Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1865-02-21
AN OVERLAND TRIP TO CALIFORNIA,
.cOrrsspoadssee Of the Sensinei.l

ACsTIy, NKyADAs Oct. lc, lcO4.
Ma EpiTcR:-' Granite Rock Is mountan
about three miles long. one wide and 800 fee.
high rising abruptly out of sandy desert. In
il Is a canyon. in which Is the dry bed of creek,
filed with drift wood. indicating that at times
fierce torrent rushes down it. At the upper end
of The canyon several springs of clear water
that run OF about rod. and then sink into the
candy gravel The road I'D 10 the springs
mere pathvay-winds around huge granite
boulders aud up rocky stedes for about mile,
at least two hundred feet above the level OF the
plain. Where.do these springscome fromr The
mountain is one vast granite rock, with little
erevices in it, where. al places. it seems rent
asunder by some terrible throe of nature. Pine
and cedar grow up in these crevces, but thew
have sickly, scrubby growth so little soil Is
there 10 support them. The water does not &C
cumulaie upon the surface Of the mountain. for
there is no space there large enough 10 hold IL
The mountain looks "a IL II was once upheayed
from the plain, and these springs are brought up
from bodies of water far below by pressure
Whatever their origin, here come the wolf, the
deer. the antelope, the elk and the Wild Indian
hunter for water. But rarely do white men'z
voices echo within It's granite walls.
SO soon we could, we hurried to the springs
guided by the footsteps of animals that had pre-
coded Us. and when we reached there, it was
then that water was by duly appreciated. We
drank and then sat down on the green turf that
grew up around the springs. and watched the
crystal streams a. they gently glded down their
short race, and were lost to vieg, swallowed Up
in the remorseless sand. How beautiful they
looked Here, far into the very bosom of the
desert. in a rock surrounded by great wastes OF
sand. rising in gently undulating hillock and
vale. far beyond the range OF vision. was all the
water within radius OF thirty miles We drank
again. and again sat down, and unused. Alas
that restless feyerish throng of bpeds who infest
the haunts OF man, whose constant study it seems
10 be TO invent means 10 avoid the use OF water ;
tho thereby they with full knowledge of the
baneful results, drench themselves with most
yilainous decoctons could but be subjected as
we were TO the pangs of burning thirst and then
| be permitted TO cool their parched tongues in "A
clear mountain spring Then would they learn
| what delights. drsughts of the natural element
| brings 10 the unvtiated taste J We drank again
| and fersently thanked God we were permitted
| to drink. Meanwhile our poor mules and ponies
we're busy and il required our utmost efforts to
| force them away, when prudence suggested they
| had drank enough
About o'clock p. filed our water
casks. hitcbed up. drove out into the rain and
| wound around the mountain along dmy
| marked track for about five miles, when We
/ reached broad expanse Of alkali fat or salt
| plain stretched out before Us many miles, look
| ing like broad sheet OF snow This we must
| cross before rain could not cross at all, as
/ it would then be impossible for vehicles To
cross 1t in the heat of the day is dangerous TO
| man and beast. az the suns rays reflected from
| the crystal flakes carry with them truly a fery
| ordeal to pass through which is rarely attempted.
| We plunge IN. and our wagons cut in nearly a
| foot beneath the white crust, which cracks like
and resembles in appearance the frozen surface
| of a snow bank. The constituent elements OF
this crystal formation | had no sufficient means
At hand of determining: but it tasted like mix
/ ture of common ssleratus and table salt.
| inst ahead OF u we saw mountain rising out
| OF the plain When reach that our Indian
/ guide told would then he out of the salt
| plain and would find water. | rode for several
/ hours and then got out TO walk thinking we
! would soon reach the heaven ia vored spot where
water abounded. Then, right ahead of Us. only
few hundred yards. was the mountain, and We
/ hurried up But alas. walked and walk ed +,
until We could bulge not an inch further and
| vet the mountain no higher to Us, but appa
| uently within a stones throw. We turned to look
| back and the mountains We had left we're at our
| backs. We scarce seemed 20 have left their base
/ Then the illusion. The air is so pure
/ here that objects are seen At a far greater dis
| lance than in the states.
AT dsybreak we reached the Springs, situated
10 little plain covered with sort of tula grass,
1 "a epcClcs VI fccu grows dOOuL IOuf lttl
| high and TO the thickness of an eighth of an
inch.) With clumps of willows aud greasewood
| The main spring here, called by mountainuers
Willow Spring, is about feet deep and over
rod square The wateris clear and pslatable and
| runs off in rapid little stream for hundred
| Yards where il unites with another spring of
about the same size. and then runs further on a
| short distance. where il spreads out into a marsh
of several acres when it ceases TO flow. Fish are
| found in these springs in considerable numbers
/ looking like the mullet variety.
From Willow Springs we travel near fifteen
| miles where we intersect the stageiroad at Deep
Creek. a little stream about three feet wide and
| six inches deep. running down from the noun
| tsins a distance OF two miles Here there is a
stage station. an eating house kept BY one Eagan.
a blacksmith shop. unoccupied. and private
res dence tensnted BY q Mormon "ranchero ="
Here, too. are the headquarters OF the Goshoot
Indians. who are beyond question the most
wretched and poverty stricken race OF the genus
homo that have yet seen. They are well nigh
naked. are dirty, lousy. indolent, and so enact
ated that they seem little else than skin and
| bones. with huge, bushy uncombad heads of
matted black hair, growing down to within an
inch of their eyebrows broad and high cheek
/ bones.
They live on pine nuts, "a species OF fruit
| gathered from pine trees. and very sweet and
/
can beg and steal The women, in troops of ten
TO twenty. with a great basket. looking like an
inverted sugar loaf and az large -four barrel,
lAshed 10 their backs. daily 60 to the mountains
10 gather the nuts and seeds upon whi~h they
principally sub,ist The men kill rabbits and
/ ground squirrels, and occasionally are lucky
enough find antelope. Last year they
were given by government agents one bullock
| per week for their subsistence. This year the
supply is withheld, and they must starve or steal
/ There are about seven hundred left Two years
ago. driven by starvation, thew attacked the
stage stations within their territory and plum
dered them Of whatever provisions they could
/ find They will doubtless repeat the experiment
/ the ensuing winter
/ From Deep Creek the route lies along the
margin OF a sandy wss;e for about two miles
thence twenty miles through a dusty canyon. in
low range of hills and thence across plain
devoted an interim xture OF sand alksli. and 70
sage bush ard CROSSWORD. to tue foot OF high
mountain. where We found springs OF excellent
water. hear q stage station. This mountain Is
covered with 4 small growth Of pine sud cedar.
and Il part of range extending on 10 Shell
Creek. distance OF twenty FIVE miles. There
j. plenty OF grass al Deep Creek and IN the ada
cent mountains. and IN the mountains lust a.
ladei 20 there : abundance of bunch grass
baG the valleys are geaeTllly barren
From the srrncs the road winds over the