The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1868-08-05

the heart of the Sierra-a barren, dreary,
desolatc country. 1t is not at all like the
heart Of the Andes-as Church paints it.
cat Emigrant Gap, eighty four miles
above Sacramento, we meet the down train
at last, and the road is open before us.
Another tunnel, 300 feet in length. We
pass Crystal Lake, and are at Cisco, town
of shanties, which was for long time the
terminus of the road. D.
"We are $500 feet above the sea, and
still ascending. The pines have almost
entirely disappeared, and we pass through
many long cuts, blasted through the solid
granite spurs of the mountains. We ira
verse continuous Bnow-felds and immense
drifts, through which the road has been
cut with shovels for the passing of the
trains. A few hours since we were among
the flowers, ripe fruits, and singing birds Of
the valley, sweating under the summer sun
now we are in the midst of dazzling snow
fields, and the atmosphere and aspects Of
the scene are such as we might find in the
mountains of New England on any fine
winters day. The streams which come
down the sides of every precipice, and
dash in foamy torrents down every canon,
are cold as ice, from the melting
SHOWS. Cinnamon are swarming all
along the road. They have nearly
finished their work in this vicinity, and
are packing up their traps preparatory to
passing on over the summit into the great
interior basin of the continent. One hun
dred and two miles from Sacramento we
reach Summit Valley, and stand $500 feet
above the level of the sea. Lift Mount
Tamalpais bodily from its base and place ii
| on the summit Of Mount Diablo, and We
could still look down by hundreds Of feet
on the double-mountain height. Thelsnow-
banks rise high above the road on either
side. Two miles more and the cars reach
the entrance Of the great tunnel, 1863 feet
in length. ...,.... ........ .,...a...
THE SUMMIT OF THE SIERRA.
"We have scaled the great Sierra at last,
and ne plus ultra might be written on the
granite walls of the great tunnel before US
We are 7,043 feet above the, sen. The air
feels cold and damp, but not oppressive,
and we experience no inconvenience from
it's ratification at this great elevation. I %
"The ice, and snow, and rocks, and white,
heecy, curling clouds are all here, but there
is not shadow Of tempest; and if there
was, why should we face it bald-headed
We will not stop, to discuss that question,
but merely ask it as we pass, and reserve the
point for future discussions The snow lies
piled in immense banks, with sheer precip-
itous sides, on either side Of the track. A
swarm of Cinnamon are busy at the other
end of the tunnel shovelling away the snow
which has come down in great slides, bring
| ing with it huge granite rocks upon the
track. The water pours down in torrents
! from numberless crevices and seams in the
| granite walls and roof of the long, dark
cayernous tunnel, but we struggle through
on foot, and anxiously inquire after the
prospect of getting the train across the
mountain. ..,..
"Two or three hours will clear the track
We wait with what patience we may, ano
at last, at 4 o'clock, the prolonged whistle Of
the good locomotive Antelope which has
drawn us to the summit Of the Sierra, II
heard. All aboard shouts the conductor
George Wood, who has the honor Of taking
| the first passenger train across the noun
tains, and the train moves slowly on. A
! halt for another slide; another start, an
other halt, and SO on, slowly and carefully
The snow banks come down so close to the
track that the caves of the cars rake then
! on either side. 1t is the closest fit imagi-
nable. Six more tunnels, ranging from l0l
| to S63, 3,feet each in length, in many of which
we see great masses Of solid blue ice hang.
| ing down from the wall like stalactites ant
stalagmites in the Mammoth Cave of Ken
tucky, are slowly passed through. We have
1 ii oof o1r
emerge from the last tunnel the conductor
exclaims Gentlemen, we are over thu
mountains This is q new road finished
this summer, and we shall have no more
snow slides = 1t is true, indeed, the mighty
task is accomplished, after years of toll anc
the expenditure of millions of money
Words fail us to describe our sensations
We will not attempt it.
| DOWN THE EASTERN SLOPE.
| "And now the train, with accelerated
speed, moves. steadily downwards towarc
| the valley of the Truckee. The steam il
shut off, the brakes put on, and as tht
eagle sets his wings and floats noiselessly
down, down, down, through the realms o.
air toward the earth from his eyrie among
the clouds, we slide swiftly and smoothly
! down the activities of the mountains int
the Great Basin of Nevada. Bonner Lake
| as lovely sheet of water as is to be tounc
| OH earth, lies far below Us among the pine
clad hills, its bosom unruttled by breath
of breeze, and as blue and calm as thu
| heavens above it. The road winds arouno
the precipitous mountain sides, almost en-
circling bonner Lake as it descends, ano
following around long canon, making
circuit of seven miles to gain advance Of
no more than quarter of a mile, we reach
the outlet of the lake-a swift, rushing
stream of blue, cold water. We have
| travelled nine and half miles and de-
scended 1888 feet since leaving the Summit
"Now we descend rapidly on one side Of
the most beautifully smooth and solid roads
| on the continent, into the romantic valley Of
the Truckee, whose mountain torrents come
| rushing and roaring out of the mountains
from the southwards, hidden in which liet
the loveliest sheet of water on the earth
Lake Tahoe. The timber here ID immense
and from this source the supplies for build.
ing the road for hundreds OF miles eastward
are to be drawn. Saw-mills by the dozen
driven by the rushing river, line the banks
of the stream for miles and miles, and the
hills swarm with laborers Of every nation
ality and hue-Europeans, Americans, Al
rieans; and Asiatics (the latter Immensely
nrannndarot;no in numhersI-enpaged IN