Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1923-07-27

missed the trai and never turned
back but came upon them sitting on
a log looking at vein Of coal.
Winter the old scout whom we had
picked up at the mill to show us the
coal was man hardened to the
country and the saddle. Jolley told
me he had caught more wild poneys
than any man around those parts. I
could see that Winter stood in high
esteem among the riders of the
desert whereabouts. When we were
ready to start Winter said to Mr.. Nc
Auliffe, 1--WE will go across country
and look at those survey markings,
these fellows can follow the trail"
Jolley quick as a flash gave me a
piercing, quizziacl look and said "a
hell of lot We'll ride by the trail"
and by hell of a lot we did We
followed those two over the worst
bit of terrain yet experienced. One
OF my puttees was torn off complete
ly. Twice I was barely saved from
being swept from my horse by limbs
of trees. When we finally came out
on the asst stretch Jolley and l were
quarter of a mile aheaA of the
other two, and said Jolley was sat-
isfled.
We were then two miles from the
rim of the canyon where the trail
started down. My lips were liter
ally cracked and my mouth sore
from alkali dust and thirst. Nc
Auliffe and Jolley also said they
were suffering from thirst. Winter
said there was water in Morris
Creek a mile or so on our way. Jol-
ley said so too. We finally came to
it. saw Jolley's horse go over the
edge and I saw him dismount. My
heart leaped for joy at the thought
of water. When l reached the spot
| saw it was bone dry. That was
almost the last straw. No water
until we reached the floor of the
canyon with dust and a blazing
western sun beating down on us all
the way down the cliffs. To show
you that this was no dream or night
mare, Mr.. McAuliffe's lips were still
in wretched condition when 1 left
him in Kansas City Saturday morn
ing, yesterday. He is a man 81 years
old. He was all in that night when
we pulled into camp. I was wor-
ried about him. He experienced a
good deal of anxiety on descending
the trail down the side of the canyon
and we'll he might. We were told
afterwards in Salt Lake City by a
man who had been over nearly all
the canyon trails that Zion Canyons
Big Bend Trail was the hardest and
most dangerous in the West
Naturally l felt glad to think that
I had had all this experience. l had
gone through all the things l had
os often read Notwithstanding the
thirst l was glad to know that l
still had the youth and endurance.
1 was sore and thoroughly tired out
but l had stood it and not pccped
which is all satisfaction. I had
some very interesting experiences
which l have not time or space to
relate but this was the most thrill
ling and pleasing to me. l know
can do it if l had to.
This summer beginning the 23rd
of July. my small family and / are
going to Wyoming, to the Shoshone
Mountains for hiX weeks. That will
be a different kind of country but
horse back riding all the time.
shall not ride 80 miles the first day
/ assure YOU. Get used to it grad
ually next time. Holm Lodge Camps.
forty miles from Cody and nine
miles from Yellowstone Park is the
place. I do not return to St Louis
in September. I have resigned here
and am going to Rochester, n. Y.
am sick about leaving here. We have
come to love the city and the people
I have built this work all myself
1t is mine from the ground up. 1t
is like a parent leaving it's child
But this is a big step forward and
upward. All kinds of pressure has
been brought to bear to keep me
here and 1 am homesick before I go.
But my intelligence tells me it is the
thing to do and like an operation I
must go through the hard part and
do a bigger work afterwards.