Year: 1859

ted with low, scrubby Cedar, seldom ten
feet high and often Bearly as far across the
green top formed by three or four stalks or
stems starting from common root The
mountains seem to have no particular, or
rather, no general direction some Of the
valleys being nearly or quite surrounded
| by them. Even in the wettest seasons l
cannot perceive that this region sends off
any surplus water to Salt Lake or any oth
er general reservoir Such is the region d.
rectly southwest of Camp Floyd


We found station, change Of horses,
and something that was called dinner, on
the little stream have already mentioned,
and halted here, 20 miles or more from
Camp Floyd. In the afternoon, we came
on over higher, rocker mountain pass and
a far rougher road to the next station
Simpsons Spring, nearly so miles from
Camp Floyd, where we halted for the night
| fear the hot suns Of August will dry up
this spring, and there is no other I'll to drink
for a weary distance south and west of this
point.


The station keeper here gave me an incl
dent which illustrates the character of the
country Some few days before, he ascer-
tained that his oxen, eight in number, had
gone off, two or three nights before, taking
a southerly course so he mounted horse
and followed their trail. He rode upon it
100 miles without reaching water or over
taking the cattle, which had l.in down but
once since they started, and were still a
days Journey ahead of him. If he contin-
ued the pursuit, his horse must die of thirst,
and then he too must perish so he turned
about and left his oxen to die in the desert
or be found and eaten by savages. There
was not shadow of hope that be would ey-
er see them again.


We had to drive the same (mules of
course), allnex day, making SO miles; but
we stopped to rest and feed them at sub
stations, only 90 miles from our starting
point. 1t was about the forlornest spot l
ever saw. Though at the foot Of low
mountain, there was no water near it; that
which had been given our mules had been
carted in barrel from Simpsons Spring
aforesaid, and so it must be. An attempt
to sink well at this point bad thus far
proved a failure. The station-keeper here
lives entirely alone-that is when the In
dians will let him-seeing a friendly face
but twice a week, when the mail-stage pass
es one way or the other.


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 or eight feet in diameter, and per-
haps an equal distance from the surface OF
the surrounding earth to that of the water,
which has a whitish-green aspect, is in
tensely salt, and said to be unfathomable,
with q downward suction which a man
could hardly or not at all resist. / had no
desire to try, badly at needed ablution.


Fish Springs form quite large pool at
the north end of low mountain range,
and send off copious stream to be drank
up in the course of three or four miles by
the thirsty clay of the plain. The water
is bracksh, and l think sulphurous, as that
of spring in the adjacent marsh near the
station clearly is. There are many fish in
the pool and stream, and they are said to
be good. l should have liked to verify the
assertion (; and if they bite q hundreth
part so freely as the musketoes do here
about, 1T were an easy matter to afford the
stage passengers here change from their
usual ratons of pork, bread and coffee,
which, when the -four, or the pork, or the
coffee, happens to be out, as it sometimes
does, renders the diet unsatisfactory, even
to those who would seem to have been sea-
Soned to the like by passage across the
Plains and the Rocky Mountains. Fish
Springs are just so miles from living water
on either side, and the stages have to run
at least ten miles out of their course to
strike them. There is some coarse grass
here.


july 23d.-We travelled this forenoon
over plain nearly surrounded by noun
tains. Said plain is very level to the eye,
but the rapid travellers sense of feeling
contradicts this, for be finds it full of dry
water-courses, which give him most uncom-
Portable jolts Before noon, we came to
the spot where the stage mules are turned
out to feed and rest, by the side of sink
or depression in the plain, which is covered
with coarse grass and reeds or bulrushes.-
BY digging in the side of this sink, water
has been easily obtained, but so suphurous
and generally bad as to be hardly drink
able. Even the mules, think, practice
great moderation in the use of it. At l,
we harnessed up and were soon rising over
long mountain-pass, hardly less than ten
miles from the level plain to its summit,
where light thunder shower-that is a
light rain with heavy thunder-overtook
us. We drove rapidly down its western
declivity, and, q little after p. m., reach
ed our next station in Pleasant Valley, "
q broad ravine which descends to the south
west. Here we found water-bright, sweet,
pure, sparkling, leaping water-the FIRST
water fit to drink that we had reached in
hundred miles if Simpsons Spring ever
dries up, the distance will then be at least
hundred and twenty. We were now a.
cross what is here techically known as the
desert'-that is to say we had crossed the
northeast corner of it. / believe it ex-
tends at least 200 miles south from this
point and is at least as far from east to
west across its center. If Uncle Sam
should ever sell that tract for one cent per
acre, he will swindle the purchaser outrage
ously.


Let we endeavoSs on quitting it, to give
clear idea of this desert, aud thus Of
about half the land inclosed between the
Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada