The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1881-08-18
OUR WESTERN CORRESPONDENCE.
In the Switzerland of America.
PoNcHo SPRINGS, Aug, 1881.

=a- tIiOSCHO SPRINGS, aug, 1col.-
To the Editor Of the ESrrnrK1si. moo 5li'.-le'
The wealth of minerals in the Gunni-
SON County led the d. &. R. G.. r. r.
Co. to- open up communication with
that hitherto Inaccessible region of the
Pacific Slope, on the other side Of the
Continental divide. The work was
begun last November, and shall seek
to give the reader some idea Of the
country, the grandeur of the scenery,
and the marvellous engineering skill
which has opened up this great highway
of commerce, where eight months ago
these mountain recesses were undis-
turbed and hushed in the stiffness of
the eternal past. At South Arkansas,
leaving the main line, we whirl along
the valley of the South Fork, up steep
mountsip grade, aud soon reach Poneho
Springs. new town lying IN beautiful
valley, the hot springs being dup the
mountain side aimiie and half away.
Leaving the cars purposing to enjoy the
baths at the springs, we soon discovered
that the practices Of hackmen at Niagara
had struck the beardless city, and that
the attack was dangerous to pocket
books generally. The cheapest way
under present quotations to secure q
conveyance is, to buy it outright. a A
long winding ascent Of five hundred
feet brought us to the celebrated hot
springs, over one hundred in number,
| boiling up with their breath of flame
from the, crest of lava beds thrown up
ages ago by some volcanic action s1,
Eggs are cooked by these waters,
which are strongly impregnated with
sulphur, iron, magnesia and other min
reals. Invalids are here treated for
paralysis, rheumatism, scrofula and
other diseases, and many go away per-
| fectly cured. The present need is an
infirmary large enough to accommodate
500 patients, with good first-class hotel,
located on the mountain-side, giving a
view unequalled in beauty of plains,
messas and mountains, while in the
distance old Havana, with his monarch
peaks snow-capped, lift their hoary
heads into ether by day or night, thing
of beauty and joy, forever. After a
few days spent at this delightful spot,
we go by, train to Maysvile, a new
mining town, with large and profitable
mineral interests, up the. .gulch of the
South Fork of the Arkansas. Leaving
Maysville, we reach Poncho, and begin
our ascent around acute curves, over
great chasms, grand and awful as seen
from the car windows. Now we creep
slowly along the out side of a great
mountain, or pass under q chiseled
.Yia" through great. rocks Jmoulded
| and shaped in the womb of nature in
the long,. long ago. A frail bridge
spans a ghostly chasm, and over it goes
the painting engine, while far below
FLASHES, plunges and roars the angry
waters of Clear Creek. Up and on we
go till the shril whistle echoes and re-
echoes through these mountain fortress
es, announcing Mears' Station, 200 feet
above Poncho1 Springs. This is the
point of divergence for the San Luis
valley extension of the railroad, sodom
in wickedness, where men died with
their "boots on, 1;human life being held
as no better than that of q big mastiff
Soon in our skyward journey Shirley IL
reached as a way station. The triI
from Shirley to the top Of the Divide
beggars description. Neither pen mol
pencil can do justice to what we saw a
we were whisked onward and upward
creeping cautiously alongside of noun
tains and over trestleings, mp grad
T of 2f7 feet to the mile, while the engin'
and train seemed playing hide and seel
among. the spurs of old snow-cappe'
! ouray, lifting his 'hoary head in th'
distance 15, 900 feet above the sea.
Il What Sublimity and Grandeur! On
the continental divide, this hoary oil
sentinel of the mid-cOntinent stoo'
+ watch and ward on creations morn
We creep upward, and from the car w
/ count four tracks tar down in tn
chasm below, over which; we hav
passed, travelling six miles to make on
in distance. We sweep on into coole
atmosphere and gather our wraps abou
us as we come to face old Ouray covere
with snow on the 22nd of July. w
are now up to timber line, but wha
wealth of beauty lies just below in acre
on acres of, flowers that have bloome
ages upon ages, with no eve to feast o.
their beauty or to breath their perfum
but the eye of the eternal God. A littl
stream comes Ldashing, down the rock
: sides of the great monarch, its waite
glistening in the sunlight like dewe.
tears. On speeds the train, Will
clouds lay below US, nesting anon
crags and peaks, over which we hav
passed. A storm cloud in the distsn C
sends Its artillery booming throug
mountain fortresses and craggy peaks
! and rain kisses the mountain-sides an
valleys below us, while on and up
speed in the bright sunlight. Soon "
reach little park adorned with flower
of natures planting and little purlin
stream singing its ripping song. Th
p engine goes laundering or and 500
sends screeching over the Atlantic an
/. Pacific slope its shrill whistle, and "
set foot on the summit, where tn
| waters of the spring are divided an
go purling on their way eastward an
westward. What a sweep of vision, 1
| westward we look down the Tomicl
valley, and the San Luis valley 70 Il
: eastward, while, still before us, stanC
old ouray with its ssnow-capped pes
: $500 feet above our heads. The altituc
is so great that every one is pantir
like dog in from the chase. Fro
this point west to Sargent the tai
winds itself down the track again like
eorkscrew, and we wonder at Il
achievements and success of the gran,