The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-12-29
4 TRIP ro cALIEoRNI4.
The lSoutcs-Thc Sleeping Cnrs-Impcr-
tincnt SteWartis-Iown Lrnds-Thc
Rocky AIountains--Thc Sierra Nevada
First Imprrssisns Of tho Chinsmen
The San FrnncIsco Hotels, Sc.
lrEoM An OCCASIONAL coIREsroSDENr.l
san Er,SCISCo UprpmIpr |, 4

the Rock Island route. Through tickets are pur
chased in New York from railroad ticket agents.
went TO Wells, Fargo & Co., the owners OF the
express tnEd lankEg) business, which extends
over the whole country west Of the Rocky Moun-
;ains. The ticket agent exhibited to me pros
pcctuscs for five different routes, but, upon my
| question, which one was tile most expeditions
| and certain TO make CO Injections At Chicago
lie answered that lie though: all were equally
good. In this my informant was mistaken, at
least In my case. | chose the New York Central,
via Buffalo, simply because thus had au oppor
tunity OF passing along the lukes, which had
never seen. left New York OH Monday at $50
i. NJ and was due In Chicago Oh Wednesday at 9
y. NJ. llu; near Buffalo the wheel boxes Of one OF
the cars got OH fire. It bcing night time, I, took
the road men nearly two hours 10 cXtlnauIsh the
conDagration, and, notwithstanding Increased
speed 10 make up for the loss time, We were
finally thrccqnartcrs OF an hour behind time, ar
riving ut Chicago 9.ij. Had gone by the Rock
Island route could have started ut 10 O'Clock
! from the same depot. With my New York Central
ticket had US tile conductors told inc, to 90 III an
omnibus TO the opposite end OF Chicago (wclls
street dcpotJ though learned afterwards, but
too late, that might lave exchanged my ticket
Ut The Rock Island depot. As 1t was had to re.
main twenty-four hours in Chicago, very dis
| agreeable delay, for the weather was intensely
| cold, and sightseeing out Of the question.
| The Pullman sleeping cars are exceedingly
comfortable, anu should, think, be used, by Ia
| dies ut least, throughout the whole route. Each
! car consists of twelve sections, each of which
| contains during the dny two double seats aud vt
night two double berths-the number OF pusscu.
gers in full car Icing Tins only twenty -four.
They cost from New York to Chicago two
nghts) So, from Chicago to Omaha tone nighD
- so, from Omaha TO PromOntory, or rather Og.
den, for the Union Pacific Railroad has lately sold
the portion of the road from Ogden 20 Promon-
tory to the Central Pacific, two nightS) SIS, from
Ogden 10 San Francisco two nshts) 81. ASH
have said, the accommodation OF sleeping cars
are necessity for ladies aud children; gentlemen
can, with blanket and pillow get along i'll the
common lrst-class car, though they should take
sleeping cars ut least from New York to Chicago,
and from Ogden TO San Francisco, because
on the two ends OF the route the cars are
crowded, While OIL tile Union Pacific Railroad
| from Chicago to OGDEN the number OF passen-
gers Is comparatively small, ut least ut this sea
son, SO thatth chances OF getting two double
| seats for night travel are very good. The rail-
roads are throughout In excellent running order,
| and punctual as to time. The eating along the
route was, hear, generally poor, ut q price OF
81 25 currency per meal. carried n basket fun
| OF provisions and bought cup OF very COED cof.
|
would advise others to do likewise. There arc
only two drawbacks TO the sleeping cars, the one
strong draught OF wind, Which pours through
| the double Windows Is especially troublesome at
night, nn9 causes, no doubt, the soretlironts and
colds which passengers urc sald TO contract SO
| frequently; the other, the colored Stewards who,
| though they are Of unmistakable African descent
all CLAIM to be descendants OF Canadians and IN.
| dams, and arc either ponpOus or impertinent as
niggers will be, especially II, as this is done fire.
qsently by Western ''lades," they nrc not Kept at
II respectful distance. SAN one OF these muiat.
TO fellows pat one Of tile 'ladies,'' who lad
tormcntcd him With very unnecessary ques-
lions, very Familiarity on the back, with the
words 'NOw, you have asked Inc that
hundred times, and l will not answer you
au, more-l IS tired of ysu." People who
cannot liyi without washing every morn.
ing, have to take the sleeping cars, In which tkers
Is drcssing-roon; those who trarc. In the COIN
mon cars have no chance TO make ablutions for
seven days, unless they are willing to rub their
hands and faces with frozen snow. will not en-
tertain you With description OF the route; suf-
flee Il 20 say that Ia my opinion the richest lands
that We passed were In Iowa. There the soil con.
slss OF rich, black lonm, often three feet deep,
undulatng prairie land, bringing from sl0 10 $40
per acre near the railroad. The same rich, black
| u
where, especially between Sacramento and Stock
ton the vineyards, orchards ami wheat farms
nrc beautiful and In high state of cultivation.
The Rocky Mountains appear, for The greater part
of the route, rather like high plateau than q
ridge of mountains with lofty pcnks. Only the
so-callcd Echo Canon with the DEVILS Gate forn.
cd by the Green River, presents wild, mountain
scenery. There perpendicular rocks, hundreds or
4 feet high, rise on both sides OF the railroad, so
close TO the track that there Is hardly room for
| second One--somcimcs the rocks hang actually
| over the road. The scenery In this portion OF the
Rocky Mountains partaEes altogether OF the
character OF the Tyro.cse Alps. The Sierra Ne.
vada, on the other hand, is rs far as It can be
seen. Qor snow sheds, forty miles In length, pre-
vent the passenger from seeing great portion OF
the scencry,l rather romantic than Will and STD.
lime in IL; character. Instead OF cadles3 wastes
OF Snow and sagc-bashcs, which weary the eye in
the Rocky Noun; airs Tie Sierra Nevada appears
;5 one in;erlinScd Chain oI beautiful mountains
ana valleys, covered with magnificent pines, call
| cd Shltlhcr pines Caks and other trees which had
| not yet lost their !eaics-wiIile In tho Rocky
Mountains The only signs OF life were Gn ccca.
slonal fock Of antcopeS or clks, or here and
there prairicdog seated on his iaoua! OF Garth,
Or 1T night He ugly bark OF n wolf. Everything
in Tie Sierra Nevada was green, hou,isl!iig ana
a.;rc. Mining towns are established Ill along
the route; uGucducts which In wooden ,rJughs
| conduct the mountain streams iov many miles
| along The heights and across the narrow valleys:
roads with teams Of horses carrying The ore 10
! the mills; crowds OF healthy. prosperous-lo0E.n
incn NJ every station; little Duic!.!Ookng chill.
| dren, with rec checks and round arms; even
farms in which vegetables and fruits are grown
prove the general prosperity OF the new State OF
Nevada. At Elko, In Nevada, the first Chinese
were sccm; some came on board, others were
| working on the railroad. These sons OF tie Ce-
lcslia! Empire have uniformly made q very favor
able impression upon me, ana have now, OF
course seen thousands or them. They are very
clean, even those working at tile railroads. have
n quiet, sclatc, Intelligent expression OF couutc-
i M nltl