The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-08-05
PRINCETON GEOLOGICAL EXPEDITION.
They Encounter a northumberland
of tho Trip.
Special to The Jersey City Ne,os.

Lt6~
of the Trip.
Special to The Jersey City Netcs.
TRENTON, Aug. 5, 1893.-A letter has
been received from W. G. Elmer of this
city, who is with the Princeton geologi.
cal expedition. 1t is dated from Hermosa.
South Dakota. He says
1.-THE Princeton expedition has spence
trated well into the Bad Lands, of South
Dakota, and Ia now encanped on the ex-
treme southwestern corner of the Sioux
Black Hills, and tabout twenty miles
north of the scene Of the battle OF
Wounded Knee. The camp Is located
upon a small bluff overlooking the old
Indian Draw, with the reservation
corner stone not fifty feet away. There
are several army tents, together with u
large. roomy arbor constructed by the
cook and guides to serve as a kitchen.
There are altogether in the party seven-
teen. This includes Professors SEQ ct and
Libbey, with their assist ant, MI.
Hatcher: the cook. two guide 8 and the
students. TwenJy-four horses and three
camp wagons are used. The supplies,
consisting OF ham, bacon. canned veget-
ables and fruits of all kinds, &c., are
forwarded from Fort Robinson. A local
ity exceedingly rich IN valuable fossils
has been found. and q side expedition
in charge OF Mr.. Hatcher mas
been sent across the country
to work 1t. This expedition, formed
about q week ago. consisted OF 1--WE, and
the writer happened to be one OF the
number. After a hard a~fterpnon's ride
the site of the camp was reached, and
while Professor Scott and Mr.. Hatcher
went out to prospect o little before sun-
set, the rest of the party pitched the teut,
and sat down to watch the guide prepare
supper. This lasted but a few minutes,
aud we then went into the tent to await
the return of the others.
just then the guide. putting his head
out and catching a glimpse Of the west
ern sky, cried: CLOUD burstln In an
instant we were on our feet. Already
the roar Of the oncoming storm was
distinctly heard, and in less than two
minutes it had burst upon us with terrific
fury. The tent ropes broke simultaneous
lY like the report of a pistol, and down
went the tent Ike a flash. with the three
of us uuder it. The writer. finding him
self unable to rise, waited for the storm
to subslde when it suddenly occurred to
him that the water comes down the val-
legs In great waves during q cloud burst.
At the same moment the water became
ankle deep. After several Intellectual
struggles he succeeded in escaping from
the heavy mass of canvas, tent poles,
ropes. etc, and emerged into the storm.
1ue VIM was ulOWluR IuFlOUsIy across
the valley, hail came down in large
stones, so thick that in the five minutes
passed the ground was covered eight
inches deep, aud the rain poured down
In an almost solid cataract. The only thing
to do was TO run for a hillside. All
the horses had broken loose and had run
awayfexcept one staked in the valley,
aud the water was already rushing
around him up to his belly. The horse
had to be saved, so 1t required wading In
up to the waist in the drifts of hail and
torrents OF icy water to release the poor
beast. In twenty minutes the storm
had passed, leaving the buttes, In its
path, which was only a few hundred
yards in width. white and cleaning III
the twilight, covered with hail drifts in
some places several feet deep. and some
OF which lasted till the morning or the
secood day after.
The eptire outit-provisions, blankets
and clothing-was buried under two feet
of water. We went off to look for the
horses as a means Of keeping warm, for
We were soaked to the skin aud Chilled
through, and while we were goae the
TWO professors. who had escapsu the
storm entirely, returned aud surveyed
with alarm the deserted and wrecked
camp. Professor Scott appeared much
relieved wneu he found us safe aud we'll
snd none OF us struck by lightning, a.
he SAID he had feared we had peep.N
2AE