Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-12-07

the Weber river, beautiful little stream
now gliding smoothly aloBg, glittering
playfully in the sunlight, then rushing and
plungingmadly against the rocks as though
in anger with them for resisting it and
forcing il TO change its course. On either
side OF the narrow passway the rocks rise
from fifty TO two hundred feet, sometimes
almost precipitously, then again give way
to co respondingly deep gorges One
passes through these canyons with bated
breath, looking eagerly frome one side to
the other on the alert to see it ALL Their
sublime grandeur is almost oppressive and
one issues from them into the pretty valley
Ct
SALT LAKE
with an involuntary sigh of relief, not
withstanding the intense enjoyment which
it caused. Ogden is place of importance
as a railroad center, being the junction of
the Union Pacific, Central Pacific and Utah
Central railroads. Its location is exceed
ingly picturesque. Upon one side rise the
rugged Wasatch mountains, self-constituted
protectors of the fertile valley and pretty
lake that lie invitIngly before them.
Salt Lake City lies thirty-six miles south
of Ogden, and, like that place, nestles COST
ly among the foothills. 1t is well laid out
in regular blocks, with broad streets, ON
both sides of which are rows of shade trees
and little running steams of pure, sparkling
water, which furnish irrigation. There are
some substantial brick business blocks, but
most of the buildings are of wood and
adobe. As
BRIGHAM YOUNG
is the central object of interest here we call
ed to see him. Unfortunately he was out
of town. He has at present sixteen wives
and ''sedlsn innumerable. His residence
is surrounded by massive wall, II or 10
feet high. (Why?) Just opposite he is
building very pretty house with French
roof for his "sfavorit.e' There is no fence
around this one. We saw several Mo
mons running loose in the street. We were
little timid at first about approaching too
near them, but as there was nothing at all
striking in their appearance and there was
a Moore man in our party our apprehen-
sions soon vanished. They look, act and
speak very much like the rest of the human
race.
THE TABERNACLE
is an immense building, with self-support-
ing, egg shaped roof capable of seating 49,
900 persons. Ii contains a fine, large Or
gan, the second in size in the world. The
Temple, commenced twenty years ago, in
the same square, has little more than the
foundation laid yet. 1t is now progressing
more rapidly. The material is white mar
BILE, quarried few miles from the city, and
brought in on railroad laid for the pur-
pose. 0ne-tenth of the annual crops or in
comes of the Mormons is required of them
to carry on this work and to sustain other
institutions. In their religious service any
one of them is liable to be called upon at
any time to address the congregation.
While passing through this Mormon coun-
try. it was whispered to us that the number
of wives Mormon has may be determined
by the number of windows in the front of
his house, and that little window in addi-
tiOn to the large ones indicates an engage
ment. We had no opportunity to test this
rule. A house with no windows rarely APP
peared. When it did, We pictured to our
selves the inmate, living in benighted soli-
tude. --
NEVADA,
with its sand and sage-bush, is the most
uniuteresting part of the trip. The soil is
| said to be rich and to need only water to
make it yield abundantly. Over large
tracts of lands kind Of bunch-graSs grows
up with the sage-bush, which retains its
nutrition when dried, andfuTnisheS grazing
| for immense numbers of cattle and sheep
all the year round. At nearly every station
| few
INDIANS
appear, wrapped in their blankets, and beg
for money. They are filthy, repulsive look
| ing creatures, though there is occasionally a
bright face among them. In contrast with
| the barren Rocky Mountains, the pine-cov-
cred Sierras are most welcome and beauti-
full. Giants Gap and Cape Horn excel in
combined beauty and grandeur anything
on the road. They are indiscribable. At
the latter place the train rounds cut in the
side of mountain which on one side tow
| ers high above it and on the other slopes
precipitously thousand feet below, form
| ing
! A FRIGHTFUL AND BEAUTIFUL CHASM;
! then another abruptmountain, and another;
as Tar as the eye can see peak towers above
| peak. When these grand features of the
road have been passed one ceases to look fol
anthiHg more, prefeITing rather to enjoy
what he has seen. The recollectiOns be-
come bewildering and then one feels what
he has not before thought of-that he is
tired. The journey and excitement Of il
are necessarily fatiguing, but one scarcely
realizes it until it is over. l..