New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1868-06-28

a bridge three thousand feet long.
At the first sight of this river our
party burst forth into rapturous shout
ing, and for several minutes the air
resounded with intersections of de-
light. The valley widens with the ad-
vance, the hills behind sink into the
plain till earth and sky meet in the far
distance, and those ON either side grow
fainter till their tufted SUBMITS seem
like islands rising from an emerald sea,
while far away, like giants slumbering
on the horizon, appear the Black Hills,
deep quilted and peaked, and rising
above them in grandeur and glory, the
Snowy Range, immense, magnificent,
and from base t. summit covered with
snow, a cloudless sun revealing its
perfect whiteness. 1t seemed vast
and calm and inviting like the bosom
of God. To the enjoyment of land
scape SO grand is to be added the ex-
element of other scenes. Along the
water courses may be seen the buffalo,
or bounding over the plain the elk and
antelope; an Indian sitting around his
wigwam, or mounted on his feet steed
and flying across the prairie, clad in
the rude accoutrements of his barbar-
Gus warfare, appears as relic of the
past. For enjoyable excitement we
know of no tour in America preferable
to one to the Rocky Mountains.
And on Sherman Summit some Lee
land or Cozzens should open hotel for
tourists, from which they can make de-
tours to the Snowy Range, the Ameri-
can Alps.
THE GREAT RAILROAD.
The Union Pacific railroad is the
most stupendous enterprise of the
kind in the history of modern times.
As a mere railroad it has many things
in common with the shortest of our
Eastern roads; but its transcendent
character is displayed in its length,
the natural barriers to be overcome,
the rapidity with which it is construct
ed, the excellency of the materials
used, the broad and financial basis on
which the credit of the company rests,
the military, commercial, and moral
necessities for the existence of such a
road, and its incalculabie influence
upon the future of our common coun-
try. The conception of such an en-
terprise is of the same kith and kir
with that of the submarine cable unit.
ing the two continents, and the tunne
through the Alps, by which the trav.
eler may pass in one day from the can
tons of Switzerland to the vine claC
plains Of Piedmont. Years ago man o
the future dreamed that he saw on tn,
banks of the Mississippi guide-boar(
with the double inscription ITO tn,
Atlantic ITO the Pacific" The
dream Of that enthusiast is destinet
to an early realization. VIVA
was once conception is nov
an embodiment. The transcend
ent fact hastens to its consumma
ton. While you read three-quarter
the distance across our continent i
traversed by railway--l3O0 miles ives
of Chicago, or ninety hours from Nel
York to the heart of the Rock
Mountains. So rapidly is the roa
being laid that it is confidently be
lieyed that on the Fourth of July, 1865
one year from the coming anniversary
the traveller can breakfast in Bosto
on Monday and sup on Saturday nigh
in San Francisco. These are the elo
quent facts.
The triumph of human genius is
joy forever. The popular impressio
that the construction of the Pacifi
Railroad was physically impractica
Bile, and financially impossible, ha
been dissipated by undeniable facts
The difficulties from high grades hav
been overcome, and the iron hors
new proudly mounts the Sierra M
vada on the west and the Rock
Mountains on the east. And the n
pidity with which the road is built
one of those marvsls which challene
our admiration. On January |, 1866
but forty miles Of the Line were laii
within the succeeding twelve month
1856 miles more were completed: ar
since then the track has been pusht
with such energy that tWelvemOni
viii suffice to complete this magnifcel
work. 4
On the plains Of Laramie we time
the workmen, who laid down eigl
rails in minute, and While we wei
dining in the boarding cars, the ira
was pushed to the extremity Of Il
track, over d nile Of new made roa
! As the road is being constructed /
two companies. one working fro
Omaha, and tbs other from San Fra
cisco, and viii 80 continue until Il
two shall meet. . wholesome rivals