New Orleans daily crescent., 1859-01-18
Welu Orleans Aailp Gresffrt.
Terrible sufTsrlng. on the pI.,n..

}iYt lEf
Mr.. John N. Guthrie retained from Salt Lake City
few days since, and gave the Weekly Platte Argus
the following account Of the horrible suerings which
he and his companions endured from the cold weather
on the plains and in the mountains: A 4,lg
Mr.. G. left Salt Lake City on the 9th Of Eovem
ber, with the mail on packed animals, In company
with G. A. Beardy, OF New York. It had been snow.
ing for seven or eight days before Mr. G. left the val
ley The snow was from one to Elk feet deep in the
pass with their animals. Second day ont the snow
was so deep that the company got lost and lay out
all night, and the in charge Of the mail hsd their
feet and hands Frozen and the boots had TO be cut of
their feet next morning.
The third day they made Bridger at sunset, and
after travelling about twenty miles got lost again, and
were compelled again to lay down in the snow till
morning. Fourth day they made Big Sandy Station,
and left there about o'clock in the evening, and
Travelled twenty miles, wind blowing from the east.
The storm increased so as to prevent them from see
ing five feet ahead and compelled them again to lay
up. They camped in hollow, and during the night
snow drfted on them to thedepth of three feet Here
the whole company almost froze. Mr. G. states that
able to stand up The mail men, having no bedding,
were compelled to walk aronnd all night to keep from
freezing. Fifth day-Left early in the morning
travelled eight milestone OF the mail mems face and
hands froze and the other was far froze to be
almost asleep. Mr.. g., here finding that the men
would freeze, took them of and made them walk.
They then turned and went back twentyeight miles
to Big Sandy. s-l
The next day the wind ceased, and they started in
company with MI. Ashton, the mail agent. They
reached the South Pass at dark. Here the wind
raised again; the snow being drited from five to ten
feet deep, and they again became lost-for three
the road and their only hopes was to face the wind
In order to reach Sweet Water which they did. They
then attempted to travel down this stream, but the
drifted snow was SO deep as to be impossible. They
nroH 0y1dh NJ Ash - T. r..
in the bed i4- 1l 81 a3l -
In the morning they left mules mail, and all, and
took 1t afoot down Sweet Water on the ice. Mas
ton begged to be left in the bed, they had to cut
moccasins and put them on Mr.. Ashton-leaving his
feet with only deer skin moccasin on. The whole
company concluded the time was growing short
but like heroes, made desperate eort-part of the
time carrying Nj. Ashton: They reached station
Of making the trip, although the thermometer stocd
twenty.seven degrees below zero. Mr. Sanders, the
surveyor on the new road south Of Laramie, had Mr.
Miller stationed at this place with barometer and
thermometer in order to take notes of the weather
The Oldest mountaineers one in particular who lives
close by the station states that it was the codest
weather they had experienced for thirty years.
They left Mt. Ashton after laying over three OF
four days. While here the st. Joseph mail ar
rived-Mr. Garvis, the Indian agent for the Snakes
coming through with it. They had nine mules frozen
around their camp fire-some in two feet of tie fire
The men had all their hands and feet frozen and lay
four day within eight miles Of the station unable tc
get in. Here Majors and Russell had ten men frozen
to death. They attempted to follow the train and be
came lost and froze. While here the Salt Lake mai
of Dec. 4th overlook Mr.. G., and having no men tc
send with the mail, Mr.. G. took charge OF it and
it to Laramie where he met an agent hayina
men, g.-. +s4zf4
Mr.. G. took the coach, in company with four othel
passengers below Laramie they had but little snow
| and the roads were good most of the time. They
at oil
They met Mr.. Hockaday at Cotton Wood Springs, on
| his way up with mules to supply the mail stations
From here the roads became muddy and the creeks
high, and in some places had to swim the mules.
The stage company refunded Mr. Guthrie his pas
sage money at St. Joseph on account of bis attention
to Mr.. Ashton, the agent the hands, and for taking
charge OF the mail and bringing it through from
South Pass to Laramie himself. -