California gold book : first nugget, its discovery and discoverers, and some of the results proceeding therefrom . as will be remem-bered as long as there is history of pioneer trials. Thedivision somewhat weakened the band, and was greatlyregretted by Captain Harlan and those who elected totry the new route. Few difficulties, greater than thoseheretofore experienced, were met with until the dividehad been practically crossed, and the pioneers enteredEcho canyon. Here trouble began. The canyon isscarcely wide enough to accommodate the narrow riverwhich traverses it, and there was no room for r
California gold book : first nugget, its discovery and discoverers, and some of the results proceeding therefrom . as will be remem-bered as long as there is history of pioneer trials. Thedivision somewhat weakened the band, and was greatlyregretted by Captain Harlan and those who elected totry the new route. Few difficulties, greater than thoseheretofore experienced, were met with until the dividehad been practically crossed, and the pioneers enteredEcho canyon. Here trouble began. The canyon isscarcely wide enough to accommodate the narrow riverwhich traverses it, and there was no room for roadsbetween its waters and the abrupt banks. In manyplaces great boulders had been rolled by the mountaintorrents and. lodged together, forming an impassibleway until drilled and blasted into fragments whichcould be handled. Three such obstacles were encoun-tered, and only about a mile a day was averaged formore than a week. The sides of the mountain werecovered by a dense growth of willows, never penetratedby a white man. Three times spurs of the mountainshad to be crossed by rigging the windlass on top, and. Hoisting a Team Up the Mountain, CALIFORNIA GOLD BOOK. 63 lifting the wagons almost bodily. The banks were verysteep, and covered by loose stones, so that a mountainsheep would have been troubled to keep its feet, muchmore an ox-team drawing a heavily loaded wagon. Onthe 11th of August, while hoisting a yoke of oxen and awagon up Webber mountain, the rope broke near thewindlass. As many men as could surround the wagonwere helping all they could by lifting at the wheels andsides. The footing was untenable, and before the ropecould be tied to anything, the men found they mustabandon the wagon and oxen to destruction, or bedragged to death themselves. The faithful beastsseemed to comprehend the danger, and held their groundfor a few seconds, and were then hurled over a preci-pice at least T5 feet high, and crushed in a mangledmass with the wagon on the rocks at the bottom of
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