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with great ditlieulty, and became the
scene of more than one appalling tra-
gedy. In 1846, the Donner party, con-
sisting of sixty Illinoisans, en route for
Oregon, knowing nothing of the climate,
attempted to cross the range too late in
the season. Near the summit they en-
countered impassable drifts, through
which they could neither advance nor
return. Thus imprisoned by inexorable
lVinter, among snows twelve feet deep,
they endured fearful sufferings. Many
ate human flesh, and more than forty per-
ished from starvation. The logs of one
of their cabins and the stamps of trees
which they cut at the surface of the
snow, are still seen; while a little body
of blue water, nestling among the vast
bare rocks, is called Donner Lake. Sev-
eral survivors, who reached California,
yet live to tell their horrible story.
The great tract between the eastern
foot of , the Sierras and the western rim
of the Utah basin is the most desolate
upon our continent-a vast expanse of
ashen desert and sandy, rocky hills, des-
titute of wood and grass. Streams are
few and far between. The Central
Overland route crosses no stream, from the
Jordan, just west of Salt Lake City, to
“Reese River,”ya little brook of Nevada
-almost four hundred‘ miles.‘ Until
within the last seven years, this immense
tract was unvisitedisave bysmall parties
of emigrants, pony-express riders, drivers,
stock-tenders, and the few passengers by
overland mail. I . ,
Toward the close of 1859, Comstock
and Penrod, two prospectors in pursuit
of gold, discovered a vein of dark ore,
and were puzzled to decide upon its
character. Specimens sent to San Fran-
cisco for assay, turned out to be very
rich silver-bearing quartz. A great rush
for the new region immediately begun,
and the Cornstock Lode proved the rich-
est vein of silver ever found. It is a
mile and a half. in length, from eighty
to two hundred feet in width,’and is
already opened downward for nearly
‘seven hundred feet, without giving out.
i“ Once a silver mine, always a silver
.mine,” is the favorite theory. It is
- claimed that they never become exhaust-
BEADLES MONTHLY.
ed and some Peruvian lodes are already
I
‘worked to the depth of seventeen hun-
dred feet.
The Comstock has yielded wonder;
fully. From only twelve hundred fee
in length, the Gould and Curr)’ c”“‘p&ny
have taken twelve millions -of d<f11f“'Si
As usual, in mining history. the ‘mgumd
discoverers failed to reap the Pmmr ‘"3
are still poor men, seeking fortrrnesun
new fields. Here begun the silver-mill‘
ing of the United State%an indl15”')' yet’
in its infancy, but destined to prove one
of the most important interests of the
nation. It is the sole pursuit of Nevada,
which has sprung upon the desert, and
was admitted to the Union in 1863. Din”
ing 1865, the Wells-Fargo EXPV955 Com’
pany carried from Nevada to 5313 Fm”
cisco fifteen million dollars in bullion. ‘he
product of this newestand youngest State’
born at the outset of a great civil war-
The traveler from the east 2IpP1'03cheS
Nevada by the daily ‘coaches Of “"3
Overland Mail Company, . from 53”
Lake. They rnnvery rapidly. 11321“ fmd
day. Here is theperfection of st33‘f‘g'
The stations are ten or twelve mil?’
apart. When ‘a coach rolls up i0 the".
‘door, whatever the hour of theCd9-‘Y 0’
night, the stable. is opened, four’ or 513
clean, glossy horses, in shining harnesses,
are led out andisubstituted for the (lusty:
panting steeds; and in five : or eight
minutes the stage whirlslon. 0V91' ‘One
road, last summer, we were driven elgm
miles in thirty minutes ; and we 3000"“
plished the five hundred and seventy-We
miles from'Salt Lake to Virginia Cit)’-if‘
seventy-two hours 1 During Indian h ostil1-
ties, the coaches seldom stop, and d1'iV31'5
and superintendents often manifest great
daring-in taking the mail, through ‘he
darkness, over lonely and dangerous 6165'
ert'roads. One night last August the
coach, containing no passengers 511"“ “
woman and child, reached a station. ‘l'm"
out any driver. ‘ Three miles back; Over‘
come by sleep, heiliad fallen from. ‘he
box, and the wheels passed "over and
killed him. i
The Overland
dians call “ The L
the mail route.
Telegraph, which 11?’
ong1’l‘ongue,” follows
