National Republican., 1883-02-06
THE NEW COLORADO SENATOR.
Was Nvelcomed-surprise on tho sangrc
del Crlsto-Politics In Colorado.

Was WeIcOmed-surpriso tho sangrc
del Cristo-Polltics In Colorado.
Special Letter.
DEL NoRTE, Rio GRANDE COUNTY,
SOUTHERN COLORADO, Jan. 20.-This is the
home of the senator-elect from this state,
Thomas NJ. Bowen, or Tom, as his friends af-
fectionatcly designate him in this region.
Your correspondent came over on the night Of
the twenty-seventh from Denver with the
senator and o party of friends. The trip
to this place should be taken In
the daytime, in order to properly
enjoy the wonderful scenery aud to appro-
hend clearly the equally as wonderful en-
gineering by which tho Sangre del Cristo
range has been surmounted at Veta pass be-
fore the narrow gauge Denver and Rio Grando
road descends into the San Luis park or val
ley. This is one of tho most attractive Of those
remarkable formations known in Colorado as
"parcs"--immense bowl-liko areas created in
the breasts of the great mountains. Those to
the north, the south, and north parks, with
other smaller ones, are on the cast side of the
Continental divide, while the San Luis park
lies between two great southern spurs or
ranges within the state of Colorado, the San
gre del Cristo, and the San Juan. The
snowy range or "rOckies" proper have
been rent or forked by nature in its
wise benehcence in order TO admit
of the passage of the waters of the Arkansas
and of the Rio Grande. We crossed the Veta
pass at sunrise on Sunday morning. The
scene was ono of grandeur aud sypurb beauty,
and your correspondent considered himself
repaid for night Of unrest, owing to his in
ability to sleep on u top berth in the quaint
little sleeper that runs on these roads by the
opportunity afforded him TO observe the stu
pendous engineering which enables the loco
motive and its burden of cars to rise to and
rg al ('rigtn
at the altitude of
10000 FEET AND ABOVE.
The snow Is not deep, and the weather has
been for some days exceptionally mild. We
were drawn up and up round and round the
most astonishing curves the train forming
horseshocs and loops of the most striking
character, running here and there along tho
edge Of stupondous chasms, the narrow road
bed being cut right out of the mountain side,
or here and there carried over gaps and across
Chasms by bridges and balconies, as it were,
built right against the mountain sides. The
morning was cold, clear, and gray rs
We began the ascent. Tho moon looked
on and lighted the scene, nearly
at its full, with vividness
of luster not seen out of these mountain lati-
tudes. A few soft cumulu hung in the other
wise cloudless sky-olive, pale, stcely deep.
The snow draped the bare, brown mountain
sides, and lit up the sierras and peaks above
us as we climbed. Softly the coming day
touched the whole rugged landscape,
and 10! it glowed with beauty and smiled
in delight. The western horizon lines
were first made golden with far-shoOt-
ing rays out of the east. We were wind
ing west by south, the clouds became
gorgeous, shining first in hues of warm gold,
then deepening into crimson. Behind u.s. as
looked, the east was burning with FURNISHED
gold, paling away into faint orange, delicate,
roseate pink and soft, delicious tints of apple
green, argent, and golden gray, until IL
all melted into the clear cold azure that
arched overhead. Westward and southwark
high peaks and bold ranges grew respondent
at their jagged SUBMITS, and the sun rose,
the white void below cleaned and glistened,
and the deep wrinkles of canyon and chasm
grew gorgeous with rich puppies and rndi-
ant crimson until at last the whole vast land
scape was one mass
OF BRILLIANT, BURNING HUEs
as we descended the western slopes of the
mountains into the vast level of the San Luis
valley or park we sped across. To tho
northward is to be seen in perfection the
whole rugged mass of the grand Sierra Banco,
the focal and converging center of the stu
pendous Sangre del Christie range, and itself
the highest point IL the whole of Colorado con-
tinental formation. Its altitude is given at H.
47O feet. We pass Fort Garland, once famous
frontier post, now depot of supplies, with u
L
lieva, of n son OF the late Gov. Henry ID.
Cooke, of youf city. 1t is u mer9 collection, q
squat and ungainly adobe building scattered
ovet considerable area. We reach Ala
mosa, an important railway and trading CEN
ter, which is to be noted hereafter as tho
headquarters Of q largo iron, mining, and
manufacturing region, and of great expert
ment in irrigation, now In its earlier stages.
The Rio Grando river runs close by.
The local feelings of flush triumph at Judge
Bowen's success was made manifest here by
the presence of the fire company and of our
citizens, and by the decoration of the lOcomO-
tive and cars awaiting ouc arrival to take us
to Del Norte, forty miles to tho northwest of
Alamosa.
THE HOME OF BOWEN.
The distance was soon run At the depot
there was u large body of mounted citizens,
another fire company with band, in all be-
tween three and four hundred persons. Sena-
tor Bowen was received with uproarious cheer
ing, and the greetings continued at his pleas
ant and artistically furnished though modest
dwelling. 1t showed that the senatOr-elect
was n popular leader in the fullest sense of tho
term. Senator Bowen has been so strangely
aspersed and has had so remarkable a personal
history, that your correspondent was curious
to talk with him at leisure, and to SEQ his
home and its locale. Bowen seems to bo u
born leader of men. He is in years but 4S. of
Uull Dup blcnuOT WIN
speech, and bold and marked face, head, and
features. That he is u man of ability is un-
deniable. That he is courageous. ardent, am
bilious, every step in his career has proven
He was early in the war for the union, first as
u captain in Nebraska regiment, next as a
colonel of the thirteenth Kansas. He was
wounded three times.
LITTLE STORY TOLD OF HIM
illustrates his restless ambition. At tho bat
tie of Jcnkins's ferry, Ark, on the thirtieth
of April, 1864 Col. Adams, Il son-in-law Of
Senator james II. Lane, was In command of
brigade which included Bowcn's regiment
Adams was wounded, being shot through the
heshy part of his arm, Bowen rode up TO
Col. Adams, while the wound was being
dressed oil the field, and after inquiry as TO
| tho extent of the injury, exclaimed: Good
God, Charley, what lucky fellow you are.
| No bones broken by the shot A senator's
son-in-law, and sure of your brigadiership.
wish il had been me-"
| After looking the contest all over your cor
respondent believes that Bowen's election to
| the senate will really prove of Importance in
reuniting and unifying the disturbed ranks of
| the republican party in Colorado. The sona-
tor is stalwart republican, but has not proven
| himself offensive TO the milder brethren. II
was evident to an outsider that Gov. Pitkin
could not be nominated that if Tabor was
there would be q bolt; that Hamill's nomina-
! tion would be regarded as unjustly sectional,
as the northern part of the state
| has had all the congressional honors up to
! this date in ColOrado's history. No dark
| horse seemed likely to be trotted out, Chief
Justice Ebert would have been severely as
sailed on some past records. Gov. Rhoutt