The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1881-03-24
RAILROADS! RAILROADS!
The Southern Trans Continental.
Scenery, Length and Prospects of
the New Railroad.
Facts, Figures and Fancies.

hhgg Facts, Figures and Fanciss.
If
ho Editors Herald:
90 Not long ago the news flashed
across the plains that silver spike
IL was driven at the junction of the
u Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe
70 Railroad with the Southern Pacific
y y at point called Deming. The fact
y hardly caused any comment COM
20 pared with the completion of the
y Union and Central Pacific railroads.
u The reason is simply this: the nov
= city of such events is over; yet
y when we think of the gigantic result
u just attained, great credit is due to
y the Wide-aWale and farseeing men
> who sit at the helm of the great
= railroad ship now penetrating the
: remote TeceSSeS of the great
: west. The total length of the new
a road is about 2,400 miles-from At
Gibson to San Francisco. The
Union and Central Pacific railroads
are 1927 miles from Omaha to San
: Francisco. 1t will be seen that the |
southern road is nearly 500 miles |
longer than the other; but the man
iagerS of the new road claim that |
they can make the distance in the |
same time as it takes to make the |
) transit from Omaha to the Pacific:
liz fact, the schedule time between |
New York and San Francisco is the
same by both routes. In either case
the Central Pacific gets a full share |
of the travel on both roads, While /
the Union Pacific loses its share of
the travel on the southern line
Rates of fare are the same except
to those who are bound to Los
Angeles; In this case, a decided say
ing is effected 0iG the Southern line
for all visitors to southern Califor-
MIA.
Now as to the attractions on
either line, the advantage is in favor
of the northern. Along the Atchi-
son, Topeka and Santa Fe the
scenery is monotonous except when
| it passes through New Mexico.
Here it is more mountainous and {
varied until the grassy plains
further south are reached. J
From Deming to Tucson there
is only one point of interest, and that
is Victories stronghold, or lookout,
named on the map Railroad Pass. !
This country is the famous Apache
country where many a weary ira
Weller has found his last resting
place. From the rocky crest the
Indians could see for fifty miles on
the open plains, and could have 4
ample time to get out of the way in
case they were pursued. The cOun-
try is now safe from the depreda-
lions of Apaches. In their stead a
are limited number of uncivilized
cow boys, who are almost as great a
pest.
Water is scarce; timber none at
all; but the country is covered with
a fine growth of bunch grass, and 4
here and there a tuft of bayonett
cactus. The country IN the neigh =
borhood Of the junction is positively d
unintereSting, but it is not sandy. 81
Deming is as far east of Salt Lake e
City as Washable station on the n
Union Pacific is. 1t will be place a
of importance as the Southern Pa ! o,
cific will reach from it to Galveston, +,
and the Atchison road starts from m
here for Guaymas, on the Gulf of #
California. AT present everything h,
IS building, so that one cannot speak n
Of it only as it will be- All the ot
elements of frontier life of the worst Of
kind are found at the stations of the ot
sharpS, deadfalls NJ
md the everlasting tramp begs of II
soon as they get off the q
,ars. at place called Lordsburg M
here is hard lot of citizens, for no +;
sooner did l walk around to take in cC
he situation of things than l was r
by hard-looking specimen ia
Is follows Che had a sample of cop an
Der ore to which he directed my OF
attention. saying: "This looks nice" o
Yes l replied, but copper ore is 40
If no great value" Said he. where me
Ire you from ?" salt Lake" says l. 10
lie then knew everybody lin the -
country, according to his talk m
Come over and take a drink" says M
lie. Don't drink" says l. Come W.
,ver and take a cigar" says he. Sc
Don't smoke" says l, what the ty
IL do you OF" says he: mind fe
ny own business" says L. With gi
his he left me alone. Just at this m
another capper came up d5
md said he had been robbed of his ~
watch and $40. l, however, failed r.
o become interested in his misfOr- Io
une, and so left the delightful pair IN
o their own cogitations. 1t is ey
rood rule to give a wide berth to Ot
III strangers who make themselves
90 familiar on short acquaintance.
does this hold good when \,
travelling. ~ ~
Tucson is the especial point of in 10
crest in southern Arizona, as being
he oldest town Save st. Augustine,
n Florida) in America. One can
pend a day here in visiting the
grand old Cathedral of San Xavier, II
en miles south. This point is the c.
md of the grass country. We now B
inter upon the sand, and cactus
entirely different from the
country around Deming. From
Tucson to the pass of San Gorgonio,
near San BernardinO, may be said
% be the worst part of the whole
,oad-about 400 miles of desert,
which, in hot weather, will be al
most uUbearable, but at the time Of
my visit it was very enjoyable, as sc
leavy rains had fallen all over the IL
lesert section. l was greatly sur Ia
Orised to find snow and ice in such
/ place as Tucson, $50 miles imme-
lately south of Salt Lake City; but
It does not stay long on the ground.
Residents in Arizona call the
orange country from San Bernardino
to Los Angeles Gods country" as
the contrast between the arid plains
and the delightful region between b;
these two points is so great. One c.
may be called Paradise, the other =,
what you please. n
From Los Angeles we pass l
through long canyon out on to the q,
MojaYe Desert, across the Teha-. e.
ehapi Pass into the vertile San .
joaquin Valley and on to San Fran ~
cisco. This is but brief summary u
of the road. 1t will be Travelled for y
a change by thousands; it will take " !"
from the northern line a good deal y y
of business; it will open up new q,
avenues of trade and develop new II
,.aeo,,roac hut NOT apripultnrallV / "a