National Republican., 1883-05-15
A Republican" Correspondents Trip by Raj
Through New Mexico and Arizona
Overland Travel Now and in the olden
Time.
FERTILE Plains, Sublime Mountains, and hot Treeess
Alkaline Deserts All in One Days Ride
The Deceptive nIirngc-Among tho Orch
ards and Vineyard
SnhcinL Leiier.

foot of the Ration mountains, which two pom
derous engines, at front and rear of tho train,
are required TO carry us over In earlier days
9j feet per mile was considered tho steepest
grade admissible but here It is doubled, 195
feet per mile of a rise, and with a tunnel of
2,300 feet in length the range is overcome. Tho
lines of tho Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe
railway here passes through the old Santa Fe
trail, and down the narrow canyon the rail
and wagon road 60 side by side for several
miles.
Nature could hardly have made better
route for railway than here exists The
road passes over slightly rolling plain, with
no abrupt rises or falls, the plain being at
times shut in on both sides with buttes and
foot hills; at other times spreading out for
miles treeless waste to all appearances, yet
covered with nutricious grasses, now yellow,
dry, and desert like. Low rocky ridges are
frequent, that are covered with scrub cedar,
pine, and other small trees, while on the west
the snow clad range is at all times in view at
great distance.
Cattle and sheep are quite abundant, and
where water can be had they do we'll and
arc very profitable. Here and there o
"rancher" has put up his adobe house, and
while his cattle are feeding on the prairie he
is irrigating his crop, as only by thorough
irrigation can crops be grown. Adobes are
the principal building material used. The
natives are plain in their huts but those who
are able build elegant structures of these
sun dried blocks of mud, plastering them in
side and out, and with shingle roofs, they
look, at q distance like stone, and are very
comfortable.
The temperature here is 20 to 800, a sum
mer heat, but want of rain has kept the grass
from starting much as yet. Las Vegas is an
old town, some forty years old, built entirely
of adobes, whilo the now town, established
since the advent of the railway, is modern
and American in style, with frame buildings
predominating There arc several very ex-
tensive business houses, carrying immense
stocks of goods, and commanding a trade
reaching from 100 to 150 miles in several di-
rections.
Just now the winds are very high, and the
air is constantly filled with clouds of sand
and dust that make it extremely unpleasant.
After the rainy season commeaces that will
cease
From here branch road extends to Hot
Springs, six miles up the valley of the CALI
mas creek. These springs are claimed to have
great curative powers, and evidently those in
charge Of the springs have great faith in
them, for they are spending large sums of
money in making most substantial improve
ments, two large hotels and many other build
ings being erected. The grounds are being
beautifed, and the baths have every modern
convenience
The scenery is excellent, the springs being
near the mouth of a mountain canyon, the
slopes covered with pines, and picturesque
rocky peaks surrounding.
About Las Vegas and throughout the terri
tory is found abundant good building stone
Many of the newest houses are of various
colored sandstone easily worked and making
really handsome appearance. few houses
are of brick, but not many. Several excellent
schools are maintained.
Iumher Ia abundant and cham. rnrnunnn
pine is worth Sl9 per 1000 feet. 1t comes
from the mountains some twenty miles dis
tant, no good timber being near by.
few really good American gardeners
could find mine of wealth in the vicinity Of
Las Vegas, where good supply of water
where vegetables Of all kinds are brought
from California and Kansas, the prices being
very high
presume that the only blacksmith shop
iniAmerica that can afford a front oflarge plate
glass, is opposite the postofiice of this place,
and IL evidently pays the proprietor, for he
can always be seen hard at work with several
helpers.
This is pro-eminently n stock country
The interests of those engaged in raising
large herds Of cattle is in direct opposition to
that of small farmers, as water is required
for both, and all the lands adjoining the
various streams and springs is held by men
they would rather buy their produce from
Kansas than to have the land used for agri-
cultural purposes. South of Las Vegas
few miles the timbered hills approach the
valley which the railway descends. These
hills are covered with a scattering growth OF
pines, mostly of low growth, yet some meas
uring from twelve to twenty inches diameter
and go to forty feet in height The scrub
cedar also abounds, and is used for fuel and
fence posts.
Deming, N. NJ, in situated in broad
plain covered with sage and partly sur
rounded by mountain ridges and isolated
buttes. 1t is the junction of the Southern
Pacific railway of Arizona, and the Atchison,
Topeka aud Sante Fe, with the FL Paso
branch. 1t is a new place. with great expec-
tations Water in great abundance exists
few feet beneath the surface. Passing Terels-
burg we enter Plays valley, some miles
in width and 160 miles long, barren sandy
desert, dry, hot, and alkaline. A mirage
appears in which are depicted the reflection
of the surrounding mountain with every
appearance of an extensive lake, but there
arises a whirlwind carrying up column of
dry sand from amidst of the supposed body
of waters. Water is found here by the COM
pany, but engineers do not use it if avoidable,
1t being so alkaline.
We ascend the range by the old trail to
Los Angeles, crossing by an excellent smooth
incline at STEMS Pass, where the Apaches
used to await the smmigrant and commit so
many murders
Descending into San Simon valley and
again rising the range is crossed at Railroad
Pass. Dinner at Wilcox and downward into
Cochise valley, where most superb mirage
exists to the loft, in another broad, sandy,
hot, plantless desert. East of Railroad Pass
water is so scarce that no cattle arc seen. For
125 miles did not see an animal, but passing
that range, and there being water, numbers
of cattle are ranging the plains.
That great pest of the American farmer,
broad leaved dock, extends throughout Ari-
zona, along the railway, having been brought
thither in the hay by the trains In construc-
tion Of tho railway. 1t now is as thick in
many places as the sage brush and yucca.
Where the old bunch grass has been burned
OIL, the surface looks quite green-the young
grass is starting finely. l was disappointed
in not seeing the Gila valley, where there is
some agricultural lands and irrigating bitches
that have for centuries been used by the In
dians and by Mexicans at a later period.
In the morning the train passes along the
lower part of the valley, and ut its junction
with the Colorado the town of Yuma, an old
fort'of the same name.
Leaving Yuma the road rises by heavy
grade to the hills of sand, and from thence for
105 miles the desert in its strictest sense
dry, sandy, treeless Chahuila valley-and
many portions absolutely free from any plant
whatever, and where the company have
failed to reach good water bY boring, and
each train carries its car of water. The high
ranges, San Jacinto and .Barnardino, rise on
either side, at great distance apart on tho
~ aaht A