The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1865-09-29

or IN very natural big disgust at the i'm
possibility Of the job it has undertaken,
, quietly ''peters out" So of the Carson
| River, which comes from the Sierra Ne
vadas on the west, and finds its home in a
lagoon within sight of its parent peaks
Reese River, now SO famous as localizing
the new and extensive silver mining oper
ations, about Austin, Is but a sluggish
brook that the shortest legged man could
step across at its widest, and yields itself
up to the hot sands without greel.ing but Il
narrow line in the broad plain in which it
runs. And yet it is the largest and almost
onl y one that we met in travelling west
ward from the Jordan that waters the val
ley of Salt Lake; and the two are 400
miles apart
Through this wide stretch OF treeless
mountain and plain, at its center, so to
100 miles below the old and more fortu-
nate route along the valley of the Hum
boldt. on a nearly straight line west, We
have made the most rapid stage ride yet
achieved on the great overland line, and
equal perhaps to any ever made of like dis
tance on the continent. Mr. Holidays
ownership ceases at Salt Lake from
there hitler. the stages are run by the
overland mail company, whose stockhold-
ers are New Workers, and mainly the same
as those OF the great express company OF
Wells, Fargo Il Co., who monopolize that
business in all these western states ard ter
ritories, having their offices in every town
and village, and extending their routes as
fast and as far as the most enterpriSing
prospectors successfully push their hunt
for tie precious metals. Ambitious to
see how fast they could send Mr.. ColtaX
and his friends over their route, they took
us up at Salt Lake on Monday morning
week, and set us down at Austin. 100
miles distant, in 80 hours, or two-thirds
the time usually taken. Awaiting our
examination of the mining reg ion about
Austin, we were again put over the road
on the double quick, and landed in Vir-
ginia. 200 miles further oil. in - hours
more, or II less than the schedule time
and So came into this town at s o'clock
Sunday morning, while all the elements
OF a magnificent popular reception. that
had been arranged for the night before,
were fast asleep i'll bed, and totally un-
dreaming of the march we We're stealing
upon them Here we are at the foot OF
the Sierra NevadaS. on the border of Cali
iornia, aud are transferred, for our further
progress, to still another coach line
/ But our fast ride by the overland mail
stages from Salt Lake will always be Il
chief feature in the history and memory
of our grand journey across the continent
L he stations OF the company are 10 10 10
miles apart at every station fresh iior--
c>. ready harnessed, took the places OF ;hc
old, with Il delay OF from two to four min
u,cs only every 30 miles u new driver
took his place on the box wherever
meals were to be eaten, they were ready to
serve on arrival and SO. with horses ever
fresh and fat, and gamcy-hor>es that
would shine in Central Park and Filth
avenue equipagc>, with drivers, gentle
manly. intelligent and better dressed than
their passengers, and division suprrin-
tcndent. who had planned the ride and
came along to see il executed. for each 200
miles. we were whrled over the rough
mountains and through the dry and dusty
plains of this uninhabitcd and minhabit-
! able rcgion, rarely passing q house except
the stage stations. never seeing wild bird
or beast. for there We're none to see. IL
rapidly and As regularly as we could have
been over macadamiZed roads amid 4 COM
plete civilization. The speed rarely fell
3elow eight Mules ali hour, and often ran
up to twelve But 50 wisely was all ar
ranged, and so well executed, that not an
animal suffered to horses and men the
ride seemed to he the work of every dav.
as indeed it was in everything but o,Ir
higher rate Of speed But the passengers
are content that it should be a single rx-
perience for them; they are glad 10 have
had it, but will spare their friends 4 repc-
tition-;.t present The alkali dust. dry
with a seasons sun. fine with the grinding
of 4 seasons stages and freight trains, was
thick and constant and penetrating beyond
experience and comparison. 1t filled the
air-it was the air it covered our bodies
1T penetrated them it SCARED TO Al
mighty attributes, and became omnipres-
ent, and, finding its way into bags and
trunks hecrimed alI our clean clothes and
reduced everything and everybody to Il
common plane of dirt. with soda, soapy
flavor to all. This alkali element in the
soil of this region, as of much of the coun-
try on the other side of the Rocky Noun
talns, have heard no explanation Of
In some spots it prevails to such a degree
as to clean the ground Of all, even the
most barren vegetation and wide, smooth
: alkali plains stretch out before the eve,
sometimes for miles, and white III the dis
tancc like q snow bank. In some places
so strong is it that the earth when wet
: rises like bread under yeast. 1t taints the
water everywhere, and sometimes so
strongly that bread mixed with it needs
: no other rising. Yet find no evidence OF
any general unhealthy effect from its pres
: eace animals eat the grass and drink the
2 water favored with it and though the
r dust chokes all pores and makes the nose
and lips sore. the inconvenience and an
8 noyance seem to be but temporary from
oven Iarrp doses of =