The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1858-11-18
PRICE TWO CENTS
THE OVERLAND MAIL ROUTE


Mr.. Forwell of the Alta California;, came through
by the last stage and furnishes the following de-
scriptiOn of the road to the st. Louis Republican,:
/ The road up to within fifteen miles Of Los
Angeles very good. On the pass here which
is about two and half miles in length, the people
of Los Angeles expended about eight thousand dol
lars in improvingit, to induce the mail company
/ to adopt that route. At Kern river the road was
! bad for short distance; again at Temecula the
| road began to grow bad and continues so until
San Felipe or Devils Canon is reached Ten miles
from the latter place the road enters the Desert;
| 10 miles further on is station, called Palm
! Springs, from the fact that until recently palm
trees grew in the vicinity The next station is
at Carisacrick, small stream of water strongly
lmpregnated with sulphur Indian Wells is the next
station. Along this portion of the road the dust is
very bad, being strongly of an alkaline nature, it is
offensive to the smell, and very irritating to the
skin.
At Almo, the succeeding station, a few days be-
| lore our traveller arrived there, the men having
charge of mail, left the wagon and undertook to
get 1t through on horseback to the next station.
In tornado which overlook them on the road,
one OF the men lost his hat, getting down to get
which, his horse took fright and ran away. His
companion dropped his blankets, and in endeavor-
ing to get them lost his horse likewise but succeed
ed in saving the mails, which he carried on foot to
, the next station, the Indian Wells on the Yuma
Although but few yards distant from each other
In the storm, the sand was thick that they were
unable to see and thus became separated. The one
VINO was left behind remained lost the desert for
three days and three nights, and would have per-
lshed with thirst had he not discovered broken
| uoWn bullock which some emigrants had left by
| the wayside. He succeeded in killing the animal
with his knife; he drank its blood by which means
he saved his life. He was rescued by men sent out
| from the station in search of him.
Passing several unimportant stations Mr. Far
well arrived at Fort Yuma. Seventeen miles
from this Fort are the newly discovered gold
mines OF Arizona. From inquiries made here he
ascertalned that miners, of whom there were about
] rnd of uynrl
forty dollars per day. 1t was reported that the
! dggngs were much richer in the hills above the
present mines, but large band of hostile Indians
| oil the Ionto Apaches tribe were encamped there,
ana 1t was not deemed prudent to prospect in that
| direction until the Indians were run off which
! they hoped to be able to do in short time The
next station worthy of notice is Fibuster Camp,
about nifty miles from the diggings. 1t is thus
| named from the fact that Henry Crabbe and his
companions, who were supposed to have designs on
| Sonora, were killed by the Mexicans The next
! place is Tucson, Spanish town of some four hun
dred inhabitants At this place they were warned
TO look out for the Apaches, who were reported to
! be encamped some distance ahead. About one hun
| dred and seventy miles from Tucson found four
hundred Apaches encamped for the winter The
Indians showed no signs of hostility. Two hun
| dred miles from this place is the Miembries river
| little branch of the Gia
Leaving this they to the Meslla valley
where they first struck the Rio Del Norte. Passing
III Paso, the next place of note reached was Sierra
| "ueSllo' AT tHlS point are several large natural
! tanks in the solid rock, which were supposed 10
contain sulclent water for the mail trains passing
this point On the arrival of the mail here it was
discovered that the tanks had gone dry, and water
mad TO be hauled distance of thirty miles for the
mules 1t was found on examining the tanks, that
they could be made to contain sufficient water to sup
ply the trains. If however, water sufficient cannot
De provided here the route will be changed to that
| OF the old San Antonio trail fifty miles LONGER
than the present route, but more level and afford.
ing more water. At the next station thirty six
miles further on there natural reservoirs which
nave also gone dry, and to which water had
been hauled distance of thirty miles. Several
Indian signs were seen in this vicinity The road
| lsvery bad, being sandy and rocky, alternately
Next station Guadaloupe, eighteen miles distant
Four miles beyond this is the Pinery where
on the road, is found Next stopping place is tn,
Pagos river sixty miles from the Pinerv
FROM this place there is a stretch of ifty-foul
miles without change of teams Leaving Horse
head, the route stretches across the Lano Estacado
or Staked Plain, the most beautiful portion of the
route, the road being as hard and level as a barr
hoor. They Travelled over this place distance o.
eighty miles without water, except what was car
mules having none. The large herds of deer anC
antelope and focks of fowls led to the inference
that there must be water on the Llano in opposi
tlon TO the generally received idea in respect there
to- The first water reached on the LIano is at tn
| head of the Little COncho river. Between thi
| place and about thirty miles west of Fort Chad
6ourn is Grape Creek, where seven mules and on
horse had been stolen by strolling band of sever
Camanches few days prior to the arrival of tn
mail, in open day. and under the eyes of three mel
engaged in building a station house. The men sai
they would have offered resistance but had nj
arms. Mr.. Farwel says they were well arme
but lacked courage. From this place the roa
continued good until they reached Red River
where they met with the effects of recent rains i
that section. After crossing the Big Boggy an
Little Boggy the roads continued to grow worse
until they arrived at Springfield in some place
being almost impossible.