Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1868-07-24
EXCURSION EXTRAORDINARY, TO
THE AMERICAN DESERT.

EDIroR NEws: Having been politely
invited by Frank Denver-one OF the
Commissioners on the part of the Fed
eral Government for the inspection OF
the great Central Pacific Railroad
called, in days gone by, by such papers
as the Alta, "the Dutch Flat Swindle'-
to aid him in making the necessary in-
spection of the road twenty miles east
Of the town of Wadsworth, and to see
that there was no s~henanigan played on
the Government-I organized my stan
of engineers, and other officers, and
prepared to report at headquarters'
which was suggested to be ut the nour-
isbiup place on the Truckee, known as
RenoIsometimes called Keno, for short.
The i~uducemeut held out for going on
this extraordinary excursion, was a tree
passage on a splendid spring-seat and
spriug-bottomed passenger car, '7'h q
tsnd.r-a bartender as l understood 1t
with plenty of roast turkeys. roast
chickens, sardines, sandwiches, pickles,
cheese, lager aud ice-water. The in
ducement was sufficient, and no scien-
ti6c man with his staff could expect any
more. Having come over the plains at
an early day, about 80, and having
come over this very route OF the desert,
and lost quite a number of cattle by the
a it was deemed eminently proper
that I should be chosen as inspector,
because I might find some of the cattle
I had lost, or the exact places where
they had fallen in the battle against
heat and alkali of that year. Having,
therefore, notified Mr.. Denver of my ac-
ceptance of the highly responsible trust,
I organized my staff, which consisted oil
the following we'll. known scientific gen.
tlemeu, all Of Virginia city, State Of
Nevada:
Engineer and Astronomer-Prof. Philander p,
First Assistant to the samc-Prof. Curly BIZ;
s essSOS O. Lin. AMI ''"
Interpreter-Prof. Smith.
Draushssman-prot JACK Perry: v.,co,,o,
" -(AssistanteProf. Spalding.
Commissary-Prof. Lowery.
Politician to the crowd-Prof. Sunderland.
Treasurer-Prof /. Rycke.
Reporter-Prof Goodman.
Inspector Of Wines-Prof. Harry Gudeman.
Sutlcr and Managcr-Prof. Frank Denver.
My staff were all duly armed and
equipped, each with his proper title and
a glass bottle well filled. Being at the
head of this distinguished body of scien.
tifc gentlemen, | carried IN extra-sized
bottle and q "dipper." (That dipper,
l would here remark, as Professor
Spalding and Professor Curly Bill can
testify, came near running my moral
r%eputation).
Having issued orders for my corps to
assemble at headquarters promptly at
midnight-the place being the depot al
Reno-its members left in squads of a
dozen, and arrived Mt the place desig.
mated within ten hours of each other.
On being called together, my very eff
cicnt corps of railroad inspectors oil
answered to their names. The plane Of
the true meridian was then established
each member drawing from his pocket
his instrument, and taking q sight over
the right shoulder of William F. Shep.
pard, Esq, formerly of Virginia City,
but now depot superintendent on the
railroad. The th~eodolites, compasses,
sextants, horizons, and the " dipper,"
having been duly slowed away, the
| plane Of the true meridian was declared
duly and correctly established, and
was by universal consent named the
Good Sheppard meridian. Several
smaller meridians were subsequently
established, while my corps was await
ing transportation in the spring-seat
aud spring-bottomed car, which was to
be drawn by the locomotive &" Dutch
Flat Swindle," and which was hourly
expected. In the meantime-(the time
was generally acknowledged id mean
my staff became separated-Reno
being a very large place-and ! was in
the same fix as Fremont was in the
Winter of 1861, when he was explor.
ing an unknown route to California
I lost my men, but it was only for a day
or two.
The putting Of the locomotive an
nounced the arrival Of the train, and to.
morrow I will write you more p%articu'
lars of the Excursion Extraordinary &c
the American Desert.
PHILANDER P. RYcKE.