THE AUSTRALIAN OVERLAND TELEGRAPH.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VII, Issue 70, 21 March 1872, Page 4

THE AUSTRALIAN OVERLAND TELEGRAPH.

o A TERRIBLE STORY. The overland telegraph has had its tragedy in the death of Mr. Kxaegen, from thirst. A correspondent of the S. A. Register, ode 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. KraegeD. J. F. Mullen, and R. C. Watson, was dispatched from Charlotte Waters on the Bth December to the new station posts in the desert, with written directions ns to the watercourses they would find. In the evening, after a hot and exhausting day's travel, lliey came, says the writer, to a tree in a creek on which was read in letters punctured in tin and affixed there, 1 the announcpment that water was to he had at the junction of that creek and the Hugh, about a mile from that spot ; the next water by the road ten miles, or what we took to be such. Off we sped dowu the creek. What to us was a mile of hot sand and pebbles now — we would have water in a few minutes, and all would be well. We 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 hauds, tomahawks, koives — we had no shovel — but still no water could be got, and the terrible disappointment made all now feel the want much more 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 tbe scorching white sand, walking in it to a depth of 6in., digging as far as our arms would reach, perspiring aud choking, had thoroughly exhausted two of us to such an extent tbat we had to lie dowu and rest. Then the question arose "what are we to do ?" After some debate it was determined to follow up the channel of the Hugh, which took a course a little west of that followed by the road, and try for water at any likely spot. The proposal was made that as the pack-horee was in need-of a spell, the saddle horse that had succumbed before could now hardly travel, two of us were really knocke.l up, and as the water could not be surely over five or six miles off at furthest, the third man should take his own and the other comparatively fresh | saddle horse, aud with three water bags proceed at his best speed. The proposition was "jumped at ; " away he went, promising to be back soon, and we meantime felt assured that the rest would serve the two tired horses that remained, and enable them to go ( n after all had had a drink. 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 foot after the messenger. It would be impossible briefly to tell all the speculations made and discussed to account for his non-return ! He had abandoned us ! He bad lost his horses ! He had lost his way ! But, horror of horrors, he had not ouud water ! These with many other surmises arose, and none had any comfort io them for us, who weie now almost speechless and helpless for want of a drink. 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 breath of comparatively cool air — a thing we could not get whilst waking. We wearied ourselves going to and fro, and, although travelling much, did not go far, and so Saturday passed away. Oo Sunday we could hardly stir. My companion says I talked an awful lot of " bosh." lam sure he did — " gabbled "is the word — unintelligibly, and laughed occasionally, but somehow we managed to try Bgain for water iv the creek— it must be there — and so at it we went again ou Sunday morning, wearing finger nails off and drawing blood from the fingers until our want of success left but one resource — one horse might be 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 and rested. We had a good supply of liquid now— a quartpotful each — and might rest a little before starting, and we did. How hot it was"! The sun poured down upon us, and I really thought we

should Dever 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 an hour. Oa we crawled, until on rising a bank we saw the bed of the Hugh once more. The horse pricked up bis ears, mended his pace, reached tbe steep rocky bank, and all of a sudden (thank the Lord !) we saw water — a small pool, IBin. by 30in., and only a foot deep ; but water. Down the steep hill we went, got off the horse's back somehow, and simultaneously man and beast pluuged 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.m. on the Sunday following. We rested the balance of that day, eating nothing, but "swigging" water like a couple of dissipated fishes. Ou Monday, the 11th, we determined that as we could not go forward we would go back and meet the wagons. 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. FINDING OF MR. KEAEGEN's BODY. One of the search party which was organised came on it at an angle-post about three miles from our camp, and brought iv his belt, found lying at his feet, aod on which was his revolver, loaded all round, cartouch-box, and pouch. He left no scrap of writing ; had no marks about him ; lav on his stomach, resting his head on the arm, and holding his hat as if shielding his head from the morning sun. His head was to the east, his face to the south, and not the faintest mark of a struggle appeared. He had evidently laid down exhausted, and quietly died for want of water nine or ten days before we saw him. A grave was dug as near the spot as the stony nature of the ground permitted, and he was wrapped in a blanket and interred. Mr. Boucaut read the Church of England burial service over the remains, and caused a rough fence to be erected round the grave, against which bushes were placed to protect our departed companion's last earthly restirg place from the native dogs; An inscription, punctured in tin, to the following effcot, was attached to a stout board, and fi^ed in place of a headstone : — " In memory of C. W. J. Kraegen, aged forty, who perished here for want of watt r, about 12 | 12 | '71, Buried 20 JT2 \ML"