The Red Cloud chief., 1880-04-15

AF.syaAs Hssan - ~ s.ss.
h following extract from . pdvsse
Ieeses written BY L~Seasensnf NeCsuIey.
Third Cavalry, 20 his father. the ksv.
Dr.. NcCauley, of Reading. Pa. asd
published In the Dssis Tses a shas
city, dep;css the peculiar hsrdshsps and
dangen a frontier lie:
From the building 81 the stations ]
was ordered north by General Crook 70
survey q nee road from Fort Steele, sig
teen miles eass Of Rauiins, On the
Union Pacific Railroad, 10 cross snake
River and connect with the new road
10 the ~souih-she object being . make
Steele. where arc large Government
warehouses. the depot Of supplies. In
seesd Of RAviins, for White River.
Between Steele and Snake River lies
the continental divide Of the Rocky
Mountaina, the trend being here north
west and southeast, all water on the
eastern side going into the Platte and
the Missouri. while Snake River and its
tributaries belong 10 the waisrs VI The
Gull Of California. IL Ma on this sur
rev that we encountered a OF The
most terrible snow-storms l ever saw
ia thousands Of miles Of travel In the
Rocky Mountains. During eight days
there WAS . daily storm, which Was only
milder one day to gather strength sppar-
entity for the next. One day we made but
three miles and another after going one
and q half miles, the storm broke upon
US and compelled US 20 retura 20 the
camp we had left and 80 each day we
attempted progress, but with varying
success. Abou. twenty miles up the
Platte 10 the south from Steele crosses
the old emigrant road, running east
ward, the grea. highway In early days OF
| the coaches and the celebrated Pony
Express, and still the route Of emigrsnt
travel TO the west and northwest. Hav-
| ing sent q courier back 10 Steele for .
pack-train. all our wagons having brok-
en- down. I concluded, while awaitiog
| that and supplies, tn 60 westward from
the crossing Of the emigrant road a
| measure the distance by the Rswlins
road To Snake River, the junction Of
| which is at Sulphur Spring or Hum
| phrey's Ranch, . station on the courier
line.
With the odometers in the "buck-
board "a light vehicle for mountain
trsyel-in company with Judge Hugus,
q wealthy merchant At Fort Steele, in
| terested in the new road, l left campo on
| horseback Saturday morning, and start
| ed west over the emigrant road-which
il. by the way, one OF the finest natural
roads Of the West. We reached Pine
| Grove, or Errett's Ranch, thirteen miles,
| about one O'Clock in the afternoon, ind
ing but little snow on the way. All the
| bollows on the road and the banks Of
| dry streams had drifted full Of snow
from two to four feet deep; and these
we passed by tramping a way for the
| mules, or, when that was futile, in get
| ting them over, first drawing over the
blackboard with ropes fastened to the
dOuble-tree on the opposite side. AZ
| Pine GaOve the road skirts the base OF
| the mountains, and thence the road
begins to cross the Great Divide by the
Bridger Pass, so-called after jim
| Bridger, the celebrated Rocky Noun
tain scout Of Olden days. Six miles
| from Errett's Is the summit OF the Pass,
which we reached at sunset the tongue
of the blackboard breaking OF the way
in getting it over one of the many drifts
that we encountered, deeper and deep
er a. our ascent was greater. From the
summit the outlook was more gloomy
as the SNOW was observed deeper to the
west. The road was covered from n
10 three feet, while here and there II
was bare from the winds that blow al
most necessarily ut these high attitudes.
We had our bedding with US and q
lunch, as our cooking utensils we had
left behind in camp for the use of our
guide, who during our absence was to
hunt the easiest point OF passage over
the range directly to the south in q
direct line from Steele to the other road
at Snake River. At Humphreys or
| Sulphur Spring, a fine ranch, l was
sure of q welcome, having always
stopped there whenever going north
| and south, and therefore We pressed on
ward. Three miles descent found the
snow deeper and deeper, with drifts
near the road as high as twenty to thir-
ty feet.
At one place, where for but twenty
| feet the road, crossing q ~ravine, was
| blocked by a drift in the deepest part
ten feet, We were compelled 70 make q
detour Of q quarter of = mile, up the
hillside, through the snow that was
nearly two feet deep-our horses al
times sinking to their bellies. And 80
for three hours VI pushed on in a
descent, when, darkness coming on. and
our stock being tired out, I determined
to stop and remain there till daylight,
when we could finish the remaining nine
miles of the Pass. Noticing to the right,
some $50 yards, a gulch in the hillside,
I rode up TO it through the snow, two
feet deep, and found some clumps Of
box-elder which would answer for fire.
wood; and thither we proceeded. The
| Judge, however, by this time had be-
come alarmed, and, fearing q heavy
| storm, and our being showed in during
| the night, called me back and advised q
return to Everett's at once. We held .
council Of war. To return was nine
miles, ahead the same. The latter way
we knew nsthing of the roads or the
| drifts, and so, as the skies and the ris-
ing temperature indicated q storm, we
had Connolly, the driver, put u bed
| ding on the mules, and, leaving the
| blackboard TO the mercy Of the "beau-
| tiful snow" we babe it adieu and left il
as rapidly rs possible. We had scarcely
gone . mile before / noticed it becoming
warmer, and, while walking over . drift,
| observed the snow 80 soft that ! dropped
back and told Connolly to hurry on the
mules, as there was certainly coming .
tremendous storm.
1t was very dark. 50 much 30 that we
| could not see one hundred feet ahead,
only kept the way by riding between
| the tracks of the wheels, made in our
| going west. Before the summit was
reached the storm broke upon rs n all
It's fury-a high gale, f~ast-failing snow,
with . sudden falling Of the temPera-
ture. The night nov became pitchy
dark and exceedingly cold. and we had
to run on foot or ride with our heads
down low to watch the wagon-ruts that
were being rapidly obscured BY the fall
ing and drifting snow. It Was 80 dark
that, when twenty yards behind, each
one would Be out of sight, and we were
constantly calling ont 70 find out each