News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1883-04-19

on leaving the station the train bends
around the few houses and goes down
the creek, but it continues and in
/ creases It's steep and wonderful climb
| for 40 miles, the grade. including
curyatiOn, being ll6 feet to the mile
| so accurately and constantly are the
! grades and curvaturcs adjusted to one
another, with reference to Il uniform
! grade, that the whole is piece of
work, not only unique in plan, but I'M
surpassed in execution. A writer of
world wide travel calls it remarkable
triumph of engineering science, and
says Il know Of nothing like it, I'M
less it Ice the road over the Styrian
Alps from Vienna Trieste, and even
there the road does not literally cross
Itself Prof. George Davidson. Of the
United States coast survey, says it is
not equalled by any railroad surveying
ne has seen in America or Europe. 1t
is q marvel Of genius and perfection
that will give lasting honor to Col
George f. Gray, the chief engineer of
the road, and to his assistant, William
Hood, Esq, by whom all plans, sug-
gestiOns and directions were faithfully
carried out. Cape Horn. on the c.
p. II. r., presented no difficulty to be
compared with the TehachaDi. To
! overcome the former was an act of
courage, but requiring less ingenuity
and skill than to build successfully and
economically in this defIe. But the
tourist will prefer to see for himself.
and his attention will be divided be-
tween the work and the beautiful
scenery Of the canon. The latter is
not majestic, like that on the Ameri-
can River, but quite picturesque, and
often grand. Moiave, $40 miles from
San Francisco, and the terminus Of
the Tulare and also the Mojave divis-
ion, is the only eating place between
the San joaquin Valley and Los
Angeles, and butter, milk and all
kinds of provision must be transported
over the mountains, and the water is
carried in pipes from spring near
American Station, ten miles away.
Lancaster, 395 miles from San Fran
cisco, is only side track between this
and the next station. The road pass
es through 4 cut Of chalky looking
rock, and after the cut comes q fill Of
the same material. This is seam Of.
an earthquake, made in 1868. The
seam may be traced for miles, and in
places, juniper trees may be seen half
buried, yet erect. Alpine, 4O5 miles
from San Francisco, IS on side track
and brings us face TO face with the
San Gabriel Mountains. This range,
directly ahead, is between nine and
ten thousand feet high. The other
side of the range is seen from Los
Angeles, and is called the Sierra
Madre, or San Gabriel Mountains, and
on the west this range connects with
the San Fernando Mountains at the
Fernando Pass. Ascending from AL
pine to the summit ;tnd looking back to
the left there is a beautiful view Of the
Mojave plains ard the mountains we
crossed. The maximum grade is 1l6
feet 10 the mile. The summit of Sal
edad Pass has an elevation of 3,2I1
feet. At Los Angeles, 40 miles from
San Francisco, are located, near the
depot, the shops Of the railroad com
pany, quite Il town of themselves, and
is the metropolitan city of southern
California, with a population of about |
1G 900, banks, wholesale and retail |
stores, shops and factories. The city
was founded September 4, 1881, is |
situated on the Los Angeles river, 80 |
miles from its mouth, in q large !
valley that fronts on the Pacific Ocean, |
and has two rival harbors, Whining |
ton and Santa Monica. The area of |
the city embraces six square miles,
and from every point of the city the |
panorama is grand, especially where |
the Sierra Madre mountains are in the !
back ground. 1t is the railroad CEN
ter ct southern Calif2rnia. and a.
ready has roads extending in five dl-
rections. 1t is the seat Of Roman
Catholic Bishop, and has 4 Cathcdra!
which is the finest church building
outside of San Francisco. The
several prominent Protestant denomi-
nations have organizations, including
the Methodist, Presbyterian and Epis-
copal. The Roman Catholics have a
college located here, and the Sisters
Of Charity have female seminary,
and besides this there is an academic
institute and good public schools.
There is also good public library, and
an organized fire department.. Many
of Tho Tai lpnnn StatiAnc
tween Los Angeles and Yuma, Ari-
IONA, the smallest of which | will not |
speak of, as space will not allow. /
Walters, 142 miles from Los Angeles,
the lowest point reached, TIE minus |
elevation is 2G6 ID feet below sea
level. The whole depression is about |
100 miles long and from 10 to 80 |
miles wide. In the lowest levels is |
found an immense deposit of rock |
salt, destined to be a great source Of
industry. Yuma, Arizona, is 248 |
miles from Los Angeles and 720 from
San Francisco, and is approached by |
a five span Howe truss bridge across /
the Colorado river, the line between |
California and Arizona. There are
1900 people and one principal street
in the town. This is the point Of de
parture for nearly all the towns and |
mining districts in Arizona, and many |
in Mexico and New Mexico. The |
buildings are only one story high, Of
sod or adobe, with walls often four
feet thick and fat roofs made Of poles
covered with mud. Nerandas from
ten to twelve feet surround the houses
on all sides. The climate is excess
sively hot, and the mercury stands for !
days at l2O . in the shade, and 160o |
in the sun. The natives wear less |
clothes than the negroes of the south,
and people need no blankets for sleep
ing in the open air. Visitors will no.
tice many peculiarities. High fences
surround most every hut, made of |
stakes and rams hides, and the people !
sleep on the roofs OF their huts eight
months out of twelve. The only |
church is the Roman Catholic. The
Sentinel, weekly, is the only paper.
We will pass along to Tucson, 979 !
miles from San Francisco. This is
now usually pronounced I'O0sOn. 1t
was supposed to be a Spanish word,
but is undoubtedly an Indian word,
and the correct pronunciation is
IOObeSOH, and signifies good land"