The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1871-05-12
WHEELING TO SAN FRANCIsCO.


| Gold - also plenulullY lOunl, anu already
six or eight quartz mills are in operation,
crushing and reducing the precious met
ais, and railroads along several Of the
valleys have been surveyed, and one 70
| Denver, connecting with ;hc | T. H. IL
at Cheyenne, passes through kansas Ia
| LeayrnwOrth. Now rs We dash along
| the plain, there are numerous narrow path
WAYS well beaten in the gruund-lheSe
are buffalo tracks, where herds have
crossed the plain, lntersperscd along
these lines are pits abOut ten feet across,
and on iuul deep, entirely deprived Of
grass, which we were told were buffalo.
rlllOrs Is you near the western end OF
these plains, the alkaline element becomes
more marked, and the peculiar growth
OF this region, the Hgt.blsh more plcEli.
lul. The only necessary ingredient 10 in
sure bOuntiiul crop, OF almost all cereals
and vegetables, is TItGr. This product
is the more remarkable from the fact OF
lis great altitude, being between 5000 and
1000 feet above the sCa.leyel; and when |
expressed my surprise at the statements
OF a prominent resident concerning the
products, he assured me he had gathered
line in Colorado, at an eleya-
ton Ut II 900 feet. determined not to
quarrel with him, and did not doubt his
report However, he looked at me and
inquired: How do you account for that
Well, ahem! have been thinking the mat
Ter over, and the only solution OF the mys.
terry can arrive at Is, that in some way
or other the winds, perhaps, the south
west winds may influence the climate
here. You have it, hc replied, with a
good deal OF emphasis, and said, oh il
you don't know more about il than three
lOurihs Ut the old residents here, for have
studied the thing tor years and come to
the same conclusion. Now said he,
stranger, I've raised more cattle here
than anybody else, and that ere wind will
cure our standing grass along in August,
better than any farmer in the States can
cure his hny. It's swcGter than It II Is
cut, and our work oxen will cat the stand.
ing grass in preference
Our train is dashing along now among
the Black IiilS. These are the foot hills Of
the Rocky Mountains, and J!dck isapretty
good name for them; they arc growing
higher aud higher and changing their up.
pearancc, getting very pedhH with bold
rocks iultiug up, somewhat in Castellatcd
style; their color has changed too. Sir /!
said TO my next nGighbor, can you tell
what mountains these are? Yes, sir, they
are the Rel. BUit6y Butte means peak.
Successive wGll.markGd lines indCnt the
sides OF the mountains as they rise, max.
ing one conjecture that u good while ago,
may be when Moses was baby this
country was covered with WdtCr; don't
remember or kRDlr anything about ii, but
1t looks like one Of the testimonies Of the
rocks
Night is fast coming on, and we find
the mountains are being covered by u
thick veil Of mist, apparently condensed
by their snOw.COycrGd tops. As we dash
along herds OF antelope scampcr away
from US and there,a snGaking c0yoie lodges
behind bush. lIabilations are very
scarce, nothing save u hirGkoWsc, looking
more like Il den than human habitatiOn,
and tenanlless We were told they were
built by the employees Of the Railroad
during Ia construction.
The ladies and others ~ our care look
tired and sleepy. We have had our
lunCh-lcts 90 10 bed "Say conductor;
How far Is 1t to Lake Como?' "Just six
miles" We were soon there. A beauti.
full little lake, clear, and smooth as glass,
by moonlight The surface is getting so
dry, ii Is Il luxury Ia sec this sheet Of
water. But we are no "pOtc," and cannot
describe II pOetCally--sO good night
APRIL IS" ROck Spring; twenty min.
ulcs for breakfast" was shouted in the car.
The place looks like the bed of a dried up
river, with banks 30 or 60 feet high, DIES.
titutc Of vegetation, high, brown and
white, eroded and quilted, a. II water had
once ran down their sidcs--dreary and
desolnte. But see how "things are fixed.
BY shailing IL few feet, coal OF excellent
quality Is found We learned that the
railroad and Omaha were chiefly supplied
from these mines. just like some rough
bronzed ind ugly looking people, whose
exterior looks lOrbidding, but have n warm
and generous heart within. What next :
Why GrsRaiM. Here are the first ddoJt
houses we have met; 80 or sixty Of them
roOiess and tenantless-"nary' inhabi-
mnt. A few years ago this ciH was
full Of lie and nctvlty, in consequence
of some rich silver mines in the in.
terror, and this was the point Of
shipment and supply. But presto! change;
richer mines have been discovered, and
this city Is aband0ncd-corner lots re-.
manning in their old position. This Is a
common incident In the mining districts.
AT Byan's station we dined on elk md an.
telOpe steaks-goOd, and well cooked by
"llcathCn ChinCC' cooks. This isabOnt
our first introduction to Su Ching and
WO Hung. They arc sharp, quick look.
ing chaps. The country here alOunds in
wild animals. OnepoOr fellow was car.
ried on the train who, few days before,
had been fighting cinnamon bear, re.
sulting In death TO the bear, and leaving
the man minus n scalp, with considerable
portion OF the left side of his lnce, beside
various g0ugcs and loss Of substance on
his shoulders and arms. The train
was full Of doctors, and be was fixed IN.
Here we go, climbing up tue Uintali
mountains, and we ARE now in Utah.
cold very cold, snow six feet deep on their
tops and in the Canyons and gulchcs nc.
teen totwcnty feet. Bear River city is
located here with more coal mines right
on the top Of the range. As we descend the
canyon, are mountain torrents and streams
filled with the largest and finest trout, on
the road. The mountains Of Salt Lake
looking like great ileccy clouds and called
the WasatslI Range, appear to I'LL the sky
The conductor has given notice that he
will attach the Conservation car" as We
are about TO plunge down the mountains,
through ocho canyon. So until we get
down, no more from SPEC.
New DAILY AT CHARLEsTOS.-Wt
have received the first ard second issue.
Of the RdRdirha Duly Ner,, neat and