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Show MtKMONT TIIK PATH FINOKK. A proposition before Congress to place General Fremont on tho retired list with the half pay of a mnjor-gonoral in the regular army, rocalls the incidents of his early life and of his valuable services in socuring California for this country. It was through tho persistent labor of Senator Benton of Missouri, the father-in-law of Fromont, that the first exploring explor-ing expedition under Fromont waB organized, or-ganized, equipped and sent into the wildornoss in the spring of 1812. His instructions from the war department was to explore the country from the Missouri Mis-souri to tho South Pass of the Rooky mountains through which tho Oregon emigration was then passing. This object ob-ject ho accomplished, passing through many perils bv the way, making the trip in four months, without tho loss of a man. At tho western end of this trip he, in company with a few pickod mon. resolved to ascend tho loftiost peak in tho Wind River rango, which ho named "Snow Peak." Aftor throo days of wtMiriHome climbing, suffering greatly in tho intensely cold and rarcfiod air from headache and vomiting, they reached the summit at noondny on August 15, 1812. IIo says: "We mounted our barometer on tho (mow of the Kiimtuit and fixinK a ramrod in a crevine, unfurled un-furled tho ntilion'H (Ihk to wavo in the breeze where never a IImk waved before, A KtillncHH tho newt profound and a terrible solitude forced tlioniHolviw eoiiHlantly on the mind as the great feiilures of the place. We thought our-elvfw our-elvfw Inyond lite region of auimntjid life; but, while we were Hitting on the rock, a Military tiinnlile bee t'tinio wiliKintr his Hight from tho ountelu vtdley anil lit on Iho knoo ofonoofthe men. It wan a Htrnnno place, the icy rock and the IttKheHt pettk of tho Kooky mouutnint, for a lover of warm hihihIiIiio and llowern; and wo plonHod oiirMelveM witit Iho idea that ho was tho ftrHt of hifl Hpi)eiiH to croHH tho mountain Ijarrier a aolilary pioneer to foretell the advance of civilization, The barometer ut 1h.i:i, tho alUiehed thermometer ther-mometer at 14 below zero; Kivitm for tho elevation, eleva-tion, l:t,!70 feet above the Kulf of Mexico, which, may Ijo called the highest liiKht of tho l)ee." The second and third expedition of Fremont furnish most interesting reading read-ing and show that ho was mainly instrumental instru-mental in conquering and holding California. Cali-fornia. As a path-lindor and soldier ho deserves well of his country and now that povorty and old ago ha'-o overtaken him, let him recoivo his wellearnod reward. |