New York tribune (daily) (Extra)

              OTHER EXPLORATIONS. A NEW ROUTE TO YELLOWSTONE PARK.

"THE CAPT. JONES EXPEDITION."
SUCCESSFUL EXPLORATION OF A NEW ROUTE TO THE WONDERS OF THE YELLOWSTONE—DISTANCE FOR A TOURIST FROM THE EAST SHORTENED BY 400 MILES—GREAT DIFFICULTIES ENCOUNTERED AND OVERCOME BY THE EXPLORERS—A VALLEY OF FERTILE SOIL WELL WOODED—SCENERY OF WILD AND PICTORESQUE BEAUTY.
[FROM AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUNE.]
OMAHA, Neb., Oct. 14.—The "Yellowstone Expedition" under Capt. Jones, was directed to what is more popularly known as the Yellowstone country—namely, the vicinity of the wonderful geyser region in northern Wyoming, which has been set apart as a National Park.
Within the last three years the marvels of the Yellow-stone park have been from time to time set forth by pen and photograph, but they have been in no wise ex-hausted. The industrious and extensive researches of Hayden, the descriptions of Doane, Langford, and others, have made the region famous. The Yosemite has found a rival, which some enthusiastic observers have declared far surpasses it in sublimity. The region has been wisely set apart for a National Park, and the next question is how shall it be made accessible to the traveler. A prominent, indeed the chief object of Capt. Jones's expedition was to determine this question. The chief authorities in regard to the approaches of the Yellowstone Lake and the topography of the Wind River country have been Hayden and Reynolds. The former has paid special attention to the Yellowstone Lake and the natural wonders of the Park. The latter, before the wonderful character of the geyser region was known, had gone up the Yellowstone Valley and then passed through the Wind River country to its head waters. Neither Hayden nor his predecessor found a direct route to this region from Lower Wyoming. Bridger, the fa-mous guide of the North-West, who accompanied Hayden in most of his explorations, considered a direct route from the Union Pacific Road due north through Wyoming as impossible. Bridger declared that there was an im-passable barrier; that a crow could not fly over it unless he took provisions with him. Hayden in reaching the Park was obliged to make a very circuitous route, going away up into Montana to Fort Ellis, and then descend-ing and approaching the Park from the north.
Gen. Ord, commanding the Department of the Platte, was very desirous of testing the truth of Bridger's and other reports by a thorough survey of the country from Camp Brown, in Wyoming, north to the National Park. At his suggestion the expedition was authorized and under his direction it was organized.
The expedition was organized in Omaha, and consisted, of the following persons, viz., Dr. C. C. Parry, Clerk, Botanist, and Meteorologist; Prof. T. B. Comstock, Geologist; Assistant Surgeon C. L. Heizman, U. S. A., Chemist; Second Lieut S. E. Blunt, 13th Regiment of In-fantry, Astronomer; Second Lieut. R. H. Young, 4th Regiment of Infantry, A. A. Q. M. and A. C. S.; Louis von Froben, Chief Topographer; F. W. Bond, Paul Le Hardy, and Cecil Gabbet, Assistant Topographers; one astronom-ical assistant, one meteorological assistant, three gen-eral assistants, two guides, one chief packer, and two laborers, in all, with the cavalry escort, about 100 per-sons. The party was concentrated, and went into camp at Fort Bridger, Wyoming, June 5. The transportation as furnished by the Quartermaster's Department, con-sisted of eight wagons and 66 pack and saddle mules, in charge of one pack master and ten packers. Also three six-mule teams for transfer to Camp Stambaugh, W. T.
START OF THE EXPEDITION.
