Year: 1868

A Perilous Adventure in the lal


West. M


A Virginia City (Nevada) paper says
From q report to Surveyor-Gcneral Stafford
from A. j. Hatch, now Surveying in The
Humboldt country, we Gull from the:follow-
ing account of a forced march in ice, through
tules, with body Of flames marching hard
upon the party, lesping through the dry
tops Of the tule forest. The communica.
ton is dated Lovelock's station, Big Mead.
ows, Humboldt county, March Sd:


"While crossing the tule, on my way to
the standard corner Of the guide meridian,
an incident occurred which never shall for.
get At the point where I crossed, the
tulc is about three miles wide, and the ice
was about fourteen inches thick rendering
q safe bridge for me and my party to pass
over had entered the tule perhaps q
mile, when two of our men, who were a
short distance behind, very foslishly set fire
to the tule and canebrake the latter being
some twelve or fifteen feet high. In few
moments vast sheet of fame was roaring,
high in the air, directly in our rear, the
wind at the time being from the west.
Thinking to outaank the fire fisnd, I direct
my driver to 60 north. We had not gone
far in that direction when tho wind chang
cd from west to southwest. directed the
driver to 60 southeasterly. BY this time
matters began to look serious. The fire
had extended its front considerably; and
seemed to be gaining upon us rapidly. The
flames appeared almost overhead, and the
Goals and sparks fell around and upon u.s.
a shower of fire. A fire in advance was
suggested, for the purpose Of obtaining a
burnt district to stop upon, but this, on ac-
count of tie. changcablc nature Of the wind,
| concluded to be iniudicious, liable % incur
new danger.


/ considered the flank movement the on
ly one practicable. / climbed upon the
high load of camp fixtures and bedding,
when by standing up, l could see over the
canekrakc, and kept the driver upon the
right course. Every man now seemed to
realize his perilous position, and instinct
lively put his shoulder to the wagon, which
was fairly showed upon the horses, but the
faithful animals could go no faster than
walk through the thick matted tulc and tall,
stubborn canebrake. Upoa tho horses de-
pended our safety. They were our mo
ses," our only means of escape from terri
bic death, for no man can make any pro-
gress through that internal jungle, except
in the trail Of the horses and wagon. The
few words spoken were as hollow as from
the grave, and were scarcely audible above
the roaring Of the flames and the cracking
tule and canebrake, as they were heated
down by tho horses and wagon. The ex-
preston upon each countenance was that
Of perfect terror, but when the hope of es.
cape had nearly expired in each bosom, we
suddenly and UNEXPECTEDLY emerged from
the tule into an open and clear field Of ice,
perfectly free and secure from danger, the
red flames sweeping across our track at the
time about one hundred and eighty feet in
in our rear.


This sudden transition from danger so
imminent and terrible, to perfect safety,
had a singular and amusing effect upon
some Of the party. Men who few sec.
onds before had been almost weeping with
fear, now gave way to the widest and most
extravagant expressions Of JOY. Bright
tears glistened upon the cheeks of one,
hurrah from another, and one sanguine in
dividual performed evolutions that would do
honor to a professional gymnast. As for
myself, I was glad We had got out Of the
bullrushes.


I crossed the Humboldt range about Eve
miles south Of the fifth standard line, and
whore no wagon had never crossed before.
! knew l had o very rough time of it for
about ten days. Ispent two days in look
ing for the corner, being about nine miles
frome camp. t.