Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1883-05-22
NATURES GRANDEUR.
Scenery That surpasses the Beauty
of the Alps.
GRAND CANON OF THE ARKANSAS.
Remarkable Railroad Engineeriug-A Tough
Story Of an Escape Land OF
Barenness Above Timber
Line.
Correspondence Of the Register.

grandest scenery on the continent, ana NO
doubt in the world. the traveller can see
in the Rockies, not just here and there
latch, but a continuous panorama OF ma
lures beauty everywhere can be seen IN
this section. Bayard Taylor-a traveller
who had seen almost everything OF interest
upon the earth's su-iace, from the geysers
of Iceland to the cascades Of the Amazon,
and who studied it all with the soul OF a
poet, ard the eye of an artist-once said
that the grandest cluster of mountains in
America, those offering the most variety
of outline and the most
Impressive 3 sture,
was that OF which Pixies Peak is the cen
ter, as theyare approached from the plains
east of Colorado Springs. l do not beileve
Mr.. Taylor ever saw the Uncompihgre
against q blue sky south OF Gunnison; but
permitting his Judgment to stand unques-
TONED, the traveller will see between Pike s
Peak and the Soldiers Summit Of the
Wasatch Range, along the Denver " lao
Grande Railroad, and from the windows OF
the cars, mountains whose solemn and sup
erative grandeur paralyze the pen.
A Wilderness Of Peaks
There is no other part of the world where
such wilderness of mighty peaks can be
seen as along the 7C0 miles WHICH we have
recently travelled, from Denver to Salt
Lake City. Within the single distance OF
100 miles there are GO peaks oyer l3,ovo
feet high, or 1000 feet higher than MI.
Washington; adozen that are over, II OOo
feet high. and over 200 that are $500 feet
higher than Mt. Washington. TIE rail-.
road itself passes over SUBMITS that are
nearly as high as Mont Blanc, and there
are several towns along its line that are
much nearer the sky than the famous hos
pices of st. Bernard in the Alps.
The Grand Canon
of the Arkansas, through which the roll
road passes from Kansas City to Salida, and
which is familiar to all who have visited
I.eadville, is mighty chasm cleftfrom the
top to the bottom of the mountains, first
by some awful geological commotion, and
then worn smooth by the waters OF tie
Arkansas River that pour through it like a
torrent. Only few yards wide; only wide
| enough for the furious waters to pass
through, the railway engineers. were COM
pelled to blast out q shelf in the side o. a
mighty precipice which lowered 1000 and
sometimes Z, 600 feet almost tperpendiCularly
above them, in order to find o roadway Tor
their rails.
Salida is thrifty little town from which
the miners in thu mountains get their sup
plies, and il lies in beautiful amphithea'
Ire that from the hills around looks like a
little paradise. There are plenty of trout
in the neighboring streams and plenty OF
game in the mountains, so now that the
hotel is done Salida will be fayOrite re-
| sort for sportsnen.
A WhOppen
They tell some stalwart stories here, oil
which | may be permitted TO give speci :
men. | do not vouch for its truthful
ness, nor for the veracity of the man who
| told it. The story was told in the Office OF
the Grand View Hotel the other right,
and repeat it with faithful accuracy.
nan b RY Yit tthe B8ams Qh aS9 RShn KSEpFs @
chasing deer on the icy rocks slipped
and slid over the prscipice several hun
! dred feat high. His head struck crevlce
| between two cliffs so forciblv that he was
| unale to eXtr;cate it. Being gifted with
great presence OF mind, lie took his hunt
| ing knife from the scabbard-whlCh he he I
| fortunately brought with him-cut OIL
| his head. pried it out from between the
| roeks by using the but of his gun as 6
crowbar and carried it back to town
where his faithful end devoted wife sewed
it on again without remonstance.
The deer escaped.
At Salida the road splits, one branch go
ing to Leadville and the other to Gunnisor
| over
The Wonderful Marshall Pass.
As we leave Salida the track takes wide
| curve around the valley so as to attack the
| mountain il bas to cross on the flank, anC
| distance is sacrificed TO grade. Then, pass
| ing Porcha, we enter narrow valley anC
| hear the engine demonstrating with it!
| measured puff. .puff.putf." Articles upor
the seats of the cars roll off; overCoats tha
| droop from the ceiling hang at an angle
and the floor of the car has ma. Ged in
cline. We are going up steep hill so tha
| il requires the labored efforts OF two en-
| gines to haul our little train of four narrow
gauge cars. 1t is not
a Sudden Leap
| over o small elevation and then dowr
| again, as We have been accustomed to OF
the pIliries, but a steady rise, mile afteI
| mile.
This is 1.-The great continental divide VI
are GRO, sing-the backbone of North Amer
ica, which stretches from Alaska to tht
Cordileras in Mexico, and separates tht
Atlsntic from the Pacific slope. Now. al
the streams besides us flow into the mi
of Mexico; pretty soon they W.. oo, 49,
the Gulf II, Of a califO.". ..a through the ' GreS:.
?''o" u. - ,ne Colorado, which Is the Miss
.sSIppi of the West.
To cross this great divide the track rise
5,GG0 feet in thIrtv.eight miles. and tn
average grade in the steeper places is 81
feet 10 the mile.
The Great Skill
ofmodern engineering is nowhere showl
so plainly as here. II is one great horse
shoe curve of the Pennsylvania railroad
duplicated forty times, with nearly three
times the grade. That has grade OF eight
feet to the mile. This is generally III
feet, and in some places 2l1 feet to tn,
mile.
We are running now on one side OF
narrow little valley, with a furious trou
stream hundred feet or so below us
Down in the gulf on the other side OF tn,
valley, along the bed of the brook is tn,
track we Just passed over, and on the same
side two hundred feet or so above us, hang
| ing like thread upon the side OF the steer
aill, is the track we are soon 10 reach. Up
up, up, We go; the engines putting and fret
ting; the fireman hCaving in coal; then en-
gineer with
One Hand on the Throttle
and the other on the steam brake and look
ing with all his might at the track befor,
him, and resdy at an instsnts notice t
stop the train.
Is it safe? Perfectly. Ii an acciden
| should occur the train could be stopped il
a quarter OF second. Ii one OF the car.
! should become detached it would stop in
stsntly, because of the automatic brake,
| that would fastep tho wheels as firmly a
The track itself. Cars have broken thei
couplings, but have been stopped and -
paired before The passengers suspected WIN
was the matter.