The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1869-11-06

tn have them after our miserable little benches.
During the daytime they make pleasant sitting
forms, and Mt night provide comiorlaple oees.
Above all. we reioiced in the conveniences Tor
dressing and washing. We went on now at q
rapid pace. The road was good, and we had lost
six hours by our delay, which was maae up
during the next twenty-four. For q Whiie we
ran alongside of the Green River, so called rom
the color of it's waters. 1t rises in WmdriVer
mountains. three hundred miles to northward.
Our line in one place ran over solid rock close
to the edge, forty feet above the river. on the
1nposite bank the land rises, and is crowneu ny
several great rocks, like castle towers: one
called the - Castle Rock" a high Gill, which
seems to be guarding the valley. The top OF IL
is of hard brown stone, below are various shades
of color, from light and dark green to grey and
drab. 1t is three hundred feet high, and was
formerly a well-known land mark Tor emIgrants
travelling west. We had q good rest, losing a
few sights during the night as we crossed the
Rocky Mountains. There is the station OF Separ-
alton on the summit, the point where the rivers
divide on one side running to the Atlantic, on
the other to the Pacific. Como Lake IN which
are found curious fish called "Devlls Fish,"
having claws like a cat. Bitter creek named
from its bad water. and COoper's Lake. In the
morning we were in Wyoming territory, enter
ing on the plains, where are the Sioux and
Cheyenne Indians, who are giving the Americans
so much trouble. This is the strongest Indian
country. The WOru - SlOuA slSuiucs CUT
throat Further on are the Pawnee or Wolf
Indians, but these are friendly, and many OF
them fight under the Americans against the
Sioux.
The Indians have been able from time to time
to do grea. harm to the railroad. On one occa-
sion they cut n deep broad ditch across the line
during the night, into which the train fell, and
they murdered all the men in it save one who es-
capped though he was scalped. He got better,
and is now running on one of the trains as con-
ductor. Another time they surprised a camp of
engineers, and killed seven of their number.
Once an Indian lifted an aX to cut down one of
the telegraph posts, and in the very act of doing
SO, was struck dead by lightning. For some time
this served as a warning and kept them off the
line, but now they have forgotten their fears, and
constantly surprise the stations and military posts.
taking off their cattle. All the stations and
laborers' houses along the road have small earth
work Notifications, built behind them these
are completely closed in but loopholed, and have
an underground communication with the houses.
They are kept we'll supplied with water, provi-
sions, and firearms, so that the people can retire
there and successfully resist an attack of Indians.
After passing the Rocky Mountains. before as
cending the Black Hills, we cross a fine portion
of the plains over which We saw, every few
minutes, herds of antelopes and elk deer. Buff
faloes are there in numbers, but We were not
fortunate i'm seeing any of them alive remains
of them are scattered all over the plains. A.
great many die from drinking the water i'm
prcgnated with alkali when that is the case, the
wolves will not touch them, and they decay very
slowly on these high levels. To our right we
had a fine view of the Medicine Bow range, with
it's highest peak, that of the Elk Mountain. We
went on very swiftly over the plain ut the rate of
forty miles an hour, passing the beautiful Lara
ME river, the banks of which are covered with
wild flowers and luxuriant grasses. 1t brings
logs down its stream from the timber that covers
the Laramie hills. These dark pine woods form
an haantffp aopfr,cf fn front of tha cnnxr-anvarat
mountains. The logs supply the sleepers for the
line. The bafaloes injure the telegraph posts a
good deal, along the plains, by using them as
rubbing posts.
At Laramie station there is a good hotel, which
cost the railway company seventy thousand dol
easily in the dining-room. We had a capital
breakfast here, antelope steaks forming the chief
attraction. At this place, n few days before,
seven rufians were hanged up together to tele-
graph posts. Three miles further on is Fort
Sanders, quite a large military post; we saw the
cavalry exercising as we passed. In the distance,
we could see the smoke rising from a large In
dian camp. On the Laramie plains the company
possess some fine coal beds, which supply them
amply for many miles of the road. The country
now begins to look more inhabited, here and
there are large droves of cattle, and sometimes
great focks of sheep, which thrive well on the
plains, and are not such a temptation to the In
dians, as they require too much time and patience
in driving them away. After leaving Laramie,
we soon began the ascent of the Black Hills.
Here there are Some wonderful formations in the
red granite rock, like ruined castles and druidical
circles. There is the g Lighthouse " and L. Dial
Rock, - one of a cluster called the 6 Red Buttes,"
a mass of red granite one hundred feet high,
leaving the marks of having been submerged for
n long period, the beating waves having washed
it into grotesquc shapes. Three miles off the
line is the great "Skull Rocks also of red
granite, three hundred feet in height, and sur
rounded by bolders in the form of skulls.
Near to Beaufort Station is the &c Granite
Rock" a mass of grey and red granite, rising
$50 feet above the plain in n forest of pines. 1t
is near the summit of the Black Hills, and from
its top can be seen the Rocky Mountain range
one hundred miles to the south, Longs
Peak, covered with snow, rising high above the
surrounding crogs. There is a beautiful valley
before reaching the summit, called Dale's Creek.
The railroad passes over it on a bridge of trestle
work, 126 feet high. Down below is n lovely
little stream, picturesque rocks, and dark cedars
are on each side of it, and bright little bell-like
flowers in the grass. Underneath the bridge is
the bridgekeeper's little house. 1t formed alto
gether such n lovely picture rs We rode slowly
over the trestle work, that We longed to be able
to rest for n few hours besides the pleasant water.
There was a great deal of snow lying still here
and there, especially in the deep ravines- They
do not adopt the snow sheds here, but have in
stead strong wooden fences, where there is a cut
ting, to prevent the snow from driving in and
filling it up, rs it did lastwinter.
About midday we reached Shermun's Station,
the summit of the Black Hills, and the highest
point between the Atlantic and Pacific. 1t is
S,490 feet above the level of the sea. The air is
SO rarifed here that some of us felt quite a diff
Guilty in breathing. We were able to get out for
n few minutes to admire the fine scenery and
gather some specimens of a beautiful purple ane-
none, which was in bloom, and some bits Of rock
crystal. After leaving Sherman we came to
Granite Canon. The line Is cut here in several
places deep through the hard granite rock one
cutting, called Carmichael's Cut, is 60 feet from
the surface to the level of the railroad track, and
is nearly 800 feet in length. Another is called
Malloy's Cut, through disintegrated granite.
From here we got a view of the mountains IN
Colorado. Fort Russell is a large military post,
we'll stockaded, and two miles further on is Chey-
enne, which is quite a fourishing place, having
ten streets, and boastipg a line of stages which