Omaha daily bee., 1874-07-09
TIE FAR WEI.
Capt. Torrey's Expedition
Searching for q Wagon
Road up Big Wind
River.
Hostile Sioux-Capt. Jones' Elk.
petition Last Summer.
Letter from Lieut.. r. H. Young.

Special Correspondence of the Chicago
Tribune.)
OMAHA. July 8.
Lieut.. Robert II. Young, in a
private letter to a military officer in
this city, under date of June rs,
says:
CAPT. ToRREY'S EXPEDITION.
"Our expedition has returned in
safety to Camp Brown. We left
thai post an the 29th CT May, with
orders to find a wagon road from
Brown to Tigmetee Pass, at the
head of Big Wind River. Company
A Thirteenth United States Infan-
try, was detailed as the escort
Capt. II a. Torrey, commanding
/ accompanied the expedition be-
cause l had been up the Mind River
before, and was supposed to know
something about the country. we
marched by the way of Buffalo Bill
Lake, crossing near ITS mouth, at a
wagon-ford, a~nd-traveled up the Big
Wind River, along the south bank
for 55miles, when we We're compel
led to cross over to the north side
on account of the hills shutting
down to the waters edge. The
break here in the route on the
south bank of the river is a bad one,
five miles long ana almost impassa-
bic for a wagon-road. 1t would cost
$4,000. to put a road through it.
l knew of this bad place last sum-
mer, but did not report it to Capt.
J Jones, who knew nothing Of it when
he made his report
awe only followed the north side
S miles, until we crossed the NORTH
Fork of Wind River, about, half a
mile above its mouth. Our travel
now for , miles lay up the stream,
when we recrossed Big Wind River
! to the south side. Following the
bank 3 miles, we crossed McCohe's
Fork near its mouth, which is 3
miles below McCohe's Lake. This
lake is very beautiful, about a mile
long, and half a mile wide; It's wa
tiers, clear, deep and full of trout. /
should have mentioned above, that
we crossed Dinwiddie's Fork near
its mouth, 3 miles below a lake 2
miles long, halfa mile wide and full
of trout. This stream and lake are
found % miles above Buffalo Bill
Lake Fork by the wagon road. At
ter crossing McCohe's Fork, we
travelled west 2 miles, end crossed
Burnt Creek,-a fine stream, 3Ofect
wide and 3 feet deep. Three miles
farther on we crossed Big Wind
River again to the north side, the
mountains shutting down on
the river, This Was our
third crossing of Wind River, and
we now kept up its north bank to
the mouth of De Noses Fork, where
we were again compelled to cross
Big Wind River to the south side,
OH account of marshy bottoms. We
recrossed the Wind River within a
mile to the north, this latter cross
ing being made above the mouth of
DE Nose, and the other half or three
quarters of a mile below De Nose
DE Nose is a big stream, being at
least twice as large as the Big Wind
River above its mouth. The De
Nose is a crooked, deep, sluggish
river, with shOal sands and quick
sands; and its bottoms and channels
are uncertain. It empties about
twenty or twenty-five miles frCm
Tigmetee Pass. Our route still lay
up the north side of Big WiPd Riv-
Ell, and so we continued ur I'll within
eight miles OF the Pass. The timber
Shoots in at this point, and the trail
run through timber all the balance
of the Way. We found the ground
very msrshy in places, and wagons
could not be got over without a
great deal of work. / think, how
ever, by gong farther round, q route
could he found over which a good
wagon road could be constructed
with little cost or labor. / Am also
quite sure a route from Camp Brown
to the south end of the Yellowstone
Lake could be found that would be
40 miles nearer than the route trav-
eled last summer by Capt. Jones'
expedition. 1t would not 60 through
Tigmetee Pass, but through one of
the passes northeastward of Tigme-
tee.
INDIANS.
There was a arge party OF Sioux
at Big Wind River, at the mouth of
Buffalo Bill Lake, on the l5th,O
June. They were run upon by two
of our men whom we had sent in
with Our mail. Undoubtedly the
Indians would have attacked and
killed our carriers had not the SOL
diers seen them first. As it was,
they got away into the hills, and
found a strong place, from which
the Indians saw they could not dis
lodge them without heavy loss, and
so let them alone. Capt. Bates, who
was at Brown with a company of
cavalry, Us Don as he heard it went
after these Indians but they had so
hours start of him, and he failed to
to come up with them. Washable,
chief the ShCshonee Indians, sent
six of his men on the trail after Cap
tain Bates Turned back. These In
dians returned yesterday and
report that the trail led over
to the north side of the
Owl Creek Mountains, where it di-
vided-part going east, over Big
Wind River, Lelow the Owl Creek
saIountain and Canon, and thence
across Big Horn Mountain, toward
the head of Powder River. The
Shoshonees had a fight with the
Sioux, and killed three of their DO
MES. The other part of the trail ran
down the Big Wind River, in the di-
rection of Painted Rock Creek,
which stream empties into Wind
River from the east, below GreyBull
and the Sinking Water. The Indi-
report a hostile Sioux camp, of
from IS to 100 lodges, about 100
miles from Camp Brown. We
reached Brown on the oath OF June, |
and L am writing you this on the
Goth. The weather is fine, and the I
gardens here are looking WELL"
CAPT. JONES EXPEDITION.
1t will be remembered that, last
ctrtaap,nr f.nn (NrI CON, 49,. 10 4