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Show 112 the sunlight, a most pleasant sight, as it gave assurance of abundance of water for a time at least. Cottonwood Island, with its majestic Cottonwood trees and rioh vegetation, afforded a pleasant relief to the eye, after having seen nothing but black, barren rocks and parched, sandy valleys since leaving old Camp Cady. The island, which is 5 miles long and less than half a mile wide, is occupied by a number of Pah- Ute Indians. Others of the same tribe have ranoherias along toe west bank of the river. They raise a few vegetables, a little corn, melons, and wheat; bat their principal food is the mesquite bean. They had no supplies to sell to our party, as the products of their small gardens are consumed as fast as they ripen. Tbey make no efforts to catch fish, but occasionally shoot a mountain- sheep, and bunt regularly for a species of large lizard and the field- rat. They visited our camp daily, begging for bread and tobacco, but otherwise did not molest us, nor did they show any propensity for stealing. At this place a party was sent to Camp Mohave for supplies to replenish our nearly exhausted stores, and after a few days' rest we proceeded up the river to Stone's Ferry. J The trail followed the river closely as far as El Dorado Mill. From thence a wide detour bad to be made to get around the Black CafLon, and we reached the river again at the mouth of Las Vegas Wash. From this point auother detour was made to avoid the Bowlder Cafion. The route hence was up the Callvilie Wash, over the divide, and down a gradual descent to the Virgen River, which was reached abcut 15 miles from its mouth ; thence down the Virgen to the Colorado at Stone's Ferry, which point was reached on the evening of August 4. This part of the route was almost entirely destitute of vegetation; even the camps on the river afforded no grass for the animals. At Bitter Spring, Camp 28, some salt grass was found, but it was poor feed for the animals, and harmed more than it benefited them. The water at Bitter Springs is decided\ y alkaline and unpleasant to the taste. Signs of water were observed near the summit of the Callville Wash, and some green grass was found in the immediate vicinity. The water of the Virgen was unfit for use by men or animals. It was intensely saline, its color brick- red, and surface covered with floating slime of the same color. The trail from Cottonwood Island to Eldorado Mill is very rough, in some places precipitous and dangerous, entirely impracticable for wagons. Thence to mouth of Laa Vegas Wash the trail is not so difficult, and nearly all of it could be traveled by lightly-loaded wagons. Thence to Stone's Ferry the route is practicable for wagons. Callville is entirely deserted; the wood- work has been removed from all of theliouses, and nothing but crumbling walls indicate the site of the city at the " head of navigation. 7' In the vicinity of Stone's Ferry and along the Virgen are found extensive deposits of rock- salt, and near the ferry there is a natural curiosity called the " salt well." This is a hole in the mesa, nearly circular, with steep walls, partly filled with a strong solution of salt. The greatest depth of water was found by sounding to be 96 feet, the diameter of the water- surface 118 feet, high- water mark above present surface 4 feet, and surface of water below crest of well 43 feet. The surface of the water in the well was found to be 3.9 feet above the surface of the river at the nearest point. A considerable quantity of rock- salt is obtained in this vicinity, which is used in the reduction of ores both in Nevada and Arizona. At Stone's Ferry we remained until the 14th of August. The time was occupied in taking soundings and current- observations. A description of the method used and results obtained will follow. From Stone's Ferry, after crossing the river, we followed the road through a wash which heads in the almost insensible divide leading to the Sacramento Valley; then along this valley to Chloride ; from this point, through Union Pass, to Hardy ville and Camp Mohave. The first march, from the river to Mountain Spring, is a long stretch of over 40 miles without water. The ascent from the river is gradual and at the rate of about 80 feet to the mile. The first 10 miles is through a narrow wash, destitute of vegetation, then the wash gradually widens into a valley of magnificent proportions, bounded on the oast by the Sacramento Mountains, and on the west by the river range. This valley was covered with different kinds of grasses- in the northern part principally coarse gallete, but farther south more nutritious grass was found in quantities sufficient to feed thousands of cattle, which is not available because water cannot be procured. Attempts have been made to dig wells in this valley, but no water has been obtained except in the vicinity of the springs near the summit of the valley. The epriug at Nob man's Ranch furnishes water for about two hundred head of cattle. At Chloride we obtained good water from a well about 40 feet deep. The town was almost deserted, but half a dozen men living there. The mines were not worked, and the smeltiug- furnace stood idle at the time of our visit. There is a good wagon- road all the way from Stone's Ferry to Camp Mohave, a toll- road having been built through Union Pass. The weather was pleasant and temperature moderate in the Sacramento Valley, but J as soon as we crossed the summit of the river range we began to experience the dry • atmosphere and excessive heat that had been felt previously iu the valley of the Colo- |