New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-08-05
YELLOWSTONE EXPEDITION.
TRAVEL IN A NEW AND WILD REGION.


[FRoM THE SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT or THE rRIBrsEI
HEART RIVER, Dakota, July 3.-Diametri-
cally there Ia stream Dakota which measures about
Thirty feet Chronomet ically IL Is Just about tbrty
miles That H. IL you take tape-lino and measure nom
bank to bank e the top IL is just about thirty feet But
II you take its width and depth, and multiply ~ ten
days Of heavy and multiply the product By 80
heavily laden wagons without ponOons or timber you
will get the time value OF crossing IT, In our case IL vas
over two days. In that two days we could have made
thirty miles. This stream miniature river ia known
as the Big Muddy" The ADJECTIVE IS the only neces
sary part In the description Of stream IN this part or
the country. The is the generic family name.
At least II ought TO be. The streams are
| Of the earth earthly. Temper q cup OF
strong coffee with little milk and You have the pre-
vailng color. Gen. Custer whom Gen Stanley had cent
with the 7th Cavalry and few light loaded wagons 10
afford relief to the Bapelted engineers had arrived at
this the day before. He had found the water too
high to cross and built bridge IN the afternoon on
which he had crossed his troops and wagons Through
mistake Of guide and the wretched condition OF
the roads heavy tram did not arrive at this stream
until the following day. Our mules were almost eX-
hausted by their pulling. II deemed unadvsablc to
attempt crossing that night. IL was doubtful whether
could without building another bridge. The
stream that night decided the question for M. Tho
heavy rains swelled it considerably. It's level
rose higher and higher. Somehow II seemed 10
fancy TO Gen. Clusters bridge The bridge seemed
to recprocate IL. There COLLISION and finally an
eOpement. the water creep up closer aud closer
and at lift bridge from its feet ana carry Of
on its bosom We had objection 10 the amonrs
of this bridge but it unknd n it 10 desert us just
as we needed it most. The stream had risen 80 high
that IL impossible 10 bridge 10 again on account ~
its increased width. We had no timber long enough.
It is fact known, suppose, to tie United States
Quartermasters Department that au army wagon laden
with 5000 pounds will not float in ten feet OF water IL
I afvifn
a weight 1t was with reference to this want Of levity
in loaded army wagons that pontoons were invented
But Notwithstanding this fact the largest expedition
SINCE the started of journey OF several hund
red miles across country without single pom
toon. The is that the country has dry repua
ton. This year. however 1t has beled its name te"
pontoons would have neutTalized the alsehood. They
were asked for but there knot In the red tape
somewhere, and we did not get them With pontoons,
our whole command might have crossed 10 three OF
four hours.
AN ExTGENcY THAT DEVELOPS INGENUITY
Gen Stanley Is not Micawber. He never waits for
something to turn up there is any chance OF turning
il I'D himself Beside the necessity did not admit OF
much delay. Major Townsend's camp had been moved
ahead seven or eight miles. They needed forage ana
rations The cavalry in advance needed ratons ato.
II any place where ready practical talent hhds
ever fresh scope for exercise is in active army lie on
the Plains especially in connection with such an exped-
ton as this The extempOraneous man, the man who -
fertile in suggestion and deft in execution the man 81
quick eye aud ready hand and valuable store
OF experience, always has ehahee 10
come TO the surface. II a soldier IL limited
10 minimum quantity OF baggage and clothing, ne can
make the little he 20 the last OF endurance
Yet soldiers fond of display They are also fonn OK
good living But II necessity compes, he can get more
comfort and work out of pound OF beer than any
one outside OF his like the prooloan
he can extemporize a stomach TO meet his needs II ne
has full ration he is TO be equal 20 IT. II hut hat
one he can make up the rest by growing. His domes-
tic economy is reduced to first principles spade VIII
furnish him a cooking stove. tin can wiz make a
candcstck bayonet thrust in the ground viii serve
for the purpose, or answer 10 pin down DIS tent
have seen eagened bread ue as any you can get ~
NewYork bakery, baked in an oven dug In the Gay ON
hillside II be true Socrates said that they who
have fewest wants live nearest TO the gods then the
soldier comes materially near to cody life. AN
afraid that it is only in this that the claim can he
maintained.
How should we get over the Big Muddyi IL was q
problem for an engineer. The problem was there' but
not the eugneer-I mean q member OF the engineer
CORPS I find however that army officers as general
thing do not place very high estimate on our engineer
corps "Why did not "a regular army engineer accom-
pany this expedition ." asked OF an officer on hed
be afraid of getting sunburnt Besides, we can get
along better without them. They can't WORK une~
they have everything just They are good to stay ID
the Office and make maps aud that Is about all they are
good for" Be this true not, we happily have Two
men with us who better than dozen desk engineers
refer 10 Gen. Stanley and Lieut. Ray OF the sh infan
fry our Chief Commissary. Gen Stanley thoroughly
educated officer and has had wide experience Oh inc
Plains He has natural talent for his proiessloh' ahu
upites excellent powers OF observation with rare ludg
ment and ability 10 command men. Lieut.. Ray Is emF
nenty practical He has seen life on the Pians n
all its aspects and served with great credit during the
war He has passed through many trying experiences,
and never but once caught in place that he could
not get out This happened near New'lork,
and brought him worthily into public notice. While
stationed at Davis Island, he went out IN boat ono
stormy wintry night to rescue party VINO had eeeh
caught In the ice He reached them but was unable TO
return TO the fort The floating ice carried HIM FAR out
into the Sound II was until the next day tnai they
were taken of with frostbtten hands and feet Col
Baker, the quartermaster. and Lieut.. Doughery'
commanding the pioneers, make the other members
OF our unorganzed engineer corps. Perhaps old
"Clemmo" and Duffy, the chief OF the wagon masters
might be included in IT, for they sometimes ma cross
ings which save good deal OF trouble ou'o'
Cemmo" was nonpussed here. and 80 was the wagon
MASTER In fact all in state OF extreme cog
,,n n was one OF those places where good deal Of
thinking may be done TO very little purpose. The first
thing TO do was To get forage aud commssary stores
over for Major Townsend. This difficulty IN stream
twenty-five OF thirty feet wide did not present the maeni
tude that the transit OF wagon train did. IL We
could get the forage the other side, Major Townsend
could send back some wagons for 1t
sBRvICEABLE BOAT FROM SLENDER MATERIALS
There were two propositions. One was TO construct
ropene elevated railway with aerial TO be pulled
back and forth by hand. Another proposition made by
Lieut. Ray, was TO extemporize boat. All that no
asked was q wagon bed, some rope, and tarpauiin'
The railroad finally gave way 70 the boat line Ihere
was danger in hauling car back and FORTH 'hal ns