Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-05-06
THE SOUTHERN PACIFIC.
A Railroad Ride Through a Beaust-
fuI COunETY-The San Josqufn Vale
ley signs Onncreasing Prosperity
"A Breakfast az Los EDgeles-The
MOjaVe DeserE.


| whether It be the latest fashions or the last
new railroad, they are bound to patr0nfze It.
Stepping on board the handsome sleeper OF
the Southern Pacific Railroad at the oakland
station Friday morning, l was surprised
to see so many old Californians booked for
the Southern route, Eastward bound. The
two sleepers were full. AS we sped along
the shore of San Pablo Bay the view from
the car window YVES most delightful. The
breeze just rippling the water, the bright
sun overhead; on the land
beautiful fields of grain and green gr
with wild flowers of every hue glistening
with drops of morning dew-sueh morn
Ing as California alone can boast. Passing
Benicia-Martinez, with its rOse-embowered
cottages, we soon struck into the broad
plains OF the great San Joaquin Valley,
through which our course lay for $50 miles,
with It's endless fields of grain covering the
country for miles with it's deep green, in
terspersed with charming little villages,
vineyards, and fruit trees. We passed
Fresno, the most charming and largest place
in the valley, celebrated for its annual crop
of raisins, not exceled by the product OF
Malaga. On every side there were signs Of
prosperity. | could not help contrasting
the present aspect Of the valley with the
period only few years ago when plodded
along over the same ground on a mustang
at the rate OF five miles an hour. Not field
was then cultivated, the belief be-
ing that the soil was not capable of raising
crop. The attempt was finally made by
some venturesOme pioneer, who was ridi-
culed for ais foolish waste of time and
money, but the yield set at rest the doubts
OF the sceptics, and the hitherto valueless
lands we're bought up, and fences, houses
and barns dotted the plain. Then followed
the construction of an irFigating canal,
which caused the land along its borders to
advance from So per acre to $50, and even
as high as 500. The soil was found to be
admirably adapted to grapes and other
fruit, and the town of Fresno spranga into
existence as If by magic-not a tree or
shrub marked the site where now tall
shade trees, hedges of rose trees, and vine
| yards show the effect of enterprise and
labor, and not very hard work at that; but
this valley is not even yet half cultivated.
There is room here for thousand industri-
GUS families.
The valley, If cut up into farms of 100
acres each would support population of
half an ordinary State. 1t would swallow
| up little Rhode Island entirely. Leaving the
| San Joaquin Valley, our route lay through
more elevated ground until, crossing the
coast range, we descended into that garden
| spot, Los Angeles, the land of the fig, the
| vine, and the orange. On it's green plains
| thousands Of cattle range, literally up to
] their knees in clover. At Los Angeles we
| took breakfast. Huge dishes of luscious
| oranges adorned the table, and a bottle of
native red wine stood by each plate to
| crafty the passing Frenchman, and Yam
KEGS, too, for the habit of using wine at
every meal is an increasing one on the
Pacific coast.
Leaving Los Angeles we passed through
the beautiful valley of San Gabriel, with its
old mission church, 100 years old-one of the
first missions established by the Jesuits-its
hard scres OF domain spreading out like a
green carpet, most refreshing to the eve.
Onward we mill
OF fields of grass and grain, and finally the
fading light hut out the panorama. The
evening is whiled away In pleasant converse
until one by one the company drops off
yawDingly to bed. As familiar as we all are
with the comforts OF sleeping car, never
can quite get over the appreciation of the
luxury OF The thing. To turn into such a
comfortable bed, draw the curtain, aud look
out on the moonlit country as It glides past
while you lay fiat on your back with head
propped up by pillows, and as snug as bug
in rug, md go dashing through space,
over hill and dale, and finally dropping
to sleep only to awake and ind that you
have taken nap 200 miles long. 1t is
great, and how our granddaddies must envy
US If they can look down, or up, and see
what luxuries they are enjoying that they
never dreamed of.
The second morning, as we perform our
ablutions, we look out, and lol the scene
has changed All around US, on every side,
Is a sea of sand. We are crossing the
Mojave desert. Il is barren and dreary; no
green thing is visible. We cross a bridge
over the coffee cOlOred Colorado, and come
to standstill in front of fine hotel on its
banks. We are at Fort Yuma, BY general
consent accounted the hottest piacs in the
summer known on this continent, and 1t is
questionable whether Africa can furnish its
counterpart. 1t is the military purgatory
where nearly every officer in the army has
first or last served his period Of penance for
the good times he may have enioyed at bet
ter posts. Uncle Sam still keeps It up as
sort OF depot, but it is, by virtue of the
facilities afforded by the railroad,
stupid and unnecessary expense. There
are not a dozen Indians within five
hundred miles Of it, and what few
there are are erticed there for what they
can pick up around the garrison This Is
the place of which the old army legend is
told OF the soldier that died aud went to-
well, we can guess. The night after hfe
death his comrades were aroused by knock
ing, and going to the door were met by the
dead man, who had come back for his
blankets. After prOtracted residence at
Yuma he was unable to endure the COM
parative chilly temperature down below.
This story and the cOrroboratipg testimony
OF those who live there have made Yuma
famous, but it was not hot when we landed
and went ashore for breakfast. On the con-
trary, it was trife chilly. The breakfast
was good, however-decidedlv So We
reach Arizona, and huge spires OF cactus
loom up like minia IRE obelsks. 1t is sand,
sand, everyWhere-and somewhat dusty, but
occasional roadside stations relieve the
mOnotony. The next important station is
Tucson. Here we encounter .he honest
miner and prospector. The first Spanish
population aud the burro-Spanish for DON
key-poor little beasts that do duly as wood
and water carriers. After Tucson comes
Benson, new station, and the present
starting point of the Atchison, Topeka and
Santa Fe Railroad, which, terminating at
Deming, and using the rails of the Southern
Pacific to Benson, starts out from that point
on its continuation to HuDosillo and Guy
mas, on the Gulf of California. This Is,
however, but temporary arrangement, and
adopted to facilitate the building of this
lower section.
At Benson yoDr correspondent left the
train and took the short line of seventeen
miles to Contention, and thence ten miles bv
stage to Tombstone, the most prosperous
mining town In Arizona. Tombstone.
despite its name, is not a grave place; on
the contrary, 1t is gay, brisk little town.
1t has the prestige Of several of the best pro-
ducing and most prof able mining proper
ties In the Territory, turning out nearly
million of dollars per month. Il has two
good hotels, where as good a room can be
had for 81 5O day as any one could wish,
and restaurants where good meals can be
had at much less price than restaurants of
the same class charge in New York. Il is
the most orderly mining camp for its size I
have yet seen, and, although everybody
goes armed, or, In slang parlance.
"well heeled," it seems more az
a protection against that mythi-
cal somebody else - not You
that underlined enemy that is supposed to
be lurking about-the road agent or lawless
cowboy. There is some excuse for it, fnas-
much as, Ike the mosquitoes, the ~enemyig
q little further on, and the rowing character
OF the community may bring man face to
face with one Of them In his perigrinations
the cowboy, l mean, not the mosquito.
Tombstone is not SO bad as Tucson, Defining.
and several other localities. The pistol ts
only brought in requisition in cases of a diff
ference OF opinion on a mining claim own
ership, or occasionally when whisky has the
upper hand. Since my arrival l have not
seen man under its Influence, and to all
appearances it is as quiet and orderly as anv
New England town. Il is graeed by tha
presence OF a great number OF the fair ser
some very pretty specimens at that, scell and
fashionably dressed.