Letter to George Albert Smith, 31 October 1856
G. S. L. City.
Dear Brother Geo A. Smith,
Although it is the last of
Month the Eastern mail has not arrived, and we do not
expect it until about the 10th or 15th of November, if by any
accident it should chance to drop in on us then—for our
present contractors are not at all to be relied on.
Two messengers have just arrived from the hand
cart company under Elder J. G. Willie: When they left, the
company was two miles below Rocky Ridge on the Sweetwater.
They bring bad news of that company; through starting
so late in the season they have got caught in the snow-storms
and many have died. When the teams sent out at conference
arrived at this camp, there had been twenty deaths—nineteen
of them men, and while with them in one day there were
fifteen burials, and when the messengers left there had been
fifty five deaths. They did not seem to be sick, but chilled
through: men would dig graves for their brethren, and
before night would die themselves. They had distributed
their last rations the night before relief came to them and
they did not know that any was at hand. Nothing had
been heard of the last company of hand carts. They have
had several severe storms, although there is not so much
snow between here and Sweetwater, as below that point
At least 250 teams have been sent out to meet those
companies, and several tons of flour, and great quantities