Until June 12 the time was occupied in equipping the party, making final preparations for the march, and com-pleting the preparatory work of the different field par-ties. On the 12th the expedition broke camp and took up its line of march. The train, consisting of 11 six-mule teams, with the packers as teamsters, was in charge of Lieut. R. H. Young, 4th Regiment of Infantry, Acting Assistant Quartermaster for the expedition. These wagons carried four mouths' provisions, a com-plete outfit for a pack train, and 10 days' half forage, beside the usual stores and camp equipage. All sup-plies and train material were concentrated at Fort Bridger, in preference to the Wind River posts. The route from Fort Bridger was north-west, across the Big Muddy, following the line of Big Sandy River to Camp Stambaugh, which is about 50 or 60 miles north of the Union Pacific Railroad. The line of march lay across what is known as the Colo-rado Desert, thinking the south-east extremity of the Wind River, and thence following up the Wind River valley to Camp Brown. As far as these mountains the region is almost rainless; but the extraordinary Spring rains had extended over it and fallen as snow in the sur-rounding mountains in enormous quantities. As a con-sequence, the streams were swollen to a remarkable ex-tent and rendered well nigh impassable. By making extraordinary exertions, however, Capt. Jones was en-abled to get his wagons over. The teams had to be un-hitched at the Big Muddy, and the wagons lightened and pulled over by means of a line. This Big Muddy must not be confounded with the stream of the same name which embarrassed Gen. Stanley's expedition in the same way. They are different streams with similar characteristics. A difficulty of the same kind was ex-perienced in crossing the Big Sandy, which had to be crossed twice. The current was swift and the water deep, coming up to the middle of the wagon beds. At the second crossing, 12 mules were hitched to one wagon, and hauled it across safely; but as this method exposed too many mules to the danger of getting tangled in the harness and drowned in the rapid current, a line was led across to the opposite side, a 10-mule team hitched to it, beside being manned by the men of Capt. Noyes's command. One wagon was overturned in the stream, but its contents, except a few insignificant articles, were saved by prompt and skillful action. Only one mule was drowned. June 19 they reached the Little Sandy. On the morning of June 22 a driving rain-storm was encountered, which soon turned into snow. It must be remembered that the altitude of much of this section of country is nearly 8,000 feet.
THE VALLEY OF THE POPO-AGIE.
The expedition left Camp Stambaugh on the 28th of June, crossing the next day the valley of the Big Popo-Agie. This valley is of considerable size, lies well for irrigation, and is well watered. The climate is quite mild. It is the old site of Camp Brown, and is now occupied by a small settlement of whites, among them several women. A few weeks after Capt. Jones left this point the Indians made a descent on this settle-ment. The men were out at work. The women were unprotected, and several of them were brutally mur-dered. Camp Brown was reached on the 1st of July. It is situated on the right bank of the Little Wind River, just above the mouth of its north fork. The stream flows through a broad, flat valley of rich soil. Near the post is the agency of the Eastern Shoshone Indians. They cultivate a farm with good success, and have a steam plow and saw-mill. Their chief, Washakie, is thoroughly well-known on the plains, and is a man of considerable ability and fore-sight. He expressed a strong desire to see a railroad come through his country. The distance from Fort Bridger to Camp Stambaugh is 135 miles; from Bryan on the Union Pacific Railroad to Camp Stambaugh, 99.5 miles; from Bryan to South Pass City, 93 miles; from Bryan to Camp Brown, 146 miles.
The expedition remained at Camp Brown until the 10th of July rigging up the pack train. Camp Brown was the last station in semi-civilization. From this point the expedition was to enter an unsettled and almost unknown country. All wagons were left be-hind, and all baggage and equipments placed on pack mules. A base line was measured at this point from which the principal landmarks were carefully located with large theodolite. Ten Shoshone Indians were enlisted as scouts to accompany the expedi-tion and "Nakok," a petty chief, was employed as a guide. Wind River was reached on the 12th of July, and the Indians after three or four hours' search, succeeded in finding a good ford. For two days the route then lay through a rolling and ap-parently destitute country, which supported, however, a splendid growth of bunch grass. On the 17th, Capt. Jones took a topographical party and made the ascent of the highest peak in the Owl Creek range of moun-tains. From this hight it was discovered that they were entering the Big Horn Valley, close under the eastern flank of an enormous range of mountains whose trend was apparently about north and south. The next day Capt. Jones, with a tophographical party, set out for the ascent of a sharp peak lying in the mountains west of the trail. The peak, however, proved too much for their utmost endeavors, and they failed to reach the summit. They attained, however, by most difficult climbing, an altitude of 12,000 feet. From this dangerous perch the view spread out to the west and north was grand, and almost ter-rible. As far as the eye could reach a jagged mass of peaks of dark brown volcanic ejectamenta lay black in the shadows of the falling sun—a combination of form and shadow wonderful and mysterious. The descent from the peak was even more perilous, but was accom-plished without accident to any of the party.
APPROACHING THE YELLOWSTONE REGION.
