The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-11-13
THE OVERLAND MAIL ROAD.


.. t
lFurpshed the ST. Republican by W Farwe,
Alta Californian
The road from San Francisco up to within fifteen miles
of Los Angeles very good On the pass here, which
is about an half miles in length the people of Los
Angeles expended about eight thousand dollars i'll i'm
proving it to induce the mail company to adopt that
route. At Kern river the road bad for short dis
tance: again at Temccula the road began to grow bad
and continues SO until San Felipe DEVILS Canon is
reached Ten miles from the latter place the road en-
tiers the desert eighteen miles further on is sta
ton called Palm Springs from the fact that until recent
ly palm trees grew in the vicinity The next station is
at Carsacrck small stream of water strongly imprcg
mated with sulphur. Indian Wells is the next station
Along this portion of the road the dust is very bad
being strongly of alkaline nature; it is offensive
to the smell, and very irritating to the skin. AT
Amo, the succeeding station, u few days before our
traveller arrived there the having charge of mail
left the wagon and undertook to get it through on
horseback to the next station In tornado which over
took them the road Of the men lost his hat, on
getting down to get which his horse took fright and ran
away. His companion dropped his blankets, and in
deayoring to get them lost his horse likewise, but
ceedcd in saving the mails which he carried foot to
the next station, the Indian Wells, on the Yuma. AL
though but few yards distant from each other in the
storm, the sand thick that they unable to
sec, and thus became separated The who was left
behind remained lost the desert for three days and
three nights and would have peshcd with thirst had he
not discovered broken-down bullock which some
emigunts had left by the waysde He succeeded in kill
ing the animal with his knife he drank its blood by
which means he saved his life He rescued by men
sent out from the station in search of him.
Passing several unimportant stations, Mr.. Farwe
rived at Fort Yuma Seventeen miles from this fort
the newly discovered gold mines of Arizona. From in
qures made here he ascertaned that miners, of whom
there about hundred at work, making from
to forty dollars per day 1t reported that the
dggings much richer in the hills above the present
mines, but large band of hostile Indians of the Tonto
Apaches tribe were encamped there andi was not deemed
prudent to prospect in that direction until the Indians
were OFF, which they hoped to be able to do in a
short time The next station worthy of notice is Fill
buster Camp, about fifty miles from the dggngs 1t is
thus named from the fact that Henry Crabbe and his
companions who supposed to hare desgnson Sonora
killed by the Mexicns The next place is Tucson,
Spanish town of some four hundred inhabitants. At
this place they warned to look out for the Apachcs
who reported to be encampcd distance ahead
About hundred and seventy miles from Tucson found
four hundred Apachcs oncamped for the winter.
The Indians showed signs of hostility, Two hun
dred miles from this place is the Miembries river,
little branch of the Gila Leaving this they
to the Mesa valley, where they first struck the
Rio Del Norte. Passing E Paso the next place of note
reached Sierra GtIccho. AT this point several
large natural tanks in the solid rock which sup
posed to contain sufficient water for the mail trains pass
ing this point On the arrival of the mail here it
discovered that the tanks had gone dry and water had
to be hauled distance of thirty miles for the mules 1t
found, examining the tanks that they could be
made to contain sufficient water to supply the trains IT,
however, water sufficient cannot be provided here the
route will be changed to that of the old San Antonio
trail fifty miles longer than the present route but
level and affording water. At the next station,
thirysx miles further on, there natural reservoirs
which have also gone dry and to which water had been
hauled distance of thirty miles. Several Indian signs
were in this vicinity. The road is very bad,
being sandy and rocky alternately Next station Quad.
aoupe, eighteen miles distant -Four miles beyond this
the pnery where grove of pine trees, the only
to bo met with on the road, is found Next stopping
place is the Pagos river sixty miles from the rinery
From this place there is stretch of fftyour
miles without change Of teams Leaving
Horsehead, the route stretches the Llano
Estacado, Saked Plain, the most beautiful portion
of the route, the road being hard and level as a
barn floor They travelled this place distance of
eighty miles without water except what carried in
keg for the use of the passengers the mules having
The large herds of deer and antelope and ocks of
fowls led to the inference that there must be water
the ano in opposition to the generally conceived idea in
respect thereto The first water reached the Lano is
at the head of the Little Concho river Between this
place and about thirty miles west of Fort Chadbourn is
Grape Creek where mules and horse had been
stolen by stolling band OF Camanchcs few days
prior TO the arrival of the mail in open day, and under
the eyes of three men engaged in building station
house The said they would have offered resistance,
but had Mr. Farwell says they were well
armed but lacked courage. From this place the road
continued good until they reached Red river where they
met with the effects of recent rains in that section After
crossing the Big Boggy and Little Boggy the roads CON
tnuod to grow worse until they arrived at Springfield in
some places being almost impossible.
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