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Show 72 FROM FORT LARAMIE TO FORT 3RIDGER. Sandy, where' we encamped, nothing of interest was observed. In Little Sandy the same strata as had occurred previously were found, with a dip of 8° to the south. • A section of the rock in the vicinity, exposed on the top the same ochrey- cdloured sandstone, and then red shales. From the shales were obtained some remains of plants, but the rock was in so decomposed a state that they could not be identified. On the road, some fragments of Kmestone were found on the surface, containing fossils, but we could not secure any specimens. From Little Sandy to Big Sandy, artemisia covers the whole face of the country, which has a dreary, barren aspect. Nfcar our camp of this morning; a small section presented thin laminated white sandstones and clayey shales; and from the appearance of the country for several miles, this must have been the character of the rockd. Twelve miles from the Little Sandy, on descending a ravine, fossfliferous trunks of large trees, some of them nearly two feet in diameter, were observed upon the ground:* the interior of some of thepe was hollowed out, but concentric r'mgfi were noticed near the circumference, and, in some specimens, longitudinal fibres were found in the interior. The bark appeared td be marked in places for the attachment of leaves of Cyeadece, but they were all much weathered. The rocks on the river- bank were white compact sandstone, disposed in thin lamellae, sandy and clayey shales, and a gray compact limestone, breaking with a conchoidal fracture. Some large portions of trunks of trees were protruding from the cliff, imbedded in apparently arenaceous shales. Some few specimens of fossils ( Nautilus and carats) were < collected, but, on account of the weathered state of the rocks, they Were necessarily imperfect. The limestones contained but few fossils. Thursdayj August 9.- Our road to- day k y along the right bank of Big Sandy, until we reached Green River, which we crossed above the junction, and encamped a couple of miles below. The increased altitude, and the consequent dryness of the atmosphere, had so shrunk the woodwork of mp, ny of our wagon- wheels, that various expedients had to be resorted to, in oirder to prevent them from falling to pieces. To- day one of the wheels of the instrument- wagon, that precious and important portion of our train, became so weak from this cause that I was forced to take out nearly all the load, and distribute it among the other teams, to enable us to reach camp with if. We picked up a pair of wheels belonging to some emigrant- wagon, but they would not answer; So we were |
