The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1866-05-12

THE MINING DISTRICT OF OREGON.
Great Basin of the Columbia
River.
IT'S MINES AND WEALTH.
10. DO. &c.
Our Dailes Oregon, Correspondence.

/ O0A DoAACS tOAV8OnJ OOEkeoPOnuehCes
The DALLEs, Dec To- 1855.
Within the last two years many Of the newspapers
the Atlantic seaboard have contained letters from resi-
dent tnerant correspondents from various parts
the mines in the great interior country which properly
called the great basin Of the Columbia river In
OF these letters have seen those evidences Of muc
travel and observation which necessary in the for
nation OF general conclusions. 1t must be allowed
| however, that many of them perspcuous, in
| local sense, and several contain proofs tina
the wrters only needed knowledge TO have writer
thorough and comprehensive statement of Affairs II
the district in question Having spent nearly five year
In exploring this vast interior, feel embodened from
sense of the knowledge which have acquired in tina
way, to believe that representation Of affairs by viii
find interested readers. In the absence Of those quaa
cations which the distinguishing metropo
tan newspaper correspondents, only hope that
subject OF such vast importance will lend inspiration t.
the pen which describes country obtained by the
manke foresight Of Jefferson, explored by the immor
pioneers Lewis and Clarke and now in process of dc
veopment by that restless and dauntless body Of from
tersmen who the real champions Of civilization.
INTRODUCTORY GENERAL REMARKS
In general way the Columbia River Basin may be
described comprising the bounded west by the
Cascade Mountains, east by the Rocky Mountains
south by the parallel of forty degrees thirty minutes
and north by irregular mountain formations OF which
the Americans have but an ndistinc idea The eastern
Rocky Mountain frontier trends wcstwardy from tho
meridian OF thirty -four degrees from Washington
thirty degrees west when intersects the forty
ninth parallel. The western boundary-the Cascade
range-runs nearly due north and south the meridian
of forty -four degrees thirty minutes west from Wash
inston.
That portion of the basin which hes inside Of the
United States, from the forty.ninth parallel SOUTH
stretches from north TO south i've hundred and twenty
Eve miles, from four hundred and nney-1ve
miles, and has of about two hundred and sixty
thousand square miles, Half much is contained
in the British provinces to the NORTH and may keep
inside OF the bounds Of truth by calling the total
four hundred thousand square miles
THE TWO MAIN BRANCHES OF THE COLUMBIA
The North fork OF the Coumba river of the
mountains Of British Columbia somewhere in the dircc-
ion Of Mount Brown, and after keeping nearly due
70 the International boundary line stretches in giant
Zgzags In general southerly course across the great
central table lands OF the INTERIOR and the inter-
section of the parallel OF fortysix degrees north
the waters of snake coming down from the south
carrying nearly one half OF the of the ma n
Colombia The mingled waters OF the two streams,
from their confluence, keep course nearly due west
along tho parallel Of fory-sx degrees north to the
PHYSICAL IRREGULARITIES COLUMBIA BAIx-irs CON-.
