The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1881-06-11
THE FAR WEST.
DENyrR. Col, May 81, 1881.

DEAR SISTER Going to Philadelphia or
Reading and Millersville is nothing like
coming away out hero to the far West. l
feel very far ftoin home when It takes al
most 2 weeks to get reply to letter 1t
takes at least Eve days to go and FIVE days
to come, let alone the delays in mail, and
when one waits for a letter It is so much the
longer. actually have gone twice to the
post office aud asked for mail matter for W.
W. Reber. But the answer was very defn
te but dampening on ones hopes that pro-
badly there might have been letter there.
Mails go Sunday as well as week day.
Hailroadng out here is very loose as yet
not very systematic. And had they more
trains on the road they would have a great
many accidents. Two and three trains
each way is all they seem to run. At sta
tions they sometimes lay half an hour
Trains stop anywhere. Passengers get out
and 60 quite a distance from the train
lake walks and nmuse themselves. They
stop longer on the prairies. This they do
at railroad eating houses-20 minutes Tor
meals. After left Trinadad-a one-horse
jockey town. came SO miles eastward to
| Thatcher, no town at adjust one family
aud an operator, tho only operator between
Trinadad and La Junta pronounced La
Hunta). At Thatcher l went on a cattle
ranch and spent two or three days, and had
a good time riding horses, and rounding up
cattle and horses. had a good time. 1t
is a wild life, this riding fleet and fast over
the great plains. I'd make quite rancho
man. And the meals--oh, the meals. We
happened to be out Of meat and potatoes, so
we lived on bread baked from day to day
by some old rancheman, and dipped this
Vienna ~ roll dointily in gravy OF flour
and water Coffee in the morning, tea for
dinner and supper. For vegetables We had
beans, warmed up from day to day. When
they were first put upon the stove in that
dirty pot, don't know, an old piece of pork
sailed around in the pot TO add some little
favor. Beans were added, guess, from
time to time as the pot required replenish-
ing. Peaches, dried, was another deicacy
that tickled the palate of the six-ioot lIosier
who sat at my elbow, remarkng that things
looked as if we were going to have "rght
smart of good grass" One cup Of molassesj
pepper, salt, sugar, dirty plates and rusty
knfes and forks, and you can easily imag
inc the festive board to which we all did
full justice.
Did eat well7 Well, you may be sure
of that, for gallopng over the prniries gives
one fearful appetite l could have eaten
anything. Ones appetite is famous out
here in Colorado. The hut OF the ranch
was not very spacious. 1t consisted of four
rooms. The hut was very low, built Of
mud and stones, gathered from neigh bor-
ing canyon; about Z feet high from the
ceiling to floor. No pictures adorned the
walls. The floor was dirty, chairs rickety,
windows dirty, beds were made of boards
nailed together. Yet slept well, eat well
and enjoyed myself hugely.
La Junta is a very small place. yet it
promises at one time to be something. The
car shops are to be built there. (But
whcn?) was there only few hours. |
soon came to Pueblo. This was all hustle
aud excitement, and formed quite con-
trast to Trinadad. / got there last Satur-
day morning and stayed till Sunday after
noon. 1t is built in three parts-Pueblo,
north Pueblo and what they call the
"Mesa." Mesa are properly found most all
over the praries out here. Phey are hnolls
or elevations from 10 TO about rs feet high.
They are not very large, and are generally
alone-that is, not one connected with an
other They are peculiar in formation and
abrupt in ascent, rounded at edge, and fat
on top. They are mostly formed Of the
same matter as the surrounding plains. No
stones, nothing but sand, clayey This is
capped with layer o. peoples and rounded
stones from to 6 inches in diameter, most
ly less, showing that at one time they were
subject 10 the influence of water, While
the Surroundings show no such signs. They
are very odd. cannot understand it, Wa
ter is scarce here anyhow; but few streams
aud but few beds Of streams. The town
called "Mesa" is built on a succession Of
: three hills. They seem very prevalent
here. Pueblo altogether has about 5000
people. II is now though full of gamblers,
roughs and buns. l visited all could
, while there; | am not modest at allj I just
step right IN and see what is to be seen.
Gambling rooms are open in tho best of ho-
tells In the leading one l saw in one room
three different plays; one was the great Ba-
. den Baden game, "Rouge ct nor." ! MOTTO
ed one thing more that the man who ran
the game the banker-always made the
money. At this place they had other
y games, keno, &c. I did not invest. These
places were open till early Sunday morn
ing. Sunday morning, when you folks
, were listening to the melodious church bells
!. l heard the click of the billiard balls and
a the thump Of the card players on the tables
Stores aud saloons are open, as there is nc
a Sunday in the west.
I left Pueblo Sunday about s p. m. foi
5 Denyer, Col. came over the Denver
Rio Grande railroad. This is nobby llt-
tie railroad, having narrow track only
a feet from rail to rail. All the cars-passen-
4 ger, freight and coal cars-have steam
= breaks on their, something l never saw on
any other road. The engines are four
S wheeled drivers, and each only about two
. feet in diameter. The running stock is the
i neatest thing ever saw. 1t seems to be a
r half grown railroad from the rail up to the
heaviest engines.
u Chinese are very numerous out here. Sam
5 Sing, La Kee, &c, &c, arc found all over
$ this town. They are peaceable, .. frugal and
e industrious. saw one fellow pull out a
gold watch the other day very unconeerned.
}, People in the East who Rave no full knowl-
y edge ofthem should not allow Western items
# to prejudics them against them. The actual
y condition or solution Of the whole Chinese
question, to great extent, is contained in