th of December twenty lodges of Yankton
Sioux Indians came into smntty Bears camp from
in, n rv gl,ad
ton They crowded around the boat and picked up the
corn and decayed potatoes that had been scattered around
The snow was so deep that their usual supply of game
off and the wolves and foxes too to
supply their wants.
On the Path of January the poyes experienced ire
mendous gale during which the cabin shifted about
four inches notwithstanding they had taken the precau-
ton TO the pothou and exas with guys the
shore and ice and to rig extra iron rods connecting the
first to the boiler deck The swaying of the cabin to and
fro seemed to the hull to open; many of the seams
above the light water mark showing daylight.
Gu the Sd of February they experienced another heavy
gale and of the Yankton Sioux came in from hunt
ing not overloaded with game They reported great search
ty of buffalo and elk many of them having taken no
more than enough to supply their immediate wants Elk
reme cold had caused them much suffering and loss of
many of their animals and of the band had been
frozen to death They made such constant appeals for
bread that they very annoying, as there
means of supplying them They obliged to subss
entirely on which had been cached in the vicinity du
ring the fall They informed the officers that this would
not last them until the in and that in the
meantime they subss roots and what game they
might chance to get.
the 9Th of February they visited by decidedly
the most storm of the season. and looked every
moment to their cabin swept away. flashing upon
Iashing doubt saved it. The night spent in
watching the issue prepared to meet the worst On the
following morning the gale abated somewhat its fury and
the sent to the island below for fuel The
wind soon rose again. however and the their
turn lost their way in the binding snow-stom They
going in opposite direction and would not have
found the boat again had IL the assistance
friendly Indian who heard their outcries and acted
their guide Some of the party returned with their feet
badly frost bitten The at this time level with
the guards of the boat clear the river In order to
chop down trees for fuel the obliged to stand
waist deep in the At the period Of which we speak,
in consequence of the scarcity of provisions only
ration per day served This entirely insufficient
to satisfy the keen appetite engondcred by the pecuari-
ties of the climate They remained thus hibernated and
suffering many vcssitues and pyatons from cold and
hunger until the 22d of March, when the ice broke and
they again afioat The precautionary had
been taken of erecting q s'crib around the boat yet
when the ice started the steamer in imminent dan
ger of being wrecked every moment The vessel how
ever rescued from this peril and after
terng many obstacles from ice and storms they reached
Fort Randall the LIST Of May, and ForS Piencon the
18th of the month. On the 18th of May they
'homeward bound, z and arrived at st. Louis we
have stated last Saturday Notwithstanding the many
pers and hardshps of this tedious trip, the gener-
ally preserved excellent health and spirits and with the
exception of their Drowned and wcatherbcaten countc
nances look none the worse for wear.
From the Pennsy lvanian July T.
OUR PATRIOT ADOPTED BRETHREN.
The voice of people has with unexampled unanin-
ity rebuked the berl views and proscrptye policy of
that party which arrogates to itself the exclusive