Omaha daily bee., 1883-04-06

blbOu wy 10 L iebbdut Nbiley. WHICH
has received the name of the Utah ex-
to lsion, has occupied about nine
m ,nths. The distance from Guunison
City to Salt Lake IL 446 miles, but as
S3 miles of the Pleasant Valley road
wore used, there remained 1868 miles
tor construction. This has been &C.
oomplished in the face of great diff.
c%uities. All the troubles of construc-
tion through an unsettled country
we're met, as a matter of courss. The
heaviest work was In
GOING THRoUGH HI BLACK CANYON
on the Gannison river, west of Gun.
nison City.
This rock-bound chasm Is wilder,
more picturesque and grander than
even the Grand Canyon. Toe cliffs
are fully as-.higb, but tn Dir ,ides ara
broken into narrow shelves, where
shrubs, trees and clin0ipg vines have
formed a foothold. In many places
miniature cataraots leap from dizzy
heights into the sea green waters of
the river, or, broken by projecting
lodges, reach the bottom of the canyon
In silvery spray. Here q solitary pin.
nacle eoars upward like q delicately-
formed cathedral tower, and again the
incloSlng walls hug the road for miles
Ia unbroken masses. Tne contour of
| the
PALISADES ON II HUDSON
IL almost reproduced here. Half way
through the canyon the Gannlson
turns into q still deeper gorge to the
right, and the road continues by the
side of Clmsrron creek, which leads
to where the cliffs are more rugged
still, and whose sides are filled with
clingipg vines and stunted pines and
oedars. Toe region becomes darker
and gloomier, while the creek flows
over Its rocky bed and among granite
powders with q rumble that fills the
gorge with deafening echoes.
The natural difficulties Ia the way
Of construction were lighter there.
after. The Cedar Divide Is crossed
by q series of steep grades, and thence
the line der ,nds to Montrose, In the
Uncompahgre Valley, the richest part
of the Ute Reservation. The Ouray
extension will be built from this point.
Following the Unoompahgre, after
leaving Montrose, the road trsverses
a valley filled with rich farm land to
Delta. Here again the Gunnison
River Is encountered, and the road
follows it through Its yellow lined
canyon to Grand Junction, the tx.
treme western city of the State, built
at the head of Grand Valley. A wide
neck of land uns westward from it
between two long lines of cliffs, and
watered by the River Grand, is cap.
able of producing
EVERY VARIETY OF FRUIT AND CEREAL.
The valley Is as level al q floor, the
climate Is exceptionally fine and the
view of distant mountain ranges
Is n of the finest which any part of
the State affords.
After Grand Junction the railroad
enters upon Q veritable desert. Low,
treeless, dry and neglected wastes OK.
tend before n for nearly $50 miles.
The traveller Is Oh an inls nd sea, where
the winds have formed pillows of sand
and the earth Is csksd by the heat of
summer. Under the effects of irriga.
ton much of 1t will DO reclaimed.
Finally Green river, q broad, sluggish
stream, is reached and crossed. Tae
maximum grade from Grand JUNCTION
to here IL 8 80 feet to the mile. Turn.
Ing now to the northwest the road ap.
proaches the Wasatoh mountains.
Soon Price river Ia crossed, y tributary
to the Green. and later Castle valley
Is entered, where there Is more vege-
tstion found. At Its extreme end,
and reached after long twistlngs and
turnings among the foothills of the
range, stands Castle Gate, leading Into
the very
HEART OF THE wAsATCH
mountains, and formed by two I'm
menae towers of red sandstone which
have q sheer descent of nearly 500
feet, and are several offshoots from the
cliffs behind them, They are so close
to each other as barely to allow the
passage of the read and the stream,
Once through the narrow way, and
climbing the steep grades of Price
River Canyon, the road follows frat
ono stream and then another, aud all
the while there are unbroken forests,
vari' colored rocks, clear waters, green
meadows, tangled brunh and viatas of
distant, snowy peaks. At Soldier
divide, on the very top of the range,
the road takes Its eagle like plunge
down the western elope, and after
emerging from the various gorges en-
oountered, enters Utah Valley and Is
almost