Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1870-03-05
The Pacific Railway in Winter.

I past few days. During that time one Of
4 the iEost terrible snow storms which ever
ragged in tho mountains, and one of the
! coolest and most sweeping wind storms
4 which ever swept over the plains, was cx-
! rerenccd over the cutire extent of the
road between Ogden and Omaha. Many
/ persons fully expected to hear of such
snow blockadcs as occurred last winter,
before any preparation had been made to
! overcome winter obstructions on the line.
/ We are glad to learn, however, that the
train which left San Francisco on the
morning Of Thursday last, arrived in the
depot at Omaha on the evening of Mon
day, one half an hour behind time. The
passengers, of all classes, among whom
! were many women and children, stated
they met with no detention, and were as
comfortable upon the trip and enjoyed it
as much as though it had been mijsum.
| mcr instead of midwintcr. Some of them
give graphic accounts of the gloomy gran
deur of the trip through the wilds of the
two great canons Weber snd Echo,) and
Of the lcaden loneliness of the journey
over Tie elevated passes at Bitter Creek
and Sherman. All WAS comfort within
the cars. while frozen dcsolaton and
storms ragged without.
Three tourths Of the cuts on the Union
Pacific Road-from which all dangers of
detention arisc-have been either covered
with snow sheds, or protected by double
lines of snow fences. There arc now over
one thousand carpenters and many labo-
rers employed Oh the road in completing
these snow protectors. In few weeks all
will be finished. and the universal opinion
is that there will then be no more delay or
the Union Pacific line than occurs every
winter on the Northern Atlantic roads
The snow sheds Oh the Central Pacific line
We're all completed some months ago, and
every day travel on that road is as uninter.
ruptcd in winter as it is in summer.
| y weeks journey now carries the At
lan,ic traveller i'll cntirc safety and comfort
from the SHOWS and rignrs of our winters
across the Rocky and Sierra Nevada
Mountains to the valleys of California,
where sprin- and flowers are almost per-
cnnal. The trip at this season reveals
many views of nature in her crandcst and
most gloomy moods, too, which are lost to
those who travel in the dust and heat of
summer.
Tho through Pacific Railroad has already
pr1vcn pecun;ary succc: I'll success
which vii! be enhanced by the fact that
the Union Pacific Road can be safely and
un:ntcrrup'e1Iy operated in winter.
With the completion Of the through
road The work of building branch lines
from it began. The Denver branch is
completed for sixty miles; the line to Salt
Lake City is finished; while in California
what may he called local railroad era has
been entered upon. The Western Pacific
Road--thc las western link of the great
trans continental railroad chain-was com.
plctcl three months ago. 1t truns through
IL magnificent farming country, and is pay
ing handsomely already. Fifty-thrcc
miles of the great interior road (the Cali
iorria and Oregon linc) arc finished, and
the work is being driven rapidly toward
its northern tcrminus-the Oregon State
linc--whcrc it will connect with line
now being built from the Columbia River
southward toward California. The Cali
lornia and Oregon Road will run through
the entire Sacramento Valley and will
connect with the San Joaquin and Tulare
Road, which is to run through the San
Joaquin Valley southward to the Colorado
River. The two valleys named are en-
pircs in extent, and almost unparalleled in
agricultural and mineral resources, which
resources arc yet almost untouched. There
are at least half dozen other short rail
road lines now either being built or Just
completed in California and Nevada.
Within few years as most the Mormons
will have road. already built to Salt
Lake City, extended to the Colorado Rv-
er; while one line certainly, and two prob
ably, will by that time be built from Ogden
to Idaho aud Montana. Nevada, too is
clamoring for railroad from the Central
Pacific line at Elko or Carlin to White
Pine and the other rich silver mining dis.
tricts of Southern and Eastern Nevada.
The great West has just walked up. It
has been ticklcd with one great railroad il
will laugh with harvest Of them before
five years, each one Of which will in a
greater or less degree be feeder to the
three lines now operating between Chica-
go, Omaha and San Francisco. When
these lines are all built, or even before
that time, Southern Pacific road aud a
Northern one also, will probably have be-
come necessities which must and will be
supplied, because there will then be no
doubt whatever about their paying. 'a97''a'
/ Meanwhile, those who have been adv0-'
eating the building Of the two latter roads
can no longer use the argument in their
favor that the Union Pacific line cannot
be operated in winter because of snow.
The present railroad lookout is bright, yet
it is only Anyer-post pointing to a vastly
greater future. Every mile of railroad
built between Illinois and the Pacific
Ocean will add to the commercial impor-
tance Of Chicago. = Chicago Iyibwse.a 7oi
eU Queen Victoria has sixteen grand
children. = = SO %