Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1877-03-12
rnvm CALIFORNIA.

Dear Monitor: San Francisco is not |
a level city. some of the streets being
four hundred feet higher than tide wa
ter. On some of the highest streets,
viz. Clay, Suffer and California, the
railroad magnates have built their pala-
tial residences. Here are the homes of
President Sanford. Charles Crocker and
others, where they have expended from
100000 to $1,OOO,00O. To scale
these heights and propel horse cars up
the steep streets, was work beyond the
power of horses, and the inventive gen.
Jus of the Americans was set to work,
and steam was invited te furnish the
power, while long wire ropes take the
cars safely up or down the declivities.
A brief description of these steam
"horse railroads" may be of interest.
Eaoh road has double track with 10
inch wire cable running under the middle
of each track on grooved rollers. One
track has cable running up the hill;
the other, the same wire running down
the hill. Away near the top of the hill,
q mile or more, an engine is at work
turning the grOoved drum around which
the cable is wound and coming up and
nn;-. 1~-n tire streets for long dis
lance are the numerous cars that are
constantly running. The cable moves
from four to six hundred feet minute.
In front of each car there is a part call
ed the dummy" which by mechanic
al arrangement grapples the cable and
causes the car to move at the speed of
the cable. The cars stop only at street
crossings, which are level. The dummy
allows the cable to slip through its
clutches at the option of the man who
manages it, and the cars start very mod
erately, without jerking or inconveni-
ence. There are powerful brakes on the
cars, and they are managed with perfect
ease. 1t might seem that with such
long trains of cars it would require
a very powerful engine to propel them.
Such is not the case for while hund.
red cars are going up, the same number
are going down. and except the necessa.
ry friction in running the machinery
there is no power required. Five dollars
day will furnish fuel for the engines
on some of these roads. President San.
ford proposes to build new line Of
street railroad, that will require five
miles of cable, and will reach heighj
of almost four hundred feet. The fart
on the steam street cars is five cents
These roads pay well. All city wagons
are of the same gauge as the street cars
and they are allowed to run on the wide
range of the car rails, when not in tn,
way of cars.
Woodward's Gardens arc one of til,
great attractions of this city. In 1850
X. b. Woodward, gentleman of fnt
tastes and public spirit, undertook tt
surround and adOra bis private residence
by beautiful grounds, 10 which should
be found the greatest variety of plants
shrubbery and ornamental trees pOssibl,
10 be obtained. 10 this end the eastern
aud western continents have been leviet
upon, and the Eesalt is wonderful be
yOn1 description. spent one dsg j.
the Gardens, but a week might hay
been spent very pleasantly, with man.
things still not sees.
On entering the Gardens, woadertY
variety Of trees, flowers, plants an,
shrubbery is seen to the right and left
but the museum, erected in 1866,