, 1862-02-22

TedUerS
and the state Of the roads, manner of travelling
and mode OF subsistence on the road and here
OF scarcely less importance to those who are con
tcmplating trip to the mines If, therefore
your correspondents letters are voluminons, at
tribute it to desire to enlighten the public, SC
that none may come blndly, rather than the dis
position to write after the subject is exhausted--q
practice which has been described as "Tbe
ghost of wit, walking at wits own funeral"
FROM WALLA wALLA To FLORENCE, THROUGH
THE SHOWS.
Leaving Walla Walla on the afternoon of tbe
28th of December, I found the snow of the aver
age depth of about one foot all the way to Lewis
ton; and this quantity was increased in MANY
places by. fresh falls of it. The route is well
known to mining adventurers and needs no des-
crlpton. There are number of houses of enter
talnmcnt on the road, but scarcely enough to sup
ply the present necessities of travellers less
the hordes that will be attracted hitherward in the
spring. 1t appears as If it would be quite i'm
ossible to find accommodations and forage in
hat portion Of the country, for men and animals
the coming season.
may mention here that a new route has been
laic out for a wagon-road, which diverges from
the old one at the head the Pataha and crosses
Snake river some fifteen miles above Lewiston.
A new ferry boat is in process of construction to
cross the river on this road The road will come
into the old Florence trail at the Camas Prairie.
It is claimed to be the shortest and best route
from WalIa Walla. look upon it as an enter
prise Of the greatest importance to Walla Walla.
and one which must iniure Lewiston, if it has the
merits claimed for it. But do not dabble in
these local matters save as a matter of news.
Notwithstanding the injunctious of the Agent
at the Nez Perces Reservation, some fifteen or
twenty permanent houses have been erected at
Lewiston. / failed however to discover the " one
hundred buildings, seen by the microscopic ewes
Of S. F. La correspondent of Portland pa
per. 1t is not however, my province to account
for the optical delusion which transmogrifes tent
houses into wooden ones. any more than to ac-
count for the statement of the Imaginative youth
who saw the " hundred thousand wolves"
From Lewiston, two routes to the Camas Prai
rie present themselves, and there are several
trails diverging and again coming into each of
these. l shall speak only of the one travelled by
myself, as choose to tell only what l see, and
leave the task of reporting reports to Others
Taking tn Oro Fino road, kept it to Craigs
"a distance of seventeen miles. From thence,
the route travelled was up the right-hand branch
of Craig Greek, three or four miles, and then it
turns to the left up mountain. The ascent is
made by pack-trai pretty steep, and about
mile and half in length This brings us on to
the table-lands which are e. same as those on
the Orc Emo road-rolling lands. occasional
springs, and thin growth of young pines. with
occasional largo trees of the same kind Camp
ing in the snow, which was about twenty inches
deep at this point, we travelled over the table
lands some seventeen miles-crossing a creek at
fifteen miles from camp-to Warens tent Ma
king another cold night CT it here, we started
bright and early next morning to cross the Camas
Prairie. In three miles more we struck the edge
of the prairie, and for once found it without a
gale of wind sweeping across it. 1t is about if-
teen miles to Pine Greek from the western mar
gin Of the Prairie This Creek is crossed above
the forks but the canons Of the branches are not
deep.
Just as we clambered out of the first canon,
the gale Of wind, which usually prevails com
menced. Your correspondent had heroically re-
fused to ride during the day-trusting to his
powers Of endurance. Being somewhat behind
as usual-when the gale sprung up, he soon lost
sight of his comrades. The wind howled the
STOW blew in binding drifts, and all traces of the
trail disappeared. The Freuchmans House
was still five miles distant, and the direction un-
known Staggering through drifts waist deep,
or slipping on the icy hill-sdes the prospect for
reaching any place Of shelter that night was in
deed dreary; not to reach it was death. Leav-
ing the direction Of my feet to chance, my ears
were at length gladdened by the repeated reports
of firearms. Two hours after night | reached
the Frenchman's," entirely overcome with fa-
ugue. My comrades had already sent out one
man, and all of them were preparing to start in
search Of me. was welcomed as man who
had taken the even chances of life and death,
and the hal-fnished chlente of the old French
soldier was the most pleasant place had seen in
many long day All night the wind blew the
snow through the hut but it was better than
snow-drif.
The next days travel was over slight ridge;
three or four miles down a canon to White Bird
creek two miles down the creek three miles
over ridge, to Salmon river, aud ten miles up
Salmon river to The Foot of the Mountain.
Here there is a small but comfortable house of en-
tertanment Resting day, started with one
to cross the snow mountains. The
descent is along sharp ridge for six miles, to
" The Springs Here the trail is drfted over
by snOw-varying in depth from five to ten feet
The air was sharp and the toll OF the ascent over
pOwerng. Keeping the trail by the " blazes," on
the trees, we got within two miles of the summit,
a distance Of ten miles from the foot of the
Camping in a snow-drift. and the
Wlu uOWllISj as usual, we CTOSSeu Jile rlQg6, ana
striking down one Of the tributaries Of Slate
creek we reached that creek eight miles from the
summit near night. Down in the valley of Slate
Creek warm rain was falling but just at night
fall an icy wind blew of the mountains. Fred
that was my comrades name-wited, and want
ed me to roll him up in the blankets and leave
him four miles from Florence. To leave him
was equivalent to his being found frozen any time
an hour later. At the loot of each ridge. he
swore roundly that he would not ascend another;
but by dint of coaxing and working with him, he
got over four miles, to a miners cabin, where he
fell down, perfectly used up.
OF this winter Journey let me say Messrs.
Editors, that it is no boys play. No man that is
not of sound constitution and in perfect health
need attempt it. Such as answer this descrip-
ton can come in safety. 1t is indeed trip re-
quirng nerve and resolution in the highest de
gree. 1t is a trip that must needs be made
through snow, as l shall show in my next
letter. H. NJ
Second Letter.
FLORENCE, Jan. "a, 1862