The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1873-07-16
CHAPTER XVI,

CHAPTER XVI,
Ocean to ocean-so say the Americans
and these words ought to be the designation for
the great railroad which crosses the United
States, in all its length. But in reality the
road is divided into two distinct sections,
Central Pacific between San Francisco. and
Ogden; Union Pacific. between Ogden and
Omaha. There, five distinct lines converge,
which put Omaha liz constant communication
with New York. New York and San Fran
cisco are now united by a ribbon of metal,
which measures not less than 1886 miles,
Between Omaha and the Pacific, it crosses a
considerable territory, yet inhabited by Indi-
ans and wild deer, which the Mormons began
to COLOMBO near the year 1916, after they
were driven out of Missouri and Illinois. For.
merly, under the most favorable circumstances
it took month to go from New York to San
Francisco; now the journey is made in seven
days. Despite the opposition of the Southern
congressman, who wanted a line farther
south, the road-bed was located between the
4lst and And parallels; and President Lin
ccln himself named the town of Omaha. in
the State OF Nebraska, as the point of depar-
ture OF the new road The work was COM
menced and pushed on with wonderful actiyi-
ty. Across the plains, they completed from
mile to mile and a half per day; and a To-
connective at evening passed over the road, car
rylng the rails for the uext day. Leaving
Omaha 1T runs along the left bank of the
Platte River, to the mouth of its northern
branch follows the southern branch, crosses
the territory of Laramie, and the
Wahsatch mountains; passes round Salt
Lake to Salt Lake City, the Nor
mon capital; runs into the Luilla
valley, extends across the Great American
Desert, Cedar and Humboldt Mountains.
Humboldt river and the Sierra Nevada, and
redescends by Sacramento to the Pacific-its
highest grade even in its path across the
Rocky Mountains, being only lip feet to the
mile. Such is the long artery run by trains
in seven days, that would permit Mr.. Phileas
Fogg-he expected it, at least-to take the
steamer lor Liverpool, at New York the 18th
of December.
The travellers left the station at Oakland at
. 7. M. 1t was already night. cold and SOM
ore; the sky covered with clouds, which
threatened snow. They conyersed very liz
Tic III the cars and sleep soon oyercame them
Passepartout sat near the inspector of no.
lice, but did not speak to him. Stree the last
events their relations had changed; Fix was
the same, but Passepartout was extremely
reserved, ready at the least suspicion to
strangle his old friend. An hour after the
train left snow began to fall, and they could
only see through the window of the car am
immense white sheet, over which the smoke
from the locomotive unwound its long oray
spirals. About eight o'clock the steward en-
tered. The car was a sleeping car, and in a
few moments was transformed into a dormi-
tory. The backs or the seats were unfolded,
carefully packe |, beds were unrolled. cabins
improvised; soon each traveller had at his
disposal a comfortable bed, shielded by thick
curtains. The clothes were white and the
pillows soft-they could rest as com fortablv
as IN the cabin of a steamer, while the
train ran express through the State of Cali
fornia. From San Francisco to Sacra-
mento, the capital of the Safe, the road
runs directly northeast. along the bank of
the American River which flows into the bay
OF San Pablo. During the night the tray-
elers passed Sacramento; they saw nothing
of this city, seat of the State Legislature. its
wharfs, large streets. hotels, squares. and
churches. Leaving Sacramento, the train.
passing the stations of Junction. Rocber. An
burn and Colfax, entered the defles of the
Sierra Nevada. At A. NJ they reached
the station OF Cisco. An hour later, the DOR
mitory had become an ordinary car, and the
travellers could see through the windows the
picturesque views of this mountainous conn
try. The road followed the caprices of the
Sierras, here clinging to the sides of the
mountain, there suspended above precipices.
avoiding the sharp angles by bold curves.
rushing into narrow gorges that seemed i'm
penetrable. There were few bridges and
tunnels; the road followed the windings of
the mountains, not seeking the shortest
route in direct line. Near nine clock nv
the way OF the Carson valley, they entered
Nevada, following always the northeast line
AT IL M. they left Reno where the travellers
had twenty minutes for dinner. From this
point the iron road followed the course of
the Humbolt river rising many miles to the
north; then, turning to the east, crossed the
Humboldt Ranges in the southern extremity
of the State of Nevada
After breakfast, Mr. Fogg, Madame Aouda |
and their companions, took their seats again i'm
the car, and watched the varied scenery which
passed before the eye-vast prairies. noun
tains in the distance, rushing creeks. with
their foamy waters. Sometimes great herd
of bison were seen, massed in the distance,
seeming like moving wall
Countless numbers of these buffaloes on.
pose some times an insurmountable barrier
to the passage of trains. When thew have
adopted course, nothing can change or
modify their march. 1t is a torrent of living
flesh, that no dyke can withstand.
Near three P. M. troup of ten or twelve
thousand barred the railroad. The locono-
tive, having moderated its speed, endeayored
to break the flank of the column with tbe
spin of the engine, but was arrested before
the living wall. The travellers rushed from
the cars, to watch this curious spectacle.
But the person most interested in the DELAY
remained quietly in his seat, waiting until #
pleased the bufialoes to allow him to mass
Passepartout was furious at the DELAY and
wished to discharge his arsenal of revolyers.
''What countryP' he cried, 'Simple cat |
tie, who go Ia procession, not hurrying them |
selves though they stop all traveli / sbouId |
like to know if Mr.. Fogg has foreseen this ac- !
cident, in his programme? And this engi-
neer,. who does hot throw his engine against
this brute encampmentp'
The engineer had not attempted to over
turn the obstacle, and he acted prrdentlv
He might have broken the first ranks hi 90
powerful were they, that the engine would |
have been stopped, and the train wrecked |
1t was best to wait patiently and regain the |
time lost by greater speed. The march of the |
bisons occupied two long hours and the wav
was not cleared until night. The last ranks
Of the troop crossed the rails as the first dis.
appeared already below the southern horizon
1t was eight o CLOCK when the train entered |
5he defies of the Humboldt ranges. and haIf
past nine when they penetrated the territnru
Of Utah, the region Of Great Salt Lake. the
curious country OF the Mormons.
CHAPTER XVII.
8, Durlng the night of the 4th of December
me Train ran southeast for nearly 20 miiaS
hen turned to the north east and nl'
ed great Salt Lake. 0 "pPioaciF
-, fassepartoaS towards nine A. NJ went
weather. was cold and the sky sraN b,,; :. Ipe
lot snow. The disk of the sun, enlar rs y did
he fog, appeared like an enormous 81 81 oy
'oia, anu ne was mtently estimating lis Vol
.e III pounds sterllnS, when he wss distracted
rom rom MS useful employment by the apnea eu
a aG ~ u cry strange parsonage. This man
"0 -esken the train at Eko; he was tail.
,ronzed, black moustache, black coat. vest
,antaloons, white cravat, black hat and DO,
kin gloves One would have said that he's
vas Reverend. He went from one end Of
he train to the other, affixing upon the door or
# each car written notice. PassenartoUt
rev near and read upon one of them that tHat
he Rev. William Hitch,a Mormon missionarv $
rofiting by his presence on the train, would '
old at II O'Clock, in car No. III. a confarl :
nee upon Mormonsm inviting all who DE- c
'red to be instructed in the mysteries Of the
after Day Saints. VI VIC t
Good! will co." said Passepartout who
heW little of MormOnsm evoont ~, /" NJ