The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1869-07-24
The Pacific RailrOad--Scene~
During u Trip "AcrOss .he
Continent.

Under date Of Sanfrancisco, June 18th
Mr.. Albert ID. Richardson gives the New
York Tribune most interesting accoun
of trip "thrnugh the Pacific W.
copy PORTIONS Of it:
x AS the Central has beer
completed months earlier than it's own
ers expected, its full compliment of pas
sengcr coaches is not yet received. But
We had the good fortune to find sleep,
ing car Promontory, the second that even
passed over the line 1t was built at
Wilmington, Delaware, and is owned
and run not by separate corporation,
but by the Railroad Company. AT near.
ly every station through the Sacramento
the people. attracted by its novelty,
crowded up to its doors and windows,
eager to inspect it, and prompt to ex
claim, Isn't it gay p THAT beats
the world! :" We found it smooth-run-
ming and comfortable, vast improve
ment upon day coaches, but far inferior
to Pulman's.
We passed hosts Of Cinnamon short.
cn;ng curves and ballasting the track.
Nearly 1000 are still employed in per-
fecting the road. They are all young,
and their faces look singularly quick
and intelligent. A few wear basket hats !;
but all have substituted boots tor the
wooden shoes, and adopted pan,aloons
and houscs. They receive thirty-fve
dollars per month (goldl and board them
selves. OF this they save from twenty
to twenty-three dollars. The Union Pa
cifc Company which is paying its labor
ers two dollars per day (currency) is
about to employ Chinese along its entire
line. They are tractablc, patient and
thorough they do not get drunk, nor
stir up fights aud riots.
For hours we We're in view Of the
Great Salt Lake, now crossing arms
of it upon trestlework now skirting its
northern bank, where thousands of acres
are white with fine salt deposited by
floods; and now miles away, but catch
ing, through breaks in the hills. glimpses
of its deep blue waters, and its mountain
islands tipped with snow. Passengers
who would really see it, and enjoy deli
cious bath, should stop day in the va
cinity ofOgden.
Another day upon the desert. 1t
seems to stretch ont to the crack of doom.
Nobody can realize how great a work
this has been until he takes the long
ride Of four or five days and nights
through dreary wastes and unbroken
solitudes. On this immediate portion of
the road the alkali water would corrode
boilers and soon destroy them. For
hundred miles, therefore, water is carried
in tanks, upon platform cars, for the 10.
comotives \ supply will ultimately be
brought from the Truckee River, thirty
three miles, through bored tamarack
logs. Several stations are already fur
ni,hed in that way, from springs six or
eight miles distant. On the Union Pa
ciic, also, through the bitter Greek coun-
try, is carried thirty or forty miles
upon trains, to overcome the same diff
Guilty.
Avalanchcs here never sweep the
ground clean as among the Alps The
first snow falls, and few suuy days and
freezing nights incrust it with ice. La
ter SHOWS melting begin to slide and roll
roll down upon it A ball will gather as
large load of hay, then break into fifty
other balls, each one of which grows and
breaks in turn. They carry an incredi
bic depth of bank into the deep, narrow
valleys Economically the sheds are
great success esthetically, they are a
great nuisance. Again and again, as
one is enjoying the grandest scenery on
the continent, the train plunges into
long, dark, chamber, and view is
broken. By direction of Gov. Stanford,
president Of the company, some Of the
boards are being removed for the sum-
mer. They should all be knocked of
every spring.
Down, down, down-mountains on
one side, nothing on the other, From
one window we look up a thousand
feet to a snowy summit from the oppo-
site one down thousand or two thou
sand feet, into a green valley with its
swift running stream thickened and mud
ded by the miners. The foliage grows
warmer. The evergreens arc interspers-
ed with white dogwood flowers as large
as the palm of one hand white straw
berry blossoms blue larspuls blue and
white lupines; and the curling, blood
red leaves Of the low, conical snow cac-
tus
Sacramento has doubled in population
since 1855; it now contains $4,000 peo-
pie. The new Capitol has progressed so
tar that the Legislature will probably oc-
cupy it next winter The foundation is
OF granite; the main building of brick,
800 feet long, with dome which will
rise $50 feet. The architectural effect is
admirable; but it is pity that there
was no commanding hill to place the
building upon. Its cost will fall little
below s2,0O0,O00 gold.
The Sacramento shops of the Central
Pacific Company employ several hun
dred mechanics, aud the works are driv-
en- by an engine of l6o-horse power,
made upon the ground. The road now
uses about 160 locomotives, 500 box
freight cars and 1000 platform cars. 1t
has between thirty and forty passenger
coaches running, and on the way, and
two sleeping cars in use, with enough
coming and contracted for to swell to
twenty. Locomotives and the best pas
senger coaches come from the East.
The freight cars have been made here at
the rate of twelve or fifteen day. The
passenger coaches built here have sills
of Oregon pine and sides of rosewood. .