Year: 1859

wagon, you iud them creased and secured


By innumcrable water courses, pow dry


but showing that, in the wet season. waite


is most abuudsnt here. In most instan
ces, gradual slope Of mile or two in
! terveues between the foot Of mountain


and the adjacent plain or valley; thi
slope is apt to be intensely dry, sterile
and covered with dead or dying Sage
bush. Judge these slopes to be com
posed of the rocky, gravelly material o
the mountains, from which the ghtel
clay has teen washed out sDd cal ried off
They often seem to be composed almos
wholly of small bits of rock. The val
leys OF plains are from FIVE to ffteer
miles across. though they seen in the
clear, dry atmosphere of Utah, not hal
so much, These plains have an imper'
ceptible slope to some point near their
respective ceuters, where wider water.
course runs toward some adjacent valley;
in some cases, a marsh or naked space
near the centre indicates that the surplus
water from the surrounding mountains
forms here in Spring petty, shallow
lake, which the hot suns soon evaporate
or the thirsty soil absorbs. The noun
taius are thiuly belted or dotted with low
scrubhy Cedar, seldom ten feet high and
often nearly as far across the green top
formed by three or four stalks or stems
starting from a com mon root. The noun
taips seem to have 20 particular or rath
er, no general directions; some of the val
leys being nearly or quite surrounded by
them. Egen in the wettest seasons, |
cannot perceive that this region sends off
any surplus water to Salt lake or any 9th
er general reservoir. Such is the region
directly south west of Camp Floyd.


We found a station, change Of bor-
ses, and something that wac called din
ner, on the little stream have already J
mentioned, and halted here, 30 miles or
more from Camp Floyd. In the after
noon, We came on over a higher, rocker
mountain pass and a far rough her road to
the next ststiou-Simpscn's Spring. near
ly so mile. from Camp Floyd, where we
halted for the hi ght. | fear the hot suns
of August will dry up this spring, and
there is no other fit 10 to drink for a wea-
ry distance south and west of this point


The station keeper here gave me an
incident which illustrates the character Of
the country. Some few days before, he
ascertaDed that his oxen, eight in mum
Der. had gone of, two or three nights be-
fore, taking a soutberly course; so be
mounted a horse and followed their trail
He rode upon il 100 miles without reach
ing water, or osertakiDg the cattle, which
had lain down but oUce since they start
ed. aud were still days journey ahead
of bin. If he continued the pursuit, bis
horse must die of thirst, and then be too
mu,i perish; so be turned about and left
his oxen to die iu the desert or be found
and eaten by savages. There was not
sh adow OF hope that he would ever see
them again.


We had to drive the same team (mules
of course), all next day, making 30 miles;
but we stopped to rest and feed at sub
station, only 20 miles from our starting
u. L
ever saw. Though at the foot OF a low
mountain, there was no water near It;
that which had been given our mules had
been eartcd in barrel from Simpsons
Spring aforesaid, and so it must be. An
attempt to sink a we'll at this point bad
thus far proved failure. The station
keeper here lives entirely slone-that is,
when the Iudians will let him-seeipg
friendly face hut t&ice week, when the
N sil-stsge passes one way or tie other
He deeply regretted his lack of books and
newspapers; We could only give him one
of the latter. Why do not men who con
tract to run mails through such desolate
regions comprehend that their own inter
est, if no nobler consideration, should i'm
pei them to supply their stations with
good reading N matterl [ am quite sure
that SlOO spent by Maj. Cbarpeniug 10
supplying two or three good journals to
each station on bis route. and in provi-
ding for their Interchange from station to
station. would save him more than 81 ,000
in keeping good men in bis service, and
in inbuiDg them with contentment and
gratitude. So with other M ail.routes
through regions like this.


We drove on that day SO miles to
Fish Springs station, just before reaching
which We passed one of the salt wells
which are characteristic of this country,
though [ presume not peculiar to it. This
one is about six to Ell gbt feet 10 diameter.
and perhaps an equal distance from the
surface of tho surrounding earth to that
Of the water, which has wtitish green
aspect, is intensely salt, aud said to be
mutations able, with downward suction
which a mao could hardly or not at all
resist. j had no desire to try, badly as |
needed sblution.


Fi-h Springs form quite large pool at
the north end of low mountain range,
and send off copious stream to be drank
up 10 the course Of three or four miles by
the thirsty clay of the plain. The water
is brackish and | think sulphurous. as
that of spring in the adj accent marsh,
near the station clearly is. There are