Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1883-03-06
THE FAR WEST.
A Moonlight View of Tehochapi
Summit,
Where the Horrible Accident Occurred
and Where the Engine Grows
Dizzy and Staggers on
the Steep Grade.
ALARMED ABOUT THE lEPR0SY.

Editorial Correspondence Of the Register.
SAN Francisco, CAL, February 26.-The
Southern Pacific, like the Union and Gen.
tral Pacific railroad, has many features of
absorbing interest to the traveller; but the
most interesting of all the points on the
former route across the continent is found
where il climbs over the mountain barrier
which divides semi-tropical Southern Cali
foruia from California proper. There is a
difference between the climates, the soils,
the productions and the people Of the two
sections; and the passage from the one sec
ton to the other is full of interest.
Ever since read in the newspapers, last
January, an account of that
Wild Ride 10 Death
OF the unfortunate passengers who occu-
pied the coaches, which in the dead hour of
midnight, broke from the train at Tehochapi
Summit, 1000 feet high, and with no break
TO check their rapidly accelerating speed,
dashed madly down a grade of more than
40 feet to the mile, until hurled from the
track over an abyss and 70 destruction. |
have had strong desire to visit the spot.
But all of the trains on the road pass
night. had figured on passenger,
emigrant and freight trains, but they all
- and it seems singular to me-select the
night time, in which to pass this wonder
full piece of engineering. l finally fell
upon the plan o. selecting bright moon
light night for my observation; so leaving
Los Angeles on the 5:l5 P. NJ. through train
took my place in the rear car for an all
night wideawake ride. Skirting along
4 n
on, pine and olive trees, up
the fertile valley of the Los Angeles river,
in an nour We are confronted by the San
Fernando mountains which rears its dark
and craggy backbone 5000 feet into the
clouds across our path. For five miles our
engine has painted and throbbed pulling its
long train up grade of lOG feet to the mile, to
plunge US into a tsnnel nearly 1000 feet in
length. At once We descend again 1l6 feet
to the mile; but after passing deep and
yawning canyons, dark and rugged gorges,
YiIIainous Looking Robbers RoOsts,''
we commence another rapid ascent to the
summit of Solidad Pass, !, ,2ll feet above the
sea- Here, high up in the clouds is MoJaYa
Desert where grows some OF the hnest
cacti seen on the entire road. A species
called the Yucca Palm here attains the di-
mensions OF large branching trees, fifty to
sixty feet high and two TO three feet in
turned into paper by a mill erected here
for the purpose. A salt lake exists in this
desert where clean, white solar salt can be
shoyeled up by the car load. We now
soon reach
Tehoehapi Summit,
at an elevation of 1000 feet. From this
point TO the north the road descends nearly
1000 feet in % miles, passing through II
tunnels over the loop" one of the grand
est engineering feats in the world, where
the road makes q complete circuit and
crosses itself in climbing down-one track
/ in the cross being TS feet lower than the
| other-winding around fearful precipices,
| Clinging TO the sides Of frightful chasms;
| now the mountains tower 1000 feet above
| and canyons yawn 2,OOO feet below, and
the very engine grows dizzy in looking be-
meath him and staggers in his efforts TO
hold the train back OFT his heels. We are
are whirled around sharp curves, describ-
| ing the radius of the horseshoe, first in
! one direction and then in another, uatil it
| is impossible to tell whether We are going
| this way or that.
1t was here, at this Summit that
several passenger cars loaded with pas
sengers, all soundly sleeping, broke from
the remainder of the train after the ascent
had been made, and went dashiug, crash
ing back down the mountain side without
on sharp curve over precipice, where
they were crushed and burned. / need not
say that the views presented on this moon
light ride, were
Picturesque, wierd, Entraneing.
When we left the valley, the evening was
cloudy and rain was threatened, but the
air was as still as the dead. On the noun
tain top the moon was as clear and bright
as the eye of a Wheeling belle; but the
wind was blowing a hurricane. | under
stand that it al ways blows up here. When
We descended the mountain, we came un-
der the clouds again, and the moon was ut
terly ObScured, AMI perfect calm reigued.
In the Fertile Valley
of the San joaquin, daylight breaks upon
us, and We pass the thriving towns OF
Bakersfield and Fresno, both new, well
built Northern locking towns, full Of
business activity. Until within the last
four or five years, these broad plains were
held in large bodies, sometimes as high as
10000 acres being held by a single pro-
prietor upon which he would keep almost
numberless sheep and cattle. Wheat fields
of immense size are still seen; but the
lands are being rapidly divided up for set
tlement Colonies form, buy large tract
often get water upon it and divide it up
among themselves and any other sood citi
zens who may be deSisous of making their
homes amongst Lneu. 1neEe are Io"
Great Estates
yet in the San joaquin, the Sacramento, the
Jscinto and other OF the fertile and we'll
wstered valleys, like that of Or. Glen, who
was murdered the other day by his lately
discharged clerk. He never calculated on
raising less than half q million bushels or
wheat in a season; and he raised hay and
cattle on correspondingly large scale. DR..
Glen, like all of the other millionaires OF
California, came here poor. He
and his devoted wife, who was
act Of the assassin which robbed her Of her
stfectionste husband, came all the way
across the mountains and the deserts, at an
early day, in an OK wagon. Together they
had labored faithfully and assiduously uu-
til the doctor had become the most extern
siye farmer on the Pacific coast, owning
several immense estates in both California
and Oregon.
along our route on the Sacramento shows
the need Of rain. The cattle and sheep are
grazing on the green pastures: the peach
trees are in full bloom; plowing and plant
ing is going on as il was when passed over
the same route early last December.
San Francisco is alarmed over the rapid
spread Of that pesuferous scourgs,
The Leprosy.
IN the Kingdom OF Hawaii, aud the further
Tact thar two or three cases have been dis
covered in this city. Two other cases are
known to have been smuggled into this
port who went on through by rail to Massa-
ehusetts. II all is true which the papers
here say on the subject, no part OF the
Intted States can regard itself as entirely
secure from this loathSome and insidious
disease. LIB.
Another Cutting ARRAY.
PIrrsBURGH, March 5--A cutting affrsy,
which may yet terminate fatally, occurred |