The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1882-08-11

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In our memory never To be erased.
The next morning We we've IN hopes
to see The sunrise, but our s,cep had The
fbetter Of US. We took the train about
nine o'clntk. lhiuk az all ihe ronte
there is nnihing Tia: Equals The ride
from the summit Ia Sacramento. We
took our camp chars aud seated our
selves on the plaif, AZ the rnh If The
train. The roai pt-scd through Placer
county. This used Ia be one ,! the
largest mimi. counties III thr sale.
The roau 10 lar from being straight and
makes the ride more exciting. We tray
| elei il thi, county over 80 miles Ii is
well haunrd. II seems ~ il it vas all
dug "v =. AT butch Fiat NC had a
good ch me-, to zee tn work ings of
hydraulic mining, Snme OF the banks
were over 100 feet high where the wa
ter cut them away. We wind our way
through timber, round deep chasms,
and edges of precipiccs, hundreds of
feet Ia the bottom, around Cape Horn,
the most dangerous point oii the road,
thousands of feet down to the American
liver directly below. Here the men
that did the drilling were let down with
ropes form above. We passed through
deserted mining towns, There is but
little placer mining now. They are
mostly worked by Cinnamon; II does
not pay white men. Frnit is raised on
foot hills. Oranges do we'll here.
On we 90, with all the brakes on. II
seems as il we never wonld stop. We
go around short turn aud before us is
hill. II takes a full head of steam TO
reach the top. In ride of less than
three hours we go from a height OF
1000 feet down 10 tide water. The
X%sfYyahS rf2Gigh lipfe VS. srhRib,u hias
and willow. From the river we run
into the city nm the level. The first
sight that meets us as we come out OF
the willow is the capitol, with its dome
1870 feet high. Everything seems to
have changed, 1t seems more as if we
had gotten into port from across the
waters, than an inland city from across
the country. Sacramento might be
called the Golden Gate by land.
The change being SO great, most people
become attached to this city. The
streets are kept in splendid order.
Sprinklers are kept at work in all parts
of the city. In private yards sprink-
lers are ATTACHED TO the water hose,
making the yards cooler, and the grass
and flowers fresh. Drives and walks
in private yards are hedged in by rose
bushes, which bloom most of the year.
We saw oleander trees filled with bios.
SONS, both pink aud white, double and
single, fifteen to twenty feet high. The
trunks from four 10 six inches through
pepper trees with lunches of berries
orange trees loaded with delicious fruit
fig trees with great green leaves and
o. pl- &c t"no hoo s~ ~ -or,s
The fig starts from the root of the
leaf; palm trees; pampas grass and
great cactuses. Shading the streets are
large sycamore trees, and Australian
gum trees filed with blossoms. There
are many species of this tree; they
flourish in this country. These trees
are planted in malarial districts. The
botanical name is eucalyptus. We pass
by vegetable gardens, worked by China
men, and irrigated. We drove out to
the fair grounds, where the state fair is
annually held. The tracks are said to
De second to none in America. On the
fair ground are TO be seen the racing
stock, and all the heavy machinery. In
the city is the pavilion for the exhibit
ton of agricultural products, manufac-
lures, &c. 1t costs four bits to get into
the fair ground, and the same at the
pavilion. Farther ont is the city park.
The street cars run to the park. The
trees are the finest for miles around.
Near is the old Suffer fort. This loca-
tion was taken by Gen. John Suffer.
At that time this ncighborhood was
many wonder why re had his ION mere,
4 l,n MI nd
mores that he camped under, when he
first came 10 the valley and became at
tached to The site. Parties coming in
make this their resting place. Gold
seekers make this their starting point
Sacramento started. This is the most
romantic and interesting place in Cali.
farnia. Ii is wholesale city, and
second in the state. The city has two
gas works, and supplied with water by
the Holly water works. The water is
from The river at the rate OF
two million gallons daily, and forced to
all parts of the city. The water comes
directly from the mountains, but is very
roily, caused by hydraulic mining.
All the rivers are being filed from the
washings of the mines. The Bear
river is filled even with the banks in
places. In the Sacramento sand banks
are forming and spelling the river for
vessels. 1t is claimed the bay is being
filled. The state is trying to pass law
against washing the tailings of the mines
into the rivers. The rivers all have to
be leveed. On the west side of the river
are great alfalfa fields. Acres of
hops and peanuts are grown.
Our trip took us across Sacramento
valley to Stockton. 1t is a hard, sandy
soil, with some alkali. Very little of
the land is level enough to be irrigated
broadcast. This part OF the valley is
better adapted to grazing than grain.
1t is not an inviting valley to an eastern
man at this time of the year. Ont of
the city Tor several miles we ran through
gardens and vineyards, that were kept
growing by irrigation. The water is
pumped by windmills. One OF the
party tried to count the mills, but when
he reached 500 he gave it up. There
must have been thousands. We see
them In all shades and colors. They
are made mostly of canvas and ducking
The wells are mostly drive wells Two
men In two hours can make two inch
well, thirty feet deep that cannot be
pumped dry. The valley is we'll water.
ed. We crossed the Mokelnmne river.
Near Lodi the soil seems better, some
corn is raised, and acres of watermelons.
Some raise nothing but melons. They
are taken to Stockton, loaded in barges
and sent to "Frisco." They grow to
an enormous size and are "enormous
good" From here the country changes,
coming out of the sand into the black
land or Dobie. Before we strike the
black land we came into belt of Tim
Der of live oak. They are an evergreen
tree. not as large as the red oak. From
Lodi we pass through stnbble fields,
both sides of the track as far as we cOuld