July 26.—The No Grass fork of Stinking-water Creek was reached. This is a large mountain stream, almost unfordable. The expedition marched four days up this creek, and still found it difficult to ford. It had to be crossed seven times. Several mules were thrown down by the rapid current, and only saved with the greatest difficulty. Part of the load was lost. In attempting to save a mule from drowning, Mr. Curtis, the packmaster, came very near getting drowned himself, and was hauled out by a rope. As it was, he broke one of the bones of his right hand. On the 1st of August Capt. Jones made the ascent of a peak which he named Sailor Mountain. From this peak the mountains bordering the Yellow-stone basin on the north-west could be seen. Another peak ascended the next day commanded a fine view of the basin itself. The range of mountains was named the Sierra Shoshone. The outlet of Yellowstone Lake was reached on the 4th of August. The next day Capt. Noyes and Lieut. Kingsbury were sent through to Fort Ellis for supplies. Capt. Jones found the Yellowstone Lake basin abundantly watered and covered with a dense growth of pine, with many strips and patches of grass openings along the streams. Good camping-ground could be found almost anywhere. Aug. 18 Lieut. Young arrived with pack train from Fort Ellis with 25 days' supplies. The escort did not arrive until the 20th. Capt. Noyes was left behind on account of sickness. Hot Springs, near Gardiner's River, Lower Geyser Basin, and Fire Hole Basin were visited, and on the 30th of August the ascent of Mount Sheri-dan was made. This is a splendid geodetic station. The trail was very bad, owing to the quicksand along the beach of the lake. The true way of getting from one point to another in this basin, Capt. Jones says, is to seek the summit of the ridges and hills, avoiding as much as possible the edges of the marshes, lakes, and streams, where the fallen timber generally lies. As a general rule the hills and ridges in the Yellowstone Lake Basin have long and generally rounded slopes, and long, almost level reaches are quite frequent upon their summits.
By the 4th of September they had reached the Teton fork of the Snake River. The country is a great deal more open than in the Yellowstone Basin. The line of march lay along and close under the western base of the Sierra Shoshone Mountains. The hills are large and generally rounded, the soil rich and vegetation luxu-riant. Small streams are very numerous, and have plenty of fine trout in them. Sept. 7 they crossed a low divide about 8,000 feet above the sea level, and came upon the head of Wind River. From a mountain on the right the Wind River Valley could be plainly seen for the whole length, and Crow Heart Butte, a noted land-mark near Camp Brown, some 80 miles distant, was easily distinguished. This pass, which has some very rugged peaks of volcanic rock on either side, is easy of approach.
WIND RIVER VALLEY PRACTICABLE FOR A RAILROAD.
The return route was then pursued through the Wind River Valley to Camp Brown, a distance of 82 miles. Capt. Jones reports that the valley of the Wind River is open, with cottonwood along the stream. The soil in the valley is good. On the upland it is very largely com-posed of drift. The timber grows pretty high up in the mountains except near the head of the valley. From the head of Wind River to Yellowstone Lake his route lay across the high rolling foot-hills of the Sierra Shoshone Mountains. There is here an area of splendid country, well watered, heavily timbered, and with a very rich soil. It is bounded on the east by these mountains; on the south by the Wind River Mountains; on the west by the Teton Mountains, and joins the Yellowstone country on the north of a very low divide, which in one place is probably not over 300 feet above the lake. It is practi-cable to make a railroad or wagon road up the Wind River Valley and to Yellowstone Lake substantially along this trail, which is well blazed through the timber. From Yellowstone Lake, by following the divide be-tween Snake River and the lake drainage to the west-ward, the valley of the Madison near the Great Geyser Basin can be readily reached; the only serious obstruction being the heavy timber. The valley of the Madison can doubtless be followed down to Fort Ellis, Bozeman, Gallatin, Helena, and the principal cities of Montana. Or, from Yellowstone Lake, the east bank of the lake and river might be followed as far as East Fork, and thence down the left bank to Fort Ellis and Boze-man, over the route now traveled, which is a wagon road now as far as the Great Hot Springs on Gardiner's River. By this route it would be about 450 miles from Bryan on the Union Pacific Railroad to Fort Ellis. From Bryan the Sweetwater Stage Com-pany are now running stages to South Pass, 93 miles. From South Pass there is now a wagon road, which can be greatly improved, running to a point on Wind River, 30 miles beyond Camp Brown. The distance from the railroad can be shortened about 23 miles by starting from Point of Rocks, on the railroad. The steep hills between Camp Stambaugh and the Little Popo-Agie can be avoided by bending around to the eastward.
NEW ROUTES AS SHOWN ON THE MAP.
