Mormon History, May 26, 1847

[Apostle Wilford Woodruff Journal] 26th We travled 6 1/4 miles & nooned in good grass about 2 miles above Chimney rock. We travled in the Afternoon 6 1/4 miles & camped for the night. The Hunters brought in four Antelope. We passed much good grass to day. I rode to day with Br Kimball & Benson to look out the road.
I have during the last two days read Mr Hastings account of Oregon & upper Calafornia. He has greatly exhagerated the account of upper Cala-fornia.
Just before camping at noon while travling on A smooth prairie An Accurance took place which like to have proven of serious consequence to our camp. An Indian Horse that was bought of the Sioux ran away with A singletree to his heels & gave A tremendious fright to the cows, oxen & horses that were Attached to the waggons. And in an instant A dozen or more waggons were darting by each other like lightning & the Horses & mules flying as it were over the ground. Some turned to the right & some to the left. Some run into other waggons. The Horse & mule that Br Fowler was driving leaped with all spead. With Br Little hold of the lines & Br Fowler hold of the bits they darted by my carriage like electricity & came within one inch of A collission with my wheels. If they had locked we should have been a wreck.
Another waggon followed by in the same manner with a pair of Mules & one yoke of cattle upon A keen run which would also have smashed my carriage if they had hit it but my own horses by this time started to run but was soon held up by the driver.
Br Fowlers waggon continued to roll regardless of rough or smooth ground for about fifty rods & he draged the whole distance by the bit which was the case with many others but all was soon stoped & returned to there lines without any accident to any team of waggon which Appeared to me truly A miricle.
William Sincots team run away also with great speed. It give us sumthing of an Idea what An Indian yell would do in such an encampment with teams hitched to waggons. A person can hardly con-cieve of the power that is manifest in Animals esspecially mules when in such A fright. But I felt thankful that no accident happened.
By An Imperfect measurement by a Trigonometrical observation By the sexton Professor Pratt made the Chimney rock to be 260 feet above the level of the river. Distance of the day 12 1/2 m.

[Wilford Woodruff's Journal: 1833-1898 Typescript, Volumes 1-9, Edited by Scott G. Kenney, Signature Books 1993, http://amzn.to/newmormonstudies]

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