The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1868-08-27
THE PACIFIC RAILROAD.

Tho Two Candidates for Vice President
Lew They Enjoy Themselves.
FORT SAUNDERS, wyoming Terrltory,(
August 81, 1868. !
Doth the town and Territory from whence dat,
this are OF 80 recent origin that am aware tina
either has yet been designated on our maps o.
mentioned In our biographies. 1t Is perhaps well
therefore that should state that am on the Pacific
Railroad, nearly six hundred miles west from
Omaha six thousand 1--WE hundred feet above tn,
Missouri river and seven thousand seven hundred
feet "or thereabouts," above the HERALD once.
arrived here the day before yesterday from the ent
OF the road" one hundred and fifty miles beyont
this after continuous journey from Omaha to thai
point The actual western terminus for pas.
sengers now is Benton City, seven hundred
miles west Of the Missouri river, but persons
who desire to witness the marvel OF laying
from two to five miles Of railroad track per day are
aAowed TO go forward on q construction train. AS a
whole column OF the HERALD would hardly contain
aperfect description OF the tracSaying feat shall
not now attempt 1t. Suffice that it Is done, and well
oone, too The road now being constructed is truly
''hrst class' one, being well balasted, well tied
and in every respect well built, unless perhaps ex
cept the rails, which appear too light; Concerning
the first three hundred miles OF the road l cannot
say as much. 1t is in many respects shaky,
80 TO speak, and renovating would do it no harm.
This. | informed, is being done, and in fact all
the way from Omaha to Cheyenne saw men at work
replacing the wooden culverts and bridge abut-
nents with stone hauled from the mountains The
day was al "end OF track" 1t rained for the first
time in the memory OF the Oldest inhabitant but as
Benton City is but thirty days old this may not APP
pear so surprising. | could have wished The rain
had held or little longer, for mixing with the
alkai dust which ranges here from four to twelve
inches deep, 1t made a most disagreeable pudding
In which the pedestrian slid and showed about until
he gave out rom sheer exhaustion. thought the
conultion as bad as could be, bat informed it
Was quite comfortable; in truth. rather luxurious
Wien compared with that of Gays In general, when
nigh winds sweep over these elevated table lands,
carrying clouds OF the sckening akali into ones
face ana eyes,
Benton as described out West, is "red hot
Town" maze o. canvas and very thin boards, liable
TO be folded ike eye Arab tents" and moved OH TO
the next station on the road. 1t claims population
OF about four thousand, which Is literally made up
OF the ofscourlngs OF creation. Not dozen shan
tes-buldh ga they call them here-are devoted to
legitimate business. The rest are drinking shops
gambling dens dance houses houses OF prostitution
And IN fact doubt whether there is a kind of ini
qulty which is not here represented in its most dis
gusting features. All go armed generally, with
pair OF revovers strapped outside of their clothing
The water is not fit to drink by reason of the alka;
wniskey Is very bad and very dear, and human life
1s remarkably cheap, murder or lynching being OF
every DAY occurrence. experienced sense OF re-
Mel when mad checked my trunks for this point,
and the roll or the cars Indicated we were fairly
under way from Benton.
Fort saunders ana Laramie City, two miles dis
sdnt Hteraly form an oasis In desert take the
country all the way from hundred and fifty miles
west OF the Missouri river to two hundred miles west
from here, and IL Is truly q DESERT million of
acres are not worth flrthing. Sage brush and in
places tufts OF buffalo grass the only vegetation
and prairie dogs. now as ever form the only perna
nent inhabitants. Hour after hour the cars sweep
over vast arid plain until the eye tires try
Ing 10 eaten pleasant spot III all the desoate dis
lance BiufS there are IL Is true either hand but
good way on, and their sameness seems to III
crease the monoiony. Nothing Inviting presents
Hills, some ten miles beyond Cheyenne. These form
the lrst range OF the Rocky Mountains. The coun-
Try then becomes more broken and wild and in
places {ruy picturesque. Inc mountains are
assembled with tolerably easy grade, not exceed
mug, am told eighty feet to the mile, until at Sher
hol, nte nundied ana llty mines from the initial
point OF the road we stand as stated the highest
ground along the line anywhere between the TWO
oceans III - said, by those VINO ought 10 know, TO
be eight thousand i've hundred feet high | make
ths statement cautiously because fellow traveller,
VINO measured the elevation wniie in nv company
insists tina, somebody has been exagseratng u lew
hundred feet on this subject.
