Year: 1873

A correspondent Of the sacramento
Union thus relates the sutferings of
Frank Gilbert, who recently crawled
into Desert Station, almost dead from
thirst, hunger and fatigue. The narra-
tive is from the lips of the sufferer,
with the declaration that all the state
ments are verified by Ball, Caughlin,
Lent and others. HE said: &


~ had been at work for Judge Colby
of Havilah, Superintendent OF the Joe
Walker mine, and started with good
horse to visit the Slate Range mines,
and arrived, here Wednesday. After a
good nights rest I left for Slate Range
Thursday morning at 8 O'Clock. The
weather was quite hot, but l filled my
canteen with water and started of; at
Mesquite Spring, eleven miles away,
1 found water, arriving there about
noon, and after rest | filed my cam
teen afresh and started for Bedrock
Springs, the next water, have full and
clear instructions from Ball as to the
route. These springs are little off
the. road, and somehow L passed the
trail and missed the springs; to next
water was thirty miles of desert, and
in the afternoon / had called OH my
canteep, often,, and by 3 o clock l had
exhausted its contents, and by 4
O'Clock was very thirsty, the sun pour
ing down intense, heat, and the dust
from a sand storm almost bllnding me
and my Horse, now showing signs of
great thirst and fatigne. Thinking to
strike Bedrock Springs every rod |
urged my horse forward, but as mile
after mile was left behind and the sun
sank behind the hills, became con-
scious that I must have passed the
springs; but l kept on until dark, and
then turned to retrace my way, we'll
aware that must have water for my
horse or 1 would never reach
Slate Range, across that thirty mile
desert; about midnight, becoming sat
isfied that I had lost the spring trail,
l tethered my horse to a bush and
slept two or three hours, but at the
first break of day started again and
left the road for caflon where /
thought there must be water. l went
up the cafiOn four or five miles but
found no trace of water. then began
to suffer intensely for water and took
across the. mountains, throwing away
nv mack to lessen the weight on the
horse. At about 10 O'clock I reached
the summit, when my horse weaken
ed and refused to 60 Q step. ! tied
him up and started down the canon
on the east for water; the heat had
now become great, and was suffering
all the agony of hell, but nerved by
the thought of dying of thirst | ac-
tually ran long way, and at last,
aware that there could be no water
found, started back to the spot where
left my horse. I was becoming so
fully exhausted and almost overcome
with the heat, and without reflection,
or in delirium, can't say which, /
took off my vest, trowers and woolen
shirt and threw them away; slowly /
dragged myself to my horse, mounted
him and started to the west but In q
few hundred yards he again stopped
and refused to go ahead. then saw
certain death before me unless could
obtain some relief. My body was ex-
posed almost, naked to the tOrrid sun,
and was becoming hblistered, my
tongue was parched, swollen and sore,
and was suffering more than can
tell you; it occurred to me'that my
only way to live was to bleed my poor
horse and drink his blood, but had
thrown away my knife with my cloth
ing, and mad no instrument to bleed
him. - I. huntedl around and found a