Reports of explorations and surveys, to ascertain the most practicable and economical route for a railroad from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean: Vol. 2, Pt. 2

CH APTEIR III.
From the valley of Frankli river, east base of the umboldt mountains, to the crossg
of the Humboldt river-Ma~y 24. to June 9, 185i4.
Journey along the eastern base of the Humboldt mountains.-F-orty hot springs.-Mountain chiefly granite.-Eclipse of the
sun.-Lakes.-Shore-lines.-Digger Indians.-Fevers.-Numerous Springs.-Outlet of subterranean river.-Passage of the
Humboldt mountains to the southern branch of the Humboldt river.-Interior or secondary basin. Digger methods of catching
gophers and mainmots.-Indian singing, lodges, and wardrobes. —Quartz mountain.-Agate Pass.-Rheumatic fevers-Snow storm.-Difficult mountain passsge.-Lake and miry plain. —Edible roots.-Return to proposed railroad line.-Description
of the valley of the Humboldt. —Character of the vegetation of a large portion of the country between the Rocky mountains
and the Sierra Nevada.-Humboldt river.-Bad character of its water and grass. —Cause of the loss of stock; how avoided.
flay 24.-We travelled south along the eastern base of the Humboldt mountains, crossing
numerous small creeks, and at our camp a mountain torrent which we were obliged to bridge,
although it did not exceed twelve feet in width by two in depth, but it poured by with great fury;
yet we were but a few hundred feet above the plain, which we were obliged to avoid on account of
the miry banks of its numerous creeks. The base of the mountain is finely covered with grass,
but we occasionally passed fields of sage and thorny bushes, the latter covered with myriads
of nesting caterpillars. Before leaving camp this morning, a few miserable Indians came in,
but they were very wild and timid; and we met a naked, stalwart fellow during the day, whom
I adorned with rings.
In the plain at the foot of the hills near our camp this evening there are some forty hot
springs. Their orifices are in granite-the water boiling up as from a well into funnel-shaped
basins, and a small pond is formed by their united waters, with vertical granite walls even
with the surface of the plain. There is a slight odor of sulphuretted hydrogen about them,
but the water, when cooled, tastes pure and fresh, and is limpid. They are more or less intermittent in their action, and the temperatures of the different springs vary from 120~ to 170~,
and the total amount of water which they discharge is small. The mountain above us and
along our path to-day is almost entirely granitic-sometimes very fine, at others feldspathic
and crsmbling, or micaceous and disintegrating. The morning was very beautiful and
pleasantly cool, and mid-day warm; but we were thoroughly drenched by rain before encamping.
Day's march, 19.17 miles.
Mfay 25.-It commenced raining soon after daylight this morning, and continued until night,
making the soil very soft for travelling, and swelling every rivulet to a mountain torrent; so
that, although we started at the usual hour, and did not encamp until late, we made but 7.99
miles; and, although we built several bridges in this short distance, several of the gentlemen
were thrown into the swollen streams, their riding-animals being thrown down by the force of
the water; but this bathing was of little consequence, as we were all thoroughly drenched from
early morning until sundown. We remained in camp on the 26th, for the purpose of observing
the eclipse of the sun, for longitude, for which we were very anxious, all our previous efforts
having proved so abortive. But the morning was unfortunately very cloudy, and we failed in
seeing its commencement, and were no more fortunate at its termination, the sun only occasionally breaking through the clouds during the day, and being too much clouded for the exact
observation of its termination. The day was considerably darkened and chilled by the obscuration. Our camp is magnetic west from the point where we entered this valley, near a small
Take, six days since.