The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1869-09-25

3
the level of the Utah or Salt Lake
Valley, two thousand three hundred
feet below. bow the iron truck was
to reach that lower level was the
/ knotty question which was presented
to the skill of the engineers surveying
the route. The Wahsatch Range on
the west breaks abruptly off down TO
/ the level of Salt Lake, and the alb
/ sence of spurs or sl0pIDg mis- 70
carry the grade made the engineering
the most difficult and the work the
/ most costly on the whole line or the
/ Road. The streams which rise IN the
/ unlands of the Wahsatch Range seem
| IN emf through the western rim, and
| droD into the valley below. SO, as
there is no more climbing around the
biIIsides as has been the course over
/ tbe Rocky Mountains, there Is moth
ing left but to go straight through the
granite cliffs In the front, and away
goes the locomotive with its long
train of humanity from the station,
over two long reaches Of high and
dizzy trestles, into the bowels of the
mountains. As we emerge from the
tunnel the track leads down a beauti-
full little canyon, "a narrow valley or
gorge Ia the mountains, with a strip
of grassy bottom land, which is cheer
full to look upon after the dreaFy veg
citation which has been along our way
for the past day. Soon we enter Echo
Canyon proper, deep gorge cleft in
the rim of the mountain, down into the
valley below; and away towards the
lower level dashes the train at fear
full speed, on its fast descending
grade. Now, we are passing the Castle
| Rocks, huge masses of red sandstone
on the north side of the track, rear
| ing their towering fronts from five
| hundred to one thousand feet imme-
diately above rs. In the mighty con-
| vulsion Of nature, ages ago, when this
gorge was cleft In the mountains,
these sandstone cliffs were left stand
| ing out against the face of the canyon,
and for centuries long past the
storms of wind, rain and frost, and
/ the atmosphere have been furrowing
| their front and wearing them down,
until now they are made to assume
strange and fantastic shapes; and it
| requires but little of an imaginative
eye to see ruined castles, broken col
umns, human forms, and all kinds Of
weird and fanciful statues and figures.
| We gaze upon this wild imagery for
| miles, as we rush headlong down the
canyon, until presently the cliffs.
which rise before us with precip-
| itous fronts, seem to effectually
/ bar our further. progress; but as we
como upon them we pass into the
narrow pathway which the volcano
and the earthquake made for the iron
horse ages ago. And now we are In
the midst Of scenery the most majes-
| tic and awe inspiring, as we go dash
| ing along with the shrek of the
| locomotive and the laundering of the
cars waking the echoes amid these
mountain Businesses. On either side,
| the towering cliffs rise above US a
| thousand feet and more, and shut US
in from the sun, with their lofty
| domes and froWning buttresses. On
goes the train, flying past rugged col
umns and battlements, above deep
ravines and awful ehasms, over Echo
| Greek more than score of times on
airy bridges, at such rate of speed
as almost takes our breath away, eager
apparently to be released from this
mountain prison, and reach the OPEN
| 1t is impossible to convey to the reader
any idea of the grand and majestic
scenery of this 1iftymiles ride through
the gorges Of the Wahsatch Noun
tains, along the Castle Rocks, through
Echo and Weber Canyons, passed
the Devils Slide, beside the foaming
and angry waters of Weber River,
through the Devils Gate, until we
. h.
upon the broad plains Of the great
Utah basin. 1t is with real sense
of relief that we leave the canyon be-
hind us, and the train slackens its
headlong speed as we near Uintah
Station, and hear the conductors an
nouncement =" Passengers for Sab
Lake City change carsF'--though it
be to the old-fashioned stage coach
the change is made.
We feel that we are grandly paid
for our trip across the Continent, even
ii there were no more enhancing
scenes in the valley of the Great Salt
Sea, amid the Sierras, or in the Gold
en- State.
We reached Uiniah at IL o'clock In
the morning, and a goodly company
of ladies and gentlemen, traders and |
irontiersmen, leave the train and take |
the Wells, Fargo q Co. stages for Salt |
Lake City, La an hour time we are |
ready for our overland ride to the |
Sanity City; each stage containing |
nine passengers on the three inside |
seats, SIX passengers on top, and with |
a full complement Of trunks and /
miscellaneous baggage good load /
for our four horses. Soon after leav-
ing the station we climb up high hill,
branching out from the foot Of the
Wahsateh Range, and here we have
our first view of the Great Salt Lake,
lying four or five miles before US to
the southwest, and stretching far
away in the distance, locked In on all
sides by lofty ranges Of mountains
1t Is cheering view of the broad ex-
panse OF deep blue water, after the
miles upon miles of dreary wastes and
parched vegetation we have lately
passed over We follow along
tue upland close to the
mountain range on the east,
and keeping the Lake always in
view, excepted when temporarily hid
den by the Intervening rolling hill
land. At the first stage station where
we take relay of fresh horses. we
have the first opportunity Of examin-
ing the mountain streams of clear cool
water which are used to irrigate the
farms and gardens along our route.
At the rate of eight miles per hour
the stage hurries us along past farms
and through thriving villages, to the
next station; and while we wait for
change of horses, we are surrounded
With neatly dressed boys and girls
With trays piled high with magnificent
fruit-apples, peaches, pears, plums
and grapes--offered atprices cheaper
even than we could purchase them at