Nebraska advertiser. [volume] (Brownville, Nemaha County, N.T. [Neb.]) 1856-1882, 1870-03-17


four inches deep; about four o'clock |
in the afternoon it cleared off nicely. |
We are now on the eighteen mile
grade, said to be the most dangerous
grade on the whole route. We go
carefully along the whole route. Every
ten miles "mOre or less" +" as the law
yers say we pass station house,
where a man is constantly employed
to inspect ten miles of the road and
keep it in order. They are scattering
human habitatiOns, far, far from civil
iZation.I 80 .r..-El .. @
Nov. 19.-Carefullv and slowly, last
night we came up the long grade,
which terminated at Sherman, the
silmmit-the highest point on the
route, reaching an altitude of 5000
feet above sea level. f,., =.
And now for the down grade
sleeper than the up hill. I have never
experienced a more exciting ride. 1t
is feaFfully Sublime. We skim the
ground, we fly, we fly I-through
strips of seemingly level plain
through deep cuts, whose frOwning
and overhanging rocks project direct
ly above US. d It is q lovely, moonlight
night, rendered still more beautiful
by The ground being covered with
snow. Through all this long ,Eswift
ride, hold my baby fast gathered in
my arms. Fantastic terrORs throng
my brain What ifsOme treacherOus,
Overhangingl rock, had stripped its
fastening and had rolled upon the
track what, if thousand things
Away! I will not dream of these.
Gods hand, that stills the tempest, is
with us as the iron horse with its
precious freight thunders across the
summit of the Rocky Mountains.
What a sense of relief ] experience
when the long twenty mile grade is
pasta grade of eighty feet to the
mile, We draw long breath, for We
have passed some frightful places dur
ing the fearful ride. AT one time the
long train stopped in the centre of q
rocky ridge, on either side of which
was deep, yawning ravine. Now
and then the engine started with q
jerk, then backed again, still keeping
us in this uncomfortable situation,
while the storm without, bowling
and surging, and laundering against
the cars, rocked us as in a acradle-sug-
gesting terrible thoughts; but at last
we pass safely over the frightful
causeway. 30 tt7.t. -
We pass Laramie, a very nice little
towL, besides many other stations of
! lesser Importance. We can scarcely
believe that we are in the mountains,
| for around us, on either side, are
smooth, unbroken plains, as, if de-
signed by Nature for the path of the
/ iron horse Afar on the left the deep
blue swell of the Wind River noun
tains is plainly visible.
It. is clear and beautiful, though
rather cold, to-day, and the clouds
are hurled back against the horizon.
We goon alta good swinging pace; ex-
pect to be in PrOmOntoly to-day or to-
morrow. Our journey has been en-
livened by droves of deer, antelope
and elk-alsO badgers and wOlves-nO
| buffalo; the song of bird is seldom
heard along the track. r..
Nov. 20.-A most lovely day. The
pet canaTies in my neighbOrs cage are
reclining in the glorious sunshine. We
are at Wahsatch, 116 miles from Pro-
mOntory. l hear the men sounding
the car wheels, which is done every
| fifty miles; the engine is also changed
every fifty miles.
q A number of boys have come on the
cars selling bread, cakes, coffee, &C.
bread twenty-five cents per loaf, coffee
ten cents per cup. We are going
through romantic and picturesque
scenery: Bear river, clear and muir
muring over a pebbly bed, is lovely
little stream. At noon we enter Echo
CdnOn--a romantic natural defile-
g. IOV,D.
the mountains on either side, tall and
majestic, are of red sandstone, and
covered with tamarac and sage-brush,
and bearing unmistakeable evidence
of having been worn by the action Of
water, years, perhaps centuries, ago.
1t is picturesque beyond description
the long, level dell through which a
lovely, clear stream ripples and wan
ders, and the frequent occurrence of
warm springs, around and near which
the green grass grows in all the luXu-
rance of early June.
Here on the very SUBMITS of these
lOftiest peaks, we see the remains of
breastwOrks, built years ago by the
MOrmOns under the command of Brig
ham Young, in order to shoot down
on the Government troops. It is
scrap of history interesting in the ex-
treme. Situated as they are, on the
tops of those lofty mountains, they
look like child's play; yet, the force
and power of their resistance against
our soIdiery; the wasted army muni-
tions; the squandered treasury funds,
and the utter failure of the object is
fresh in the minds OF every one famil-
lar with frontier history.
Weber River, running through the
canon, is clear and full of mOGii tain
trout. r.
We have stopped at Echo City, a
small hamlet. Here we bought some
Utah apples-fFuit of a superior quail
icy. This is a lovely spot. Were il
not so in the wilderness, I should
love to make my home here.
We have passed several Mormon
villages, and I notice two features
which seems to Je characteristic Of
this peculiar society, to-wit: The
utter and permanent poverty of the
people. and the number Of the child
ren. judging from the number of lit
tie tow Headed safuts that swarm
about the low log huts, we come to the
conclusion that this must be a man
ufacturing' village.
AT sunsetwe near the renowned nat
ural wonder called Devils Gate. His
tory and tradition have made our ears
familiar with this remarkable and aw
inspiring place. Huge mountains
form narrowingly on either side, at
the base of which deep and rugged
hole seems to have been scOOped by
demon claws. The mountains of solid
rock descend almost perpendicularly,
and az the very bottom of the awful pit,
the Weber River, deep and dark,
tumbles among the rugged rocks.
The railroad track spans the wide and
gloomy gorge. Slowly We pass above
and look from the dizzy height-Only
a narrow railroad bridge on which to
cross this Witch's Cauldron. Not the
least interesting feature Of this awe
Inspiring and wond rful place is the
old "Emigrant Road - far below it
winds its course around the margin Of
the river. In one place the solid rock
has been picked and hewn away, as if
hy raiuffI1 Ia},or upfil fhafa iS harn1<-