The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-01-26


long II took the party to cross what Is
now the State Of Nevada IL not told. but
what water we found was in small pools ,is
| in the washout places" near the footniils
| at the edge OF the valley. The dry. lakes
| were very hard for the eyes" and rthe
oxen began TO look bad, for they had poor
| food" There was very little game-only
| one rabbit was killed after the party sepa-
| rated But few Indians were seen, and they
were peaceable. An inspection OF a hastily
abandoned Indian camp showed that the
| squaw had been roasting a cactus for food.
That was not a very encouraging prospect,
days down e1ng broad pir rsvne that led TO a
| southwest direction" and eventually came
10 "a level plain. fully 100 miles wide. 1t
would not afford a traveller a single drink or
| give poor many mouthfuls OF grass.
| On the western edge IL was bounded by
| low. black and rocky range extending near
| ly north and south, and no pass through it
| could see, and beyond this range still an
| other one, apparently parallel to H.. In
been looking st for mo sa sa The WIDE
| plain Is now known as the Pahrump valley,
| and the second range mentioned was doubt
less the Funeral mountains on the east side
| OF Death valley while the tall peak was
| Telescope mountain OF the Panamint range
on the west side Of Death valley.
REAL TROUBLE BEGINS,
The party had had a rude experience ever
since leaving the mesa. where the majority
turned back for the Hunt trail. but now
their real trouble was to begin. Manly says
that at that time ne had been two days
without water. but esough was found on
the edge Of the level desert TO give all
good drink.
Next day the party again divided. the
greater number under Doty striking out
across the plain directly. while Bennett
and his friends drove off to the south, be-
cause there were snow-covered mountains
in that direction. and better hope of
getting water. They did. indeed. find water
occasionally, but many dry camps were
made-camps where the cattle, with droop-
ing heads, remained near the wagons,
fusing to search for food: where children
cried the night away begging pitifully for
drink, while the wretched mothers with
parching threats strove to comfort them
with promises. But no words can ade-
quately portray the miserles of such
journey. The Bennett party had TO go with
out a drink for nearly forty-eight hours
at stretch more than once Those who
struck out across the plain travelled five
were almost four full days without drop.
They began killing off their oxen for food
at this time, choosing the weakest one in
each case. OF the hides they made mecca
sins for themselves and for the surviving
oxen, for the rocks over which they passed
wore every foot away till ii bled. AS food
the lean flesh was wretched beyond descrp-
ton, and there was so little of Ii that any
man or the party, weakened as all were,
COulu carry all the neSn or beast Wnen
it had been cut clean from the bones. And
eventually, to keep from starving. they
were forced to clean and roast even all the
viScera, although, of course, there was
water TO wash anything.
After about ten days Of wandering about
the Pahrump plains they got into what is
now known as the AmargoSa valley, and
camped at spring that may have been
the one now known as Resting, Springs,
for after that camp they soon came TO the
bitter stream called Amargosa river. This
the Sun told at the time reporter was
sent through the region. The Amargosa
river flowed TO the south in old days and,
bending around a tongue-like ridge, emptied
into the old lake that once filled the lower
end of Death Valley. But the emigrants,
very route that was followed by the min
srs who a few years ago worked the aban-
doned borax deposits in both the .Amar-
gosa and Death valleys. The long journey
occupied three days, and was one of almost
incredible suffering, because they found(no
there would at least have prevented thirst,
but il was then an unknown country. They
wellnigh persisted when within six miles
Then they got down into Furnace Creek
canyon and found water, and made a camp
where they could look out over the valley
which now is called Death valley because of
what happened TO the emigrants.
But astonishing as it must seem to all
familiar with the common traditions of the
region, not one Of either of the three di-
visions of this party, that consisted of
TIVE 1ty-seven wagonl1ads; died within the
actual watershed OF the valley. That, at
least. is the fact according to Manly. and
there is little reason to suppose that his
memory or knowledge Of the facts should
be at fault DR.. s. G. George: well-known
Californian, while prospecting for the
famous Gunsight lead in 1860. found skele-
tons there, but these were the bones. very
likely. of others who went prospecting in
the region. 1t must not be forgotten that
the Mormons came down into that country
as early. at least. as 1857. and that lead ore
1t<l
and that the creek got its name from the
crude REDUCTION works erected there. The
first travelers to cross the region were by
no means the only ones TO leave a trail of
skeletons.
THE CAMPS IN THE VALLEY.
Manly says that all the three divisions got
together in Death valley-at least within
sight of each other. The camp to the north
of the old borax works. which has since
furnished the relics now deposited in the
California museum at San Francisco, was
made by the party of Jayhawkers, so called,
under Capt. Doty. 1t appears also that
Martins eleven young men were .camped
here also, but the narrative is not quite
clear. 1t is certain. however, that all but
Bennett and Arcane abandoned their lwag-
ons here. using some OF the woodwork for
fuel with which to dry the meat of the oxen
that were killed for food. How long ii took
them to cure the meat Is not known, but 1t
could not have taken over a day. The Rev
J. w. Bries was camped with his family
alone in Furnace creek. and Manly tells of
reaching the camp there on Christmas eve
and finding the old gentleman preaching to
his two sons on the value Of an education
early in life
Having finished their preparations, the
people in Death valley separated once more.
Martin and his men afoot started over the
Panamint range to the west. OF the eleven,
two were afterwards seen in the gold Dig
gings. When asked about their compan-
ions in the fearful journey, both burst into
tears, and the subject was dropped. In
later years. when the Panamint range was
explored more thoroughly-probably about
the time the camp called Panamint was
established-an old camp fire was found
west of the range with nine skeletons lying
around e.
Doty and a number OF others, with some
oxen, went TO the north along the mesa at
covered the pass since used by the team
sters who drove between the Death valley
boraN works and Mojave station on the
Southern Pacific. They got out through
this, went across deserts 20 the southwest
losing four men al intervals. along the route
Bries followed this party pretty closely and
escaped also, thanks to the untiring energy
or his WIFE He was eventually found, nat
urally enough keeping boarding house for
enlgrantS in one of the native towns not
tar from Los Angeles.
Bennett and Arcane, with John Rogers
and Manly, also followed down the mesa
until they reached the spring since known
as Benefits WELL and there went into