The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1869-10-29


not including sta,c-rcom. which is. for ons bsrth.
SIS. We have two meals day-brcakfast
from 8 to 10, price 81; dinner frpm, 4 to 8,
price, sl.50. Our dinner to-day, $50 miles
from Omaha, consisted of bccfsteak, veal steak,
baked chicken, peas, canned corn. turnips, eel
cry, tea and coffee, white ana brown bread. up.
pie pudding. and all the little "hrins," with
fruit for the last course. mention these
things to show the value Of Yankee enterprise
which can furnish such lu1uries in thisdesolate'
barren, and God-fOrsaken wilderness. va thou
sand miles from anybody" almost literally.
I Our party consisted Of twenty-five passengers
from Omaha, but We have dropped five along
the route Among the number are four English
men-Lord Carries, NJ. p; Sir Michael Beach,
" p; L W. Price, ssq. NJ. p; and J. I. Cheat
ham, esq, tourists. We have found them gen
iai and eompaniOnable travellers, with reserve
that |. by no means exclusive. Being introduce
ed to the party at the start BY the Supt. Of the
Road, as member Of the press, who would &C
company them to s. r., Lord @. cunversatiOnally
remarked. 'If you say anything Of us, Mr.. Ed
itor, you cannot express too heartily our CRATE
fdl thanks to your cOuntrymen for the hospitali-
ties enjoyed by US, while all have made, Cd the
plains and in the city. homely lhomelike]
greeting to us We are grati6ed and surprised
at the conveniencies for travelling In this coun-
try, and certainly nothing in the old ever equal
led this magnificent train, not accorded to royal
ty," and other pleasant things. have been
told by many Of our Americans who have trav-
elci in England, Of the oyerbearins manners Of
Englishmen and the naughty reserve Of those Of
rank. which is exceedingly distastefuf to us
Americans. But there is nothing Of this in our
English party. They have the esteem Of our
entire party, while their cordial presence lends
a charm to our voyage. Aher visiting the Yo-
semitic and the Big Trees they will return by this
route to Salt Lake City, thence to Laramie to
enjoy hunt upon the plains, and thence on a
tour through the Southern States, intending to
embark for England in january, Sir Michael
remaining sometime longer. ---s ...
THURSDAY noon. We are within nine miles Of
PromOntory, 1854 miles west Of Omaha by a
straight line, and 1850 by the engineers maps.
OF the scenery oftho region through which
We have passed it is difficult to say any thing on
account of its grandeur and magnitude. 1t
should be written in the quiet Of an Office, and
not on railroad train going at the rate Of 30
miles an hour and sometimes 60. For 400 miles
west Of Omaha the road is almost perfectly
straight across an almost boundless prairie which
nevertheless rises 5000 feet in that distance, We
passed several herds Of buffalocs and antelopcs,
but there were no signs of human habtations,
save little earth holes aud tents around the sta
tious, Of the section men Of the road, until We
arrived at Cheyenne pronounced Shi-an).
At Sherman S235 feet above tide-watcr and
1000 feet higher than Mt. Washington the wind
blew greatly while the air was so rare that sew
eral of our party imagined they felt some diff
Guilty in respiration. Here were sage brush and
a few stunted pines with two cabins. IIither to
Laramie 20 miles We descend 1ll2 feet where
VIC find quite village, and learn that further
on at Medicine Bow the Indians attacked the
section hands and wounded woman, but were
finally driven off. The cavalry at this station
have just arrived from a raid during which
they killed three Indians, captured six ponies
and broke up rancho. ss.I, I'D r.
The government can well afford to grant the
80 miles Of land In alternate sections along this
road for with two or three immense valleys
through which We have passed in Utah and Wy
oming territories the line of road win neverb be
settled. to all Appearances. II is barren and
dcsolatc, and parties better double the money to
be paid for these lands and then throw the
amount in the fire, than to buy them. Settle
ments follow the rivers and timber lands, but in
the 800 miles west Of Omaha to North Platte
we passed. not even brook. The soil isrich rs
all praries are, but its immense length makes IL
desert. '..'.t
Thus far, or 900 miles west, this road costs
but very little, in construction, If We put out Of
account its route through an uninhabited region.
The number of its bridges is 30 positively few rs
to be Of no account. while IL appears to be as
thoroughly constructed. with one or two eIcep-
tons Of but little importance, a, any Of our
eastern roads, except it is not 50 well ballasted.
The only risk have been able to observe, is. in
Its immense length-the amount Of miles dele
gated to each set Of section hands, that should
adisplacement Of the rails happen. il would take
long to discover it. It's management seems to be
raw and green. At Pine Bluffs our express train
took an engine that couldn't make steam, and
was two hours behind time at the next change,
and there changed for another worse than the
FIRST with three hours lost TO Rawlings, where We
! again made change for one but little better
to PromOntory four hours late. .Agradc scarce
ly more than the largest on the P.lS. & p. road,
but which is not perceived with ten cars loaded
is here run up with Ave nearly empty cars At
the rate often miles an hour At Promontory
we chang, on the Central Pacific where we are
making q mile in 90 seconds. Until mt this
POINT we have seen no Chinese, but hereafter
the laborers are oil Of that race, and we have
Just made our introduction to them by running
over and killing three Of them. '
close this communication as learn that we
are to soon ''spcak" an eastern train from San
Francisco. On this train We have experienced
i No ,,,oro c.t;rno than xro vhoph ,opf,r.l thr.,