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Show ABANDONMENT AND DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY. 68 merous little springs of very cold and excellent water. Grass . was found on a neighbouring hillside sufficient for our animals. The road to- day passed oyer from the Platte, crossing a spur of of , the mountains. Above this point, a high range of hills, which had been observed running to the north- west, inclined rather more to the north side of tl* e river, which here forces a passage fqr itself through a gorge of the mountain. The strata there presented were of red sandstone and shales, whence the name of « Bed Buttes." The rooks were inclined at an angle of about 25°, with a dip to the west, as were also the strata on the north side. The sections presented were of sandstones, white or red, shales, slaty shales, and clay. Considerable quantities of nitrate'and carbonate of soda were found on the surface. To- day we find additional and melancholy evidence of the- difficulties encountered by those who are ahead of us. * Before halting to noon, we passed eleVen wagons that bad been broken up, the spokes of the wheels taken to make pack- saddles, and the rest burned or otherwise destroyed. The road has been literally strewn with articles that have been thrown away. Bar- iron and steel, large blacksmiths' anvils and bellows, crow- bars, driHs, augers, gold- washers, chisels, axes, lead, trunks, spades, ploughs, large grindstones, baking- ovens, cooking- stoves without number, kegs, barrels, harness, clothing, baeon, and beans, were found along the joad in pretty milch the order in which they have been here enumerated. The carcasses of eight oaten, lying in one heap by the rpadside, this morning, explained a part of the trouble. I re* QOgnisgd the trunks of some of the passengers who had accompanied me from St. Louis to Kansas-, on the Missouri, and wha had here thrown away their wagons and every thihg they could not pack upon their mules,, and proceeded on their journey- At the noon . halt, an excellent rifle was found in the river, thrown there by some desperate emigrant who had been unable to carry it an^ farther. In the course of this one day. the telics of seventeen wagons and the- carcasses, of twenty- seven dead oxen have, been seen. Day's march, twenty- four miles. Saturday, July 28.- Morning bright and pleasant,, but at 9 A. M. the wind rose from the south- west, and blew almost a hurricane the whole day, tearing jap the sand and gravel, and dashing it into our faces, as we rode, with such violenoe as to cause sensible pain. It was impossible to look up for a moment, as the eyes became immediately filled with sand, so that the teamsters were |
