The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-10-03
Utah Troopers Survive the Storm
and Flood.
PERIL AND DISCOMFORT
HARDEST TRIP YET MADE BY
THE CAVALRY.
Exposed For Several Days to Rain
and Snow, With No Shelter
Streams Were Swollen and the
Boys Were Nearly Frozen-Lieu-
tenant Kimball Was Plucky.
(special CORRESPONDENTS

A''l'ClAeAi III St'OAihC'NO-I
Camp A. f. Wood, Cal. Sept. 2S.-
The latest scouting detail TO return t
headquarters was that under Lieutell
ant Kimball, comprising Sergean
Fortescue, Corporals Goliath an
Weatherby, and Privates Irvine an
Marsh. All but Goliath and Mars
are here again. Their trip was tn
hardest of any yet undertaken.
Leaving here last Saturday after
noon, the little squad rode to Crescen
lake, and camped the first night witt
old John Welnan. who lives there oil
patented land Welman, d quaint anC
interesting hunter and trapper. o.
the good old ~ calibre, has won The
hearts Of all Captain Gaines men whC
have seen him. They tell how he open:
his heart and cupboard TO them, mo-
allowing their own packs united, anC
after supper produces his tobacco anC
pipes and sits on q stool within ex-
pecteratioR range of the fire, relating
hair-ra@sing adventures with bears
and lions and Indians. The boys will
remember old Welman long after
their return to Utah and resumption OF
the dull cares of citizen life.
About o'clock Sunday afternoon
there set in a drizzling rain and the
men made camp at Little Granite
meadows. About dark the drizzle grew
into a full-fledged rain storm that
Z never abated till dawn Having no
tentage, the troopers were. wet and
chilled through, for high UP If the hills
1T had turned very cold.
On Monday. at 5 in the morning, they
responded TO an imaginary reveille and
were in the saddle affaV hra9 lxf9 81 q
O'Clock. Al that time Goliath.
Irvine and Marsh were started on the
back trail for Camp Wood, Lieutenant
kimDau and the others continuing
with one pack mule Leading them
were two brothers named Beck. who
had reported that they were in danger
of being massacred at their mine at
King creek by Indians hired by sheep
men upon whom the Becks had in
formed for grazing their flocks in for
hidden pastures. The father of the
Beck brothers. old and rheumatic,
came near perishing with cold the pre-
vious night, trying to sleep in a hol-
low tree, and Monday morning left
without a bite to eat, intending to
walk TO Fresno, so miles. despite our
boys prediction that he would never
make il alive.
A TERRIBLE TRIP.
That day the. soldiers had not been
in the saddle, 10 minutes before they
We're forced by intense cold to dis
mount and walk for the rain still con-
tinued. The trail down through North
Fork pass ran knee-deep with water
and the north fork of<the San Joaquin
river, which they forded. was swollen
and flowed so fast as to make the
crossing perilOus. On the other side of
the stream, where the trail leads onto
a high mountaiE. the rain became
snow, and to keep from freezing the
men still trudged on afOot. One of
the Becks, he who guided the party,
became completely exhausted, after
he had lost the trail and Lieutenant
KimbalI FOUND H. and dropped down
in the snow, refusing to proceed
further. The commanding officer. too,
Mad about surrendered to the numb
ness and pains caused by the
wet and temperature, SO at
that place, near Seventy-seven
corral they stopped at 8 O'Clock
TO camp. All their hands were so be-
numbed that a half hour was consumed
in attempting to strike a match to
build the campfire. AT last one OK the
boys succeeded by holding the match
between his two hands, pressed tight
together rubbing the head against "a
piece of dry bark. After half hour
at tie fire, Lieutenant Kimball, piucky
through all. had SO far thawed out as
TO be able To help prepare dinner. Ser
ge&nt Fortescue being the chef, who,
out of the ruins OF the saturated pack
took wet flour and wet raisins and
made q most delicious fruit cake in a
frying pan. Weatherby built a campfire
in hollow fir tree, and before it pitch
ed a Wickiup of matter from the mules
forage. There they roasted that night,
under the ever descending wet snow.
Off their feet they could not force their
boots, full of water. and took comfort
from the thought that if the worst
came they would at least die with their
boots on
Now Lieutenant Kimball had begun
to surmise, from the contradictory YER
sions given by the BecKs, that their |
tale of menacing Indians was largely |
a myth Therefore, they, seeming Will |
ing. were told to go on alone Tuesday !
and the troopers began their !
march. Later they were |
told By a competent authority that |
those Becks had held up a shee2man /
who Was returning to his scattered |!
herd from confinement at Camp Wood, |
and had relieved him of $3.50; had |
robbed another herder of So; had driven
a lot of shepherdlesS sheep over a prec- |
lpice to death on the rocks below, /
their owner the loss of 500
and had then sought protection from |
the Utah troop because they feared |
the justly Infatuated men whom they
had wronged. Whether that is true
VIII CORE out in due season.
CAMPED WITH WELMAN.
Again last night the detail camDed
with Welman, having made a big ride
over. badly washed and almost obliter-
ated trails, which could be followed
only by the marks of horses that had
slipped and plunged in the mud out
side the paths, full of water Three
miles this side of Jackass they NV the
place where Goliath, Marsh ana Irvine
went astray. Those three wandered all
lay Monday and made camp in a
meadow that night. Tuesday morning
heir horses had left them. Irvine
,ound his, and leaving Goliath and
Marsh with the little grub they had.
made his way hither, riding all day
and today with only one
biscuit to eat. He will start back to
he others tomorrow with extra provis-
ons, an extra horse and a pack mule.
FoRTEsCUE's 5doUNT.
But, of course, there was fun sprink
FL through IL ALL Fortescue
ode behind d pack mule which he
,rodded to keep him moving. The long
AIRED brute wearied of this, and lit in
licking. When the shower of blows
lad subsidized the sergeant found his
eg scratched by a CHANGING kick, and
ne stock OF his rifle, which was slung
n his saddle, kicked clean off and high
n the air. JOHN METEER. ;
Your Face
Of