New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1870-06-08
PRICE FOUR CENTS.
TO THE PACIFIC.
NOTES FROM OUR NEW FIELD OF TRAVEL
NO. H.
on THE UNION PACIFIC ROAD.

terrific southwind and such clouds OF sand and dust as
have never seen except in the African deserts. This
khamseen las it would be called in Egypt kept me
within doors most Of the time, and prevented me from
seeing all the growth OF the place since former visit
The transfer Of passengers and baggage from the -four
eastern roads IS still tedious and inconyenient and tho
trains on Union Pacific Road do not oten start u
an hour or two after the appointed tine we got Oh,
however after delay Of three quarters OF al hour ana
started with two locomotives 10 climb the hHs behd
Omaha Our train consisted Of five passenger cars wen
filed and the officers ear, containing Mr. siekes Ens-
neern-C Chief Mr. Nichols, Deputy superintendent; MI
Miner Roberts, and Max HJortsberg, Mayor Lawrence,
Engineers and other gentlemen "aha'eh'
TO investigate Of contract had the g0od fortune
TO be Of this pary-a courtesy which insured ne uxu-
Gus quarters and satisfactory inspection OF mo
road than could have obtained from one Of the pasen
ger cars.
After thirty miles OF high rolling prairie, The road en-
tiers the Platte Valley, and begins its long course OF tan
gents with grade averaging ten feet to the mile Ere
mont where the train stops for dinner and Columbus,
forty-fye miles further, are brisk, growing towns, ana
the great valley, twenty thirty miles broad Is iat
filling up with settlers 1t was luxury Ia speed over
its superb stretch OF green and breathe The blossom
scented air Of those immense natural gardfn'
At Lone Tree 1872 miles from Omaha, ccoSiized the
meadow in which had been deposited by the Denver
STAGE in July 1sC6. This then the western terminus
of the railway with gap OF nearly LOCO miles between
it and the California end Between Lone Tree and Fort
Kearney, which passed at dark could lot detect
much increase Of settlement The hountful levels OF
the Platte sti waiting for their harvests Few OF
the farms the river visible from the Track and
the lands through which the latter not yet held
| for sale
Night came on mo0nlit and calm, and went To bed
betimes In order catch the first view Of tie Rocky
Mountains at dawn. But the station at that hour was
Lodge Pole lying between the stony ridges which nclo>e
the narrow valley Lodge Pole Creek, and for nearly
| mile one % A
the snowy peaks We already 1900 feet above the
the air sharp and KEEN and the grass, 50 deep
and rich along the Platte here just began TO the
gray of the soil At each station there Is guard %
soldiers, rather 10 protect the men and stock and To
signal any rowing body Of Indians than for the safety Of
the trains The company does not anticipate any interior
ence with the road The sentinel patrolling Tie bluff at
Antelope looked, 1 thought, very lonely and uncom-
| Portable.
Prairie dogs out OF their holes the sun grew
warmer groups Of anteopes canered about IN the dis
ance and solitary wolf sneaked away at our approach;
but the buffalo to have left this region. The
country in its present state, is excellent grazing land,
and all the bottoms WILL in time, be cultivated Aiter
passing Antelope, the limestone bluffs become more
frequent and the grade increases to 40 feet the mile
Then come Pine Bluffs, which now naked, rocky
ridges the pine which formerly clothed them hav
ing been entirely cut away for railroad ties and fuel
Near Hllsdae and only 40 miles from the base OF mo
Rocky Mountains I caught the first view OF the Black
Hills in the north, and Longs Peak in the south-the
latter miles of, and flushed with rose III tho
morning sun
Cheyenne is described being the foot of ;ho noun
tans but TO the eye II seated an inermnae PLAIN
The houses are scattered large area ana give ono
the impression that important city is growing to
istence Most OF the buildings are the rudest shaht,
and the railroad is faced with long line OF saloons
displaying biscuit herngs, cheese, oranges peer ana
bad cigars, all of which to be irresistible tempta-
ons TO a certain OF passengers Here the Denver
branch train with newfashioned OF an elegance un
known in older States, waits upon sidetIaok mere
also the hungry overland passengers make rush Tor
breakfast We, who had finished our meal on the way,
took rapid view of the charming mossagates in
neolboring iewery store; but in twenty minutes tho
snal was given and began the ascent Of the highest
railroad summit in the world
CHEYENNE is already 6,CCO feet above The sea, ana
the road climbs 1870 feet further in tie next -
miles A crystalline atmosphere, large distances and
tho iyroglor unduations OF the deceive the eye.
We still seem to be moving nearly level country,
and as often as look forward for the Eigh peak,
which we imagn must guard the pass we see nothnS
but broad gray slopes, dotted with heaps OF rocks OF
with ragged pines North and SOUTH the tops Of some
maintains are seen at intervals, over tie edges Of
Nth plain The track winds little avoid occasional
rid res aud there are cuttings and enlt3nkments
but we reach crest without having encountered moro
than the most ordinary difficulties, and almost WITHOUT
realizing that have left the Plains. The ioadpedlS
made OF disinegratt rock natural lalasbg OF III"
most solid and durable character and the cuttings are
Guarded v snow-ferCcS, iyht feet In hight. Gangs az
mon are still employ ed intervals OF five orslA mles
in rcpacng defective ties and keeping every Fart OF the
track in the best order Tie train uEs with remarkae
smoothness and s;tahLcss, the Natural soty OF til"
road being 80 great that the roucness incident to new
lines is unknown. II Is. in fact, one OF e very Dos'
and safest railroads in the United States.
confess that am greatly disappointed in the appear
auce of the Rocky Mountains at this point There II no
l,nr uubroken sr.owy chain, as at Denver-no sweep
from the plains into lin, luminous etheI' Ire group
about Longs Peak LOOKS far and low; the Back Hl,
nearer at hand, rcthcr lofty nor grand Ia oim anu
all between sees broken, barren tableland, Civ
inc but one Gcetlug glimpse Of lower distance In tho
r@r "a we climb No 0ue la, the Rocky Mountains
who only secs them here.
After passing through Granite Canon (whlch ssiihpF
cutting through porphyry) the country becomes more
b,,,en and de-Oate in the extreme. Patches oi snow
I'LL tie glleys, and tie snow-iences at exposed points,
are tipc the linz, eng placed so or 60 feet apart yet
bryt blue aud golden flowers are In BLOSSOM and an oe-
casonal pony fattens the gray bunchgrass Thentbe
rock changes 10 red granite the few pines which have
leen spared are Stunted and worried; there Is
toych OF ice the air. breathing becomes rapid round
house with five stalls looms up ahead and we are at
shernau s24O above the sealeve This is 1900 feet
higher than any other point yet reached by the loco
/ motive.
am not so much surprised at the excellence Of the
rand which IL accounted for by the natural sodity OF
m bed as at the easy character OF the ascent The rail
WAY across the Brenner, the Tyro which surmounts
summit OF 5000 feet bad tenfod difficulty of surface Ia
overcome; even the New-York and Erie, the Pennsy
yana Central and the Baltimore and Ohio, have had
much more labor cxpense In crossing the Alegha
MES The wonder is that the facilities for building this
road sbould never have guessed until after its
strqletion was begun.
AT Sherman the high, broken table lana begins 10 iai