Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1872-01-31
4 Trip to Californla-..No. 20.

\ Trip to CalifOrnia-.-NO. 20.
A short letter will finish all that remuins % be
told OF the desert and It's surroundings. let this
he letter of glcanngs. First | wish to CLEAN
back to the evening when We left Ogden and came
the first fifty miles into the desert. This is not
a region Of many railroads naturally could not
help seeing that bat was sure that, if my eyes
did not deceive me, and was sure they did
not, lew rods to the right OF the road over
which we were gliding, there was the road bed all
graded and grayelled for a railroad. Upon in
quiry found that it was what it seemed 10 be,
and t came there good many things that are
utterly useless and uncalled for came to this
earth. through the selfshness and cupdty Of
men
Senltor Nye has said that this desert was
4 ~ Dr. only two things, cemetery and 2 place
n which 10 build railroads" Those who built
the two parts Of the PucGc railroad found the
desc IS good to build railroads in that when
they met they did not stop but built by each'other
nearly fifty miles The fact of it was that it cost
buta trine of the Government subsidy per mile
to build the road here, and the Central Pacific
wanted the surplus to help pay for the forty miles
OF snowshed it had built across the Sierras, while
the Union Pacific wanted it to make il square in
the matter Of its deep cuts through the canyon
rock, At last Government stepped in and effect
ed a compromise. The termin Of the two roads
were to be at Ogden the last spike, meaning the
real junction Of the roads, was to he driven at
Promontory, place fifty miles to the west Of
Ogden into the desert, while the rails Of that fifty
miles the two rival corporations were to share
alike. At Promontory then on the lUth Of May,
1860, the ceremony Vi driving the " last spike
was performed. Here is the picture. Two Jco-
motives, the East" and the " West" come
slowly up facing each other, advancing until their
iron lOreheads touch each other, and across the
little gap the engineers clasp hands Leland
Stanford, the presiding genius Of the grand I'M
dertaking, takes the hammer OF solid silver in his
hand to the handle is attached two telegraph
wires, one touching the city upon the Pacific. the
other resting ct last in the cities By the Atlantic
and thence coursing the oceans bed to the shore
OF the old eastern world the index finger of the
master mechanics watch speaks IL m. The ham.
mer falls, and hardly had lis click died out upon
the desert air, when all the cities Of the old world
and the new, by clang OF bell and thunder Of
cannon, know that the grand event Of this age
and Of all ages in the sphere of railroading had
been consummated at last.
The religious scots of our country have afore-
times sent many grand missionaries to the pagan
nations Of the far East, to turn them from heather
thoughts and heather customs to right Christian
living. So to our government has made many
wise and eloquent men Enyoys Extraordinary and
Ministers PIenipotentiary to the Eastern courts,
to bring those courts open their cities and fields
/ to the commerce Of the world, and to the inflow
ing of the culture and the civilization Of the nine
eenth century. But here through this desert
runs a missionary more grand and potent for the
conversion Of the heather to Christian thought
and Christian customs than any Of the sect. have
sent; an Envoy of wisdom more extraordinary
n Minister Of eloquence more fiW Of porer, 10
open Chinese and Japanese darkness to American
Plight thon all those combined that this republic
has sent over the sea and the name of this
grand parsonage, this Missionary Envoy, minis
ter all in one, is " The Pacific Railroad" If
has come to pass in these last days through
which we are now living that the mountain Of
the Lords house is established in the top of the
mountains-the mountains that progress IN art,
science, md humanity have reared in our dear
republic. And this road is the main channel, for
their eyes see it and their hands can touch il,
by which all nations are to flow unto il, to be
taught OF the ways that make for righteousness
and the law that ut last beats sword into plough.
share and spear into pruning hook.
There are but two more objects Of special in
! 81 4. .lg
they are called The q" Wells" and the "sinks. So
They both in the Humboldt valley, or great
Nevada Basin, where the desert trends away to-
ward the Sierras. We come upon the Humboldt
river in the forenoon, and we follow it all day
until VIC lose it and it loses itself in the Hum
holdt sink The wells are about midway of the
valley. There are perhaps halfdozen Of them.
An opening in the ground, perfectly round. about
six feet in diameter filled with water to the brim.
The one We saw had Il water house built owe il,
and an engine was pumping water from it ~ sup
ply Il tank overhead for the use of locomotives.
What did you bring us in here for, to look at
this well, say we rather Indignantly. ave can
see enough wells on the hills Of Vermont "
- But the wells of Vermont are made By man and
reach but very few feet below the surface This
well had different maker, perhaps some titanic
jacob Of the antediluyan days, and its depth ap-
pears absolutely soundess," is the quiet reioin.
der of our companion. The round opening filed
with water. all making up most familiar sight,
takes upon itself new departure for interest in
our eyes. do not zee what these wells can be
if not craters of extinct volcanoes, for now we
are trayersing region whose rock is disntegra-
ted lava instead OF abrnded alkaline dust IL is
fortunate for the high mission of our Missionary,
Envoy and Minister, mentioned above, that they
give out water now Instead Of lava
The humboldt Sink is the end Of the Humboldt
river. Tho river empties here, not into the ocean,
not into lake, not into another river, but into
the ground. Owing 10 the aridily of the soil
for one hundred and fifty miles, it has been de.
creasing in volume until just here, its waters
spread themselves over quite large plain, and
sink into the soil. A curious country this is,
torsooth. It's springs, are lathomess IN depth
'l--A It's rivers grow shallow and disappear from
sight All the lesser ryers that find their begin
nings up among the mountain SHOWS, flow down
into this great basin of rotted lava rock, and it
drinks them all up, but never gives forth their
equivalent in grass or grain. But here is some
thing for man to do il the soil cannot be TILED
We are in the midst Of one of the great silver
mining regions OF the continent. Nevada, though
poverty stricken to look upon, hides in her bosom
more riches than glitter in the treasures Of all the
governments on earth Some of her sister States
may be iairer in feature, but none, unless it be
California, is richer IN purse From whit we
have been taught by the action of man in the past,
we arc led to prophecy that though repuIsiye, as
she is, in feature, angular in form, and cold and
arid in appearance, plenty of men will be found
ready 10 wed her for her money
We have said now all we care to say of that
great tract Of land lying between the great Salt
Lake or.the foot hills Of the Rocky Mountains and
the Sierra Nevada mountains. The part of the
trip overland that includes il is certainly interest.
ing and deeply instructive but it is far from
being pleasing. II one wishes to put himself in
a condition to enjoy the green hills aud smiling
yalies Of Vermont, to realize the charm OF its
a.. rial landscane amhndvi,g In ona harmon;o,s