Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-07-17
CROSSING THE DESERT.
A "Reminiscences of Overland Travel In
the Early DAYS.


A "Reminiscences of Overland Travel In
the Early Days.
EDS. RECORD UNION: One of the we'll
impressed and remembered portions of the
journey by teams in early days, and which
l did not take space to allude to in my re-
cent article, is the crossing of the desert,
reaching from the sink of the Humboldt
across to the Carson river Its width is "a
miles, think. 1t was pictured as part
of the Great American Desert on the old
maps. Trains wishing to cross it laid in a
supply of grass and water and always
started over late in the afternoon, and
travel with all their strength throughout
the night.
Myself and two other parties adopted
this plan as to starting, and left the Sink at
o'clock P. NJ Night soon set in. and as
to any description of scenery we were in
the fix of the deputation who visits the
enemy before a concession or a fight. j. e.,
we might as well have been blindfolded as
to cross desert in the night and no street
lamps on the way. We had heard that
mirage exhibitions were often seen, and
until darkness set in we kept sharp look
out, and while we failed to see any pillared
cities or rocky castles, we did see what we
took to be lakes of water, pure and deep.
But our canteers were well filled, and the
cool hour, absence of thirst and our guides
right reason kept us from straying after the
ignus tatuus, or desert lake.
Midnight brought us to the middle of
the desert We had been working our
passage again as on the ox-train, but l am
aggravated every time l reflect that had
no Elders whip or Patricks goad to use
on that horse. AT first he responded to
my spurless heels, and moved on fairly
well. But, as time passed, he got so that
he would scarce mend his pace with all
the squirting and kicking could do and
the awful predicament presented itself of
the possibility that he would perhaps not
move at all by-and-bye.
1t was cool and pleasant and was not
either hungry or thirsty, but l was not
sure that as the horse had all the walking
to do that he might not be both. Well, in
the middle of that desert we came upon a
camp of good Samaritans (save the mark y
men who had hauled water and eatables
for any who might need them. paid one
dollar for gallon of water and loaf of
bread, and gave them to that horse, and
then spurred him on over the desert as fast
as / could. My companions would halt
now and then, and when | caught up re-
ally fancied l could see disposition in my
horse to keep company by quickening his
gait.
If Richard had happened to be there at
that time and had given expression to that
notable saying, " Ny kindgom for horse, "
| should have said: There, Richard, you
can have mine"
Daylight found us ten miles from the
Carson river, and the worst part of the
route The sand for this distance was six
or more inches deep and as liquid as water
genuine quicksand-and as much harder
to draw through as can be imagined.
Though hundreds of teams passed every
day, no sign of road was ever left. If
you could imagine the hind wheel of a
wagon to be full of eyes, it could not see the
track of the fore wheel, though following
so close. Fac: wheel had to displace the
sand for itself and the wheels of the next
wagon had to repeat the operation, even if
400 bad been in line. And it was the same
for oxen and horses and men-none left a
track; the greatest of men would here
fail to make his mark in the world. !.
A friend of mine, an old deserter
accent on first syllable) says while cross
ing this ten miles of sand they had a
heavy rain storm-and, presto the whole
plain became as plank floor, smooth and
hard.
During this ten miles the sun poured
down his rays. and the sand, faithful as a
mirror to light, reflected every ray upon
man and beast. | never had such strug-
gle before. l had kicked until was weary
past kicking. / refused to kick any more.
and got down and walked and led that
horse. l stepped off the best | could for
one that had been in the saddle fourteen
hours, and had not travelled on horseback
for years before My feet dragged and my
legs acned, and in very few minutes re
mounted that horse and said | would ride
him till | died, or he broke down. But
kicking was as painful as stepping, and
tried walking again, determined never to
try riding any more.
Do not say you can keep a resolution
once formed, till you have tried it in the
way / have. That was the hardest walking
and riding l ever tried. On this last ten
miles of desert were multitudes of oxen
and many horses, whose bleaching bones
showed that they had Jared far worse than
had. The wagons they had dragged thus
far, despoiled of their wood, showed their
worthlessness without their living ANIMALS
to draw them. Great heaps of log chains
were piled in little hillocks. no longer here
useful III DltCulllS Tic ldltulul VA " LILO
wagon. These were the broken remains of
a past seasonal monument of attempts to
cross desert by those who knew not the
hardships and dangers of the way. Only
a few persisted then, however The history
of the past was their guide.
Finally at 10 o'clock a. NJ. | reached the
Carson river, hungry, tired and very sleepy.
My companions were already asleep when
l dragged myself out of the sand. l
propped my eyes open with broken sticks
to try and make a tin cup of coffee and
tin plate of cakes. These were my outfit
of table and kitchen furniture: | fried
some meat on the plate and laid it on some
clean sticks Then mixed batter in the
cup and fried cakes in the same tin plate;
washed out the batter and boiled my coffee
in the cup; settled in the cup and drank it
from the grounds. How else could | do !?
Almost as much ingenuity here, to say
nothing of blowing the coffee cool-as was
shown by the ferryman who took over the
fox, geese and corn, one at time-without
one devour1ng the other or that other ferry
man at Omaha, who got over the Rock
river and Ben Hardy trains without little
hattle F. NJ SHIELDS