The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1872-03-07

and towels for sheets. just as it happened"
The worst Of the snow country lies be-
tween, Green river and Sherman, distance
Of about two hundred and fifty miles, and
embracing the divide Of the continent. Be-
fore reaching. Sherman the. road leaves the
plains and enters high, rough, cold country,
a prey 10 intensely cold and furious storms.
It is the terrific wind that does the mischief,
pj,ing the snow drift on drift, mixing it with
sand until il is the color Of brown sugar, and
hacking all so tight that tho most powerful
Snow-ploughs make little impression uponit.
No man has ever solved the problem Of the
nlains. and they are to-day rs much n mys-
fery as ever. 4 fellow of the ROYAL Some
tbinc-or-other in England made careful ex-
animation, aul concluded that the plains h;sd
once been the bottom OF Il sea-. But "here
Is the sea?
But it is useless to go diving about III the
dark to lind out what tie plains nave Dceh
when we find it task of some dll1cult! 10
tell what they are now.
The conductor told me that he pointed out
buffalo every trip. "Thc passengers are ai.
WAYS crazy to see b!ltl.;lo," he said, "ald, OF
course, it is my duty as polite and accom-
modatinS conductor to CRAFTY them. AS no
real buffalo come near the train once month.
I have to rely Oh other cattle and mules. III
| they are far enough of it works splendidiE;.
| Near the Government stations there arc al.
WAYS = lot cf old mules strolling about, and
| If they arc half mile away pass them oil
for buffalo with great success, and satisfy my
passengers"
The physical world is mystery, eight
thousand miles through and twenty-five
| thousand miles around, and the more we Ill
yestigatc the less we know.
For three hundred miles through the
rugged sections of Wyoming and Utah Ter
| ritories | did not see n rock in its natural
position. Everything has been uphcarcd,
| torn up, and turned over. The whole flee
Of the earth through here has been subject al
some period in the worlds history to violent
volcanic action. The very bowels Of the
earth have been thrown out, and so far as my
interest in the public domain is concerned,
would as soon they would have remained
| There are millions, and millions, and million;
Of acres between here and Cheyenne tha
will never be worth for any possible practi
cal use a cent an acre. 1t is as absolutely
worthless as the top of the Andes in thcl
most bleak and barren sections. Hereafter
I shall have no patience with the politi
cians who are bowling because Uncle San
is giving away his precious public domain
"the blood-Lought heritage of free people,
to grasping and villMnous railroad corpora
tions, just to get them to build railroads. /
it is all like that between Cheyenne and here
the more of it lie gives away the better
am no! gigantic and soulless corporation
but would not build half mile of Ken
! tucky turnpike for a half million acres sucl
as see now from the sccond-storv window
Of an Ogden cating-ilouse. 1t is great big
| bleak, barren, snow-covcred hill, reaching
out Of sight east and west, upon which tier,
is not sprout growing, and where sprou
would die in two days and a half if you put
! it there.
The total population of all the cities, towns
and villages OH the line of the road from
Omaha to Ogden, one thousand and thirty
| two miles, viii rot aggregate more thai
twelve thousand; and this Notwithstanding al
the land upon either side of the road is fol
sale 1T low prices. Indeed, the Government
will give man 4 farm under the home
stead act if lie will permanently settle upol
| it. The Platte Valley is filling up quite
rapidly, as lumber can be brought fron
Chicago there, but after you pass Cheyenne
coming this direction, there arc but slim
signs Of Improvement.