OCR Text |
Show OUR LIVELY CORRESPONDENT -- He Sends Items of News from the Snake River Valley. <br><br> Editor Leader -- Perhaps a few lines from this region may be of interest, and therefore I jot down one or two items. We have not much news here (home-made) being but a small community, and as we seldom see a newspaper from the outside world, begin to feel like so many "Robinson Crusoes." The winter is very cold, with about six inches of crusted snow. The storms, of the last two weeks have driven the deer down into the valleys - somewhat to our advantage. The other day a Mr. Bruce, an employee of Mr. M.D. Hammond, the contractor for the work on the Snake River Canal, went out and soon killed four deer, and yesterday killed four more; making for an agreeable change in our diet - a doe, endeavored to escape by swimming the river, but the floating ice and intensely cold water made it hard work for her, and some men putting out in a skill soon caught and killed her. <br><br> Our camp begins to assume quite a city look. In addition to our tent, Mr. Hammond has put up several log buildings, eating room, sleeping and storehouse buildings, stables, blacksmith shop, &c. Its location, in summer time, must be beautiful. Nestled among tall cottonwoods and willows festooned with large climbing plants and vines, with the majestic Snake swiftly but quietly flowing by, and the lofty mountains towering up into the clouds, a scene is presented of rare loveliness and grandeur. <br><br> Work on the Snake river canal is vigorously prosecuted. The depth of the cutting - thirteen feet, gives a very favorable location for winter work, and pick and shovel and wheelbarrow are kept in motion. The excavation for the head gates is nearly completed. This alone is quite a work, being some sixty-five feet long, thirty-five wide and fourteen deep. Two cribs, each 20 feet square, and fourteen high, will be placed twenty feet apart, filed with rock, lined with two inch plank, and firmly bolted and tied. The bottom and sides of the water way will also be built of two inch plank, well braced and tied. The whole canal with its branches, will be over forty miles in length, and will supply water for at least 200,000 acres of good land. But all this may not interest the public of Cache county very much and I therefore close. Jas. [James] H. Martineau, Engineer in charge. Camp on Snake River, Idaho, Dec. 23, 1870. |