Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1907-06-26
SATURDAY, JUNE 70, 1917

AT 4i5 o'clock u. IN. the thermometer
stood at IS degrees. the grass was whit
ened with frost. and the sudden change
from the high temperatures OF the
sandy valleys below the pioneer camp
was most severely felt by both man and
beast We resumed our Jour
neg" writes Orson Pratt, tray
eled two miles, and. being on
the highest elevation that our
road would pass over for several miles,
] took an observation of the hurumetric
column, which stood at 33046 degrees,
attached thermometer 81 degrees de-
tached thermometer i5.5 degrees. We
travelled during the forenoon II miles.
crossing the main branches Of The Sweet
water which We're quite high, produced
by the melting SHOWS which were accu-
mulated in places unon its banks, as
wen as in the mountains. AT the larg-
est and last of the main branches OF the
Fweetwater WE halted 30 noon, In lat
itude AZ degrees. " minutes ~ seconds.
THIS is eight miles east of the South
Pass"
While the camp was incoming Eric
Gltnes. who in disobedience to council.
had remained with the brethren at the
ferry arrived in camp, having left his
companions at the ferry Wednesday
morning previous. He camped one
night alone and the other nights with
pented of his disohedience and conClud-
ing to obey council he set out to over
take the brethren
1T was quite interesting to
gee an abundance OF good grass
interniNed with various plants
and flowers upon the bottoms. aud only
n few yards distant We're large banks
of snow several feet in depth. &.
Myself with several others came on in
advance OF the camp and it was With
great difficulty that we could determine
the dividing point of land which separ-
ates the waters of the Atlantic from
those of the Pacific, This country.
called the South Pass. for some Is or 20
miles i'll length and breadth. is a gently
undulateing plain or prairie, thicluy
covered with wild sage from one to Two
| feet high on the highest part OF this
| plain over which our road passes and
| which separates the waters of the two
| oceans Is 4 small dry basin Of 10 or 20
| acres. destitute of wild sage. but con-
| tanning about half mile to the east
| ANA to the west. the road gently rises
about 10 or 80 feet. either of which ele-
vations may be considered as the high
est on our road n the pass, On the west
| ern elevation the barometer stood at
! 23lO1 degrees, attached Thermometer
$50 degrees. detached thermometer 80
! degrees, giving for the elevation above
. llt Ststs i.VoO lttl- I ne blSAdiltS vi ll4lF
pass from Fort Laramie. as mea sured
by our mile machine, is l15i2 miles.
went on with my carriage, acconpanit u
| by three or four men, and encampcd
about two miles west of the pass, while
the main camp succeeded IN finding an
abundance of water and grass near the
pass. u short distance Ia the north. A
the place of my enCnmpmont the watel
and grass We're good but quite miry. by
some this is called Pacific spring. bN
others Muddy Spring. A few rods from
| us were encamped small company o
men from Oregon on their way to tn
! states. They We're performing the jour
ney on horseback and had left the set
Elements in Oregon ON the 9Th OF May
| Major Harris, a trapper and hunter, &C
| companied them TO this point, and iron
here he intended 10 act as a guide I,
some Of the emigIant companies, If the.
wished TO employ him. Hav'ng wan
dered and resided IN different parts %
this mountainous country for 20 on >
years, he had acquired an extensive an,
! intimate knowledge Of all the main fea
lures of the country TO the Pacific. w
obtained much Information from him II
relation to the great interior basin %
the salt Lake. the country of our desti
| nation His report. like that of Captain
! Fremonts. IS rather unfaVorable u
! the formation Of a colony Ia this bg
! sin, principally on account of the scar
/ city of timber He said that he 'hat
| Travelled the whole circumference o.