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

tree, with a board on its trunk, on which is
painted SO one-thousand-mile tree" This is one
thousand miles from Omaha. We arrived at
Echo city in the evening of the third day OF our
Journey. 1t was formerly q Mormon town, but
is now abandoned to the railway employees:
This place resembles the other railroad towns L
have mentioned. No man dreams of going out
side his house or tent unarmed, and after DUSK
never without an escort. a great number OF
men got into our train here, which made Us a
little nervous. but afterwards some OF those we
looked on so suspiciously, as they came IN with
their rifles, proved very pleasant additions 10 our
party. Two of these were contractors Tor the
railroad, who had been three years at work upon
it; another, one of the companys secretaries ;
and the fourth, a Mr.. Armstrong, an engineer
connected with the line, with whom we formed
quite n warm friendship, before we parted, Tour
DAYS afterwards, at Erie. Their society was a
great advantage to us, as from them we obtained
so much information about the road.
There are some wonderful formations of rock
about Echo city, The Sphynx of the Valley"
which seems to be watching over the entrance OF
the Weber Valley Monument Rock two
hundred and ~ftty-one feet high, at the junction
Of the Echo, with the Weber " Sentinel ROCK,
a high bluff, oyershadowing Echo city, rising over
one thousand feet in height; the Hanging
Rock which overhangs its base fifty feet, and
oyerlooks Echo city. The railroad winds round
its base. Some of the finest views on the road
are to be seen from its top. Further on In Echo
/ canon we passed - Dedtu . hOChs ~ NUN u
sandstone and couglomerate rock, eight hundred
feet high. During the Mormon war, one OF the
Mormon militiamen, standing on this rock, dared
his confederate to shoot him from the opposite
side of the canon, little thinking he could reach
him. The bullet pierced !is brain, and his body,
falling, was dashed to pieces ON the rock below.
From here the ascent to Wahsatch is very steep.
The line forms n perfect H.. mounting by what
the Americans call n series OF Switchbacks."
Our train was heavy, and had to be taken up IN
divisions, arriving at Wahsatch II p. NJ This Il
track is only a temporary one everywhere else,
on the Union Pacific line, the maximum grade is
ninety feet to the mile. This night was a bitterly
cold one we lay at Wahsatch station till day
light, and then had to change cars. The station
was crowded with men: navvies, just going home
East, after three years work on the line,
90 roughs" of all nations, and n sprinkling of
Indians. An estimate has been made, that on
this part of the line, there were one thousand
men who would take any man life for the sake
of five dollars. On coming to these rough places.
l persuaded my husband 10 let me put what gold
we had with us in the case OF a feld-glass L
carried, putting the glass in n carpet bag, and
the money in its place. / thought he was more
likely to be robbed in passing through the crowd
than L, who would not be suspected OF Z" carrying
the bag" My fears were not without reason,
rs one gentleman of our party lost a bag here
containing one hundred pounds, which no doubt
was stolen. As 1 stood watching our luggage,
alone, whilst my husband was finding out our
train, n yillanous-lookin8 man with n rifle came
up, and told me | was to 90 to my party pointing
u. some little distance, and telling me they were
there. l knew this to be false, as the rest of our
ladies were close to, in the ticket office 70 [ gave
him no answer. Presently, another man came
up, appearing surprised TO see me alone, asked
if l had come far. etc. saw by his face he was
an honest man. and answered his questions civily.
lie staid beside Inc till nv husband returned,
wishing evidently to protect me from annoyance.
One GREAT uotDriety we saw here. dressed in n
tight-ftting coat, edged with fur and long fringes,
n felt hat, and long feather. lie had a rifle, and
looked very wild, with his long straight hair. 1t
was Weber Jack, a chief amongst the Utes. lie
thinks highly of himself, and, introducing himself
to strangers, will strike his breast and say '' Me
Mormon, me heap squaws, heap papoose!" We
were glad To find ourselves safe in the cars again,
but grieved when we found the box of biscuits
belonging to our party was missing, which was
no small loss in these regions, as 1T was all the
bread we had with us. \ number of men got
possession of our cars here to have refused them
admittancc ut the station would only have caused
q row, so they were all put together in the last
car, and when fairly started the brakesman dis
connected it from the train, and they were left
behind US on the line.
We descended rapidly from Wahsatch, the
40 Quaking Asp the highest mountain Of the
range, so called from a tree that grows there.
The road was very rough, and the cars oscillated
frightfully. Arrived at Piedmont, we were de-
tanned for some hours by reason Of an accident
on the line, n few miles a head OF us. n con-
struction train, full of workmen, had been
thrown off the line, by coming suddenly ON cattle,
i'm n curve of the road. Ten or twelve men were
badly hurt, and four more were dying. 1t
seemed hard for them, poor fellows. just nearing
home, after three years absence. The men were
furious Mt the engineer, through whose careless
ness they said the accident had happened, and
would have hanged him there and then to a tele-
graph post, had he not contrived to escape on
the engine, which had remained on the line.
The company had agreed to send the men back
to Omaha after their work was done, and the
men are bitter, because they are put on the con-
struction and freight cars, which are not nearly
so safe as the passenger trains. No accident has
happened as yet to one of the latter L believe,
whilst in many places on each side the road, we
saw wrecks of construction cars lying. Pied
mont is a small station in the desert, with the
usual saloons and gambling places, full OF ill-look-
ing men and women. There are some wIgwams
near, belonging to the Shoshonc," or Snake
Indians. The sage bushes round are full OF sage
hens, harcs and the streams abound in hne
trout. We felt very anxious whilst here, hear
ing of the accident and knowing this part OF the
line to be very rudcly laid down. On the win
dow ut which 1 sat was written with n diamond
as. Y. w. and E.. j. w. snow bound five weeks:
March, 1862" 1t seemed to me an i'll omen
under our circumstances, We were sad too, think
ing Of the lives ebbing fast away, so near to us,
and 80 suddenly. In the afternoon we were.toid
the road was cleared of the wreck, and repaired
and q telegram from the next station instructed
our engine-driver to take the train quickly past
Bridger Station, where w ought to have
stopped-without doing SO, as the one hundred
| and fifty men-who had been in the unfortunate
train waiting there for us, having vowed
to ride on in our train to Omaha. We were
already full, and had we given them the chance,
they would have turned us out and taken our
places. They say, " We have made the road
and we mean to ride on it." We rode on,
shuddering as we passed the wrecks on the way,
and, as we shot past the station. we saw n crowd
of men ready with their baggage on the plat
form. 1t seemed hard and unsympathising to
leave them there after their accident, but 1t could
not be otherwise. Our road still lay over the
alkali desert, but it was beginning to show more
signs of life. Here and there was a 50 rancho >
besides a pleasant stream, sometimes a wigwam.
and often we saw Indian horsemen and women,
,Iu.r, armad ond dressed in bright garments.