Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1885-02-22

Ia ls4s tie ssase pan ga again mid.
kv<s tao years later. IN las. after tue
Gu grants % lSt3 and 1874 hsd sak-n
their sgas1Es 20 tns Coi1tnoia, szysC~n.
/ J GET PsiaBeg. tie 40 crossings Of snake
flvsF and the crossing Of the Co!u q biA
and ether smaller stream. we're repre-
:. used BY thOss &c enzTs- Of this f3gt
Is teipa a. sadsd wstn great Danger Il
Wzs siso said tbAt no company here
t0f0-e sttsus pttEg the passage 81 4hose
streams s1ceesdrd BAT slth the loss OF
useu Fl N she violence aud rapidly Of
Toe eRrF~uis. Ia addition Ia tie above
it wzs ASSERTED that three or fsas tribes
% Indians in tEs middle regions bad
combined fsr the purpose Of preventing
our passage through thafR c0uutry. In
case sc escaped destruction At toe
hands Of tie sssaEes, se we're told thai
more fsaffnI enssHY, famine, wcaId
attend oar march. As the distance SAs
20 great that winter EOUid OvsFEske us
before making tne Cascade EnoaataIns-
Oa the otter hand, as an Inaueeraent 10
1Es1e the California FOnse, We we're IN
fJrusd % tAe sbOrtness of the roate,
vhen JppaEsd with that to Oregon, as
also Of the many other snprFI1E advan-
laEes 1t Possessed
Ba. ine &c igrants Of Is45 knew that
those os 1874 and ls43 had taken their
WAGONS thr0a2b; tEoss Of 1874 knew the
sane u be true Of those of 1913; bat
those Of Is43 had no such pfec7dspt be-
fore shem-IH fact, no precedent bot
failure.
Df. Whitman evidently realized as
usaen as Capt Grant dad that here was
tue key 70 Oreeoa- and he proposed TO
ualoak tue door. IL IL doubtful whether
any other man cogld have done -. de
knsw that Ia ls36 &c had taken d cart as
far as EoFt Boise. de knew. corning
TO the atasemfAg OF Hon. klEo Evans,
shat IA 1870 DR.. Kobert Newell, Coi. j.
l. Meek and tao Otnera had taken three
wagons to Walls Malia; and although
DE- Newell had found Is ~ diftoua thai
ne had. on hIs arrival al DIR. Whitman's,
snEressed bis regret t,1AI he had under
takHn tie jJb, yet DR.. Whitman had
said % tin: "a, you will never regret
u. You have broken the Toe, and, vaen
others sse that wagons have passed,
they, too, VIII pass, and 10 few years
the valley will Do full OF our people.
Al al opyortune moment. wien DIR.
Whitman was absent from camp ~ Fort
Hall, similar dIscousAging represt uta
IBSus we're made - the emigrants OF
Is43 They were told that they must
trade of their wagons or 20 10 CaIifOr
uIa. ~ ben DIR. whitman came into
simp be .uEd them In q sad statei
some IN tears and suIne BigIost Zee dY 10
accept the st Elements made. Bot De
anew thss "wh4t man bad done mAn
cJaid d." and at this juncturs IL said
10 have addressed them Substantially ~
folioss: My couuIryDaen, you have
frosted me thus tar; beilove me now.
1 wilt tsks your wagons TO the COiumo ia
river"
says Hon. J. W. Nesmith of this event:
Capt. Gcaut endeavJTed TO dIssnads
as frUIs proceeding further With our
saRons. and showed rs the wagons that
the einiRrants of the preceding year had
abandoned, ms an evidence of the Im
pFaeslsAp lIty Of our determination. Dr.
- hitman was persistent IN his assertion
chat Wagons could proceed AZ Tar as the
fraud DAil, OF the Columula river,
from Shien y int he asst rted t.ey couId
10 takvn aOwn by rAfts or batteanx 10
the Willamette valley. while ar stock
could be driven by au indian trail over
thp Cascade niountaius near Mount
uOod. Happily WnHman's advice pre-
vailed, and q large number Of the wag
Uus, wish portion OF tho stock, did
reach Walta Malla and the Dallss, from
which points they were taken to the vii
ltnetts the following Year. HAD We
followed Grants advice and abandoned
tus catlie and wagons At Fort Hall,
inush suffering mast have ensaed, a. a
.DihaIsht numOer OF horses TO carry the
wonisn and the children Of the party
eoaid nut have been obtained, besides
wagons aud cattle were Indispensable 10
lneu expecting TO i've by farming 10 a
o0oatrJ destitute 1t snch articles. Adj
dress before tue O.egOa Pioneer Society,
1875
Iioy. L. IL. Burnett, Ia bis " Reeolleo-
lions OF an old PioIeer.' adds similar
testimony rs follows;
We had nov arrived at most crit.
cal period al our most adventurous
journey, aad We had many misRlyings
rs to our ultimate success. We had YET
to accomplish tho untned and most diff.
3ouit portion OF our long and e1h aastive
journey. We oouid not anticipate At
what moment We might De compelled 10
abandon our wagons In the mountains,
PacS our seaBt supplies upoa our poor
lIen, aud make oar way ON foot Through
: his terribly rough country, as best we
uOald. We fully eomprehendsd the SIT
lAti0n; bat We never faltered in our
infisxlbie determination TO accomplish
the trip. II within the limits of posi-.
nillty, with the resources at our com.
nnand. DIR. Whitman assured us we
could saeosed, and encouraged and aid.
I'd as with every means ia, his power.
L I'D liz esxk Do,
ct tbs practieabilIty of our taking our
wagons through. He replied that, while
he would not say shat il vas impossible
for rs Americans 10 make the trip With
oar wagons, he could not see himself
how u could be done. Tie had emily
travelled the pack trail, and certaisaly no
Wagons could follow that route; but
there might be Il practicable road
fouad by leaving the trail al certain
points"
says AIR. J. Baker. in letter to the
writer:
He fDr. Whitman was up every
mornIne and getting all hands ready
for this days march. some time before
we arrived q, Fort Hall the doctor left
us and said he would 20 on, and. II he
rJuld not hnd pilot 20 oonducl Ne
through. be would wait at Fort Hail
I'll We came no. Tue doctor remained
there until we came 40. aud told us that
he could not Get q pilot that be could
rely upoa To conducs as through. Capt
Grant, after advising as 10 Abandon our
wagons or leave them and pack through.
s,idi vas going 10 say that 10 was
impossible 30 ket through with your
WalzoIs, but ! will not say that, for 10
the Americans TOOK uotior 20 remove
hloant Hood. they veald do il This I
~, tFom Cspt Grant. own moath. Dr.
Whitman VAS present and said At tue
saule tinis: Never laave your wagons
! viii take You tOrauRh b. my place this
sssaaen, and | think you e,n SO /. the
nallcs; bot you can "a cross the Cascade
snoantatas this yeaE.'
kSeEy mail brines letters from the
States sskins for information concern.
lng thts cOuntry and It's resources.
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