Mr. F. W. Bond, Assistant Topographer, has furnished a map of this new route, reduced from the official map made to accompany Capt. Jones's report, The square lined off around the Yellowstone Lake shows the bound-aries of the National Park, the objective point of the ex-pedition. Fort Bridger, the point of organization and departure, is near the Utah line. From this point the trail of Capt. Jones can easily be followed to Camp Brown. This region from Bridger to Brown has been open to travel for some years. There are several de-serted villages in the vicinity of the South Pass, which is in the vicinity of Camp Stambaugh. They were formerly occupied by miners and "prospectors," and numbered from ten to a hundred or more houses. The new part of the exploration, in which this expedition takes precedence of all others, is from Camp Brown to the Yellowstone Lake. The dotted line in the map from Camp Brown, passing up near the Owl Creek Mountains across the Stinking Water, then turning the west and crossing to the lake, shows the outward route of the expedition. Returning, the trail sweeps around the lake and bends south-east along the Wind River Mountains down to Camp Brown. It will be seen that the return trail is the more direct. By carrying this trail up to the lake and then crossing it or following its easterly shore, a very direct route can be made through to Fort Ellis, Bozeman, and Gallatin City. The distances by the proposed route are as fol-lows: From Camp Brown to the Yellowstone Lake at the mouth of the Upper Yellowstone River, 167 miles; from Bryan, on the Union Pacific Road, to Camp Brown, 146 miles; total distance to Yellowstone Lake, 313 miles. By starting from Point of Rocks, on the Union Pacific Road, the distance to Camp Brown can be shortened 40 miles, and Capt. Jones is confident that the route from Brown to the lake can be shortened. The distance from the road to the lake would then be reduced to about 250 miles. From the mouth of the Upper Yellowstone River to Fort Ellis via the Geyser Basins would be about 190 miles. The whole distance from the Union Pacific Rail-road to Fort Ellis would then be about 440 miles, with the advantage of striking the road over 200 miles further east than it is now struck.
The advantages of this route will be seen at once by comparing it on the map with Hayden's route, which was, until Capt. Jones's survey, the only route to the Yellowstone Lake. Hayden's route leaves the railroad at Corinne, on Salt Lake, and goes north to Fort Hall, and still further to Virginia City, bending then to the north-east to Gallatin and Fort Ellis, thence down to the lakes again. The new route would shorten the distance nearly 200 miles from the railroad, and for travelers from the East 400 miles. Gen. Ord, in his official report, will recommend that an appropriation of $50,000 be made to run a wagon-road from Point of Rocks to Fort Ellis. Ultimately it is probable that a railroad will run through this way to the National Park, which, beside being con-venient for the tourist, would open this section for mining and agricultural purposes.
SCIENTIFIC RESULTS.
The full value of the scientific work of such an expe-dition can only be determined when the closet scientist has had time to sit in judgment upon the collections and reports of his brother in the field. Geology and botany and chemistry have a large field in this region, and the scientists of this expedition say it will be a long while before investigation can exhaust all this material. In zoology there is a field as large as the geological one, and comparatively untouched. Unfortunately there was no zoologist with Capt. Jones's party, and no at-tempt was made to collect specimens of fish, birds, or other animals. In the Yellowstone Lake and in the numerous springs there is an abundance of animal life, some of it of a very peculiar character. Dr. Heizman found animal life in springs of 124 degrees temperature. In order to preserve these creatures it would be necessary to transport them in fluids, for which the expedition had no facilities. Dr. Heizman analyzed a large quantity of the mineral waters in the field, and brings home a large quantity for quantitative analysis. He is of the opinion that they can-not be utilized for medicinal purposes—not only from the character of the waters, but also on account of the climate. It is only in the Summer months that this place would be accessible. They had frost 13 nights in August, but the vegetation was entirely un-touched. The flowers were remarkable in the brilliancy and permanence of their colors; many of them were growing next to the snow. The botanist, Dr. Parry, made a very fine collection of plants, comprising many new to a collection from this region and several new species never before seen. The entomologist was also successful in making a large collection. The geologist made a thorough survey, finding much that was new and interesting. But few fossils were collected, these mainly of the cretaceous and early tertiary periods.
TWO-OCEAN WATER, FLOWING TO THE ATLANTIC AND THE PACIFIC.
On the map your readers will notice "Two-Ocean Pass," just south of the Yellowstone Lake. At this point Capt. Jones confirmed a previous and most impor-tant discovery. Bridger, the scout, and one or two miners, who had been there, had reported that there was a small stream of water at this place which after-ward divided into two streams, one of which flowed into the Yellowstone, thence by the Missouri to the Gulf; and the other flowing into the Snake River and finding its way to the Pacific Coast. Hay-den denied the report, or at least failed to estab-lish its truth. Capt. Jones made it a matter of spe-cial investigation, and had the great satisfaction of finding this little stream—a union of the head waters of the Yellowstone and Snake Rivers. From the position in which he stood he could easily trace the course of the two rivers springing from this common fount. The stream is but a little thread of water and only flows a short distance before it is embarrassed by a choice of destiny. A little island or peninsula splits the waters. On one side of this little peninsula is the Atlantic Ocean, and on the other side the Pacific. Thousands of miles away from these great bodies of water, each separate drop in the tiny stream must here elect which one of these shall be its destination, and the choice made here cannot be altered.
