Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1869-07-16
THROUGH TO The PACIFIC

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PRosoNToRY-- THR DIsPUTRD PIECE
or ROAD -CHINESE LABORSRS-
SALT LAKE-ELKO THE DESERT
OVER THE s ERRAS THE SNOW
SHEDS-SACKAMEN TO THE CEN.
TRIAL PACIFIC SHOPS AND EQUIP
MENT-THE THROUGH TIME TABLE
COMFORT AND SAFETY OF THE
TRIP. ~
tFIom the New York Tribune j - -
SAN Francisco, June l5.-Promontory is
neither city nor solitude, neither camp nor
settlement. IL is bivousc without comfort,
IL is delay without rest. Il Is sun that
scorches, and alkali dust that blinds. 1t is
vile whisky, vile cigars. petty gambling,
and stale newspapers at rs cents apiece. II
would drive a morbid mind to suicide. IL
is 30 tents upon the Great Sahara, sans
trees, sans water, sans comfort, sans every
thing.
As the Central has been completed
months earlier than its owners expected, its
full complement of passenger coaches Is not
yet received. But we had the good .ortuue
TO find sleeping car at Promontory, the
second that ever passed over the line. IL
was built at Wilmington, Del, and is owned
and run, not by separate corporation, but
by the Railroad Company AT nearly every
station through to Sacramento the people,
attracted By its novelty, crowded up 10 its
doors ana windows, eager to inspect it, and
prompt to excltim, "Isn't II gay p "That
beats the worldl'A We found 1t smooth-run-
ming and comfortable, vast Improvement
upon day coaches, but far Inferior to Pull
mans,
We passed hosts of Chinamen, shorten
irg curves and ballasting the track. Near
ly 1000 are still employed In perfectiDg the
road. They are all young, and their faces
look singulary quick and intelligent. few
wear basket hats; but all have substituted
boots for their wooden shoes and adopted
pantaloons and blouscs. They receive S35
per month (gold) and board themselves
u OF this they save from $40 TO s2S. The
n Union Pacific Company, which is pa, ing its
laborers 81 per day (currency,) is about to
~ employ the Chinese along its entire line.
b They are tractable, patient, aud thorough
they do not get drunk, nor stir up fights
e and riots. 1s
N For hours we we're in view of Great Salt
Lake, now crossing arms Of 1t upon trestle-
% work; now skirtiDg its northern bank,
r where thousands of ceres are white with
fine salt deposited by foods; and now miles
lie away, but catching. through breaks in the
ID hills, glimpses of its deep blue waters, and
its mountain islands tipped with snow. Pas
lie sengers who would really see 1t, and enjoy a
il delicious bath, should stop for day in the
vicinity Of Ogden. Irr
ID We supped woefully at Terrace, upon bis
d cults and bacon but breakfasted happ ly
almost luxuriously, at Exc. This, too, il
q, a new dest TT town; but it has houses a,
60 well as tents, q population Of 1000, stage
lines north and south, and considerabl,
TO mining trade: A party of rs men were
n. Just starting for some newly reported dig
gings 60 miles TO the north. Among tn,
re dusty passengers who jumped from thu
=, White Pine coach, Just in season for on
| 4 a. nl.s.1 II Gov -,
n. Nevada. How glad we all were to see ayail
he his towering form, and his frank, heart,
facet .r. r Ta.
OF Another day upon the desert. II seem
,ia to stretch out to the crack of doom. No
nv body can realize how great work this ha
i'll been until he takes the long ride Of four o
five days and nights through dreary waste
and unbroken solitudes. Ga this immedi
m. ate portion of the road the alkal wat
would corrode boilers and soon destro
ed them. For hundred miles, therefore, wa
om ter is carried 10 tanks, upon platform car
for the locomotives. A supply will ult
oy mateiy be brought from the Truckee rive
SO miles, through bored tamarack kgs. SCI
eral stations are already furnished in thu
lite, way. from springs six or eight miles distan
:, Ga the Union Pacific, also, through III
all" Bitter Greek country, water is carried 80
avs 40 miles nfen trains, to overcome the san
difficulty.
For the last night Qhe Hfth since leayiI
. Omaha we 20 to bed in the sleeping car. :
not At dark the air is sultry but We brgin
. Of ascend !; before midnight We call for blan
cts. At daylight we wake among noble 70
lue. esis, and grand snow drifts, with Dom
Lake, cool, blue, and sparkling, on our lr
IAN, Adieu to the DESERT Hail to the Sierra
mas Were ever these pines, and slruces, a
furs, so brightly yellow, or the tumbling "
hau tars Of such foamy whitenesss We're ev
the rocks Overhe ad so vast and threatenir
or the chasms below 80 deep to our strai
lnia ing eyes E. @
ID over inc sut "" go, s shu oV .nnr
in ttD1lty miles Of snow sheds. At the M
expos points the roofs ere Of fourth
lack planls, firmly bolted into granite, Th
ION have worked so well that nearly twer
miles mere are to DO added. la MOTH
aud have the Central Pacific people shown gre
loch err energy than IN dealing with the snC
'"'A which falls here during an average win
to the depth of nearly fifty feet. y,
ago to-day there were eighteen feet
=, snow upon this track hundreds Of Chi
). men with shovels we're helping a snC
orr pillow three times as high as tall map, .
driven by ten heavy locomotiyes) to 6i
The its slew way through It.
M 1, Avalanches here never sweep the grou
clean as among the Alps. The first ST
:. h., nights incrust II with Ice. jbler sDo
- melting, begin TO slide and roll down u
Q as II. A ball will gather as large as a load
, ,ho hay, then break into fifty olher balls, Q
one of wi ich grows and breaks in turf
,ided They carry an Incredible depth. Of bank
"a 70 to the detpnarrow valleys. Economica
the sheds are great success. Esthstiea
This they are a great nuisanee. Again and ag
"a, as one Is enjoying the grandest SCENERY
in' on the CONTINENT the train plunyes in
long, da k chamber, and the view Is
N ken. BY direction Of Gov. Stanford, II
that dent OF the Company, some of the bol
-. are being removed for the Summer.
rchce should an be Knocked OFF every Spring.
Down, down, down mountains on
side, nothing on the other From one
rison, dow we look up a thousand feet, to a sn
summit from the opposite one dow
thousand or two thousand feet, into 8
lrglor valley, with Its swiftrunniug stream th
ened and muddied by the miners, Th'
anu lsge grows warmer, The evergre, ms
90 in interspersed with white dogwood howei
, 80, large as the palm of ones hand white ST
smith berry blossoms blue larkspurs blue
and whi iupines, and the curling, eiooc
liable The wo Ids open into the broader {
corr. of the foot hills. Tall pines and furs
way to spreading live oaks with g
leaves. We pass mining towns, scat
farm houses, and grazing horses, sheep
mated spotted. cattle. Thicker aud taller g
White the grass but always S auil ana ,Suso
Suns in this d,y climate. Late in the sesso'
i for apdscsl Is straw tsr, GcS', ,Sc valsv
~. gardens blooming with rose and oleA
clusters Of ripe currants, cherries and
n and tarinss mxurisnt hg'trees vinegar
eoun- thlrty apa 1O'v se rom 'p ,Pa wells ;