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Show 22 A TRIP ACROSS THE PLAINS. Next dllY eighteen miles travel brought U3 to- Ham's fork of Green ri,ver. 'I' his \Ve found impossible to fot·d, on account of its swollen state. A wagon bed was, thel"efore, lannch.ed, and S. Coe and J. Mendenhall, Esq. put a!J'Oard to pad'dle it across. 'rhe rapidity of the current cal'ried it undet·, and those on '>oard swam ashot·e. A nurrt.ber followed it down streanl•t and recovered it about a half a m·i·le be-low. We then lashed two togethet·, with a simihu· resu·lt. Nothitl: g tnorQ towards ferrying was done this day. In the evening a supper \Vas "got up,'' by the Hanson & messrs. Smith messes, of which quite a number· partook. . Wild g0o~e, wild duck, speckled trout, dumplings·, flapJacks, hard bread, scewed lruit and coffee, comprised the "bill of fare ." Next day was spent in getting l.ogs from the mountains, and constructing a fet'I'Y. Next morning the fe-n·y was launched, the ropes arranged, and in a Cew hol)t'S every thing was safely landed on. the opposite bank. The horses and tnules swatn across, ~ithout any loos. This. stream~ is about fifty feet wide and SIX dPep. Later in the season it is much shallowet'. Nex.t day we tr·avel/ed about twenty miles, ovet· a very rouglr 1-oad, and encamped in: Bear rivet· valley, about tht·ee miles from the stre-am. ~ Du t·ing th·is day we wct·e compelled to. eut a road through the snow 83 yards long and four feet rlcep. Next day (Sunday, Mn.y 2.6th,.) we had seventl snow storms. A bout noon we forded· Thotnas' for·k of Bear river. The Fort Bt·idger road unites with that through Subh"} tte's cut off at thrs !>lace. r I) th.e afternoon we travelled a.bout 16 m.i/es, and encamped neat· anothet· branch of tho l'·JveJ', about te-o feet deep. bu.t the cu.rrenl not rapid. Next day we fel'·ried wi.th nn ot·dinary wagon bed. The wagon~ being un:oaded were dt·awn thro' the stt·eatn. by •·opes. Ruther a laugh a hie advP-ntu a·e occu r·red, while doing t~i~. A wagon was started into ~he stream· with two ot· three in it. h soon began to sink. and went down unti! !he tops of the ~ows we1·e the only parts above the slnfnce. l'et·t·or was ~eptcted o~ the visages of thoso 'in the wagon, who not be1ng ucquamted with the exact depth of the stt·eam. seemed afraid that they too might get lower that'tJ tk~ ·surface. We encamped about one mile from this Cl'<)SS.- j ' . AND LIFE IN CALIFORNIA. 23 ing. \Ve now had good gras~ generally,-and the stock wus beginning to impt·ove. Wild flax is found in this valley. Wild sage for fuel. Next morning we crossed some bluff'), and struck the river in six n1iles. Encamped twenty- one rniles further down,-road very good. Several Rtnall streams to c1·oss. Next day about noon we came to the "So~a Springs," 15 miles further. 'fhey are about h~lf a ~de ~o rth . of the road. The water is impregnated w1th .carb.onic ac.Id,. which gives it the property of holding cer t~u n m1nern.ls In solution. As it issues from tho surface it _loses this gas, nnd the minerals are precipitated. By th1s process large mounds of calcareous matter ba ve been fo rmed. This water, on analysis, yields the following products : Carbonate of Lime, - - 92. !)0 do. l\1agnesia, ~ . 50 Silica, Alumina, and loss, 7. 90 100. 00 With the Dddition of any of the vcgotable acids, this n1akes vet·y good Soda wate t·. :::)team Boat Spring is about one mile lower down, nnrl very nea1· the bunk of the river. 'fhe watet· is thrown from an or~fice in the rock, to the height of several feet, with t\ kind of pulsatory ot· puffing motion. In chemical constitution this water is s0mewhat similar to that of the Soda springs. About four miles further the road leaves Rear river valley, and tu t·ns to the right, crossing, twenty m:les further, ·a dividing ridge. which separates the waters of tho Pacific from those of" the Great Basin. We encamped near a spring of sweetish water, issuing fJ'om a bed of volcanic ma~ ter. This is about eight miles from the Soda or Bce1· sp1·1ngs. Next ~ight we encamped near the sumtnit of the l'idge last mentioned. We had several showers of rain during the night. Grass, good water and "sage," plenty. Next day, when about tht·ee miles from encampment, we met a number of Indians and half breeds, who had some very good mules and horses to sell or trade. Our company m~de a number af exchanges, and bought several |
