Santa Fe gazette. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1859-1864, 1864-07-02
(NUNIBER 8 NEW SERIES)

be found The road over the Blue ridge
has very heavy grades and in places is
quitc rough On both sides it follows
deep aud Sandy urrol os which bear evid-
enceS ut carrying much water at times;
considerable labor will be required to make
this part Of the road practicable for heav.
lily loaded wagons.
At silver creek on the western slope Of
the Blue riIgc and twelve miles from Fort
Moiayp rich gold and silver leads have
been discovered. Companies in San Fran.
cisco have been organized to work them
After leaving the Arroyo Of Silver creek
the road to Fort Mojaye is good, except
about two miles Of sand BY the route ]
travelled the distance irom Fort Whippo
to Fort Mciave is 1876 me8-see list ofdis-
tOuccs cneloscd,-Ihis distance can be
shortened from ten to fifteen miles by an
expenditure Of a reasonable amount of la.
bor, The rough and mountainous country
which | passed over before reaching Pne-
bio Creek can he avoided, and good road
obtained by going direct from Fort Whip
pie to the mouth OF Its canon. estimated
tine distance to be about eighteen miles
from the Fortto the point where this stream
disappears beneath the surface for the last
tine, This, like all other streams in that
portion Of Arizona, rises and sinks at inter
walls. The laborof fifty men for sixty days
would make the road from Fort Mojave to
Fort Whpple practicable for six mule
teams loaded win from 5VOO to 5000
pounds, inc ROAD, as ionnd 1t compares
la'otao'y win lne mountain roads III tue
northern part o. New Mexico
! arrived al Eort MoJaVe on the lOth OF
Jannary 1874 hao hoped at that post to
hn' forage IoF my animals which had be-
come poor and weak, on account OF the
long distance tney had Travelled without
rest, ana severe snow storm that fell on
the olh oI January; but ! could procure
nothing except the poorest KIND OF bottom
nay had intended to return to Fort Whip.
PIE "'II' packs VIA 'he month OF Williams
fork Du' owing to the poor condition Of
my ANNALS me want ol means OF lmprov.
ing 'he'r condition, or exchanging them
Tor better ones, determined to leave my
wagon ana return win packs by the route
! had Travelled on my return followed
fucoio creek to the mouth of its cadon,
w4'Gh runs Nearl y east, opening into the
"Nal de UhInG,u about IA miles to the north
"es' OIL Fort "hlpple'
The Colorado river is said to be naviga.
bic with boats of light draft, carrying from
fifty to one hundred tons, for seven or eight
months of the year. There is but one boat
on the river that runs above Fort Yuma,
and this onIy as occasion demands. The
cost OF transportation from San Francisco
to Fort Mojave by sea and river is seven
and onc'half cents ~ per pound. The
cost from Los Angeles to the same point
is twelve cents (l2) per pound. At the lat.
ter rate it would cost to carry freight from
Fort Mojavo to Fort Whpplc about five
cents (5j per pound
The navigation of the river is as yet con.
trollcd by one company 1t is believed
that the amount of freight now awaiting
transportation at the mouth of the river
and at Fort Yuma, and the prospects of
an increasing demand for transportation.
will warrant the building of other and more
suitable boats for NAVIGATING this stroom