The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-01-17
Interesting Narrative Of the Exploring Bxpedi-
tiOn from New neXicO to California.
SUCCESS OF THE CAMEL EXPERIMENT.
The Camels Swim the Colorado River, though
Never known to Swim Before.
Official Report Of Lieut.. Beale to the
Secretary Of War,
&c. &c. &c.
OFFICIAL REPORT OF LIEUTENANT BEALE
TO THE WAR DEPARTMENT.

SIR-Ih have the honor to report my arrival in CALI
fornia after a journey Of forty-eight days. IL gives
me pleasure TO inform you that We have met with
the most complete success in our exploration for .
wagon road from New Mexico TO this State.
Lna hurried letter of this kind it rs not possible
that / should give you much of the detail of our ex-
p~loration. Leaving that for my daily journal to dis
close, I shall ende&vor briefly 70 give you an idea OF
the character of the country, as well as the advan-
teges of the road ] have explored.
Leaving Zuni, the point from which the reed
should properly start, we found the country easy and
rolling, and bearing good grass, with water az con-
venient intervals, until our arrival at the banks of
the Little Colorado. This I found a fine stream, the
bottom of which is wide and fertile, filed with ex-
cellent grass, and the banks of the stream itself
fringed with q heavy growth of cotton wood. The
whole region through which it runs is of a
character to make it most valuable 90 the
agriculturist and grazer. After following this
stream for several days, and iording it with our wa
CONS without difficulty, we lett 1t, and pursued our
course westward to San Francisco mountain. The
country to the foot Of that mountain, a. gradually
ascending plain although somewhat rocky in
places, was covered with the finest gramma grass,
with timber sufficient for fuel, and water in album
dance.
From this point, twenty miles from the base Of
the mountain, until we commenced the descent OF its
western Slope, IuG COuHtIJ III dluuidVihS1 avn AlC-
| vueut' extensive level ~plateaus, well Hatered with
| sprinEs, and is by far the most beautiful region l
ever remember to have seen IN any portion OF the
world. A vast forest OF gigantic pine, intersected
| frequently by extensive glades, sprinkled all over
with mountain meadows and wide sayannahs, filed
with the richest grasses, were traversed by our party
fOrylany successive days.
From the western slope to the country dividing
| the head of Bill Williams Fork from the Colorado
| river the only change is in the growth of the timber
| cedar of the largest size for the most part taking the
/ place of pine-but the character o. the soil remains
unchanged and IS of The same fertile nature, bearing
in all parts the richest gramma grass.
From the divide Of Bill Williams TO the Colorado
the country assumes a more barren aspect, and be
comes a desert on the banks of the river, excepting
| in the bottom lands for a few miles in width on
either side. Arrived at the river, l crossed the
| wagons and people without difficulty. AT the point
of our crossing / found il to be about two husdred
wards wide, a smooth surface as fer as the eye could
reach up and down, unobstructed by bars or rocks,
flowing at the rate Of three miles an hour, nineteen
feet in depth in mid-channel, apparently perfectly
n~avigable for steamers of largest size. Questioning
the Indians closely, | derived from them satisfactory
| information that it bore the SAINT character the en-
| tire distance from that place TO Fort Yuma, some
200 miles below.
You have thus. sir, in a few words, q short &C
count of our journey on the road we were sent to ex-
plore. OF its advantages in detail i have not time in
this letter to speak, except enumerate them IN
general terms.
9 II is the shortest route from our Western frontier by
| 800 miles, beinE nearly directly west. II is the most
level-our wagons only double teaming once in the
entire distance, and that at q short hill, and over a
surface heretofore unbroken by wheels or trail Of
any kind. Il il well watered-our greatest dis
lance without water at any time being twenty miles.
II is well timbered, and in many places the growth
is far beyond that of any part of the world have
ever seen.
1t is temperate in climate. passing for the most
part over an elevated region: ~ IL salubrious-not
one Of our party requiring the slightest medical at
tendance from the time of our leaving TO our arrival.
II is well grassed-my command never having made
a bad grass camp during the entire distance, until
near the Colorado. IL crosses the great desert (Which
must be cross d by any road to California; at It's
narrowest point. IL passes through a country
abouding in game, and but little infested with
Indians. On The entire road, until our arrival az the
Mohoac villages, we did not see, in all, over a dozen
Indians, and those of a timid ard inofensive charac-
ter. At the point of the crossing of the Colorado
| grain, vegetables and breadstufs may be obtained in
any quantity from the Indians, who cultivate eX-
t~ensively, though rudely, the fertile bottom lands of
the Colorado. IL IL passable alike In winter and
summer. These are the advantages which ] clam
for the road which we have discovered, marked and
explored from New Mexico to this state.
From the Colorado end TO the settlements the
| country has been surveyed and Gappedb by the Unit
| ed States Surveyor Of this State, which, apart FROM
the fact that Il does not come within my instruc-
tions, leaves me but little to say In relation to II.
shall mention, then, only one important fact--that a.
leaves 10 the option OF the emigrant the choice "a
entering California either at the city OF Los Angeles,
by the regularly travelled road in the most fertile
part of the southern portion of the State; or turning
off from that river, and by an easy road frequently
travelled and coming into the head OF the great Tl-
lare valley, and by a good road through settements
all the way, extending to Stockton, Sacramento ana
the more northern parts Of the Stste. I
Our work, although arduous, has been rendered
pleasant by the beautiful character of the country
through which we have passed and the salubrious
nature a its climate; and although the double duty
of exploring and marking the road has fallen upon
us, we have passed through it without an accident OF
any kind.
baen acted by the camels. without the aid of this
noble and useful brute many hardships which we
have been spared would have fallen TO our lot;
and our admiration for them has increased day by
day, az some new hardship endured patiently
more fully developed their entire adaptation and
usefulness in the exploration Of the wilderness. AT
timeo ] have thought IL impossible they could stand
the test to which they have been put; but they seem
TO hare risen equal to every trial, and to have come
off of every exploration with as much strength as
before starting. Unsupported by the testimony OF
every man of my party, / should he unwilling to
state all that | have seen them do. Starting with a
full determination that the experiment should be no
halfway one, ! have subjected them to trials which
no other animal could possibly have endured; and
vet I have arrived here, not only without the loss of
a camel, hat they are admitted by those who saw
them in Texas, to be in a. good condition today as
when we left San Antonio.
In all our lateral explorations they have carried
water, sometimes for more than a week. for the
mules used by the men-themselves never receiving
even a buckV fall to one of them; they have ira
veeed patiently with heavy packs, on THESE eNplora
tons, countries covered with the sbarpcst volcanic
rock, and yet their feet 10 this hour have evinced no
symptom OF tenderness or injury with heavy
packs they have crossed mountains, ascerded
and descended preeipitous places where an unmjen
mule found Il d%ideuit 10 pass, even With the assist
anoe of the rider, diznounted, and carefully picking
its way. ] think IL would be within bounds to. say
that in these various lateral explorations they have
traversed nearly double the distance passed over by
our mules and wagons.
Leaving home with all the prejudice attaching to
untried experiments, and with many in our camp
opposed ~ their use, and looking forward confident
ly to their failure, / believe, at this time, / may
speak for every man in our party, when ] say there
Is not one OF them who would not prefer the most
indifferent OF our camels to four of our best mules,
and j look forward hopefully TO the time when they
will be In qeneral nae In all narta of nnr cnnntrx-