New-York tribune., 1869-06-25
THROUGH no THE PACIFIO.
THE ROAD FROM CHEYENNE TO PROMoN.
. ... - TORY. ff-
THE COAL FIELDS OF WfoMING AND UiAh'
[FRoM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT


grade upon the road-9O feet to the mile All around
are bare mountain tops. The ashen herbage is
frightened by blue lungwort and yellow Arkansas
wall-fowers in clusters as large as tho palm OF
hand OF the crown Of a hat. Granite powders OF
gray and brown, spotted with yellow moss are scat
tered here and there One the summit is 80 feet
high and shelters the cattle of ranchman who has
fenced in little space beside it.
Double snow fences of stones or one OF stones and
the other of boards, six or eight feet high and few
yards apart follow the north side of the track Here
and over the Laramie Plains for 200 miles westward
the Winter is most troublesome. The Chief Engi-
neer and Superintendent are sanguIne that after
year or two of experience they can overcome this
enemy so that no tram need ever be delayed moro
than "a hours They will have to build more fences
and roof the cuts and even then they may find their
task hard. Last Winter was unusually mild, but the
drifts proved very difficult to deal with
Sherman is the highest railway point in the world
feet above the sea. Still, it is not the backbone
of the Rocky Mountains, but only of the Black
Hills an outlying eastern range The contlnental
divide is 200 miles further west and 1000 feet lower
Sherman is i'm Evaus's Pass which bears the name OF
its discoyereF. He was of many martyrs to this
great work-a Union Pacific Surveyor killed by the
Indians. The pass is in no sense gorge OF canyon
but looks geographically, like vast rolling prairie
disfgured by rocks and reached by gentle ascent.
Nor are the distant mountains the north and
south such slender peaks and pyramids as fanciful
artists depict but only low, irregular broken ndges.
Sherman has half dozen dwellings. The landlord
of the little tavern told that water thrown upon
his porch at midnight any night in the year, would
freeze before morning A sign in his bar-room bears
the pleasing legend: Fresh trout every day :; but
no trout came when we did call for them. Running
Observation-Disclosures to their good taste-was
pleaded in excuse They weigh less than half
pound apiece, but are very savory. The neighbor-
hood also enjoys the company Of beavers, ground
hogs, hares or jaekass-rabbitsD antelopes, o few
elk, brown and cinnamon bears, and silver-gray
bear which Is often taken for the grizzly. The Gin
namon bear is the most formidable; sometimes he Is
eight feet long from his to his little stump tall
"The other day" quoth mine host, down toward
the Dale, man was walking into the valley, jump
ing from rock to rock careless like when he jumped
square upon cinnamon bear. lying there to sun
himself The bear caught him by the thigh, so that
he still limps little, but then ran away as badly
frightened as he" Virginia Dale fourteen miles to the
SOUTH is an old stagestat0n, where party OF 1865
stopped by Indian troubles spent some pleasant days.
1t is the loyeest ofylagesa very gem of the noun
tains Within it disappointed lover once flung
himself from precipiee and was killed and later,
a party of desperadoes who had made it their base
for robbng and numbering expeditions, were cap
tured and hanged ....-..-..
Sherman, like other desert stations has wind.
mill some 20 feet in diameter, which pumps water up
from a spring into high tank beside the track Ihe
tank holds 1000 gallons the pump will I'LL 1t IN ten
hours When it is full the water lifts little float =
that pulls wires the wire shuts up the sails OF the
windmill dozen yards away, and it instantly stops
When the tank gets nearly empty the action of an
other float opens the sails, and the windmill starts
again. The cost of the ingenious apparatus all set
up is about $60O0 II might be used to great ad-
vantage for irrigating II is one of thousand in
stances in which modern machinery, not content
with merely utilizing the forces of Nature, disci-
plnes them into doing their appointed work. without
any eye to overlook them or any hand TO regulate.
From Sherman 1 rode down upon a locomotive
three miles to Dale Creek bridge, which bears the
label, "SlOw trains to miles hour in crossing"
It is of trese-work lS7 feet hgh and 500 feet long,
wellfoored, and firmly stayed by wire cables, which
are bolted into the rocks at the bottom of the gorge
where glides the water of the narrow stream, dim
and almost black. Seen from below and at q little
distance the structure looks like exquisite piece
of gossamer The bridge, over the Genesee at Port
age Falls Oh the Buffalo branch of the Erie Railway,
is like this though nearly twice high, and it has
been used for 12 or Is years. This would undoubt-
edly be good for half generation, but under the re-
uuirements of the Government the company are
about to fill in the gorge and culvert the stream. It
will cost hundred thousand dollars.
Just below lives a German " section-man." who
has fenced off little patch, set out few stalks OF
cactus and wild flowers, and planted garden seeds.
Asyet none have come up " The chief trouble" he
explains, with perplexed look, is that it never
rains here except in June But can't you water
your garden 7" "WelI, yes7 (hesitatingly How
far do you have to bring water 7" HdD milef
What with desert soil, and rainless climate and
frosts every month"; and no water even for drinking
within half mile, il is very desperate essay at
agriculture
After lingering near Sherman for "a hours took
the next train westward On board were Gen. g.
NJ Dodge and G. w Frost of the Union Pacific; Gen.
G. X Warren Col. r. S. Williamson. and James f.
Wilson of the Government Commissioners; DR.,
Thomas HILL late President of Harvard; ID. o. Mills
of the Bank of California, aud T. Senator Cassery
In 1854 Dodge surveyed across the Rocky Noun
tains for Durant and others who were interested in
the Rock Island Road, but nothing immediate came
of it, In 1882 however, Abraham Lincoln Of ILLINOIS
ascended the Missouri TO see the country and make
political speeches. At Omaha he encountered Dodge,
and with characteristic hunger for information. he
made him sit down beside him on the steps Of little
hotel and for four hours answer his questions about
the great unknown West. In 1864 Lincoln
was President, and the law required him
to ax the initial point and establish
the route of the Union Pacific Road. Remembering
the young engineer, who had now become a Union
Major General and was commanding at Corinth
Miss, he summoned him by telegraph to Washington
for consultation. Thus that early chance interview
had great influence in finally determining the iine'
Dodge is now Chief-Engineer of the Union faeihc'
and ell agree that his work has been admirably DONE