The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1882-08-31
From, Colorado.
EUREKA. Col. Arg. Il. 1882.

pleSSiuSS III ILLS llle COulc 81
thick and fast that we fail to appre-
ciate them, and instead Of a grateful
heart, we sometimes actually abuse
the persons who labor for our good,
if they happen to make a mistake, or
fail to come up to our standard of
excellence. For one fault or mistake
how often we curse, while the thou
sand benefits received go UNDECIDED.
1 was led into this train Of thought
the reception of my home papers.
l have taken them many years, and
no matter where I am 1 intend to
take them. But I never knew their
real value until now. They come to
me every week a distance of nearly
two thousand miles, brim full OF
news. Since here 1 have written one
hundred and twenty-four letters and
received nearly as many. My friends
have been very kind TO write me so
often, but when the papers come I'm
surprised to find in them so many
items of news that even my dearest
friends fail to mention. Since leav-
ing home last May I have seen many
things which were to me of most
wonderful interest. I think l am
safe in saying 1 have passed over and
have seer the grandest mountain
scenery that can be found in this
country. This opinion is formed not
alone from my own experience, but
from what I have learned in CONFER
sing with men who have travelled all
over the Rocky mountains. After
leaving Pueblo our passage over the
Reta mountains on a Railroad train
drawn by two huge engines, "actual-
ly passing into the very realms of
the Clouds" then our decent into the
San Louis park, the largest one in
the Rocky mountains, was grand be-
yond the power of any one to de-
scribe. But grand as is this part of
the road the part from the old Mex
lean town of Antineto to Silyerton is
far more grand. 1t took four corps
Of engineers four years to locate it.
Allow me to give an extract from q
book called descriptive Colorado"
concerning this road and Toltee
gorge and let me add, the writer has
drawn it mildly. "The z. R. traver-
SEES the mountains from Antineto to
Silverton, a distance Of two hundred
aud twenty four miles, crossing tie
Continental divide'' at an elevation
of ten thousand feet and is one OF
the most wonderful achievements OF
modern r. r. building. West Of
Antineto the road rises by easy
grades and labarynthian curves
among the grassy terraces, affording
magnificent views of the Sangre dc
Cristo range and the Sierra Banca
Reaching the valley Of the Pinos, the
R.. R. follows the steep mountain side
overlooking the valley twelve hun
dred feet below. The scenery fol-
the next ten miles is @nequaled 6a
any other r.. r. an AMERICA. Along
the way are cores of monumental
rocks rising as high as the pines be
side them. The track crosses The
head of O r%avine, and from this poinf
runs directly towards the valley OF
a line at right-angles with it tt
where it narrows into a mere fssurt
in the rocks OF Toltee gorge. The
ledge along which it passes is a grea
wall across the head of the canor
commanding q full view of it TO
many miles. Here the beauty anG
grandeur Of the scene is beyond des
cription. The trains turns a SHARP
curve upon the brink offs chasm elev
en- hundred feet in depth and the1
plunges into a rock-eut tunnel 81,
hundred feet in length only TO emerg'
on the other side on the brink of an
other precipice looking directly dow
to the bottom of the gorge, across
which the cliff on the other side ris'
up twenty one hundred feet" Agar
I say this writer has drawn it mild
ly. Perhaps no scenery in the worlt
is grauder than that ten miles spok
en- of. I have been told many times
"you never write these scenes up 81
your Ohio friends Ear comprehend
Them"
had crossed the Eastern Rookie
and two ranges of the San Jual
mountains, had seen awful gorges
and had stood filed with awe ant
while gazing on the lofty walls o
canon's and I really felt there wa
no more to see. Many persons her
insisted on me going to Herrical
peak if wanted to see grandeur
On the first of August 1 started ear
ly and after an almost continnou
climb for seven miles l reached tn
top. My first experience was a feal
full snow storm, but after it had clea,
ed away the sight that met my eye
1 was entirely unprepared for. l ha'
with me a powerful field glass, whic.
I think from the elevated position
occupied controlled a field of vision
the diameter Of which was abou
seven hundred miles. Ancompa
ghree which the best authoritie
make the highest peak in the Stat
showed up most grandly. The to.
of this mountain looks like the dom
on the State House at Columbus,
little larger if you please. A littl
3 north of west l looked out on tn
Elk mountains and away beyonI
over the vallies of the Grana an
Colorado rivers and still beyond t
the Wahsatch mountains, near Sal
Lake, and q little south the re,
ranges which look as though the
had just been painted red and a
this interspersed with mountai
peaks Of different colors and bank
of pure white snow as large as GU
court house. This is o scene tha
makes an impression never to be fol
: gotten. I guess I acted foolish.
stood there glass in hand like
greenhorn and said oh, oh. I wa
like the man who stood whiting
stick in Yosemite Valley seemin
oblivious to the grandeur about hin
When q friend upbraided him for hi
) indifference to the beauties of Ms
ture, he replied with tears in hi
4 $500 GTsJ z ez- -