The Andrew County Republican. [volume] (Savannah, Mo.) 1871-1876, 1875-03-19

man rs does the Wild, ueSOl2te looking
l,ndScapc around Sherman. Although
the plateau is covered with grass, and
occasional shrubs and Stunted trees
erect the eve the surrounding bieakness
anI drSolation render the place one of
awful grandeur. The hand of Him who
rules the universe is no where else more
marked. and in no place which we have
ever visited, have we felt so utterly
alone, so completely isolated from man.
kind, and left entirely with nature, as
at Sherman, on the Black hills OF Nyom-
ing
The bell rings. and we are again on
our Journey. We are now gong down
grade: no steam is needed to propel
the train. .foi the down grade is sufficient
to carry us swiftly along, under the
Steadvn@ guidance of the brakes, from
Sherman to Laramie, as the grade aver
ares Il little over i2I feet to the mile.
: We are now on the Laramie Plains
Snow fences, built of plank and stone,
are placed along the cuts to prevent the
drifting snow from filling them. Lara
mic. made historic by the first female
Jury ever cmpaneled in the world, IS
reached ut last. Here the weaker sex.
without ilinching from duty, convicted
u noted desperate, while their nurses
calmed the rising generation by singing,
mice little baby, don't get in Il fury
Cause mammals gone To sit on the jury
Here we stop thirty minutes tor sup
per. We get Il good square meal for
/ fifty cents, and thus armed, enter the
train just Us the sun is singing behind
the western hills The wind that has
blown all day. Is steadily increasing in
! fury, sending the drifting snow across
the bleak and drcary plains, hidden from
our view in ;he cold, grey twilight of
one of the Stormicst nights we ever eX-
pcricnccd. The howiing wind chants
the requiem of the dying day, and wraps
its corpse in the mantle OF drifting
snow. The engine putfS and snort>,
dragging us slowly through the blind
mo storm. The air is sharp and pierre
inr Oh, the ,lrcary, gloomy, winter
on the plains of Laramie the cold,
piercing winter has no charms for me.
The beautiful. lovely morning that greet
ed us al Pine Bluffs, has Heen trans
formed into Il demon Of fury. With
visions of Snow-drifts before us, we sink
into tlrowsy slumbcr, ever and anon
seeking the stove to warm our chilled
body. The train suddenly comes to Il
halt. TIE conductor, with IN anxious
look. passes through the car. We en-
quirc the cause OF stopping, and are
cOOllv informed that we are stuck III a
snow-driit at the mouth of JohnsOn'S 5
snow shed, between the small stations
of Carbon and Percy. Here we are de-
tained about five hours. The snow had
dritted into the cut to the depths of six
or seven feet, and deiied the power OF
the iron horse rs il reared and plunged,
in its vain endeavors to crowd through
it. Shovels were brought into rcquisl-
ton, and passage is cleared for the
train. 1t was fearful night, and will
long be remembered by all on board
that train. The windy Friday of Janu-
ary, in Missouri, is no comparison to
the war of the elements that ragged on
; the Laramie Plains the night of the lth
of February, 1879.
The whistle shrieks, waking the echoes
in the mountains, and we are once more
on our way. We again seek our couch,
and arc soon IN the dreamland.
When morning comes, our eyes are
greeted with Il view of a rugged, desc
late looking country, dotted over with
stuntcd sage-hrush. We are passing
through an alkali ravine; the bluffs
rear their rocky hei ghts close to the
track on either side Passing through a
tunnel, we suddenly whirl out of the
mouth of the chasm, cross the North
, Platte river on II wooden bridge, and
, stop at Fort Fred. Steele, 6,S4O feet
above the level of the sea. Here we
halt for few minutes, and get q good
view of the North Platte Valley. There
are several companies of soldiers sta
toned here to protect the citizens ofthls
fertile valley from the good-natured (')
freaks OF poor Mr.. Lo.
The bell rings, and we are again I'M
der way Between Fort Steele and
Rowlin'S Springs, we pass a long, high
ridge of gray granite, called the Hogs
!. Back" We ran parallel with it for about
fifteen miles. 1t is about four miles from
the track, yet it looks but few rods OFT.
2 Our guide says: at is about half 4
, mile in width at the base, and rises from
800 feet to 1000 feet high. The ridge
is so sharp that cattle cannot be driven
across it, and in some places it is almost
, impracticablc tor man to attempt tc
t walk along its summit"
e The train moves rapidly along, and IN
short time Rollins Springs is reached
> This is regular eating station, and We
b. stop tor breakfast. Breakfast over, ant
0 we move slowly from the station; then
+ faster and faster, through a desolate
dreary looking country, passing through
a natural pass about three hundred fee
/ wide, which leads between two higl
e bluffs. We are rapidly rising. and in 3
f few miles further we will be on the sum
n L.,