The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-07-30

met Cant. Graves and twenty-six Montana |
miners. They had been unsuccessfully prospect |
ing the Gallons OF the tributaries Of the Tongue,
aud were en- route TO the western slope and the |
hoa lquirters VI No-WOod creek, that VIC had
Ours was doubtless the first party Of white
men to cross the Big Horn mount aims. There
was no evidence, iuueed, that the Ind ans. other
than our Shoshones' ever penetrated bcyonu the
foot hills. Had they done so, their trails and
the iemains OF tp and wick ups (respectively
permanent and tempori Try lodges would have
been encountered. Sinre the remarkable trans
continental journey Of Lewis and Clark IN 1904 O.
great North vest. In lSE, Prince Macmillan Of
Ncuwed In 1859, the distinguished googranher,
Nicollet; NJ. Audubon In 1888; in 1850, Nr. r. A.
Culbertsou. under tue auspices of the smith
sonian Institute: nr. Evans In 1883; Lieut.. q. X.
Warren. United States Army. in 1871. accom-
panied by Prof. HAYDEN, and In 1859 %, this
gentleman with Capt. Haynolds, United states
Army, conducted the most important OF these
entered this particular region, though several
operated in Its immediate vicinity; and II may,
therefore, he pardonaOle In me to present,
though crudev, a few facts relative to It's struc
ture, geographically and otherwise.
PECULIAR FORMATIONS.
Geographically, II has been located with toll
cradle accuracy. II gives rise to the Powder
and Tongue rivers upon the east, and ieeds tne
their channels into the Yellowstone,
vast volume OF melted snow water. lts
| Typographical features are those usually en-
countered 10 a rugged aud high noun
tain chain, and nave been partially de-
W
rounding Ignite tertiary TO and through tho
| foot hills and main OF snowy range would prob
| ably exhibit formations In something like the
following order: Cretaceous, Jurassic. red beds,
! csrhoniferous, Potsdam sandstone, and granite,
metamorphic and basaltc, or IN snort azorici
| Through the Inter and the older sedimentary
rocks (eneiss, Sch the mountain torren lind
their way, passing thence into frassic an iur -
sic strata, and nnally through the soft and Yield
Ing Ignite tertiary. Eruptve rocks were rare,
though trachyto was encountered. Granite
everywhere pred omi rated, and many nne yare-
| Ties ObHpTyeu inc Nnaustallp guDply of
| building material for the populous cities that
NAV vet cover this vast unsettled region, The
main ridge Of the foot hills Is probably carbonif-
erous, Its blue limestone Lodges becoming argyll
laceous at n ess altitude. The red arenaceous
| deposits surrounding these mountain elevations
| have been before referred to IN my letters.
Gashed into myriads Of gullies by the erosive
| action OF water aud atmospheric agencies. the
SUBMITS OF ridges supertncumbent to Ignite
beds containing within themselves the elements
Of spontaneous combustion, or iRnited purposeiy
or by accident, have neen baked to a beautiful
| pink color. Near our permlnen camp this phe-
nomenon, still IN active progress, was for some
/ Indians. In Its vicinity the earth Il greatly
heated, aud near approach rendered uncom-
fortably warm. No fossils or organic remains
were discovered. fact to be attributed In a
great measure to metamorphisp. Evidences
CT glacial action were both numerous and inter
estns. I be "stri@, appeared to have prinei-
pally local trend regret exceedingly INV in-
description u the Theological and paleon ito ogi.
cal peculiSrities Of these enumerated forma
lions: Doubtless from organized scientific re-
FLOWERS IN THE SNOW.
The existing fora astonished me by its ex
tent. On the very summit OF ths snowy range.
4 found eigDt OF ten varieties Of flowers, one OF
which greatly resembling the ordinary forget
me-not, was very abundant, aud usually accom-.
paDied by similar blossom, but red In hue
Upon the western slope there were species bat
were not seen upon the eastern, though that
may have been accidental. One OF these was
what Is popularity known TO miners as tue shoot
ing star. In camp upon tue head waters Of NJ
Wood creek gathered, In the vicinity OF
snow bank, no less than twenty-six different
varieties OF flowers, including the Wild phlOx
tiger lily. daisy aster, crocus, &c. The noun
tain cowslip, which Is not found below an eleva
ton OF nine thousand feet, and In an sxtremit
furnishes n very palataOle article OF greens
was here abundant. Our anable entomo!o
est promised, but has failed to report
any startling discovery in bugs. OF birds
the robin, Clark's crow and maybe we're seei
until we passed the timber line; after that, only
the mountain or tit-lirk, suspended IN the air
above the highest peaks utteriug rs peculiar anC
continuous cries. look In vain for the ptar
mIgan, that rare ord Of the Rocky Mountains.
The principal OBJECT OF our journey was e
prospect for gold. and IN this regard must &C
KNOWLEDGE a disappointment. Mountain chains
because frequently associited with great min
erAl wealth. often enormously considered
the rsce ptacles OF vast deposits Of this precious
metal. Nothing definite has been known. bu
for half century the Big Horn has been prom
nently exampe Of this class. Wonderful
hidden riches and In the Black HIS council
last ear our commission appeared most anxious
to secure from the sioux this magnificent 70
gion. | cannot contradict the many assertions
but while we found good indications OF gold
they were neither So numerous nor extensive a
To warrant our ente raining very brilliant eXpec
tatiOns OF tue Big Horn ever growing u secon
California or Australia