Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1859-09-02
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GREELEYs Observation-Disclosures,
FROM SALT LAKE 10 cAksoN VALLEY


low mountain pass. Twenty miles on, We
found small brook, m9king from the noun
talns south of us across IA thirsty plain, which
presume soon drank lit up. The vegetation
was that same eternaH sagebush and grease
wood, (Artemisia, think, is more widely
recognized designation of this plant which |
am tired OF mentioning, but which, together
or separately, cov9h two-thirds of all the vast
region between the Rocky Mountains and the
Sierra Nevada. In places, the sagebush for
miles III extent y dead and whitening, SEEM
lngy parched up Wy the all-pervading drouth
the greasewood Us either harder, or chooses
us ground mor9 judiclously; for il is rarely
found dead by ACRES. There is some bunch
grass on the slides of two or three mountains,
but very little of aught that can be relied on
10 sustain hufnan or animal life. The noun.
tllns and plains seem to divide the ground
very fairly between them-the soil OF both
being mainly white clay, while the former
nave that creased, quilted, washed-away ap-
pearance, which, haved repeatedly noticed.
Sometimes they are nearly perpendicular on
one or more SIDES, like the buttes further east !;
but usually they can be assembled ON any side,
and seem to rlsa but one to three thousand
feet above the plains at their bases These
plains appear from} distance to be level as so
many tables; but, Jon attempting to cross them
III wagon, you f&d them creased and secured
showing that in the\ season, water is most
abundant here. In fnost instances. a gradual
slope OF mile or two Iiptervenes between the
1901 OF mountain and tthe adjacent plain or
valley; TINS slope Is apE to be intensely dry,
Sterile, ana covered wlths dead or dying sage
bush. The valleys or 2lains are from five to
fifteen miles across, though they seem in the
clear, dry atmosphere of Utah, not half so
much. These plains have an imperceptibe
slope to some point near their respectye CEN
tiers, where wider watQr-c0llrse runs toward
some djacent valley; i'll some eases a marsh
or naked space near the teenter indicates that
the surplus water from tbte surrounding monn
tains forms here in spring a petty. shallow
lake, which the hot suns koorI eyanorate mr. the
thirsty soil absOrbs. Tho maintains are dim
ly beted or dotted with low scrubby cedar
seldom len feet high, and often nearly AS far
across tile green top foiR ned by three or four
stalks or stems starting tlfoln a common root.
The mountains seem to have no particular or
rather, no general directions some of the val
leys Delng nearly or quite surrounded by them.
E'en III inc "ettest seasons, cannot perceive
that this region sends off any surplus water to
Salt Lake or any other general reservoir
We found station, al change of horses. and
something that was called dinner. 20 miles or
more from Camp Floyd. lNearly so miles from
camp floyd, we halted Hor the night The
slatlon-keeper mere gave Nne an incident which
Illustrates the character N the country Some
few days before he ascerWained that his oxen
eight in number, had go0 e off two or three
hlgh1s before, taxing soFtherly course; so he
mounted horse and foli1~Eed their trail. lie
rode upon it 100 miles WITHOUT reaching water
or oVertaKing the cattle, Fhich had lain down
but once since they start Id, and were still
day journey ahead of Inn II he continued
the pursuit, his horse mi ut die of thirst and
then he, too, must perishM so he turned about
ana lett MS oxen 10 die gin the DESERT or be
found anu eaten by savaggss. There was not a
shadow of hope that he W uld ever see them
again.
We had to drive the Sun team (mules. Of
course) all next day, maEJeyA50 miles but we
stopped to rest and feed tept Rat a substation.
only 20 miles from our SIX of l. point. If was
about the forlornest spot f high Saw. Though
at the foot of low moe ft Cairhare ~y~s =
water near it, that whics} had been given our
mules had been carted il IL barrel from Slmp-
sons Spring aforesaid, a-1u SO 1t must be. An
attempt to sink well att 1hls point had mus
far proved failure. T. fstatIon keeper here
lives entirely alone-thatVas, when the INDIANS
will let him-seeing fri II diy race Dut twice a
week. when the mail stag passes one way or
the other. He deeply q hretted MS lack OF
books and newspapers ire could only give
him one of the latter. 10y 40 not men VINO
CONTRACT to RIM mails thru gh such desoate re-
gions comprehend that Fr own interest, II
no nobler consideration, s.Nnluld lmpel them TO
supply their stations With Iou feaulng hlatter
We drove on that d., on miles 10 flsh
Springs station, just beforIe reasoning "hlch we
nassod one of the salt weAls which are charac-
terissic Of this country, las Iugh presume not
peculiar to it. This one te5about SIX or eight
feet in diameter and perhleps an equal dlstance
from the surface of the shfrounaing earth TO
that of the water, which las Whiush-green
asnect is intensely salt. all said to be unfath-
enable, with downward luction whch a man
could hardly or not at all Fslst mad no de-
sire to try, badly as neeTeu aDiutlon;
Fish Springs form quit1a large pool at the
north end of a low mountAin range and send
off. a copious stream, to Ne drank up in the
course of three or four mics by the thirsty
clay of the plain. The tater Is DracKlsh, ana
think sulphurous, as OF spring III tne
adjacent marsh clearly Inere are many
fish in the pool and sire 2, anu they are sad
~ he GOOD. | should HE liked to verify the
assertion: and if they bB a hnndredth part SO
freely as the mosouitoe ,Vlo hereabout it were
an easy matter to afiorf tne stage passengers
here a change from the tusuai rauonS Oh pork,
bread, and coffee.
July 23d.-We trave Inns forenoon over
nlo;n nearly surroundI by mountains. Be-
tore noon. we came , the spot where the
STAGE mules are turne Tut to feed and rest, by
the side Of sink or sApression in the plain,
which is covered wit coarse grass anu reeus
of bulrushes. By dihrng In the SIDE OF TINS
sink, water has been asily oDtalned' put so
sulphurous and genely pau as 70 De pareiy
drinkable. Even thep ules, thinK, practlce
great moderation in II use Vi IL. AV l; we
harnessed up and welIsoon riSiiig over ion iollg
,,,o,ntoin.nass bardl less than ten miles from
tho levol plain IN tJsammit, where light
th,,ndor shower--tbaJ a lightrain with heavy
thnnder-overtook We drove rapidly
down its western dc fvity, and, a little after
=, coached our ixt station in pheasant
Vouoy y a broad ra, k which descends to the
sa,,th',nost Uara y found water-bright,
sweet, pure sparklinfeaPihg watei Hls'
water fit 10 drink las we hau reacheu III d
hundred miles. WFere now across VIVA. -
hore technicallv kneh as "the desert'-that
Is N saw we had crcied the northeast corner
of n + believe II bends at least 200 miles
south from this poinlnd is at least as far from
east to west across center. If Uncle Sam
should ever sell TIL tract for one cent per
acre, he will swile the purchaser outra-
geously
AtPleasant Vallekwe turned northwest up
broad ravine, andIenceforth held that gen
eral course to reaclhe Humboldt, instead OF
still making west hth-west directly toward
Carson Valley. al is proposed hereafter to
do If that be foundracticable. For the next
lao miles or thereAuts, our trail led us main.
Nv nm one side of mountain range and down
the other. thenceLross a valley of some ten
miles in width to foot Of another chain, and
80 on. An tho Ill naturally runs up the
deepest canons aiover the lowest passes, the
o,oaot ond doacl are rarely abrupt for any