HGURAroN
Al the distance Of hundred and fifty miles from
salt water is the gorge through which the aggregated
drainage OF four hundred thousand squar miles has torn
with resstless mi through the bari Ter of the
Cascade Mountains. In this gorge the succession OF
terraces marks the gradual subsistence of the waters
which constituted the interior vast inland sea- For
nearly four thousand feet above the level Of
tho sea these marks visible, and from thence
may b, deduced theory OF what tho inter or
was before the slow processes of had fitted
when "the earth was without form and void and
the face Of tbs deep" SOLITARY travel
lef had climbed 10 the summit Of Mount Hood and
thence looked TO the east his gaze would have on
vast expanse OF waters broken only by the shapees
projecting crest OF some submerged mountain. Of
knobs running along the line VI forty five degrees north
would have stretched from the Cascade " the Rocky
range. To the east three hundred miles running north
aud SOUTH the crests of the Bitter Root Mountains would
have appeared; but hidden flom sight behind these
mountains the Bitter Root valley deep down undcr
the waters To the southeast and northeast the horizon
would have been bounded by watsry waste BY What
dreadful CONFUSION " nature these dev-
eredY How the gap formed through which Great
tho sublime spectacle Of the floods pouring
down succession OF cascades -four thousand
feet high-their volume grand beyond the power
OF human compuaiiop, swelied they were
by accumulations Of ages BY some process at some
umet that time only known to God-the great lax con
tanning 400 600 square miles and nearly mile In DEPTH
first discharged us waters down the SLOPE of the
Cas- AIDE Mountains The fall and OF these Hoods
ouvies thousand Nagaras and It Is questionable II
the surface OF the earn contains another evidence
Of natures operations scale comparable grandeur
And God said let the waters under the hcave 8 be
gathered together unto place. and let dry land ap
pear" and was and the land fitted for the uses
Of man. He found IL 10 consist OF. man depression
forty i've degrees north by the Blue Mountain range
which divides the OF the north branch of the Co
iumba from those Of Snake river and behind and to the
east OF the Bttor Root range the extensive lands of
Bitter Root valley, running from southeast northwest
Down the eastern slope Of the streams flow
to the ensf aud from the Rocky range the waters TOW
west until they meet at the line Of the greatest deprcs
sion, from whence above stated, they flow back To
the gorge In the cascade range, Their way into
the
Not 10 be prolx may state that the interior Is mostly
occupied with rocky table lands bearing Tine growth OF
lruE md rCalt. *
tains upheayed through them a growth OF timber
al the average elevation of about two thousand five hun
dred feet Tho valleys generally narrow rich strcks
Of so and the streams generally carry thin fringe OF
willow, alder, cottonwood and the like description Of
trecs
The retaining mountain barr crs of the country under
consideration present to the curious traveller Of
incomparabIe sublnlty. Along the eastern boundary
the Rocky Mountains paratvey few objects Of in
terest presented yet upon tho whole even that sec
ton far beyond any other the south Of II in
ccsc.r 2, curiosity The cascade range howsyer may
India as TO elevation; and from the boldness
with which the isolated peaks Of Mount Hood,
thrown from the backbone Of the range an effect
. produced which Ia not noticeable in clusters
Mount Hood h chief Of ALL From tho wharf Fort Van.
couver forty.ave miles below the Cascades The best
view Is obtained Here the mountain s rising over
low, broken foreground covered with dense growth
Of mrs. rearing aoft Its bald pyrnfnldal
crest 70 the imperial height OF eighteen thousand two
hundred and eighty feet Cold, WHITE unapproachabe
y looks q nt throne for the Almighty, from which TO
GENERAL REn,RKs c,IxArE-rm CHINOOK WIND
Notwithstanding the high latitude OF large portloa Of
he country, and Its considerable elevation above the
ovel Of the the climate In general Of remarkable
nlldncss AZ 10 snow, the rule rs, wherever there Is /
timber the snow remains throughout the winter
months On open land the seldom STAYS |
On the ground week at time, and live
ock does not require any feed winter three aud
hen only for two months at most, usually Ia avergc
lard winters one month As 10 salubrty, the climate
3 beyond comparison, the finest the Pacific coasi
which equivalent 81 calling the hcaltniest on earth
The singular feature pbot the climate In winter h the
Chinook wind" which blows from the southwest
crSss the Columbia BASIN and is warm NJ the ordi
'ary south wind on the Atlantic coast IN Nay This nd
blows at Intervals from the lat Of Decembr 20 the LIST
u arch, and no matter how much snow may be wing
N the valley lands when IL Commences fairly the
round Is laid bare before 1t stops The never takes
he snow OF In this country and when this sroc-o OF the
worth bows the sky Is with brown and fiery
ooking cloudA
TiE MINIS OF CutuamA rAsrS
Tue discovery Of The gold mines OF California soon
cd men TO thcorize upon the probable existence OF
imsr source OF wealth the tributaries Of the CouIn-
"a Iver AZ early As 1854 pas ing paccrs found
be Pen dOreilc river which is mply continuation OF
he Batter Root river below the Pen Orelc lake This
alnf.t ar