[City Intelligence - US Wagon Road Expedition, Sacramento Union, May 18, 1860]

 

CITY INTELLIGENCE.

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            United States Wagon Road Expedition. -- The officers of this expedition, which is under the superintendence of Col. F. W. Lander, arrived in this city yesterday, morning on the steamer Eclipse. The present party consists of the following persons : W. H. Wagner, Chief Engineer ; M. M. Long, R. L. Poor, and J. C. Campbell, Assistant Engineers ; John C. Burch, Pay Clerk ; James H. Snyder, Commissary, and W. H. West, C. C. Wrenshall, W. C. Briscoe, J. B. Stettinius, Auxiliaries. Mr. Lander, who is organizing his party, will take wagons, rather than packs, and go through Noble's pass to Honey lake. He is directed to complete the mapping brought up by him from the border of Missouri to the bend of the Humboldt, and also to erect tanks for water on the desert east of Honey lake ; to make a proper map and improve the road, which it is believed may in some places be changed for the better in location. The whole country must be explored by small parties of men. These under the system pursued by the present Superintendent do not often number over five men. The recent Indian hostilities will therefore disarrange the Summer's move of the expedition. The grading and other works of construction which were to have been let out by contract must be postponed, and it is the intention of Col. Lander to move at once over the division of country along his route and ascertain the causes and the extent of the late Indian troubles. He is enabled to do this under his instructions of Special Agent to the tribes — Shoshones and Pah-Utes — along the emigrant road. His party will include a force of about forty well armed men. He takes the Noble pass after consultation with Wm. H. West, his express agent, sent in advance on the steamer of the 5th of April, who has within the last fourteen days crossed the mountains to Honey lake, passed down the eastern base of the Sierras, gone entirely alone through the locality of the massacres the day preceding the last — having been met and warned back by other expressmen, and coming over by way of Placerville, reported to the Superintendent at San Francisco on the arrival of the last steamer. Mr. West states that the grass along the trail and in the vicinity of Carson City is very bad, and forage not to be obtained at reasonable prices. On reaching Honey lake, Superintendent Lander proposes to leave his wagons and travel with packs. He will take only a mountain equipment, and for the trip out and back will probably feed his train on dried beef, or drive a few young cattle loose for subsistence. He believes, and so stated on hearing the first intelligence, that the Indian reports are greatly exaggerated. He expects a collision, as his party will be isolated in a part of the country which is the favorite resort of the hostile tribes. Should any reliable intelligence of new cause for alarm reach the city from Washoe, Mr. Lander will change his route and organize a pack party here and go by way of Carson. He now believes that as arms and ammunition and an increased force have readied Virginia City and Carson, he can be of more service in the scattered and exposed settlements further north.