The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1879-09-04
Land Of DesOlatiOn.

The scenic beauties and wonders of
America are unrivaled by those of any
other land, and the tourist feels an in
creasing desire to see more and more
of what nature has done for this west
ern world. After visiting the great
natural curiosities of California 1 re-
solved to return East by way of the
"Great American Desert" Leaving
San Francisco in the steamer Senator
we sailed down the Pacific 600 miles to
q little town called Santa Monica and
there took the train thirty miles to Los
Angeles. Taking hurried view of the
latter place, environed with gardens
and orange groves, we started by rail
on the Southern Pacific Road. running
southeast. In about six hours we struck
the edge of the vast sandy plain stretch
ing off on the west to the Pacific Ocean
and on the east with various undula-
tions more than thousand miles. At
one o'clock in the morning we reached
Duos Palmas, station consisting OF
two or three houses and the point from
which the mail is carried to Prescott.
Bidding adieu to iron rails and Pull
man cars, and paying the agent Of the
stage line fifty dollars, was ticketed
for the capital of Arizona, 800 miles
away. A single other passenger be-
side myself was going over the same
route, and was to be my travelling COM
panion. The stage in which we were
to travel was q skeleton wagon, called
by the people there "a blackboard" 1t
consists of ordinary buggy wheels and
axles connected together with eight or
ten strong, elastic stats, upon which
are stationed two or three seats,
| This cfo a
drawn by four strong horses-not too
many fer the character of the roads.
In half an hour after the arrival of the
train the heavy mailbag and express
box had been transferred, the horses
hooked up, our canteen filled with
| water, and we were ready for our desert
| journey. -
At the word of the driver the horses
started, but they seemed to pull as If
they we're drawing ton. Looking at
the wheels the cause was manifest
they were cutting into the sand nearly
half way up to the hub. The moon
was shining brightly and as we drove
slowly forward we could see on every
hand nothing but vast sandy plain.
The scene was strangely grand. On
our ears fell no earthly sound save that
made by the revolving wheels of the
wagon in the sandy road; but the SEEM
ing solitude was greatly relieved by the
varied appearance of the wild waste
around us. The peculiar reflection OF
the moonlight suggested the thought
that q copious flood of polarized light
had been poured upon this land of des-
olation, transmitting every grain OF
sand into gem of brilliant lustre. The
driver is communicative and tells us ii
is twenty-five miles to the nearest stop
ping post, where we can get breakfast
and change horses. The night wears
rapidly away, and as the light of day
breaks in upon US our range of vision
is increased and in the distance can be
seen the dim outlines of hills or mount
ain peaks. We now discover some sage
brush and here and there q date palm.
The first sight of human habitation now
reaches us and we are within q few
hundred yards of the first station on the
mail route. My travel during the
night had stimulated my appetite and
l was prepared for a square breakfast,
but the sight of that so-called hotel set
tied the desire for breaking the fast al
that time. 1t was not a house nor q
stable, but pen. 1 am sure our do
mestic animals in Pennsylvania would
be insulted if offered such accommoda-
tions. 1t might have satisfied the coy.
otes or wolves or crows that are occa-
sionally seen, but was certainly not in.
tended originally for the reception and
refreshing of the civilized travelling
public; and this, the first public house,
is pretty good criterion of nearly al
the rest that are found on the plains
between Duos Palmas and Alamosa
| la~noDfsn1~ I'D To ~
travelling companion had evidently bet
ter digestive and assimilative organs
than myself, as he concluded to break
fast, but at his return I have seldom
seen a more thoroughly disgusted man
Resuming our journey, we soon en-
tered the land of giant cacti. Wa.
never more surprised than at seeing the
wonderful development of this plant ir
this region. Am satisfied that nowhere
in the world such size is attained. Tht
specie called Swatara grows to tn,
enormous height of sixty feet and meas
ures six feet in diameter. There ar,
tens of thousands of this specie
Most of them will measure from
eight inches to two feet in diane
ter, and reach q height of twenty t.
thirty feet. Some have no limbs anC
resemble q high post; others have from
one to three arms. They seem to stanC
on the top of the sand, with scarcely
any root, and must receive their nutri
ton largely from the atmosphere
They are capped with beautiful
flower and then with fruit. The In
dians remove the fruit with long spike
pole, and use it in large quantities
The center of this cactus is pierced with
hard, tough rod, which supports it ir
times of storm. So firm is this support
that one is seldom found broken ol
blown to the earth. When in a stats
of decay you can extract the center o
support, which resembles more thar
anything else fishing rod. There are
fifteen or twenty different species ol
cacti growing in this region. The pole