Daily Los Angeles herald., 1881-08-14
Narrow Gauge Railroad.

| NoitVV VouyV maui Vous
EDITOR HERALD: There are con.
siderable engineering difficulties
between Los Angeles and Pasa.
dens. But the causes of these di iffi.
culties are among the inducements
to build the road that way. For II
must be remem bered that this fairy
land of bosky dells, forest clad
mountain sleeps, vine-full ravines
and perpetual springs of water, all
close to Los Angeles city, makes a
kind of business for railroad more
susceptible Of indefinite expansion
than that of grain fields and or
chards. Clifton, the most broken
territory in the vicinity of Cincin.
natl, has become more valuable
than the equally distant level al
luvious. The alluvious TEEN with
orchards and market gardens,
while Clifton, wild tumble OF
peaks aud dells, teens with the
princely homes of millionaires,
swarms with visitors and is the OBJ
jective of numerous small.weight
railways that climb the more rug.
ged sleeps as inclined planes up
which wire caoles pull the cars.
The lay of the land, commencing
at a point between Pasadena and
Los Angeles and extending to the
wash of the San Dimas caf1on just
above the Azusa, presents no gu
gineering difficulty except ut the
wash of the San Gabriel. This last
named wash presents the only ex-
pensive work between the Arroyo
Seco and the wash of the S an Dimas
cation.
The road, it seems, ought to as
ceDd to the level mesa which bor-
ders the Arroyo Seco from O point
south of Pasadena clear around into
the valley between Pasadena and
the mountains. This valley next
to the mountains. I think, should
have the road, although the people
of Pasadena may possibly think
otherwise. The broad belt Of coun.
try between Pasadena and the
mountains is unsurpassed in the
State. for growing oranges and
grapes. Settlement has barely be-
gun here. 1t will speedily become
the seat of numerous beautiful
homes, and an extensive and profit
able pomocuIture, narrow gauge or
no narrow gauge. But more speedy
and more elaborate development
would he sure to follow the con-
struction Of the narrow gauge.
There is a curious generaliZ alton
as to the point of the compass toward
which cities and villages grow. 1
am gathering facts upon which to
geueralize the tendencies of expan-
sion of our Los Angeles near Sierra
communities with respect to the
points of the compass. 1 already
suspect what will be the finding at
the end of the inductive process. I
will now venture to state the sus-
pIcion. 1t is that while cities
spread toward the west these near
Sierra p0mocultural communities
do and ever will spread toward the
north until their northward growth
is abruptly arrested by the
unclimable walls of the Sierras.
There is neither mystery nor any
remarkable acumen involved in
these propositions. They rest upon
known causes among which the
following are perhaps the principal
ones. Iu the first place the nearer
the mountain the more rain, the
more springs and the greater the
capillary ascension of moisture.
Secondly, the nearer the mountain
the greater the exemption from
frost and the more complete Is the
protection against nOrthers.
Thirdly, the nearer the mountain
the greater the purity and the less
the humidity Of the air. cOnse.
quent upon which, of course, there
is greater salubrity. Fourthly,
the mountains are inexhaustble
fuel stOre-houses, game preservers
and the everlasting open side and
unrestricted free spaces in which
the Daniel Boone instincts that
run through universal humanity
may forever range without the en-
barrassment of fence, hedge, corner
posts, human habitation or Tres
pass laws. There runs not only a
Daniel Boone free wilderness vein
through all humanity to revel in
wild Sierra solitude and free dom
but the love of the beautiful and
the sublime is never absent, but
only asleep in those who dwell on
horizon girt flats. Which purest
and loftiest emotions have a glori-
Gus awakening at the beautiful
pedestal of the sublime Sierras.
Do not assume that am wan
dering away from the narrow
gauge. All that has been said of
these Sierra, near attractions serve
to show the necessity for and the
certainty of the Sierra narrow
gauge railroad of Los Angeles and
San Bernardino counties.
CENTENNIAL EXPOSITION.
Pasadena some days since held a
meeting and appointed Mr.. Clapp
to superintend the Pasadena part
Of the Centennial Exposition to
open at the Pavilion on the 5th OF
next month. The we'll known ca
pabilities of Pasadena to make a
great display, and the selection of
Mr.. Clapp as manager assures a
full and imposing display from
Pasadena. There is disposition
along the line of the proposed mar
row gauge to make the exhibits at
the Pavilion prove the capacities
of the country to support the road
when built.
J. H. S.