PROGRESS OF THE SURVEY IN 1849. 121 



ticable, bringing with them a drove of twentj-five horses. They 

 had met with very rough usage from the Indians, having been 

 robbed of a number of their horses, beside the whole of what 

 remained of their goods, and narrowly escaped with their lives. 



From the report by Lieutenant Gunnison of his operations 

 during my absence, I make the following synopsis. 



A thorough exploration was made, with the view of ascertaining 

 the points for such a base line as would best develop a system of 

 triangles embracing both the Salt Lake and Utah valleys. 



A line was selected, and carefully measured by rods constructed 

 for the purpose, and tripod stations erected over the termini, 

 which were marked by metal points set in wooden posts sunk 

 flush with the surface of the ground. The length of the base is 

 thirty-one thousand six hundred and eighty feet. 



Fourteen principal triangulation stations were erected, consisting 

 of large pyramidal timber tripods, strongly framed, to be covered, 

 when required for use, by cotton cloth of diiferent colours, accord- 

 ing to the background. The triangles extended to the south shore 

 of Utah Lake, and embraced an area of about eighty by twenty-five 

 miles. 



A survey and sounding had been made of the Utah Lake, and 

 also of the river connecting it with Salt Lake : this operation re- 

 quiring a line to be run of one hundred and twenty-six miles, 

 principally by the back angle, with the theodolite. 



Although such a result, from less than two months' labour, 

 would be entirely satisfactory under ordinary circumstances any- 

 where, and would reflect credit on the energy and capacity of the 

 officer in charge of the work, yet it may be remarked that it would 

 be very unfair to judge of it by a comparison with similar results 

 obtained in the Eastern States. There, all the accessories to such 

 a work, especially water and timber, are abundant, and generally 

 at a convenient distance : here, on the contrary, both are very 

 scarce and hard to be obtained. All the water, for instance, used 

 both for cooking and drinking, that was consumed on the base 

 line, (requiring seven days of incessant labour in its measurement,) 

 had to be transported upon mules from the river, which lay a mile 

 east of its eastern terminus ; and the force employed in the erection 

 of most of the triangulation stations had to be supplied in a like 

 manner. But the principal difficulty was the scarcity of timber. 

 Wood grows nowhere on the plains ; all the wood used for cooking 

 in camp, and all the timber, both for posts on the base line and 



