The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1874-07-31

needs irrigation to become productive
The people Of Utah and also those Of Cal
ifornia profess to look forward to o tint
when they will receive more rain thar
they do now They think that az tht
country fills up, and as the smoke from
the residences and factories rises TO tht
clouds, 1t will attract rain. Like tht
heather mythologiSts, they apparently
think the smoke Of civilization will 20 NJ
as sweet incense to Jupiter Pluvius and
induce him TO seRd down more rain. But
Notwithstanding Utah and Nevada, and
even California, can never hope to be eel
ebrated as an agricultural region, vel
their mineral wealth Is enormous, and
they are OF this time looking forward
hopefully to career Of great prosperity,
Life In those distant regions has an en-
chantment for adventurous spirits the
world over, ard thither they flock in great
numbers. Hope, that springs eternal in the
human breast, Is perpetuAlly kept alive
and burning high in the breasts Of these
people by instances Of individual wealth
acquired ina day among the mines. Hence
as long as their mineral wealth Is as abun.
dAnt as Ills now, these regions are bound
to TEEN with an active and vigorous pop
ulation.
The trip of our Wheeling friends from
Ogden 10 California was not iraught with
any special incidents worthy Of mention.
Passing through the Rocky Mountains Is
not much Of q scene as compared with
what one would naturally expect from
reading about them In the school geogra-
phies. The country rises so ogradually for
q preceding distance OF nine hundred
miles that the cars pass to the highest ele.
walton without showing the usual signs
OF mountains, such as one sees In the ALE.
ghanies. The Rocky Mountains are di-
vided into variety Of ranges, such as the
Wahsatch, Humboldt and Sierra Neva-
do. Between the Sierra Nevada on the
West and the highest ridges on the East
lies o vast region OF table land, which in
in Its widest part extends through IA de-
grees Of longitude, or say 700 miles from
East to West Between the Sierra Nevada
and tho Wahsatch Mountains lies the
Great Basin known as Fremonrs Basin.
It contains q number Of lakes and rivers,
none Of whose waters ever reach the
ocean, being probably taken up by evapo.
ration or lost in the sand Of the more arid
districts. Nearly all the lakes are salt,
the largest one being Great Salt Lake in
Utah. Concerning this lake, Mr.. VANCE
tells US that its specific gravity is so great,
as compared with ordinary water, that 1t
will bear up the body Of person without
effort to swim. 1t has SO per cent Of salt
in it, and the people Of that region are
supplied with table salt from Its shores.
On the morning oI the 4th Of July
Messrs. VANCE and DELAPLAIN took
their breakfast at SHERMAN" on top of
the Sierra Nevada, s249 feet above the
level Of the Pacific Ocean. There, amidst
snow and cold, with their overcoats but
toned TO their necks, and by the side Of q
big fire in the eating house, they took
their morning meal prior 10 descending
into the Valley Of California. The dis.
tahco from Sherman to San Francisco Is
something over three hundred miles, and
Is daylightrun for the cars at this season
OF the year. Sacramento Is the dinner
station-the point on the Sacramento
river, 1876 miles from the Pacific ocean, 60
well known in the early history Of Cali
fornia. San Francisco Is reached by
steamboat or rail from this point. The
Central Pacific cars run down the east
side OF the river, and finally land their
passengers on the east side Of San Fran.
cisco Bay, from whence they arc taken
over to the city Of San Francisco by
steamers, the same as from Jersey City to
New York. ..t r
Mr.. VANCE remained in San Francisco
about ten days, during which time he met
with several old residents Of Wheeling,
among them Mr.. D. ]. TALLANT, a broth.
erin.law Of Mr.. DEnAPLAIN, Mr.. THos.
AoHEsoN, Mr.. Ed. ZXNE, and also MIR.
DICE, lately in the insurance business
here. Tho city contains about 175,0OO
Inhabitants, Of whom some $4,000 are
Chinese. The Johnies from China keep
coming on every steamer. One steamer
brought in eight hundred while Mr..
VANCE was in the city. The natives dis
like them so much that they stoned them
as they came up the streets. Being
heathens they stoned not again in retalia'
tion. These almond'eyed creatures come
to the shores OF the Pacific, as the Israel
ties went down into Egypt, having heard
that 1t is a land oil plenty. They labor
industriously and economically, and, like
the Jews in the middle ages, deposit their
money no one knows where. They avoid
banks, even tho wealthy ones among
them who do large and thriving mer-
camille business. 1t Is supposed they
send their money back 10 China,
where their bones follow their
treasure when they die. They live
largely on rice and look thrifty and
clean. They have two josh houses OF
Pagan temples in San Francisco. where
they go to worship their idols. MIR. YAEcH
,,t.f1.4 go ~ Nhnnn aud m m a favr, dhT,r