The Plymouth weekly Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1860-1869, 1869-08-05
AN OVERLAND TRIP TO OREGON

We had been. here but a short time,
when the sky became suddenly over
cast with clouds and the rain was soon
descending in torrents, and we had the
pleasure Of standing out in the rain,
under the aforesald.piuc tree for, one
hour; at 7:3O p. H., our construction
train came up loaded with 40 cars of
ties, and in less time than it, takes to
relate it, the train had been boarded
by dozens of men and the ties deposit
ed near the end Of the track. The
ties and telegraph poles are all sawed
pine, obtained near the Humboldt
noun tains, where plenty of timber is
found.. Soon after two long, water
trains came up, loaded with tanks Of
fresh water for the laborers, and
All that is used has to be brought from
the Humboldt river, 225 miles distant.
Neither can it be used in the engine
boilers as it is SO strongly impregnated
with a.ksli that it soon rusts them
through. At 8 p. NJ, we got aboard
our construction train and were soon
leaving Promontory mountain the scene
of these busy labors and entering fthe
Great American Desert bound fer Elko,
where we would take the regular pas
senger train for Sacramento, we were
obliged to ride in the out end Of ca
boose, knee deep in alkali mud, and
containing four sick Cinnamon. We
slept that might as best we could.
The majority slept on the floor, l had
the extreme pleasure of sleeping behind
the stove,on a rough slab, supported by
two powder kegs. Sunday morning
{ April lSth) found US about 100 miles
nearer Elko. l had been awake a
short time. when l beheld my friend
Bureh crawling out from behind lot
of spike kegs in a very seedy condition
and with his clothes very strongly
impregnated with aka Ii mud. Dur.
ing the night the six hind cars became
detached from the train and we wen,
down our'grade at the rate of about
60 miles FER hour. l may have spent q
more miserable Sunday than 1 spent
that day in crossing the desert, but il
1 have at any period during the;course
Of my existence. l haven't the slightest
recollection of it. During the day we
changed trains and cabooses eigh
times, ate unleavened bread and drank
alkali water. If there had been any
thing to have broken the monctony il
| would have been different but there
was nothing but that hateful sea o.
white sand and red gravel. $3.50 a. m
Monday morning april 19th) found
us at the city of Elko, over 200 mile:
from the front and AGO miles from
Sacramento. We are now fairly il
Nevada, Is minutes later found us a
the Hum koldt hotel refreshing the in
ner mau in very lively manner.
The city of Elko is situated on thu
eastern slope of the Humboldt noun
tains, is large place, contains abou
1000 inhabitants, and it being The
nearest point on the road for the famou.
= White Pine Country" distant 1S(
miles south Invest, it is quite an import
ant place, as all the goods for tha
region have to be transferred here
1t was for long time the eastern ter
minus of the Central Pacific. Eight
stage lines diverge from here to the
White Pine mines, fare SIS, these wer.
inalequite.to supply the demands oftht
excited multitude who were rushing
thither, expecting to find the silver
dollars already coined, and the silver
bricks moulded, sticking their heads
up out of the ground aid ready to be
pocketed Here the silver mania had
taken possession of every body with
out distinction of age or sex, and The
excite had been undated since
the discovery Of the mines. If you
we're not going to White Pine, you
didn't amount to much, and Diar
would be lnsulted if you told him you
were going any where else but t.
White Pine. You saw men just from
White Pine with their pockets full OF
specimens. and their lungs nearly gone