The New York herald., 1870-05-11
UNITED STATES STOREsHIP GuARp,l
SAN RI rril OQ.- IQ-n

Rp,l n
SAN BIAS, April 2s 1870.
schooner returning to AspInwall gives an oppor-
tunity to send more news OF the Darien expedition
On the evening Of April 13 Major Houston and his
marines excepting four or five footworn straggers
one OF whom had been accidentally shot In the arm
by sailor reached the Guard, together with nearly
all the members OF surveying party No. l. after hav
ing made military reconnaissance OF the Sacubti
and OF the Chugnanagna along the very tortuous
courses OF those rivers towards the Pacific. Messrs.
Schulze, Collins, Sullivan and Carson, OF the
surveying party, accompanied Major Houston,
whose command left the ship on the Attn inst, and
marched forty-fve miles beyond Camp No. Q. But
for the accidental breaking Of the barometer they
might have been tempted TO makethe provisions to
hold out even longer than they did In their eageness
''cross the Isthmus.n Crossing the Isthmus how.
ever, was not the object OF their reconnaissance,
which confirmed the results already obtained by the
surveying party and satisfied Commander se,fridge
as to the utter impracticablity Of interoceauic
canal by that route. But their experience rough az
1t was, tends to snow that Lieutenant Strain was
not. after ALL so mprudent as has been supposed, in
starting on his Inflated expedition with only ten
days provisions, which would, probably, have
suflced had he also been supplied with an adequate
military escort.
Camp No. was near the end Of the Transit and
Compass line which was surveyed in the careful
manner ordinarily pursued by civil engineers in To-
eating railroads and canals. In order to insure as
much accuracy as Is practicable such surveys an
oficer was always sent with the chainmen TO super
intend their work and get as nearly horizontal dis
tances on slopes can be obtained with the lightest
style of steel chain now used by surveyors. The
levelling was executed by experienced leveller.
The instrument used was heavy Blunt's Level, two
rodmen being employed and the foresight de-
termined before Intermediates were taken.
The rods In all cases were read by the lev
eer Those used were the Boston sta
tionary target rods. Barometrical observations
were taken at almost II not at all the bench marks
The coincidence between the elevations determined
by the most careful fevelling, with an instrument
which had been proved the previous summer capa.
bic OF dong work as nearly perfect as is possible
with a Y level, was excellent. The barometers used
were the Green cistern mountain barometers one of
large size teng carefully recorded at short intervals
between daylight and dark, at the Observatory on
Cocoanut Island while the one carried was exposed
ut least half an hour, on an average, before read
ings were taken.. The attached thermometers and
detached dry and wet bulb thermometers were read
at each observation. These had been carefully CON-
pared1 with standard from the Coast Survey Odica
before being brought to the Isthnnus, as well on
the route here and after the arrival Of the expedi
ton. Their value had thus been carefully ascer
tanned. The comparison OF the barometers used In
rate Reductions and to this FACT must be attributed
the coincidence OF the results with those or the un-
erring level when used py skilled hands. The dis
cussion OF the results, to be hereafter officially pub.
lisled, wi doubtless, deeply interest scientific per-
sons As you have already beeninformed the elevation
which had found by level at the Sucub was $685.
feet above the sea- This point was the only de-
presslon which exists In the Corderas on this river,
Sucubti can probably be reached by passing over an
elevation OF about 100 feet. IL this route were Sc
iected for a canal tunnel would have to commence
thran M
ora succession of lOcas, very expensive and with in
SUFFICIENT water to make them available, this point
being quite near The source or the Sucubti,
q supply But II shls point were under
mined by tunnel or reached by succession OF
locks, the question arises, where would the tunnel
the system OF locks towards the Pacific end2 the
ro the e Calf Of San Miguel The principal 90 ,cs ect
OF the military reconnaissance Were to determine tn
fact to reach the mouth of the Sucubt at its junction
with the Chuquanaqua and TO obtain It's position
by sextant and artificial horizon and its elevation
above the sea by repeated baromerical observation
and moreover, to make as many other obsers atons
as might be practicable at different points both
On the l4tn of April Mr., Eaton who had been LEFT
in charge of the picturesque camp, previously men,
toned, on the Sucubti, came back 10 the ship
with the remainder OF the parry The laborous task
OF taking down the teegrapnc wire was completed,
the Cartnagena donkeys were shipped to Sassardi
and the solitude again .regned at Nipsic Point.
When all hands were mustered on board the Guard
on the morning OF April Is, the following general
orders were read -
To TuB OFrIoERs, seAMES AND MARINES CoMPaIsISa
Upon your return arduous labo Of the past two
month. your som%sndns Cser q.
You have opsHed world ansnowa wilder
for '
@ s as r pi yp. s
which you have endured want hardship the perse.
% Essh ssfs
big Mes m % nn sy eae 1 o spse y5 5
you viii meet them n the ,ae spirit IS you have oyercoms
=, with as Ss Rsr 3 ySd hs 9S1 y the
Commanding Daren Exploring Expedition.
The Aspinwall schooner win leave too soon to ad.
nit Of transcriblng copious no,es-topograpiIcal,
rences and observations OF the Sassardi-
Morti party, or surveying party No. 2, under COM
mand OF Mr.. HUBBARD OF tne Nlpsic. y must sullce
and already transmitted 10 you grlevously dsap.
pointed the first favorable hnpl es5on Of Commander
Sefrldge as TO the superior claims to feasibility pre-
eented by the Sassard as compared with the SucuDu
route and hal even decided bim TO abandon his In
tention OF making exploration from the Mortl to
the Chuquanaqua, when suddenly rumors came which
the Sassardi Indians seemed TO regard as equally
liable and dreadtul-to wit, that the Norris and
Chuqnanaquas were "On the war path.u It was
solennly announced by the Sassardis that those
invincible tribes OF the interior were about
each, and to eXterminate, first the explorers on
shore; then their allies, the trading Indians on the
sroy tbe br az tey cali the Gnad ~ with ui
every soul on board. AS 1t would never 10 to
let the Indians OF The interior have the slightest
pre.exr for dreaming that still another Darien
expedition had been frightened and driven away by
such silly threats Commander Seiridge delayed for
q few days longer lis projected departure for San
Bias. He went ito the front' himself, and after q
pow-wow with the Indians was formally assured
that "they had changed their minds,n and that no
more opposition would be offered to an advance on
the Chuquanaqua river. Meanwhile the Guard had
LETT Caledonia harbor and joined the Nipsic at
Sassardi At twenty minutes past two O'Clock In
the afternoon oaApril 20 the Guard LETT Sassardi In
tow OF the Nipslc. AT i've minutes past five O'Clock
in the evening cast or hawser and the two ships
parted company. fine moonlight night, o day on the
OPEN sea, and another bright night revived and
strengthened us all. Exposure and fatigue had in.
creased the sick list Of the Guard to q number Of
about twcnty-one or two twelve Of which were
Of intermittent fever, But our brief sea voy-
age has improved everybody. On the 22d inst. we
anchored here, in what Admiral Davis correctly de-
scribes as 1.-THE admirable, spacious and deep har.
Dor Of San Bias" rcjolning the Nipsic, which had
arrived on the preceding day. Is soon as the
Nipsie anchored Commander Selfrsdge began the
preliminaries OF thorough survey OF this
route, which is unquestionably the shortest
OF all the proposed nteroceanic canal routes, and
which now promises to prove more practical and
advantageous than any other But more time than
is-l--