THE OVERLAND TELEGRAPH.

Evening Star, Issue 2834, 19 March 1872, Page 2

THE OVERLAND TELEGRAPH.

A TERRIBLE STORV. The overland telegraph has had its tragedy in the death of Mr Kraegen through thirst. A correspondent of the S. A. R&jister, one of the party which nearly succumbed to thirst, gives life-like particulars of the disaster, from which we abridge the following account: —An advance party of three operators—C. W. Kraegen, J. F. Mullen, and E. C. Watson—was dispatched from Charlotte Waters on the Bth December, to the new station posts in the desert, with written directions as to the watercourses they would find. In the evening after a hot and exhausting day's travel, they came, says the writer, to a tree in a creek on which was read in letters punctured in tin and affixed there, the announcement that water was to be had at the junction of that creek and the Hugh, about a mile from that spot ; the n°xt water by the x-oad ten miles, or what we took to be such. Off we sped down the creek. What to us was a mile of sand and hot pebbles nowr—we would have water in a few minutes, and all would be well. Wc got to the place, looked at the hole, found it dry, dry ; went down the Hugh in the hot sand and blazing sun, but gave that up, and returned. We dug with hands, tomahawks, knives —we had no shovel —but still no water could be got, and the terrible disappointment made all now feci the want much mole than would have been the case but for being assured by the punctured tin announcement that water was to be had thereabout ; besides, the efforts in the scorching white sand, walking in it to a depth of 6 in , digging as far ai our arms would reach, perspiring and choking, had thoroughly exhausted two of us to such an extent that we had to lie clown and rest, quea-

tion arose, “ what are we to do ?’* After much debate it was determined to follow up the channel of the Hugh and,, try for water at any spot. Mr Kreigen was sent a-head. The search is thus narrated :—We waited, thirsted, and still waited through many hours of a very close, warm night, but still no water came, and as patience had run out, when the moon rose we packed up, and leading the’horses started on loot after the messenger. We made little progress; the horses travelled slowly, and we had often to lie down, put our nostrils close to the ground, and thereby obtain a a breath of comparatively cool air—a thing we could not get whilst walking. We wearied ourselves going to and fro, and, although travelling much, did not go far, and so Saturday passed away. On Sunday we could hardly manage to stir. Somehow we managed to try again for water in the creek—it must be there—and so at it we went again on Sunday morning, wearing linger nails olf and drawing blood from the fingers until our want of success left but one resource—one horse might he shot, and its blood would help us to make an effort to get on. We shot a horse-the weakest—and having got what we desired from that source, again sought the road aud rested. We had a good supply of liquid now—a quartpotful ea.h aud might rest a little before starting, aud we did. How hot it was ! The sun poured down upon us, and I really thought we should never get over the plain ; but we did. We sat and suffered ; the poor horse crawled, and doubtless also suffered. He seemed to go at the rate of about half a mile au hour. On v e crawled, until on rising a bank we saw the bed of the Hugh once more, i'hc horse pricked up bis ears, meuded his pace, reached the steep rocky bank, and all of a sudden (thank the Lord !) we saw water, a small pool 18 by 30in and only a foot deep ; but water. Down the steep hill we went, got off the horse’s back somehow, and simnl* taneously man aud beast plunged Into the blessed liquid to satisfy an appalling thirst that had lasted from eight o’clock on Friday morning, Bth December, until about two p. in. on the Sunday following. We rested the balance of that day, eating nothing, but “ swigging ” water like a couple of dissipated lishes. On Monday, the 11th. we determined that as we could not go forward wo would go back aud meet the waggons. We led our horse and walked all the way. At the creek we found we had read sixteen for ten miles. We arrived at the Alice after walking through sixteen miles of sand, just in time to see some of the other party arriving from the opposite direction. They had found our pack horse, but had heard nothing of our companion. Two days afterwards bis body was found two miles from the camp. His burial-place is marked by an inscription, punctured in tin, and affixed to a tree;—“ln memory of C. W. Kraeger, aged 40, who perished here for want of water about 12—12—71. Buried 20—12—71.”