Evening star., 1869-07-14
WASHINGTON TO THE PACIFIC.
SLIPPING OVER TO SAN FRANCISCO
WITH vALGAE.


WITH vALIAE.
What Smith Said-A Thirty. Days Pro.
gramme-What is Made Possible in
1s69-The Trip to Chicaso-fhiags to be
Done and Thingste be Avoided.
Editorial Correspondence OF The S.ar.l
SHERMAN HOUSE,
CHICAGO, July II, 1869.
''Going beyond Baltimorel"
"Yes. we think of dropping over to san Fran
CISCO"
So spoke Smith at Washington, Saturday p.
m, wi ith a valise) on his way TO Philadelphia
and 30 answered the present party with
valises) on our way to the Pacific, overland.
Smith reads the papers ard understands thai
come things can be done in 80 that couldn't be
done in IS; and so without even looki1o an
exclamation point over the idea of "slipping
over to San Francisco" carpet-big IN hand, as
one would to Baltimore or New York, he con-
tinued-
800 straight through by this train '''
''No, we shall probably stop over a. Chicago,
Omaha, Cheyenne, Salt Lake City, Virginia
City, and some ether way stations"
sHow long gone T.
"Oh, about q month. In thirty days We pro-
pose to travel sj! miles to our starting point on
the Missouri River; thence 800 mules West.
ward over the new path t. India and the set
ting sun; across the great desert prairies:
through yawning eany yons; through the hunt
ing grounds OF the wild Indian; through the
fruitful land Of the many -wIved Mormo ons-
"where every prospect pleases and only man
is yile;" over the barren mountains of Nevada.
where land (Comstock lode) sells al Sl3,0OO per
square foot; over he gold bearing sno w-cover-
ed mountains Of California to a land OF milk
hnnpv IN haro VIC nj Mt har tn
April and harvest from April to December;
where figs grow on trees as big as oaks; where
there are precipices three quarters of a mile
high, matched by trees older than the Chr istian
Era, and ninety feet In cireu inference, coupled
with wateI- falls fifteen times higher than
Niagara; we shall battle IN the Pacific; see the
sea-hons; go through China 70 wn by gas-light;
do the Geysers; ride down the 'hogs back"
take observations Of any chance earthq a axes;
sample the California wines
Just here Smith had to look after his ticket
to Philadelphia, and missed the rest OF our
programme, but he doubtless left with real
izing sen Sc Of what may be done in thirty days
in 1863, through the aid of the Pacific railroad.
Washington to Chicago.
We left Washington at 7.i5 Saturday night
reaching Chicago at Q O'Clock this morning;
Time 81 hours. A. Baltimore we experienced
the usual annoyance from the break In con-
nection between the Baltimore and Ohio road
and the Northern Central, but that will all be
Iemedied when the Baltimore and Potomac
road is built and a tunnel connection made
under the city of Baltimore with the Northern
Central.
Then, too, the time between Washington
and Chicago will be shortene an hour or two,
and the fare will be reduced probably some-
what; though now, owing 10 the ompetition
between the great lines running West, it is by
this route (Pennsylvania railroad and Fort
Wayne railroad) brought down to SI7 20 from
Washington to Chicago, 4ss miles. The local
rates over this route aggregate nearly double
this amount; the fare from Washington to
Baltimore being sl.50; Baltimore to Harris
burg, s3.1O; Harrisburg to Pittsburg, 1870;
Pittsburg to Chicago, Sl4; amounting to S27.3O
AT Baltimore we took q sleeping car, oecu-
pying the same to Altoona, without change
At Harrisburg we struck the we'll man aged
Pennsylvania Central railroad
The Great Trunk Lines West.
The affairs Of the Pennsyl lvania Railroad
Company have been managed with such quiet.
unostentatious sagaciry that outsiders not in the
secrets Of the railroad circles may not be aware
that it now ranks as the first Of the great trunk
lines leading west. A discussion recently in
the New York papers on the question OF freight
carried by the three great rival railways from
New York and Philadelphia to the West,
showed some facts In favor OF the Pennsylya.
mia railroad that very much astonished the
New Workers. The comparison made betwee
the years 1852 and 1867 shows that the Penn.
sylvania railroad had Increased in freight bust.
ness SO per cent, while it had reduced its
charges on thefreights per ton per mile 2x per
cent. The Erie had increased Its freight per
mi nor hslo sva.~ n,.I sto nh
per ton per mile about 5K per cent. The New
York Central had increased its freight busi-
ness about % per cent, and the increase in
charges per ton was about IA per cent.
The Fight Of the Railroad Kings.
For some tine contest has been carried on
with singular adroitness and immense energy
between the railroad kings for supremacy in the
way OF western connections; and TO those who
have watched the game, 1t is hardly necessary to
say that the Pennsylvania company have not
come out second best. Astute John w. Garrett
has been terribly out. maneuv vered on more than
one occasion in this sharp bout; and the Enc
and New York Central have been awakened In
the same rude fashion by some .'bsat' or check.
mate at the hands of their adroit Pennsylvania
competitors.
A Huge Railroad system.
Step by step the Pennsylvania Railroad Com.
pany have extended and perfected their rail.
road system until it presents the following re.
markable proportions. Their connections
with Chicago are by the direct line over the
Fort Wayne railroad, which they have now
leased.
They have also under their control the o..
lumbus, Cincinnati and Indiana Central rail.
road. which makes direct connections with Co.
lumbus and their Pan Handle route East Thus
they have q direct line from philadeinhi. ou.r
their own line Cs6o miles) to Pittsburg; thence
they own and control q direct line to CHICAGO,
(i6S miles,) giving them line to Chicago ana
the Northwest and Union Pacific railroad
their route being over q hundred miles shorter
from New York than BY the New York lines
and connections from New York.
At Pittsburg they also have direct connec.
ton over lines owned and leased, with the ex.
ceptiop OF q small link runninx undAr arranea