COUNTRY WESTWARD.—RECONNAISSANCE. 
83 
through two salient points, or it might be more economical to keep nearer to the foot of the 
mountain, so as to avoid the canon entirely. A short distance south the whole country looks 
level, and may, perhaps, be still better adapted for the location of a railway. Leroux says that 
we can neither proceed west nor southwest, on account of successive mountains and canons. He 
desires us to follow the route by which he led Capt. Sitgreaves’ party two years ago, or to go 
even farther to the north. There, he says, we may keep upon the dividing ridge until we reach 
the mountains that border the Colorado upon the west, pass thence, and enter the valley. Sa- 
vedra has crossed over that country, and represents it as a barren and nearly waterless prairie. 
There seems to be another objection to this route—the very advantage that Leroux ascribes to 
it—viz: the “keeping up” for so long a distance. We must now be about three degrees of lon¬ 
gitude east from Rio Colorado, and nearly seven thousand feet above the nearest point. A 
uniform slope the whole distance would require a grade of forty feet to the mile. To keep upon 
the ridge, as he proposes, would diminish the distance at so great an expense of grade as to be 
objectionable. We therefore propose to follow Bill Williams’ fork, which Capt. Sitgreaves 
has represented as rising near this place, and flowing west-southwest into Rio Colorado. 
The hill-sides are now nearly divested of snow, and there is plenty of grass for the mules. 
December 28 —Camp 91.—Our weary mules again requiring rest, we have not moved camp 
to-day. A small party made a reconnaissance four or five miles southwest to a volcanic peak, 
700 feet by barometer above its base, from which the view was extensive. Towards the north 
and northeast were Mount Kendrick and Mount Sitgreaves. Southwest we saw Bill Williams’ 
mountain, where the stream of the same name is said to take its rise. Towards the south was 
a range of hills, which seemed to form the western boundary of the great valley of Rio Yerde. 
Westward were lesser hills, with plains between, and dim mountains in the distance, all white 
with snow. But there we are determined to explore for a passage to the Colorado. Turning 
back towards camp, the snowy peaks of San Francisco, towering, like spires, above a huge pile 
of mountains, looked grand and imposing. Dense forests of pine surrounded the base. Spruce 
and pine covered the slopes near to the foot of the conical spires, where appeared to be a pretty 
well defined curve, supposed to be the “limit of pines,” found, by measurement, to be 4,169 
feet above the valley at Leroux’s spring. 
December 29 —Camp 91.—There being several cases of varioloid in the party, and the sur¬ 
geon deeming it imprudent to remove the sick, we have remained in camp another day. This 
morning, the summit of San Francisco being visible, the triangulation commenced yesterday 
was completed. The height above Leroux’s spring was found to be 4,673 feet, making it about 
12,000 feet above the level of the sea. At noon, the temperature of the spring, where it issues 
from the hill-side, was measured. The immersed thermometer read 48°.4 ; 3°.2 higher than 
the surrounding atmosphere. That is probably the mean temperature of the place. The water 
pours, in several streams, down the ravine, producing a fringe of green herbage. The valley 
below has a dark loamy soil, luxuriant in grass. It would make a superb plantation. This 
spot could easily be irrigated, should not the climate prove sufficiently moist to render that pro¬ 
cess of watering unnecessary. The hill-sides are covered with excellent grama, and tufts of it 
are now beginning to appear above the snow on the plain. Neither last night, nor to-day, has 
the temperature been below the freezing point. 
December 30.—Dr. Bigelow, Mr. A. H. Campbell, Mr. White, and myself, with Leroux for 
guide, and Lieut. Tidball escorting us, set out upon a reconnaissance westward. We passed from 
Leroux’s spring, north of our reconnoitring j)eak, and crossing a wooded ridge 150 feet in height, 
descended gently into another prairie, where at the foot of a grassy hill we bivouaced for the night. 
Our distance from Camp 91.is eleven miles. The barometer places us eleven feet below that sta¬ 
tion. Snow covers the ground to the depth of eight inches, with a crust upon the surface, which 
is the only real obstacle our wagons can encounter thus far upon the march. For a railway the 
country is excellent. With a slight cutting at the summit of the ridge, which, near reconnoi¬ 
tring peak, divides two valleys—one sloping east, the other west—the road would be nearly level 
