The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1869-10-30
PUBLISHED AND EDITED By
HENRY VI. WHITNEY.


seen il for six years. Two OF our party ha.
never seen il before The ride on to Summit.
next station, was very grand-on high mountain
ridges, the mountain streams, swollen with th,
melting snow, bursting out continually in cas-
eades, under the sheds huge icicles and offer
we would transgres5 against the railway law,
and stand outside on the platform between In,
cars, 40 as by stopping TO steal views under tn,
sheds OF the rayiDes below the line, In this way
we got oar first peep Of the beautiful Z" Donncl
Lake, one of the finest sights the whole line
Summit Station - ut an elevation OF .Oi2 feet
n lew years ago, two large parties of ernigrants
were snowbouDd and starved to death here 4
little further on we got full view Of the lake
lt ~ OF an oblong shape. about five miles in
length, steep mountain sides on each side of IL
and the waters look from the heights of deep
lovely blue, which contrasts finely with the
snowy peaks above. At the heart Of the lake.
on fiat, IL village Of log huts. occupied by
hoorers employed in cutting timber, which is
sent on up tramway to Truckee station.
The line deccnds rapidly again, aud, after
passing over the Truckce river a long bridge
OF trestle wOrk-the dark green waters foaming
tar below us-we arrived ut the pretcntiOus-
looking little town of Truckee. The station was
crowded with navyies, - roughs,'' Cinnamon,
and diggers, bound for White Pine. On each
side the one long street, small wooden shanties
bear ambitious namcs-therc is the .. Virginia
Saloon," Magnolia THEATRE" 80 Bank Ex-
CHANGE" etc. However, in n short time no
doubt there will be n fine city here, the plain
offers great facilities for building The line runs
alongside the river for a few miles till we reach
Boca, which abOunds in sawmills. We were told
that the Truckee turns eighty-One sawmills in its
course and these cut timber for the use of six
hundred miles of the railroad. Ii is very pic
turesue here the other side OF the river rugged
rocks rise abruptly; in one place having the
formation of the front Of huge organ. Here
we crossed the bounds of California and entered
Nevada, still following the of the Truckec,
which, running through that state, emptics itself
into Pyramid lake. The country now begins to
look barren and drcary; few nut pines and
great patches of n wild dwarf sunilower are the
only objects that strike ones eye. At Verdi, n
few miles further on, had to stay awhile to
change one Of the cars which out of order
Sd we were able 10 take little walk and came
upon n party of Indian squaws, seated on the
ground in circle, very much engrossed in a
game OF cards, while a papoOse ut the back of one
OF them was screaming unteeicd. They told US
they belonged to the Washoe tribe. They were
very dirty, dressed in remnants of European
garments, many strings of beads round their
neeks. On the small houses here we read
' Meadow Lake Saloon, - - Verdi House. :. Fruit
things" which we supposed implied what the
Americans call 'seta fruits" After leaving
Verdi the country becomes still barer. the hills
covered with wild sage bushes. ON past Reno. till
we reach - Clarke, >" u pleasant green spot with
hotel and farm. About dusk we reached
already quite a town, but very ugly; the country
round is so uninteresting too.
On getting back TO our places in the car we
were disappointed to find part of the room we
had had so tar, appropriated, and we were likely
To be crowded for the night. These cars are not
80 comfortable as the better English second-class
carriages would be for sleeping in !; and we had
no hope of the regular sleeping cars-which are
very cOmfortable-ior three nights to come. We
had to make the best of it, lying on the scat,
rxfs II. a 4 tr
sitting posture, on rugs on the floor in front Of
my bench. Nobody slept very much but just as
i had got into nice little sleep, the wretched
boy, who had come through the cars ut intervals
all the day before with cigars, peanuts, ETC., for
sale, rushed through, shodting twenty minutes
for breakfast, ladies and gentlemen We
thought we had got through .he night in a won
deriully quick manner but, To- our disgust, on
asking what time it was. were told - one \.
NJ" a few sleepless individuals took n meal, |
the majority OF US, feeling greatly injured, turned
over To try and sleep again. Again, ut three !
a. NJ, the farce was repeated, and this time /
abuse and threats were hurled ut the wretched /
boy; and sleep forsOok altogether. Fortunately,
we were passing over the dreariest part of the 4
road during the night. Humboldt Plains, a I
dreary desert of sage bushes, dry bones scattered
all over it a glimpse of Humboldt Lake we /
caught through the darkness-Oreana Humboldt /
City, Mill City, and Winnemucca but il was too !
dark 70 distinguish anything of these places as it
rained heavily. This rain was very fortunate for
US, it settled the sand and black dust, which we
had been told was fearful i'm crossing the desert
here The morning toilet was a very partial and
rough one. We stood outside on the platform of
the and washed our faces and hands, as the
proceeded, by turns out Of our little tin Guns
and those of US who insisted on brushing our
teeth, were looked upon by the unwashed majority
with great amusement.
At Argenti, an old staging station, we had
breakfast this desolate place had the peasantest,
ieatest girls as walters that we saw anywhere on
he Fne. We were surprised, too, to find steaks.
hops, hotcakes, &C., 50 abundant in the desert.
l little further on came to some very romantic
cenery, following the course of the Humboldt
lyer, till we reached Beowawe, which was quite
large village OF tents, occupied by the Chinamen
t work on the line. They were Just then all
'usy making shorter road for the line across
wamp The California part of the line has been
made entirely by Cinnamon, with whom the ,
wages Of a dollar n day go long way They
york quietly and well under their American over
eers. few dirty Indians were hanging about
he tents, picking up what they could. Across
he swampy pain we got fine view of snowy
Mountains. After passing it, the line and river
un side by side between perpendicular rocks,
nd come out again on swampy fiat land, where
re saw some hot-water springs steamng up on
tent near them we read Z" Warm Springs'' in
,rge letters. Near to these was an encampment
{ ernigrants, with their wagons, called prairie
iravelly Ford was our next stopping place. Here
crowd of Indian women came up to our train
nd begged in broken English, for two bits Ia bit
. California is SIX pence), and pointed, with lu-
icrously piteous grimaces, TO the fat papooses at
beir backs. We threw out biscuits cheese
axe, &c, to them. and some pictures, which
leased them much. The men were better clothed
nan the women high felt hats, with gilt orna-
lents and feathers, seemed greatly in vogue :
mongst them, and they seemed to leave the beg
cl M M ILa .air
lied vagibonds, sharing the results IN private.
his was quite an assuming place there were the A
Pacific Brewery %" Mr.. b., merchant tailor;"
DIR. Ebb," ''The Oasis,'' and " Capitol ~ :
II small tents, with the names printed in large
aper letters We were often reminded, in this
art of our journey, Of Dickens " Aourishing g
ty Of Eden"
Beyond Gravelly Ford the river gets narrow
gain and, a. the road was very bad in some
arts here, we were obliged to go slowly. which