Los Angeles herald., 1890-03-24
How They Came to California
in FOrty-Nine.
More Of the Interesting Diary
of j. NJ. HixsOn.
He Arrives at the Sinks of the Hum
bOldt.
Five Hundred Men and Mules Dying Of
Starvation on the Great Amer
lean Desert.

les real estate uedler, kept Wnlle crOSS-
ing the plains to the Land of Gold in
1884:
From Camp No. 66, on Tuesday, July
10th, we started at a. m. After few
miles travel we crossed the main stream.
The bottom bordering the stream is
from one-half a mile to two miles wide,
which affords fine feed when the stream
is within it's banks. But when the
stream is high, overhowing this bottom,
and the emigrant has to take to the
second bottom or sagebrush land-as is
often the case-it is very hard on stock.
There is good deal of alkali, and when
wet it is very rotten. One of our teams
got into a slough, and it was with great
difficulty we got them out. After trav-
cling twenty-five miles we encamped
near another boiling spring. The soil
was peculiar. Although it looked dry
and all right, the animals sank half leg
deep as they went over the bottom for
feed. 1t was no good-tired the mules
more to feed than to travel.
These springs were on the bank of the
stream and burst out of the rock at
the edge of the water in the river.
There was high bluff, and grass was
scarce. Below the springs eight miles
we came to the Finbragain, but the road
soon leaves the river, crossing high
point, the river running through a
rocky cafion. On reaching the river
after travelling this day twenty-five
miles, we encamped.
July 12-We travelled for sixteen miles
over the points and sandy sagebrush
land, as the river flowed through the
cai1ons, there being no place for road
along its banks. On arriving at the
river we found nothing but a barren
waste, with no grass. All we could do
was to water our animals and take to
the high lands again. The whole face
of the country was covered with volcanic
discharges OF rock and lava. A jack
rabbit would starve on ten miles square
of this. We passed down one ravine
that presented one of the widest, at the
same time most dangerous, scenes we
had yet passed. The rocks over head
looked as if suspended in air, and a
shock that would loosen one might
bring down hundreds of tons. While
we could not help being fascinated by
the grandeur of the scenery, we felt well
satisfied to get through without an acci-
dent. After travelling twenty-seven
miles we got our mules on to an island
but there was none on the mainland.
July 1--we started at 5 a. M, struck
across point for two miles, and then
down the bottom for nine miles, where
we found good grass, the first on the
main land for two days. Here we
nooned After noon the road was fair,
and after travelling twenty-three miles
we camped, having good grass, water,
and some willows for cooking.
July 14th we travelled twenty-three
miles, July 18th we travelled twenty
eight miles, July 18th the road being
much the same, alternating between
swampy bottom and sandy upland, and
when forced to the high points near the
mountains, volcanic formation devoid
of vegetation and very hard on animals
and wagons. On the 18th we over took
and passed an OK train of fourteen
wagons, the first we had seen since
leaving Fort Hall.
July 1--WE started out at 5, the
road heavy with sand, the water in the
river had muddy appearance and the
vOlumn OF water not so great as 1t was
further up the stream. The general
course was southwest. There was very
little grass here on the bottoms and our
main, dependence for food was to wade
the river and cut grass from amongs the
willows with our butcher knives, tie it
up with our lariats and pull it across the
stream, as the banks were too abrupt
and the river and bottoms dangerous for
the animals.
This day, after travelling the usual
distance and finding no place suitable
for camping and finding the road left the
river for quite distance, we concluded
to get supper, take on what feed we
could secure and make night
drive. While preparing supper
a couple of the boys from Tennessee had
a rough-and-tumble fight, and there and
then divided their provisions. One
party, with two Wagons and five men,
went with us, and one wagon and two
men stayed behind. Our mess bought
one sack of their -four, for which we
paid IS. After supper we started across
this high plain and travelled twelve
miles, when we stopped, tied our mu les
to the wagon-wheels and took nap
until daylight, when we drove five miles
and came to the river and camped,
travelling 35 miles from camp 73.
July 1S-After giving our animals an
opportunity to feed, and getting some
grub ourselves, we started out and drove
fourteen miles and stopped for the
night. Still no grass.
July 10Th we started at 4 a. m.
crossed a barren plain to the southwest
twelve miles, when we came to the
river, where we could get water for oul
animals, but no grass. We had to leave
the river again for eight miles over &
dusty sage brush plain, with loose cob
BILE stones in the road and the sun in
tensely hot On reaching the rive
again we stopped for some refreshments
for ourselves, but there was no grass TO
the animals. The road in the Afternoon
was much the same as what we hat
travelled over, and arriving at the rive
we encamped, travelling twenty-eiglh
miles. There was but little feed for th'
mules.
July Goth we started at a. M, th'
road for miles much the same as we hat
travelled over for the past few days, onl..
"more so." The dust was suffocating
the heat in the middle of the day in
tense, and we were in the full enjoy
ment of what the OK teamsters had ex
perienced from the mule teamsters OF
the first part of the Grip, of bein
passed by droves OF packers" man