Los Angeles herald., 1890-04-14

The next chapter in Mr.. Hixson's s
diary reads:
On Wednesday, August 1st, we were
at camp 81. Falling heir to num-
Der of little things belonging to
the part of the mess that had
gone ahead, we loaded up and
hitched on eight mules to our wagon,
packing all the ramainder except my
riding animal, and commenced the
ascent of the main mountain, the sum-
NIT or dividing ridge between the waters
that flow into the great basin to the east
and the Pacific ocean west. The ascent
was not so abrupt as it was at first, but
it was up and up, until we came to snow
thirty feet deep. We wound around the
edge OF the snow, crossing point where
it was about six feet deep. The melting
of the snow made the ground very
boggy, and between the soft ground
which was covered with big boulders,
and the soft snow from one to six feet
deep, made it hard road to travel with
comparatively empty wagon and eight
grass and camped, travelling thirteen
miles.
Thursday, August 2.-We started at 6
a. m. The country for some distance
westerly, the way the road was now
running, was of volcanic formation
the rocks were as black as the Stag from
smiths furnace-and, as far as the eye
could see north and south along the line
OF the summit, the country presented
the same appearance. In few miles,
as we descended, we came to fiat,
spongy places, containing good grass,
and further on and at lower altitude
we came into pine forest, where there
was little or no grass. Before getting
out of the formation containing grass we
stopped to noon and Craze our animals.
While in camp some of those fellows
who were trying to be first into the dig
gings, and had traded their outfit for
animals and were now packing, came up
to buy some provisions. A good many
had been doing the same for
the past two hundred miles. We
still had quite surplus, and especially
of bacon, which they wanted most l
had let them have some, charging them
rs cents per pound. Being cook and
commissary, the boys left it to me to do
as pleased, and thought that pretty
good price, as 1 had never seen bacon
sell for more than 7 or cents per pound
l noticed those buying never complained
about the price, but l attributed it to
the superior quality of our bacon, as it
had streak of lean and streak of fat,
claimed by the old fellow we bought it
from to be made on purpose for such
trip by feeding his hogs every other
day. The buyer always appeared salts
fed, and often was willing to take the
piece if it was larger than he asked for. l
had been saying to the boys this morning
l did not intend to let those packers
have any more bacon for less than
thirty-seven and half cents per pound.
I was not going to haul bacon up such a
place as the ''DeviPs Ladder" and then
over mountain so high as to have snow
thirty feet deep in August and sell it to
those fellows for twenty-five cents.
Pretty soon up came fellow and wanted
some bacon. "All right, but you will
have to pay thirty-seven and a half
cents'' sect it out" cut off a slice,
and got the money in silver, $S.621a
cents, which looked to me almost as big
as the piece of bacon. So l said: "No
more bacon for sale." / would not
commence highway robbery. At
terwards l found the few trad
ers scattered along the Carson and
some as far as the desert were
charging $3.50 per pound, and when we
got to the embarcadero at Sacramento
city, our bacon was worth 621a cents at
wholesale, and we had enough left at
that price to pay for all our provisions
bacon, -four, beans, coffee, sugar, rice
etc, ETC., in Missouri. l could under
stand their buying at the price without
grumbling. Later on l dropped some
of those conscientious scruples abou
ways of the country. AS we passed TIVE
springs that day, that afterwards became
famous in history Tragedy and Leal
springs, the reader will locate wher
we were. We were on the dividing ridg
where the waters flow to the south int
the San Francisco bay and those fiowin
north into the American river-perhap
the finest timber belt of the Sierras. W
stepped some trees that had fallen, tina
We're 300 feet, and scarcely any top;
would say 250 feet in length and two t.
six feet through, that would have mad
good lumber. A great amount of tn
timber was sugar pine. One place W
came to was like bridge over river O
deep chasm. Only it was natural eartl
from the base several hundred feet be
low, dividing two chasms that broke OF
ON either side. 1t was the right thing il
the right place, but the question wa
how did the first man find that place
and if he had not found it how could h
have gone forward. When night cam
we were still on the high ridge, and ha'
TO camp without water or grass, travel
ing twenty-five miles.
Friday, August 30th.-Getting an earl
start we continued to descend, and in
mile we came to fine bold stream calle
Prosser creek. We did not cross tn
stream, as it came in from the left an
then bore off southwest, and we wer
going west. We filled our kegs wit
water and struck back on to the hig
ridge. We found little grass in abou
tour miles and stopped for breakfast.
In the afternoon we travelled the hig
dividing ridge; arriving at a plac
where we learned we could get grass b
going off the road some three miles, W
camped, and after getting some
thing to eat we took our blanl
cts on our mules and trampe
about three miles to one of the mol
beautiful meadows-afterward know
as Sly park-where our animals mac
up for short feed the past few days.
SATURDAY. Aupust 4th was nv brit