The members of the party speak in the most glowing terms of the beauty and splendor of this famous region. It is a perfect fairy-land, they say, to which no descrip-tion can do justice in prose. The springs are innumer-able; sometimes hundreds are found in the space of a few rods. Hot and cold springs are found within a few inches of each other, but a few inches in diameter; then springs as large as a house. The display of colors from the deposits of these geysers and streams is brilliant be-yond all comparison.
DESCRIPTION OF SCENERY BY AN ENTHUSIASTIC OBSERVER.
One of the most striking portions of country through which the expedition passed was that in the vicinity of Stinking Water Creek canon. This is described as fol-lows by one of the scientists of the party:
"We move at first over a slowly rising bottom of dry cracked earth, with very little grass, cut frequently by channels, some dry, some flowing, running from the hills in a direction at right angles to the river. The ascent now becomes steep. We are soon 500 feet above the river, and are gratified with a sight of its rapid serpen-tine course between ranges very attractive for their beauty. We passed beds of green marl, petrified wood and agate of all kinds. Precipitous torrents gullied our path. But nothing could withdraw our admiring gaze from the mountains. Gothic palaces with twelve or fifteen terraces, thousands of times larger than any ever undertaken by human hand; cathedrals, some with innumerable minarets; enormous castles pitched on the higher hills, which were shaped per-fectly like cones, and densely covered with forests of pine, giving their slopes a beautiful green color in con-trast with the dark brown rock of the tops; walled gateways from below curved up to the top; pavilions surmounting the smaller hills and looking like delight-ful Summer resorts; fortifications around the bases, arranged sometimes in series, one above the other; one gigantic and perfectly shaped pyramid, excel-ling vastly the famous ones of Egypt—all shaped out of dark brown metamorphic sand and limestones. Here about our camp we have all voted it the finest spot we ever saw. One declares it even more beautiful than the surroundings of the Lake of Lucerne. We are resting on a slope, by the side of a large and frightful torrent, falling at a right angle into the stream below. A few hundred yards west is the mouth of the canon, a magnificent chasm, through which our course leads. Two huge sentinels guard the opening. Under the shade of the right we passed, as-cending the side rapidly, until we were perched on a narrow ledge 500 feet above the river, perpendicular rocks from 1,000 to 2,000 feet high towering over us, and giving an air of gloom to everything. Then down to the bottom, 100 yards wide, until we are stopped by a huge hill dipping perpendicularly into the water (another similar on the other side) so that we were compelled to direct our course northwards and pass over it. The ascent and descent were both frightful. When I reached the top the train, almost beneath my feet, looked no larger than a pin's head. A half-dozen mules in coming down lost their hold, and started headlong down, falling like an arrow until stopped by some bowlder, when the girths broke and the packs continued their course to the bot-tom. The remainder of the journey here was a repeated crossing and recrossing of the stream, to avoid these declines and get foothold. Metamorphic conglomerates of all kinds were collected here, the most curious I ever saw in the variety of the minerals and the shapes of their crystals.
"The journey when within two days' march of the basin was of marvelous interest, though from the nature of the country fatiguing in the extreme. It is impossible to describe the variety and grandeur of the scenery and the dangerous character of the trail. We were obliged to cross the river seven times, and always abreast of a current dashing furiously against the rocks and bowld-ers. We had several accidents amid stream, losing con-siderable provisions, and nearly losing several mules whose eyes were jammed out. At one time we would be suspended 500 feet above the river on a ledge not more than two feet across, slip-ping on broken rocks, or tumbling over fallen trees; at another passing through magnificent groves of pine and aspen, filled with blooming flowers. Several times we marched along a narrow shore, while perpen-dicular, smooth-faced rocks, 2,000 feet high, were tower-ing over us in such a way that the passage beneath them was attended with fearful forebodings lest these great rocks should fall and crush us. Sometimes, in a more open country, and further inland, dikes 1,000 feet deep were arranged in a perfect network through the rocks, giving the idea of a roofless building many miles square. The head of the canon is guarded by four huge, perfect shaped forts, each with six to eight towers. Altogether, we have passed through some of the grandest country in America, a fitting gateway to the Yellowstone.”