Fort saunders has been within the past few days
hunored with visits rom General Grant, Speaker Co-
fax and Deacon Bross who ''spoAe,r and General
Prank Z. Blair, who has been here time and Will
remain some days longer. | have no doubt the time
Will come, and In year or two at iurthest, when
this point, including Laramie, will be fivori'e
resort oil travellers. The climate Is delightful the
atmosphere clear and bracing just the temperature
FOR comfort, the scenery grand. embracing IN one
sweep OF the eye three distinct ranges OF mountains
including tue Elk and Medicine low with their hgi
peaks always covered with snow. The hunler
will here lind antelope, bear, elk and feathered
game OF almost all kinds, including the "Lo" family,
as Mr. indian Is here known. and the disciple OF
LEAK Walton will revel in the finest trout that ever
snapped at "a ny. General Blair Is, Judge, laying
In good stock Of health. lie hunts, fishes and en-.
JOYS himself hugely, seemingly perfectly uncon-
world beneath him, where his name is on every.
body's tongue. but "A brief conversation with HIM
satisfies he ne Is not sleeping. lie expressed him.
Sell IN he ;oming manner entirely confident of
SUCCESS, anu because, said he IL Is impossible for
country now to lnsjudge the issues are too wei de-
nned ana the ulasSls never ail 10 and determine
correctly. Tue personal popularity OF candidates
wou,d not Affect the result. lie paid higl tribute
u General GRANTS military genius, anu stated that #
victories alone entitled 10 the CAief Magistracy
then undeniaDy the nation would decide in Ills favor
sor ne iiad carried enough to maNe dozen heroes;
put IL mad ever been III tile history OF the country
that the people hal looked beyond the mere
personal popularity OF candidates to the princi-
pes which, iUr the time beng, they represented.
General jackson, IN Tie hegp. OF hs personal
popularity, was once defeated Tor the Presidency,
idea that he was ectcd lie also mentioned General
Sc ~ ana others IN less important positions who had
ever failed in canvass here tlet persounl uonlar
ny relied Ana such lie stated. would be the
case tins fall. The position OF the republican party
on negro suffrage. reconstruction AMI financial cues
tons was enough TO damn any party. The neOpic
had Ia eject decided the negro Suffrage question ai
the recent state elections ANA wOuid never retracc
ther steps; and in respect 10 the reconstruction
laws WHICH oi tous Sc To considerable extent en-
brace the sunraae question: he could not lar mo-
mcnt believe that a Tree people would yer 70 crate
them or their cdrpet-hag offspring. The financial
Doctrine o the democratic party he regarded a Cm-
nently IuN, and Appealed 10 those present II nom
what we had seen OF public sentiment. IA the West
particularly, there could be any doubt TO the re-
suitY General Bair we were informed intends soon
" make few speccaes IN onio and Indiana, and
perhaps In illinois.
I'm conclusiol. should not forget 10 pay my re-
snects To Colonel Proctor charge OF the fort here
for hrs kpdaess. General Chiffon, rhe commandment
was not ~ nome, ~ any rate we saw no one who
came up 10 our IDEAS OF one hoidng tiat nigh posi-
lion.
fFrom the Springfield tMassl Republican Angus, 10. j
DENVER, Colorado, August o. 1868.
Chicago, 10 recently the western end OF railway
kncs, stands in the very middle OF east and west
railroad communication the Continent In round
numbers It Is twelve hundred miles from Chicago
east to Boston, and also twelve hundred miles from
NJ IN ns M In loil