Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1868-07-22
Across the Sierra Nevada.

Across the Sierra Nevada.
THE FIRST RAILWAY PASSENGER TRAIN FROM
SACRAMENTO OVER THE MOUNTAINS
The Alta California gives the following
description Of the passage Of the first rail
road passenger train over the Sierra Ne
vada
q" Desiring to be among the first to cross
the Sierra Nevada by through train, the
writer left San Francisco at t p NJ on
Wednesday, June Il, by the steamer 70
Semitic, in company with several friends,
bound for Silver Land. 1t was long past
midnight when the heavily laden steamer
reached Sacramento and tied up at the land
Ing.
The train moves out of the town Of Sac
ramento, across the Slough, past the un-
finished round house and immense machine
shops Of the Central Pacific Railroad Com
pany-in which an army of workmen will
be employed at no distant day up the
valley, along the northern outskirts of the
rambling town, and then by a long bridge
across the American River ~ We emerge
from the trees and shrubbery along the
American into the open plain which stretches
away to the eastward towards the foothills,
the mighty Sierra Nevada looms up, like a
gigantic cloud-bank. against the eastern
horizon The mountains, for a long way
upward from their base, are enyeloped IN
a dim blue haze, which contrasts beautiful
" with the snowfelds on their SUBMITS,
flashing against the blue sky and lighted
up by the glory Of the summer morning sun.
Ono distant peat 20 Ill III - ;~-A ---e
with all the hues of the opal; another Is
tinged with delicate pink like the inner
pure brilliant white, like frosted silver.
The country at one point Is open and tree
less like western prairie, and at another
dotted with widespreading trees, like the
: oak openings of Michigan but the soil
is poor, and a few herds OF horses, and now
and then the residence of some small ranch
man or herder, are the only signs Of life
we see for miles and miles. The country
is poor, mcuItivated, and for the most part
and uninhabited.
At the Junction, eighteen miles from
Sacramento, a branch road leading towards
Nlarysville takes away Il portion Of our
passengers, and four miles further on We
come to Rocklvn, where are the immense
granite quarrieS from which an unlimited
supply OF building material for Sacramento
and San Francisco is obtained, with simply
the trouble of quarrying.
Now we enter the foothills, and as we
TO ascend more rapidly the great
before us seem to sink down un-
til we lose sight of them altogether, and We
10 not see the snow-felds again for long
time The sun is shining down upon US
from an unclouded sky, and the heat is such
as TO drive us all to the shady side Of the
ears Luscious strawberries, ripe pears,
cherries and other summer fruits, are
brought through the ears for sale-every-
thing around speaks of midsummer,
Ur THE MOUNTAINS.
The engine blows and wheezes with short,
sharp aspirations, and the feeling of weight
As we lean back ON the seat tells Us that
We are ascending a steep and increasing
rrade Newcastle, Auburn-a pretty lit
lie village and somewhat active place
Clipper Gap and New England Mill, all
more or less important mining and trading
posts, are passed, and at $50 4. NJ. we have
,scended two thousand four hundred and
orty-eight feet, and reached Colfax, fifty
our miles from Sacramento, where stage
,ich mining towns, branch off The town
5 built of slight materials, and does not
ook as if made for all time. Here we
should meet and pass the down train from
he Summit, but snow slides beyond the
.reat Summit Tunnel have delayed the
rain between that point and Reno, away
Town on the Truckee, beyond the Sierra, and
after waiting a few minutes, just long
enough to partake of a capital cup of coffee
and a nice spring chicken on toast at the
iepOt, we move on.
Soon after leaving Colfax the cars pass
IN high embankment around Cape Horn.
md nervous passengers begin to look around
peering with evident trepidation
lown into the depths below Around the
edge Of a canon the train whirls steadily
llong, a branch of the American River ly-
ng like yellow ribbon hundreds on hun
lreds of feet below. Eight miles from
Jolfax we pass the mining camp of Secret
Town, and look back into the valley from
IN elevation of 1855 feet-something
.reater than that of Mount Tamalpais, Up,
Up and onwards, ever climbing steadily sky
Yards. Through the openings in the noun
aims we begin to see other mountains be-
rond, whose peaks are covered with snow,
nd the hot air of the valleys reaches us no
onger, the breezes now being tempered by I
he snow fields above. The atmosphere is
,loriously exhilarating, and our spirits rise
S our corporal substance ascends heaven
Yards.
At sixty-seven miles from Sacramento
re look down upon the well-nigh exhausted
lacers and town of Dutch Flat fiat enough
he town appears at this time. Two miles