Los Angeles daily herald., 1876-06-11
TO THE FRONT.
A Ride ON the Paymaster's Car.

At seven o'clock on Thursday eve-
ming locomotive No. 10, Engineer
Burnham at the lever and Fireman
Rowe handling the coal shovel, with
the Paymaster's car attached, moved
out Of the Southern Pacific railroad
depot in this city. Inside of the car
were Superintendent Hewitt, Pay
master McCrea, Deputy U. s. Marshal
Dunlap, Deputy Sheriff Harris, Con-
ductor Mcdonald, Tax Collector Ryan,
Peter Thompson, S.W. Craigue, ,Scully,
engineer of Confidence Engine Com
pany, N. Knickerbocker and ]. M.
Bassett. On the car floor were sacks Of
gold and boxes of silver. On the
walls were couple of dozen of loaded
shotguns at half-cock, with the caps
glistening on the tubes. Fifteen or
twenty
COLTS DRAGON PISTOLS
Hung in convenient places to get hold
of in case they were needed. There
were also piles of blankets and over
coats, and last, but certainly not least,
one corner of the car was occupied
with a fair sized box, covered with a
clean table cloth, giving out signs
which to the old traveller indicated
lunch. AS usual under the circum-
stances no one save those on board
knew the destination of the car. The
locomotive headed Eastward and soon
flew past San Gabriel Station, then
Ell Monte, Spadra and Pomona, and at
nine o'clock drew up at Cotton. In a
few moments we were off again, and
presently the hills on either side of
San Gorgonio Pass loomed up in the
distance. About ten o'clock a splen-
did lunch was spread, under the super
vision of Marshal Dunlap, of which
the party expressed high opinion,
and then Pullman sleeping car was
improvised. and snores, and
In due time the moon followed, but we
knew nothing about those things.
DAYLIGHT
Found US on the side track at Seven
Palms. But we soon pulled out for
Indian Wells twenty miles East of
the Palms. This section of the road
has just been completed and will be
run over by the passenger train next
week. Breakfast at Indian Wells,
and after Paymaster McCrea had set
tied with the employees there, we
started for Los Angeles, stopping at
every section to settle. There were
SO many of these places and 80 many
men to pay off that when we reached
the city at five o'clock the piles of
gold and stacks of silver were moth.
ing like so large or numerous as when
We started. 1t was
A PLEASANT TRIP.
There Is no better road In the United
States than the Southern Pacific East
of Los Angeles. The track from San
Gorgonio Pass Eastward is laid with
steel rail, and though new and not
thoroughly balanced, 1t is much
smoother than many old roads over
which We have travelled. Indian
Wells Is one hundred and thirty miles
East OF Los Angeles, and one hundred
and fifteen miles West of the Colorado
river. 1t is a point surrounded by
very good land, and plenty of water is
found In from ten to twenty feet from
the surface. Several one story adobe
houses are already built at the termi-
nus, and 1t is probable that before the
next section Is completed quite little
town Will spring up there. The great
er portion OF the Arizona freight now
passes over the Southern Pacific road,
as this route is the shortest and the
best, both for passengers and freight.
The twenty mile section just compile
ted beyond Seven Palms crosses the
sand desert and shortens the staging
quite one day.