The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-11-01
Death Of Thomas

west of the Missouri river. They have
all crossed the great divide. except Mr.
Boggs, who. with two of Carson's chill
dren, is living quietly in New Mexico,
and Baker. old and feeble. is awaiting
the last call on his ranch in Routt
county. Colo, 100 miles from the de-
spised railway.
Breckenridge, who died recently, was
without doubt one of the most interest
ing historical characters among the pio-
neers o. the west, says the San Fran
I cisco Call. He was a direct descendant
OF the breckenridge who made history
in Kentucky ara Virginia. They all
were Indian fighters, his grandfather
being killed in the Wyoming massacre
and his father was an officer under
Mad Anthony Wayne. He was born IN
st. Louis county, Mo-, in 1925, and join
ed FremOnt's band in 1915 On his first
expedition to California and at the
end of the successful campaign, he was
intrusted with the reports to be deliv-
cred at the capital. With five compan-
ions he made an overland journey on
horseback and on foot to St. Louis,
where he entered a stage and rode to
Washington, placing the dispatches in
the hands of Thomas II. Benton, then
representing Missouri in congress.
He always considered this trip the
most dangerous one he ever made. and
often wondered how he ever escaped
the Apaches in Arizona and New Mexi-
co and the hostile tribes of the plains.
The ore on which the most suffering
was experienced was the famous Wag-
on Wheel Gap expedition. which suf-
fered as no living men ever suffered be-
fore and which ended when but half
completed, after every horse and mule
-120 in ail-and II men had died Of cold
and starvation. This expedition left
Westport, now Kansas City, Oct. 10,
1S4s- 1t was composed of 80 men and
l2G animals and 10 wagons. They were
20 follow the Arkansas river to old
Fort Bent at he mouth of Purgatoire
river. Here they were Joined by Bill
Williams, one Of the Oldest mountain
GERS and guides in the west. From here
they were to go to Pueblo, through
Hardscrabble canyon into the West
Mountain valley, then over the Sangre
de Cristo range to the Rio Grande
river. which was to be explored to its
source. At the mouth of HardscrabbIe
Dick Wootto-1. another famous guide,
joined the party and continued with it
until il reached West Mountain. After
viewing the cold summit of the Sangre
de Cristo, he concluded that the pass
could never be made, and advised Ere
mont not to continue the journey. The
latter. however, would not heed the adj
vice. and WOotton returned to the Ar
kansas.
The explorers crossed the range early
in December. during intensely cold
weather. and half the time in snow up
to the bellies of the pack animals. When
the Rio .Grande was reached all the
flour in the canteenS was gone, and the
mules ard horses were allowed only
one quart of corn a day. Continuing up
the river at the rate of only four or
five miles a day, food became so scarce
that they had to commence killing the
mules for food. At this juncture Ere
mont decided that they were in most
dangerous Dredicament, and that the
quickest and best way out of it was to
cross La Garita mountain. Williams de-
clared against any such dangerous I'M
dertakicg He told Fremont that II
would be suicidal, and, II attempted,
not half the men would live so reach
the summit He wanted to return south
to Sa- Juan or Saguache, but to keep
in the Rio Grande valley. Fremont,
with his usual stubbornness. would not
listen. ard ordered the ascent. While
irving to climb the narrow trails many
of the animals were swept over ana
into Drecipires a thousand feet deep by
snowslides and the hurricanes when
swept with terrific force down
these mountain gOrges the cross
ing of the Alps by Napoleon was
not half SO dangerous, nor could Tue
weather have been colder than was
that experienced by this handful OF
/ HANDY men who were trying to ooey
the foolish order of General Fremont
ON Dec. II il was neid Impossible TO
proceed farther on account OF the IN
tense cold and deep snow. ana IL Was
| decided to go into camp. All the pro-
visions that they mad were 81 Po1Lld5
| Of brown sugar 10 pounds OF green
/ coffee 10 pounds of macaroni and 10
mounds of candles. The snow con-
/ tinued to fall, and the suffering OF the
! hungry animals, for which there was
no forage. was heartrenGinS. On
4 Christmas eve Fremont called Breek-
! enridge to his tent, told him thai II
was an absolute necessity for the
party to have relief, and that ne nad
| decided to send him, King, Creulz-
! fe1dt and Bill Williams to Taos, about
| $50 miles away. All CT the men had
wondered at their inactivity for eight
days. when they were slowly starving
10 death and were anxious TO take
! any chances to escape the fate that
/ was surely awaiting them Inc next
morning each one of the four took one
| blanket, a few pounds OF frozen mule
meat, enc pound Of sugar, some maca-
roni and candles They had three
/ rifles. 80 bullets, one pound of powder
and a. shotgun Before leaving Breck-
enridge deposited with Fremont Sl,2UV
! in Spanish doublOOns, but when the
! party broke camp the sack was Ieft
/ and Breckenridge never set II again
The relief party sent back the next
/ summer, in charge Of Bill Williams, in
! search OF the money and camp para
phsrnalia left there, was ambushed by
+, the Indians and not q soul survived
The little party succa- ] in making
| five miles the first day, and on The
third day reached the river again
They had lost their sugar, and theiI
other provisions were all gone, and
with $50 miles of their journey yet to
/ complete and a wilderness of snow
and ice before them, were half dead
from starvation. Their sufferinSs wers
terrible, and they kept from freezing
only by digging holes in the snow, in
which they buried themselves. Tbs
next day they found the frozen car
cass of an otter on the lice This
temporary relief from death pleased
them so that they both laughed dnd
cried from joy. Breckenridge, speak
ing of this incident in that journey
said AS true as 1 live, l can taste
that raw and frozen otter to this day
As they slowly advanced up the river
their feet became SO sore and in
famed from freezing that they were
forced to discard their boots and WraI
them in portions of their blankets.
j Meanwhile, the old boots did serv-
ice as food, the leather being boileo