Litchfield enquirer., 1870-03-31
OCEAN TO OCEAN"
II.
UTAH,


 Col. Percy of Ri 1geheld, Conn.,. who was killed by the Indians at the time of the survey of the railroad. Should have stop ped here, but did not like to leave the company, and retired early so as to be re- freshed for my next days ''sight seeing" Was awakened before it was hardly day light by hearing the wind whistling in 8 terrible manner. All was consternation, every one. except those who were accus- toned to the place, expecting the train would be thrown from the track. The country here was terribly wild, and while looking, silently meditating. was inter- rupted by ''Dave's" saying, "Well, New York; what think you of this country?" My reply was truel Yankee. "What do you think of it2" "Well, the Almighty's intentions might have been good enough when He started to make this sountry. but my private opinion is He must have been driven off by the Indians before comple- tion." l am sure there was nothing I could say that would be more expressive. Barren, barren, was the word from here to Salt Lake. We soon arrived at Bryan. The soil here is red sand and the country uninviting in the extreme. This was once 8 rough place but the vigilance committee cleaned the rufians out. A good story is told of their waiting upon one of the roughs and giving him just fifteen minutes to leave the town. He mounted his mule. remarking, Gents, if this d-d mule don't buck don't want but Ave-" The expres- sion "buck" in California, and west of the mountains, is used to signify the way mules have of jumping up and striking stiff legged until they buck their rider of, saddle and all. trick very common here. particularly among those of fSpanish origin. At Church Buttes we were shown splendid specimens of moss agates which are very abundant in the Buttes (mountains). We now pass several stations and through the same wild country, and at lest reach
 ECHO CANYON.
 Waksatch Station is 968 miles from Omaha and 806 miles from Sacramento: elevation 6,Sls feet. This place is struggling in ap. pearance. We here refreshed ourselves at the What Cheer Eating House." the best on the Union Pacific Railroad, and soon lfound ourselves approaching the far famed "Echo Canyon" We soon commence running over embankments and on trestle work, one piece 23o feet long and 30 feet high, the other 4b0 feet long and 75 feet high. Then we come to the tunnel through the Waksatch noun tains, 770 feet in length, cut out of sand stone. opening into Echo Canyon. It is impossible for me here to find words to express my feelings on beholaing these terrible wonders of Creation. We were in our old places on the engine. At first I would have given all I possessed to be un. der cover in the coach; but soon the feel ing gave way to perfect awe. The road bed, for some distance here, has been made by cutting out the sides of the rocks and filings to the height of 75 to 100 feet causing one to shudder at the consequent ces in case of accident. Still we go plung. ing along with the speed of madness and at length reach the bottom of the Canyon. It is about 150 feet wide at its base. On the light, the rocks tower above. .perpendic ularly, some 2,000 feet above the little val ley. On the left, they are less abrupt, but higher if anything. Some of them pro. iect over one another. in some places near ly across the Canyon. The rocks are of sandstone and full of caverns worn by time and occupied during the construction of the road by the laborers. The scenery grows wilder as we descend, for some seven miles, when we come to Castle Rock, extending entirely across from crest to crest, forming natural bridge 2,000 feet high. On the right you constantly be- hold Canyons dividing and extending into mountain places never travelled by man, and one would hardly imagine that the wild beast would ever dare intrude into their awful solitudes. The beauties of the Echo Canyon are so many it is impossible to convey shadow of an idea of its grandeur We will pass along these castellated monu- ments of red rock with their towering domes, till we come to Hanging Rock" whose walls rise in massive majesty defy ing time and mortal man to destroy. Six miles below can be seen the Notifications erected by the Mormons to defend this pass at the time of the Mormon war. There Notifications consist of massive rocks placed 80 as to fopple over upon the poor unfortunates below. After passing through this canyon for 26 miles we come to the ''witches cave,"a defile in the rocks exten. ding-no one knows how far. We pass Chimney Rock towering some 1.500 feet above. perpendicular rock with slight juttings, enter Weber Canyon, and stop at Echo City, small and uninviting place., I now have feeling of wanting to look solely at the wonders of creation, plenty of the works of man we have left at home. Dave says we have''rocks on the brain." We