St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1882-06-16

Extracts of letter written by Mrs. Mary Lang
Swizer Of Ryegate. 10 friends at home.
Los ANGELES, April 30, lSS2.

Los ANGELES, April 81, loc2.
Well. here we are at the other side
of the continent, with thousands OF
miles stretching between us. We ar
rived Just one week from the time We
started from Philadelphia. | think il
we had come direct by the Pennsyl-
vania railroad, we would have been
here day sooner, but we found that
by taking the Reading railroad, We
could get view of Niagara Falls 50
we stopped Off there two or three houI :
and enjoyed the magnificent sight,
though it was freezing cold. We had
our heels strapped up with short irons,
and walked on the icy way, and went
under the grand baptismal shower OF
the mighty Niagara.
We left Buffalo i'll the afternoon
travelling on the Lake Shore railroad,
and was on the lookout all the time
for that fatal bridge near Angola sta
ton where you and and James came
near losing our lives, almost ID years
ago. But although we passed Angola
| could not distinctly point out that
spot so eventful in our lives, for all
seemed changed. 1t seemed to us the
slowest and most unsatisfactory part of
our route, tor the train arrived an hour
and half late in Cleveland, and the
connecting train, out of all patience,
had gone, leaving us to the tender
mercies of hackman who drove lis to
Il miserable hotel, which charged us an
extravagant price for nights lodging.
However it rested us somewhat, and
poor little Paul was SO delighted to be
undressed and put to Ded that he fairly
laughed when | laid him down.
Thursday morning saw us i'll st.
Louis, and here we first had the Re
clining chair ear, but it served poor
purpose to lis, for we were soon driven
out by Il party of German emigrants
who were broken out with measles.
Owing to the crowded condition of the
train these people were showed into a
first class car.
The western part of Kansas is one
vast plain, with few redeeming fea-
lures. We passed through the south
east corner of Colorado, then through
New Mexico. 1t seemed very dreary
and uninviting, with its disgusting ma
tives and low, dirty, unwhOlesOme
adobe houses. There are in this Ter
ritory scattering plants of the cactus,
but Arizona capped the climax. Here
we saw il dozen or fifteen distant vari-
eties of the cactus and some that had
attained a hight of from % to 30 feet
The prickly pear also grows i'll marvel
ous-luxuriance. Otherwise Arizona is
Il sandy, barren desert hot and dusty
to suffocation. The stations are very
far apart. 1t is quite mining region
lawless and Goddess. At one station
we saw Chinaman stretched on
in the hot sun lying on a platform ca
quite dead. The day before he hat
drawn fifty dollars for wages, and t.
possess this money he had been sho
| through the head. Then man VIII,
| employed a lot of Chinese was tOl,
that if he did not discharge every on,
of them, he would be hung so he le
them go, and the poor fellows wer
running for their lives to board on
train. Q how horrible it all seemed
but the men on our ear We're loOkin;
on jeering, laughing and shouting t,
the poor creatures.
That dreary barren desert, 600 mile
in breadth, extends even into CalitOr
mia but it was not long after we entered
the Golden State before the green hill
became visible and large tracts of tn
most beautiful and cultivated land
Arriving at Los Angeles without
friend to meet us seemed rather inhOs
pitable, and | had to sit nearly fou
hours in the depot before c. could fin,
IA proper place to put up for the night
The town is so full of people, fairl
over-run, that it is almost impOssibl
to find Il boarding place, except yol
pay very high.
1t seems rather difficult for c. to I'm
Just the position he needs, for mos
out door work is too heavy for hin
but we trust the right thing will 500
show itself.
YOu can imagine our physical condi
ton when tell you that for Who'll
week, except one night at Cleveland
we had no sleep OF rest but what W
could find in the most uncOmfOrtabl
positions on the seats of the ears. Pau
managed nicely for three nights, for Il
had a whole seat to himself and cOul
D stretch himself full length then Il
took IA terrible cold which made him :
t troublesome that | had to hold hil
r nearly all the time during the rest {
the Journey. c. and | both caugl
/ colds and have hard coughs. You wi
think it strange when | tell you til;
we have suffered much from cold viii
! here. We are told that strangers nea
|, ly all feel this at first, until they ca
accommodate their systems to this il
7 comprehensive climate. Notwitl
d standing the heat of the sun, no matt,
! ! how hot, i, is always cool and refreshir
l in the shade. Ladies never think
wearing lawn or linen dresses alwal
wooden or something warm. In Il
- evening OvercOats or heavy wraps mu
be worn to protect from the cool breei