The Shasta courier., 1867-10-19
SHASTA COURIER.
Discovering an Zee Field in the Desert.

This very hot weather reminds me of an
incident which occurred in 1853, during a
hot spell, upon the very far frontiers. 1t
was while command of two companies of
the old Second United States Dragons, un-
der charge Of Captain II. Ii. Anderson, Of
the same regiment was on the march from
what was then known as Camp Floyd, Utah
Terrtorv, TO Fort Leayenworth, Kansas
We had struck our tents at very early
hour in the morning, ana as the first faint
glimmer Of DAYLIGHT was observed in the
east the command was . Strengthened OUT
upon the road, and prepared Tor long days
march under a burning July sun, for - Pacl-
fc Sprines' had to be made that night to
camp at, or horrible to think of, there would
be no water. We started out lively and
buoyant; both men and horses thoroughly
enioyed the beautiful cool morning air, bra
cling and invigorating as it was. The merry
laugh and joke passed from front to rear,
aud each man enjoyed himself apparently
as well as soldiers could. The morning
passed, the sun came out strong aad brilliant
and soon the effects Of his nightly heat b came
apparent. The jokes were passed less fire.
quently, the laughs became fewer and shorter
and finally silence reigned among the bipeds,
and nothing was heard but the tramp tramp
Of the quadrupeds and jingling of the equip
ments, and as old Sol rose higher, his pierre
ing rays grew stronger and stronger, until
the very horses grew languid and dropping.
We halted to water and rest at noon, still
under the burning sun, not bush the size
Of a man hat was to be seen which would
afford Us any shade. After an hours brOil-
ing the word wass given to mount, the = for
ward" was sounded and we resumed our
melting way for that everlasting Pacific
Spring and pacific it ought to be, for our
tempers as well as our bodies were sorely
tried, and am afraid there were more left
handed prayers said that day than even Par
son BrownlOw would approve of. About
o'clock P. NJ. we reached the Spring, after
twelve hours steady seat i'll the saddle, ten OF
which hours we were under the perpndlcu
lar ravs Of as hot IL sun as it was ever my
luck to experience, and have been in not
a few Of the hot places Of this earth, which |
earnestly hope will be sufficient to keep me
out Of any of the hot places Of the other world,
all things else being equal.
The train arrived, the tents were pitched,
and the order passed along to change the
feeding ground Of our animals, which had
been picketed out Immediately when we un
saddled, in the rear Of our line of tents.-
About three hundred yards in front of our
camp there was very beautiful strip of fresh
looking grass, and for this point each man
made with his horse. The first man on the
spot struck his pickle pin into the ground
aud it Immediately rebounded as if it struck
against rock. Several more tried it, and
the same thing happened; when one of the
men stopped down and inserting the point of
his picket pin, turned up a portion of the sod,
and 10 there was bed of ice from four to
ten inches thick. The news flew like light
ming through the command, and in the excite
ment created by the cry of "Icel ice!"
Every pick, spade, and shovel, and in fact
anything that man could dig with, was put
into immediate requisitiOn, even to the pocket
knives. and in less time than | write this, the
strip of green grass was covered by anxious,
hard working men, as earnestly bent upon
what they were at as if their lives depended
upon ice You may rest assured that that
ice was a perfect God send to that party of
men. after our long, and weary, and dusty
march over a country covered with sand and
sage brush, under the rays Of as hot a sun as
/ ever felt in the tropics and that ice was
prized as SO much gold. Every empty gunny
bag and every blanket was put into use to
carry ice. and do not believe that before or
since such load of ice ever crossed the
Rocky Ridge as there did next day in our
train We all thought it strange, of course,
that we should find ice there, six inches un-
der the surface, in the month of July but
the philosophy Of the circumstance was not
thought of in the excitement and joy of
obtaining it.