Daily Kennebec journal., 1880-05-27
NO 1875.
Gales ano Skcttbes.
LOST IN THE MOUNTAINS.
A True Story OF the .Wilds or Sierra
Nevada In 1910.
From the Chicago Tribune

or IN the older portions oi our country, or
of the multitudcS who slibly discuss its
finances. realize the effort and suffering
by our miners Of the Far West in obtain
ing the silver and gold since the mcmora-
BILE discovery OF gold in California in
1913. The record of incidents well
worthy of preservation. in that thirty
years of human effort. which has never
been surpassed on this earth in al, the an
mails of labor and industrial achievements.
would fill u very large library.
Yet the literature of our country has
almost omitted the labors. sacrifices and
suffering in the procurement of these
treasures. rs its statesmen have failed in
their duty Ia conserve our interests aud
guard their preservation. Singular in
deed is the omission of the literary men.
and most strange and disastrous the ne
Slect of the statesmen.
Both haye been productive of evil. and
have prompted bond Hing and all its cor
relative errors and evils.
But to our Christmas story The fall of
lSi9 found me mining for gold on the
Bear river. about two and half miles be-
low Steep Bottom. where one branch OF
that stream was crossed bv the old emi-
grant road. and about ten miles from
where the mining town or city oi Nevada
was aitcrward built. and which in its best
days was ole of the most noted mining
towns of California.
The trip overland from the Illinois river
of about 800 miles, with OK teams, had
tired the very marrow of my bones, and
the intolerable, indeScribablc dust and
desert wastes OF the last half of the
journey had prepared me to appreciate
the sublime and untrodden forests that
then covered us with u splendid mantle
and increased the grandeur of that wild
and lofty mountain range.
had anticipated hardship. and the trip
was not. upon the whole, worse than had
expected. except in the matter of dust,
And this. for about n thousand miles ofthc
way. was something not easily described,
and in places was suf1ocating, binding
and wonderful.
The earth in many places seems COM
posed of particles as fine as the finest flour
and being perfectly dry and trampled by
the feet of a marching host of 50. 900 men.
with 100. 200 oxen, horses and mules. and
not less than 1900 or $1,000 wagons.
and that in the season when not drop of
rain falls. the dnst can be more easily
imagined than described.
Rising from the ground like smoke, il
would envelope the whole train us in u
thick cloud, so that at times we could
scarcely see objects close at hand.
And. inhaled into the nostrils and lungs
at every breath. it is not strange tlfat our
men and animals suffered so greatly. II
usually took year for the animals TO re-
cover from the trip-and. of course, thou
sands died before they reached the end of
the journey. And the men, on their ar
rival in California. were in poor condition
for their arduous toll of mining.
But the glorious climate and exhilerat-
ing air of those grand mountains had n
most wonderful restorative power.
All of our company except myself
would insist on going on TO the valley of
the city of Sacramento, whose malarious
climate they should have avoided
But, guided by the valuable information
| had carefully CLEANED from very intel
| ligent and experienced Mormon in charge
of train we had met on the Humboldt
River. / determined to remain in the
mountains and engage in mining. and did
50, while all the rest went into the valley
some to find graves. and few. indeed, that
success for which they had toiled and
hoped.
| At our final camp. on Grcenhorn Creek.
| sold my STARE of the team, and, after
recovering from a short sickness peculiar
to the country. | went over to Bear river
and began work mining on The bar, where
| | remained for nine months.
| On the morning of the day before
Christmas started from our cabin alone
for hunt for deer. and also to prospect.
carrying for these purposes rifle, belt
knife and miners pan. Our party Of three
and the party of DR.. Harrington. who oc-
cupicd cabin on the stream, about a mile
above, were the only persons winteriDg
there. OF the many camps in the fall all
had gone, the last having eft about the
beginning of the rainy season, But we
found our winter quarters upon the whole
as good rs we expected, and the results
of our mining not unfavOrable. Crossing
the river on the trunk of huge mountain
cedar, which served US for a bridge,
passed on up the lonely banks Of the
steam, and, after few minutes halt at
DIR. Harringtoii's proceeded on our way,
and soon crossed over and ascended the
Imountain ridge dividing the forks of Bear
river Here I found deer, but did not
lsucceed in killing any. had intended
making a circuit of about fifteen miles,
and coming home by way Of "Cold Spring
dry DiggiDgs." on the ''divide" between
the North Fork Of the American and Bear
rivers. But exhilarated by the pure,
bracing mountain air, and encounterlng
little difficulty from snow or ravines, i
passed over many more miles than had
intended, and this and my being wholly
unacquainted with the country and noun.
tain explorations, prepared the way fol
what followed. Turning to the right
early in the afternoon, and descending
the mountain, crossed the South Fork
and began ascending the mountain OH the
south side of it. And here my troubles
began. For the side of the mountain
had to climb was covered with snow
about foot in depth, and the mountain
being steep and high, the task was Sc
we're one. and occupied the whole after
noon. But finally reached the top, ant
started at rapid pace for home. for tn
short winter day was now almost gone
just at twilight reached the valley Of
stream that, from the shape and form .
[Continued on fourth page.