The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1889-09-15

of buying horses it aroused
considerable excitement. Every
man in town who owned . horse
of any sort whatever was convinced
that that WAS just the sort Of . horse
waited provided he could get about
so more than the animal was worth,
and every one made their price secor-
dinghy. The inhabitants OF one to~n
q least are sure of the reward, for We
were strangers and they certainly did
their level best % take Us IN. These
small Oregon horses or cayuses, as
thew are called cut here, are not re-
maYkable either for beauty or speed,
but the way they stand long hard rides
over rough. billy country and With
yeYv little food too. Is something as-
tonishing. They are sure-footed and
patient even To laziness. Soue one
has introduced a nautical phrase
which has become quite common out
here in speaking of riding. They call
il working ones passage on the h'lr.
ricane dock OF csyase."
In Baker CITY the party was joined
by Mr.. Davis, man whO has taken .
great deal of interest in fOssal-hundDg
al through this part Of Oregon and
who knows more OF the roads and
formations in it than even the maps
do. and II Is 70 his care and labors
that large part OF the success OF the
expedition has been due. When the
party drew out of Baker City it made
quite formidable appearance and at
tracted considerable attention. Most
people took 1t for party gong out to
prospect for silver or gold, and those
who did know its real object were even
more curious to know whatever could
induce q person 10 come 20 far merely
for q lot of old bones and stones. The
line was headed by large f0ur-horse
wagon containing all the provisions
and equipments. This was followed
BY thirteen hOrsemen, some OF whom,
it must be admitted, would have had q
hard time 10 qualify as able cowboys,
and two came TO grief before the
limits of the town were reached. One
OF these, q very good rider, too, hap
pened TO tackle = backing pony, and
after very brief interview decided to
leave him behind and provide himself
with another and better tempered
animal.
1t was expected that we would be
able 10 travel pretty rapidly after We
we're well on the road. but that was
before We knew Oregon mountain
roads. To call them stony and billy
gould be To use too mild term. and
often one has TO wo~der who ever had
the rashness to drive the first wagon
up and down such steep grades and
around such short turns on the hill
sides. Any number of times We have
all had to dismount. and push the
wagon up bill or hang on to long ropes
sliding down the mountain. Along
the middle fork OF the John Day and
around Dixie's butte travelling was
especially slow. and there were . num-
Der of days when il is doubtful il more
than ten or fifteen miles were covered
A large part OF the wagon-load had to
be left behind to be sent back for, as
il was found impossible for four horses
To haul the wagon, loaded as it was.
at the start. Stops OF several days
were made oh the North fork. on Cot
tonwood creek aud on Rudio creek
a. valuable fossil beds are to BE- found
along each of these streams.
The fossils are found for the most
part in elayey deposits along the beds
of streams where the water has washed
the hills away into walls of almost
perpeudicular steepness. The bones
are seen slightly exposed BY erosion.
Great care has Ia be used in chlseiing
these out. tor they. may either he the
parts of isolated bones, or, as is fire.
Quently the case, they are parts of a
skull or some other large portion OF q
skeleton. and then AN unfortunate
blow of the hammer does very serious
damage. Thin clay rock is, as a rule.
very hard. and calls for good deal of
skill and patience to work IL correctly.
Then. too, the crumbli"g Of the rock
makes ones footing very insecure.
especially when working 1T the upper
part OF the cliff. when fall would be
serious matter. No accidents of
any moment have occurred, although
several of the men have had very mar
row escapes, sliding down faster and
faster. but each time they have man.
aged to stop themselves by sticking
their small picks into the sides or
some lucky noduis or harder rock has
interviewed to prevent serious harm.
The weathering OF the rock in this hot,
dry climate makes these cliffs as no,
and dusty a place 10 work in as one
can well imagine. A thermometer in
them frequently registers as high rs
40 degree, and number of times the
water in the canteens has been actu-
ally too hot 20 drink.
The expedition has now been about
three weeks in . permane camp on
the south fork OF the river where IL
widens out and makes q broad valley
or basin. The scenery is very wild
and picturesque, for the mountains
are ahrapt and eroded into all sorts of
Peculiar shapes. giving All appearance
altogether strange and unique To onN
accustomed 10 Eastern Landscapes.
Unfortunately. hosever, the air is SO
tail Of smoke from large forest fires in
the northern partof the state as largely
To spoi what would otherwise be most
beautiful views. Even from the tops
of she mountains 10 is frequently i'm
possible 10 zee more than a very few
miles on this account.
The find III fossils. which OF course
: The mstn ITEM in the summers sue
c--ss, has bsen very good. A large num-
her of skulls and bones belonging 10
many different genera and spe-
cies have been found and
carefully packed for their
long journey eastward. Each sp.ci
nen Is kept In its malrix or hard sbeIi
oi clay and rock. and they will all be-
sent back TO Princeton in that conffi
ton. There this hard outer shell will
re carefully removed and each spsci.
mess VII % properly mounted, studied
and classified. This Is the seventh Ell
petition OF this sart that Princeton
has sent into the West FOR this psr.
pose since ls5T. aud IL IL largely to
These ths, she owes her valuable Goa
ls-esion Of the fossils OK the United
states. After the three WEEKS careful
WORK ~ the basin the FOSSIL beds have
teen pretty seli xogk est over and las,
Moassay tao pack camps we're sent
oat 10 &c zone a week One il In the
smaller BASIN about ten miles up ,b~
river and the other i about The ~aYns
distance dosn stream All their
camp outfits were taken oai tv pack
horsss. and the fossils they find viii
Dc brought back ny the same means
he latter TART Of nex, week ws
break camp here ans! leave for the fos-
slt-e~Ss> Ia the nefshh-orhood " Bridge
eree&. about forty nssle~ fron4 here
The xoFk there VIII probably requrp
= seek or zen days, and alter that xs
eFcak ezasp for sSssi and start h.es
Tor Eszker CITY. THIS xia ensi a S,.f.s-
'Hrr NAT has N<ea fail IL hsrsl uork
ssad rough experiences bat OF tan and
Peasant fsHaes IS well This sasf rtd..
viz De sAossf A Hun1~es aHx thu