The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1871-05-11

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crafty their interest much better
than they could otherwise have done;
but 10 depict scene like this, chang
ing asf Il did every minute Of time as
VIC moved along, is something that
we shall not attempt to do. Such
scenes Wvre not made to be described,
but to be looked upon in silence and
with uncovered head.
We are now in brigham Young's
dominions, and emerging from these
immense gorges, all along in tho lit
tie valleys are settlements Of Nor
mons. Towns of fifty or a hundred
houses, mostly subsequently not
more than 10x14 feet, and not higher
than you can reach with your hand,
built OF "adobes" (sun.dried brick.
Occasionally we saw . wooden house
of more respectable dimensions.-
Vegetation was fairly started, but
not so forward as We had expected
to see It for the first Of April. Wheat
and oats but fairly covered the
ground. The early flowers were
coming out in profusion on mountain
slopes. Flowers growing and crops
maturing within stones throw Of
perpetual snow, was something that
We had long believed, as We believe
any other historical fact, but to see
it with our own eyes was to do VIC.
fence TO lifelong associations.
We leave tho great Mormon city
Salt Lake City-thirty six miles
to the south, and at Ogden change
cars and find ourselves on the Gen.
trad Pacific. Soon after leaving Og-
den we cbtain,a view Of Salt Lake
Ia lake, be it remembered, that has
many streams emptying into it, but
no outlet,-and soon after, night
coming on, we saw no more of the
country until morning, when we
found ourselves in the great Hum
bolt Valley, which Is about eighty
miles long and ten wide, and said to
be of surprising fertility. Toward
noon we PASSED through Humboldt
Canyon, which lie short compared
with Echo and Weber canyons, but
it is not less imposing. Its dark-red
gloomy, vertical walls rise on either
side in towering grandeur to the
height Of 1900 teet.i 1t seems as
though the mountains had been cleft
in twain at one stroke and made apas-
sage sufficient for train of cars.-
The head grows dizzy in the attempt
to scan tho frowning crest. After
leaving Humboldt canyon for the
next hundred miles, mountains, hills
and valleys, barren and desolate, re
peat themselves In wearisome sue.
| cession.
Monday morning May l, at our re.
quest we wore aroused at4 o'crk, that
we tnightloseas little al possible ofthe
scenery of the Sierra Nevada noun
tains. The first three hours we had
a very unsatisfactory Wow, owing to
the long limo Of snow sheds built for
tho protection of the road. The me-
cessity for this can be appreciated
when 1t is understood that snow falls
on these mountains to the depth oil
twenty feet. These snow sheds are
built of strong timbers and the angle
of inclination of the roof is the same
as the mountain slope, 80 that heavy
avalanches Of snow may pass over
them without endangering the road
The passage is gloomy, and only
here and there is there a break il
tho work which enables one to get q
view of the surrounding country
The longest tunnel through which
we passed was 100 feet. After
passing the main line of snow Sheds
an observation car was again attach
ed, and for more than one hundred
miles tho party toasted upon scene'
of enchanting beauty and grandeur
The difference between tho scenery
OF the Sierra Nevada and the Rocky
Mountains is between life and death
For hundreds of miles in passing
over the latter desolation and dcatl
arc seen to hold supreme sway
| Volcanic mountains Of dull, gray as
pect, unrelieved by . single blade o
grass or living animal, of any de
scription to suggest that the eartl
was made for man, while the Nevad,
| is instinct with life. Pines, tall ant
graceful, flowers and grasses gree
the eye in every direction, and lonl
before the miners ditch or hut Gomez
into view, you feel that you are up
proaching tho confines OF civilization
/, We remember of reading Miss An
ma Dickinson's description of this re
gion, and, perhaps, that description
comes as near giving one just con
ception of this wonderful region a.
human language is capable Of. The
train was stopped at Cape Horn that
va might place our feet on the edge
of a precipice $500 feet deep. This
immense basin, awful chasm, or what
ever you please to call it, is one Of
the greatest of wonders that the
traveller beholds. 1t is about fifty
miles from Sacramento. Q
But we must leave all this, for We
fear we have already said too much
on what one must see for himself
before he can know much about it.
Our next will be on ether matters
MEDICUs.
The iowa Conference Sabbath
School Convention.
The followingis tho programme
1 .xr a