New-York tribune., 1869-06-22
THROUGH TO THE PACIFIC.
r,o,, OMAHA TO CHEYENNE.

down with baggage, made an lrrupuOn lhlo ah eAIl@
Pullman coach upon tho train starting 1or Chlcago
take the next car, please SAID the conductor
this has been chartered by private party" No.
Sir We are all right; travel in the sleeping car"
"Wel that is a sleeping car and exactly like this,
foo This is an extra put on for some guests
of the company" But the trio declared themselves
Callfornians willing to pay and not to be put off
with any secOnd-class accommodations And they
finally left in high dudgeon, actually refusing even
10 look into the sleeping car, but taking day COACH
to sit up for "a hours all the way to Chicago. Iwon-
der if they crossed the Plains with Ox-teams when
they came out herel OF they are as far from
being representative Calfornians rs the Yankee who
busters through Europe about our capacity to whip
all creation is from being the typical American.
Ihave waited to pass over both new railroads from
end to end. before writing of either Weleft Omaha
at p NJ, and travelled until dark, among rich prai-
res of vivid green broken by black. plowed fields,
little dwellings and rows of planted locusts and cot
tonwoOds An hour out we struck the broad, blue,
shining Platte to follow up its smooth valley for 400
miles 1t is a wonderful inclined plane with regu-
lar ascent of six feet to the mile if Nature had
taken grading contract from Durant IL Dun NO
Other road was ever built upon q route SO easy
Practically, there neither cuts nor emDaknents
in the Platte Valley; and for one 40 miles the track
lies as straight as an arrow making the longest tan
been broken up to secure more frequent water sta-
tons
The conpany is Just bringing its only valuable
faru,ine, lands into market-S00000 along the
line for 200 miles west Of Omaha The prices range
from 81 50 to $40 per acre; payments; one-fourth
cash. and the balance in one. two and three years
great deal of other excellent land is still for sale
throughout Eastern Nebraska at from 81 % upward.
Some friends complain that The TRIBUNE has shown
F,,K Thova limit no
Kansas soil is richer for corn, but claim that Ne
braska produces the better wheat both in quality
and quantity and never suffers from drouth. The
present population of Nebraska is estimated at
I25 OOO and many emigrants are coming in.
Our train had less than fifty California bound pas
lengers People are waiting for emigrant rates, and
for more information about the comfort and safety
of the trip The heaviest travel thus far is eastward
but within thirty days the tide will set toward the
Pacific. 1t will bear many artists and Journalists;
already l have encountered Edward +. Waters OF
The Boston advertiser, Miss Edna Dean Proctor of
The Independent Gov BrOss Of The Chicago Tribune, j.
w. Smonton of the Associated Press, and William
Swinton of The Neur- YORK TJaeS all doing the New
Thoroughfare in the way of duty, and bent upon
Salt Lake the SierraS the Big Trees and Yosemite,
in the way of pleasure.
A night in the Pullman car, and morning finds us
crossing the haf-mle bridge over the North Platte,
go miles out and $500 feet above the Thirty
minutes for breakfastl7 Antelope meat for those
who like it beef for the bsrbarians who don't
Then on We roll, leaving the Platte far to our left ;
on the great desert; never tree or patch Of
green grass in sights no birds but woodpeckers.
which bore into all the telegraph-poles, and
gneming to relish that dry fare; miles
upon miles of prairie-dOg towns, the cunning
little inhabitants erect upon their hind legs,
and wnking slyly at while we pass
within five yards of them; antelOpes, by twOs
by threes and by tens grazing half mile away OF
gaOpng over the hills airy that theirfeet hardly
n touch the ground. One, affrghted and bewidered,
bounds along only few yards from us in mad race
with the train. "Bangw bangw go half dozen
revolvers from our windows. The ladies cry what
a shame!7 but the antelope is never struck and
finally, in despair he falls painting back and aban-
dOns the unequal chase ..e.
On on past lonely frame section houses, where the
track meDp ye past lOneller log ranches where th
coaches used to stop, past slOw-moving emigrants
with white-eovefed wagons and herds of cattle. all
half hidden in clouds of dust The fine, flying sand
too, sits in through our double windows, and pene-
trates clothing TO the skin Pullman must add a
bath-house to his hotelcar: then it will leave moth
ing to be desired He viii do it, toOhe or some one
else-before dozen years roll round.
AS the sun lowers and we weary of these wastes of
sand some one shouts. " the mountains! the noun
tains ~ There they are again-On the south, Longs
Peak dim and white with snow the west, the
Black Hills, din and dark with pines. And so, H "a
hours we reach Cheyenne, SIC miles out, and 6OOO
feet above the sea- but gained by ascent so gentle
as to be nowhere pereeptible. Here leave the train
aud stop to study the city. It has sprung mp
the bare desert and has not solitary tree, except
half dozen newly planted, faint-hearted pines. At
midday tile sun scorches and the dust chokes but on
the western horizon lie the mountains, forever cool
and calm
Cheyenne is the capital of Wyoming. the desert
city of a desert State 1t is watered by Crow Creek
little stream which feeds the Lodge Pole, and then
the Platte 1t boasts a great locOmotivehouse of
sandstone; stone machne-shOps just rising for the
railway company long porticoed frame hotel, also
belonging to the Union Pacific which win dine 400
people and lodge 90 few large warehouses; three
or four blocks of low at-roofed wooden shops, full
of goods; many scattering tents and shanties; two
daily newspapers; two churches; score or two of
drinking gambling, and dance-hOuses, which are
crowded after dark; and population of 5000.
For wonder, it has neither an Opera House nor
an Academy Of Music But l find instead the enor-
nous tent of travelling circus from the States.'
In the evening, it Is crowded with 1900 people,
all eager for the great moral spectacle" which
have come 10 miles on the railway to enjoy. There
sat the tanned youth, eating molasses candy, with
their girls" the boys yelling with delight at the
little mule, and everybody applaudng the clowns
tmehonored jokes, in the good, old-fashoned coun-
try way
AT Cheyenne diyerges a branch to Denver-1O2
miles to the south The road is graded and the cars
will probably run over it in September Last Winter
the Central Pacific Company-after the Union Pa
min mill foh of