The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1872-05-16

C0LoRADo SPRINGS, C. III
" MAY 9Th, 1872. I

purpose of testing the narrow gauge
railroad, than with the expectation of
finding anything OF striking interest
in the physical surface of this vicinity.s
The narrow gauge is daily attracting
more attention from the engineers and
capitalists of the Eastern States. and
even Of Europe: and with sharply
/ whetted curiosity. / paid the regular
toll of seven and half dollars for II
ticket to this point. distant seventy
| five miles from Denver.
/ The first sensation experienced on
| stepping aboard. is that of unminglcd
contempt. The carriages, in their
small proportions. appear like chill
drcn's toys. The locomotive reminds
You of the ingenious continuance that
the BOYS wind up with Il key and set
to going on the parlor floor, and one
| feels an almostirresistible inclination
to pick it up in his hand and examine
! it. The appearance OF the track rather
| encourages the dclnsion--narrow-
slender, thread-likc rails, and of small
er proportions that a respectable train
| way to a Wapello county coal inine.--
! III Hat CttIS ICeCtlIUlC tiIS HShS
of broad gauge road, and the box
cars are much like the ticket Office of
a champion circus. A large proper
ton Of the fi'eighting cars run on sim
! gle trucks a
Entering the passenger coach. !
| found, TO my surprise. that / could
stand upright in the interior The fin
ishing. upholstering, &C., were of as
fine quality and in quite rs good taste
as of the best day cars on the Bnrling-
ton road. The aisle ran nearer one.
side than the other, SO that to the right
hand the seats were full sized for two
| persons, and to the left of single size,
for one person. At tile middle of the
car the aisle shifts to the other side of
center, the large seats being thus
thrown on the left side, and the small
ones on the right. BY this means the
load is evenly distributed and the cqui-
hbrium of the coach preserved. A
coach will contain thirty passengers.
in ten double seats and ten single ones.
BY degrees the feeling of contempt
wears OF. As you are switched
around a curve of smaller radius than
Won ever dreamed attainablc in rail-
ways. at the rate Of a mile in two
minutes. YOU conclude that if the
'.toy" jumped the track and fell over
on You. ii might bruisc you some. The
usual work ola railway train Is carr
RED on precisely as it Is on full grown
roads-wiih the usual amount Of puff
ing and blowing, starting and stopping.
slowing down and starting up. Pass
cngers getting OH and Of, baggage is
smashed with the usual extreme unc-
ton OF baggagcmcn, and that little
q lord, the conductor, struts about and
!. flashes his real diamond. quite us god
like us his brother Of the broad gauge.
The economy of such a road is lis
chief feature, aud herein lies its real
success. The first cost of constructor
, and equipment Is not far beyond hall
that of the common gauge. The dead
I weight Of 8 train Of cars in proportion
to its load Of freight, is said 10 be-and
! must be--Much less than on the broader
track. the per ccntage of loss increasing
in regular proportion with the incrcas-
cd width Of track. Up to a certai.
point, beyond which road in thi.
/. country will not soon pass, single
three feet track will easily accomIlao
date all the traffic: and through tn,
adoption OF this system by some long
: headed and enterprisil,g capitalists %
Denver, the most remote and ulscftlel
portions Of the territory, with business
9 nov contracted withiR narrow limits
8 Twill be brought in connection will
ssthe States twenty years earlier thar
by the broad gauge. To use a meta
phOr. the narrow gauge will fattcn Oh
a traffic that would starye the broat
gauge. The Denver and Rio Grand,
I. railway, of which am writing, is be
= ing pushed on TO Santa Fe. and vii
thence strike for FL Paso, on the bordc
Of Mexico. Thence to the City o
D Mexico through the richest table Ian,
i of America. is but a question of abou
, five years. The road builds up civil
cation. and business, as it advances
and, OF practical Mexican aunexation
{ lists it will be the pioneer.
a The colony Of Colorado Springs j
), the creation of the pony railroad.
= is organized something on the plan 0
= the famous Greeley colony, but, unlik
e the latter, is surrounded by an cX
! tremely interesting country. The oil
town known as Colorado City is abou
two miles distant from the railwa,
station, and is sad reminder Of tn
;. ! old Pixies Peak stampede Of SO and IS
The soda springs are still further from
the railway. about five miles from tn
citation. the road leading directl,
through the old town. These settle
. ments. now practically one, are located
in the valley at the immediate base o
the famous peak. During tn,
{, mining excitement the bosQm o
the valley was covered with The
tents, shanties and open camp fires OF
the swindled miners. The rush came
! in from all quarters: The crowd was
daily reinforced from the mines ol
California, from the prairies Of the
Mississippi States. from the hills OF
New England. ana from the cities OF
the Atlantic. 1t was easier to start
the torrent than to check its flow. The
tale OF riches.O fortunes acquired in a
day, was eagerly believed in the CON
/ viction that the country was colOrless
seekers only ut the point Of absolute
starvation.
Il Fortunately the air was pure and the
r climate dry. Among the thousands OF
, men death was an intrequcnt visitor
4 I Ntitit lOW6I0ts tNc cuu-Dy slstTNa-
b ton. There is a grave yard here con.
!. tanning perhaps an hundred graves
melancholy reminders Of the old
times. The first bodies Inferred her,
Were those OF four men detected in TIL,
: clime of robbery and hung by thei
4 comrades. They were buried near to
\ gethcr, and thus the graveyard secured
a start. ] have heard of climates 5,
tperfectly conducive to health that til,
cemetery associations have TO each Xii
their man to get start with. l viii
now yOuch for the story MS bein;
founded on dreadful fact.
Bur, have written as much Us you
can stand ut one dose. and will reserve
h some further items for another letter
Il. +.
Formers Geek - xsur Intsrssts.
u We ask you to call and examine oul
stock Of farm machinery. We chal
lenge all competitors to field trial OF