Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1871-08-09

hlst glimpse Oh the hocky Mountain Peaks. Lean
forward and look ahead and see IL am correct -
We all lean forward, look ahead and find what is
said all correct for there, far away to the left is
a range just pedbiag, white upon blue and into
blue, Above the uttermost verge Of the plain.
They are the Colorado Peaks, Longs, Pixies.
Gray's, etc, aud they are one hundred and
soycnty-lyc miles from this platform. a." Oh, but
that isn't possible Why, imagine yourself
standing upon State House hill back Of Mont
pelicr, looking toward the southeast upon q
mountain whose base was washed by the waters
Of Boston llafbor 1t is absurd you could not
distinguish mountains so far away Perhaps
You could not in the case you suppose. But the
atmosphere Of New England and the atmosphere
of Colorado, while they may be the same in many
respects, are very different as media for vision.
The latter Is So perfectly pure 50 entirely free
from mist, or dust, or smoke, and nothing in the
way 90 roinct the rays Of light Take that range
OF mountain. youler almost two hundred miles
Of space 10 be- looked acro,s, yet the lines Of its
peak. seem more sharply defined, and its sweep
more easily di-ccrued than the Adrondack- with
Burlington as the point of observation. How
cool and pure they look snow white cap. upon
bodies OF blue rock. away oil there under the blue
of heaven, with the fair spring sunlight resting
upon them how refreshing the contrast they
present TO the dun .co0rod grass and sombre- hucd
rock Of the plain about u.s. In our thought, they
| take shape for the moment, as the thrones Of the
Emporors of utter Solitude ard infinite Space, r.
SO grand unapproachabe SO lifted above all
that pertains 90 time and man do they appear 10 be
| They have added interest lor our eyes this after
noon for they arc the first reni mountains we have
seen since four day agovo fingered for a moment
upon the Vermont border O. Look over Chnmpain
20 Noun, Marcy, and over the woods TO Mount
Mansfield but the latter are mere baby peaks e
these, the " admiral Dot Of mountains to ID,
" Duke OF Wellington Here we are riding over
% plain chat is lifted three thousand feet above
Marcy and Mansfield, yet looking, awe-strucL
with their altitude, upon peaks that seem &c
pierce The yery heavens
But If they are lifted above all that pertains t,
time and man So completely that SO per-ishabe
thing o., snow when it touches them becomes i'm.
mortal, We are not, for with a shrek from the
whistle we rush into and through something that
sharply reminds us that we are still in the do.
mains Of man We have reached our first snow
shed, an institution think that is thus far peeu-
lar to the Pacific railroad Although for reason
soon to De mentioned, we DO not behold the snow.
shed in all IFS glory until we come to the Sicrns
on the Central Pacific. yet it is well as we pas.
this first one upon the route to say what we have
20 say aboutit, which might well be considerable,
since as whole 10 forms not the least interesting
feature upon the way. Among the obstacles in the
path Of this road the snow was perhaps as formi-
dab,e as any leaving out of account the damage
TO travel and commerce such a detention would
cause, the being stopped hore upon the plains or
up among the SicrTas by snow would not be a
very safe ora very pleasant affair. It became nee
o-slry TO devise some means to surmlunt this OBJ
slaele Of the snow, or else during the winter sea-
son travel and traffic upon the road would be en-
tircly suspended Each train would have to supply
itself with c1mmi--ary stores, water and nel suf-
dcieut 20 answer the demands Of a detention of
from week 10 three months duration in some cut
upon the plains, or amid some defle Of the Ser
ras.
We can better realize what IL detention in win
ter on this road would mean when one calls b
mind how, not many winter ago. a train on the
Boston and Albany road was caught and made
fast in the snow not far from Worcester. and did
not find release until the greater part Of the seats
had been used for fuel and the passengers were
beginning 20 discuss which was best, to face death
by starvation in the cars. or death by freezing
while attempting to reach the neares, station
only a mile or two away In 1857 a body OF
nited States troops were on their way 10 salt
Lake city While the main body pressed ahead
20 establish a camp, the supply train was caught
in the snoW, and while thus situated was surpris-
ed by party of Mormon soldiers The train fol-
lowers, numbering two hundred and thirty in all
were lcit with very limited supply Of provisions
90 save themselves as best they could OF the two
hundred and thirty, only eight reached the near
est fort alive OF course the stations along the
road, although perhaps not more than ten Or a
dozen miles apart, are not prepared to respond to
any great demand for food or fuel, since for the
most port they depend upon the road to bring
them both, and so ordinarily in the winter it
would be a most hazardous undertaking to cross
the continent but really it is now no more haz.
ardous than it IS 10 cross Massachusetts, or New
York in Winter Why it is not is due to the
foresight and energy Of the pioneers Of the Paci-
Gc railroad, Because of their foresight and en-
ergy We rid. through forty-soyen miles Of snow
shed between Omaha and san Francisco and
now on the road in this season one can enjoy the
" silent nall Of the beautiful snow a. contentedy
as though resting one's elbow upon the window
sill, and can snap our fingers in the face Of Jack
Frost with his breath Of the wintry wind as def
anily as though seated by the blazn hearth OF
some Vermont home
The snow-shcl may indeed form an interesting
feature Of the way, but it certainly does not
form an agreeable one You are looking at the
pearly white mountain peak lifting itself in ST.
lent majesty against the rose tinted sky, and
thinking Of the beautiful hills whercon the
blest have trod or your eye is Just glaring upon
the words " he is not your son Of some " Ter
rlble Temptation or you are in the midst of a
most eloquent description Of your last sketch in
portfolio, to the fair burden BY your side -
or, with a smile that is childlike and bland -
You are Just dropping upon your antagonists ace
the right bower that " Bill Nye had not dealt
unto me, when, whew " snop shed, " and all is
darkness, smoke, dust and cnders, from which
after four or five minutes you emerge, rubbing
pair OF eyes, very red and watery, aasping for
breath from the air largely diluted lust then
with btumiouS smoke, and, according to the de.
gree Of personal piety that sou possess, more or
less mildly anathematiLlng the fate that makes
the snow shed a necessary adjunct Of the Pacific
railroad This four or five minute snow shed
with no ventilation, no windows, and loosely con-
sructed, is the snow shed Of the cuts in the plain
on the Union Pacific railroad. have mentioned
once that the snow upon this plain is light and
dry, and that it does not fall to any great depth
Hence 1t is always ready to git up and Qit " at
the command Of the wind and the first place of
course it would get to if it had the chance, is
the cuts Of the road, So over these cuts, which
are never very long, a snow shed is built. 1t
need not be very firmly made, and just strong
enough to resist the wind and keep the snow from