New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-08-16

on the shoulder. yes; been home to see the old
folks had bully time, but with emphasis "s.S
amt no California OueT herel Where are you going'
"Oh, Just going to New-Engand and out west on
little pasear p 1t is wonderful with what genuine
Californian nonchalance the people on TINS slue VI
the Rocky Mountains accept the si'ua''on'
and accommodate themselves to the great changes
which have taken place of late in their
relations in the East. They used 10 ~
down 10 the wharf by thousands to see theH
friends off ON % or 50 days voyage by the IsthnuS
of Panama or Tehauntepec, and to-day they meet
and greet each other above. drink together tou0n
hats and part as if one was going up and the O'nei
down MontgOmeryst. An old gray-haheu man 80
tottering steps descended from the west"aIu OoN
train and man in the prime OF me- WIN -
faced woman on his arm--his daughter OF we per
-. - bod evidently come up from San Fran
c;oco 70 roeet him hurries toward him. Ihey look
M each other a moment, and embrace with tears
streaming down their cheeks. 1t needs no words 10
tell the relation they bear to each other God help
me. for ten wears have been saying, when the
railroad is finished will 60 home and bring my
father and mother to California" My father died
last year in Illinois, just the work was almost com
pleted: my old home is desOate now. The tlcket
which would carry oyer the railroad to the
Eastern States is in my pocket now but hardly
care to use it,
DOWN THE EASTERN SLOPE-ELKO.
Over the Sierra, down the Eastern slope, past Don
ner Lake that gem of the mountains with ITS fear
fnI associations-the ruins of the cabin where
portion of the Bonner family persisted and their
remains we're deyoured by the survivors are seen
from the cars-and out into the sagebrush and akah
deserts of Nevada the train carried before night
fall At 10 A. m on the day following our departure
from Sacramento we were at Elko. 400 miles from
the former place Here were stages in waiting 10
convey passengers to Idahe, Montana, the White
Pine mines and other mining localities of south
eastern Nevada. The town has perhaps Thousand
inhabitants with a considerable floating population
and considerable trade. 1t is dusty hot anoAresome
70 degree a really good hotel and an immense hot
mineral spring filling the crater of an extinct vol
cano. where glorious baths may be enjoyed by the
weary and dusty traveller. being its only attractions
The Chicago Party Committee of four, consisting of
Messrs Kimbark Farwell. BlatchfOrd, and Whittier,
left their companions at ElkO and took the stage
for White Pine, the train with the main
body of the party going on to Chicago without them
There are two routes up the Valley of the South Fork
of the Humboldt, to the White Pine mines One
keeps up the western side of the Valley along the
Diamond Range Mountains and the other follows
along the eastern side near the base of the Rocky
Mountains. The first is about 125 miles in length y
and the last 115. Wells, Fargo Il Co.'s stages follow
the western route those of Hill Beachy go by the
shorter eastern one The Chicago Committee took
passage by Wells, Fargo & Co.; the writer and some
friends by great luck the Beachy line We are here
out of the belt of country which enjoys the
California climate, where there are but two
seasons, the short wet one and the Ion
ger dry one and rain storms accompanied by
thunder and lightning common at this season.
An enterprisng citizen of ElkO had just finished
fine sprnkng cart for laying the dust in the streets
s,ro1 Ia had
filed his tank and was just ready to start out on his
mission of mercy and pecuniary advantage, when a
shower came up well well, cuss my eyes, If this
amt nv old luck all again never got started in
any business where there chance TO make
something, but somebody sailed in and busted me
with bloody oppOstionw was the veterans bitter
comment as ne saw the rain come pouring down.
s.Such is hfep Over finely graded road, across a
range of hills, SOUTH of the Humboldt River
here a small, clear stream-and down into sage
brush covered valley were whirled in the stage
drawn by six fine spirited California half breed horses
at pallOp and then headed nearly due south for
Hamilton hundred miles away toward Arizona.
The sun was in mid-heavens, and the heat and dust
hard 10 bear Looking the valleytO the west
ward we saw the stages in which the Chicago dele
CATION were travelling, enveloped IN cloud or dust
ten times great own, and we were comtorted
From time to time we crossed little intersectng val
from the Rocky Mountains. In these valleys are
large, narrow strips Of fertile land, covered
with coarse grass which affords pasturage
for the freight teamsters mule trains and hay
which is being cut and hauled in bales to White
Pine This hay was worth 2Oc. per h., in coin, In
White Pine last Winter, and barley 25c. to SOc We
see few barley fields upon some of these creeks,
but outside of these patches the country IS barren
and uncultvatable for want of water for irrga-
ton without which it can never be made productive.
There are stations" at every ten or twelve miles
along the road, at which the stage teams are
changed and good time Is made. The ride of rs or
l2 miles is made in fifteen to twenty hours, and the
fare from ElkO to Hamilton $25 coin; meals extra
at st. CON- each Thirty miles from Elko we stopped
at a rude wayside station for dinner. Everything
was to our surprise. clean and neat about the
bouse in spite of the dust and swarms of flies,
aud the dinner ample and well cooked.
A tall, fnely-built young woman, with lustrous
black hair. large cleaning black eyes, and olive
tinged skin. through which the red blush of the
cheeks showed like the bloom on the sun-kissed
peach, waited on the table. Spanish-American be-
yond doubt and will renew old associations and
make friend! "0f what country are you native
SenOritaf' inquired in the best Spanish of which
am master. Don't understand your l re-
peated the question in English, little chOp-fallen
at the failure to make myself understood in Spanish
"Oh yes of Boston ~ was the reply Everything
goesp they say in California; with everything else
goes my dream of Mexico revisited. We are far
up cloudwards. now many thousand feet above the
ocean and looking little above us on the Rocky
Mountains. we see banks glittering in the Sum-
mer sun. We saw a few sage hens as rode along
and just at nightfall, while sitting on the drivers