The San Antonio light. (San Antonio, Tex.) 1883-1886, 1884-05-15
COLORADO.
THE GREAT PACIFIC SL0PE--lTS WON
DERfUl AND GRAND SCENERY.
The cioudisnd City ofthe Centennial State Her
Mining Interests From Salt Lahe City
10 Gunnison.


EdiUr San Antonin Light.
GuNNisoN, Col, May q, issl.-ln cross
ing over the range, from Como all the
way TO Boreas, on the summit, II requires
three double power engines to pull an
ordinary passenger train up the heavy
grades, and with these doing their
utmost the train creeps slowly along.
Boreas has an altitude of near $4,000 feet
and is one Of the highest points in the
world traversed by railroads. At this
point we begin TO descend and are now
on the great Pacific slope, going around
the sharp curves at rapid rate till we
come on the edge of u steep preclpice,
fully 200 feet nearly perpendcularly be-
low the track, then II creeps slowly down
the incline, the employees using great
care to prevent accident. Here
on this decline is unfoded to
our sight some of the most wonderful
and stupendous scenery In the whole
world. It looks as If every peak In the
Rockies was in sight, glittering In the
flashing sunlight, laden with snow and
ice, MS II breaking down with the load,
not an iota Of vegetation about them,
nothing but pure white, mingled with
the shawdows of the highest floating
clouds. Casting our eyes far away be-
low the train, dense forests Of pine trees
literally cover the lower heights and
present beautiful contrast, their
living green with the silent snow above.
All on board exclaim their highest adj
miration, and agree that no one can tell
or in any way depict the marvellous
works of nature, as II Is revealed to the
vision on the Pacific slope. The eye
only can see what language and i'm
agination can not portray in words.
The engineering skin manifested In
building this "a miles of road is among
the best specimens Of ingenuity ever
shown. That train of cars could climb
heights, which human feet never have,
may seem incredible, but loup
and curve and distance makes
II possible. breckenridge and Dillon,
about 10 miles apart, are two of the front
mining towns In this region. Retraoing
over the same serpentine and altitudin-
Gus route with snow pillow on the front
engine to pierce its way through the
drifts, in few hours we get back on the
main line and are whirlng along at u
rapid rate through another extensive
grazing valley till we reach Buena Vista,
Junction of the Denver and Southern
Pacific and Denver and Rio Grande rail
roads. This Is certainly pretty little
mountain town of perhaps 1000 people.
The climate is excellent, warm and nice,
| quite contrast TO the snow and ice COW
| cred mountains on every side. Forty
miles Of very heavy grade all the way
up hill lands us in Leadvllle, one of the
bustling cities of the ''great West" just
in time for a splendid dinner IA la Fran
Gals" Mt the Hotel Hutchinson. The
proprietor of this excellent hotel is one
| of the noted Hutchinson family" of
singers. Everyone has heard Of Lead
ville-were gong to say everybody had
been here-but perhaps that would be a
mistake. Ii Is situated between long
sloping mountains at an altitude of TO-
800 feet above the sea, a city above the
clouds, whose proud title is the
"Cloudland City of the Centennial
State" She also boasts more rich
mines in sight of the dome of
her court house than any ether city i'm
within the city working under charter,
numerous shelters and reduction works
that give employment to many of her
people. Her mineral output last year
was In value over Sl7 900, 900, in golden
dollars. Has now about 1900 people,
though at one time during a mining ex-
element IL numbered $4,000. Is very
homely place, and most of the time a
disagreeable climate Though they think
it best in the world. 1t is penetrated
with two railroads, the Denver and Rio
Grande and Denver and South Park, and
others are likely to follow ere long
Here we take the Denver and Rio
Grande for Salida. Along its course one
sees variety of scenery, all the way
abrupt mountains, rocky cliffs, nice val
leys and the most delightful sunshine
which we can appreciate after u stay In
Leadville. Salida is one of the coming
towns of Colorado, there never was |,
more delightful spot for town than II
here found. On the banks of a crysta
stream, or rather on both sides of 1t
and between the mountains this young
city was laid out; the streets are clean
and level, the buildings generally neat
and attractive, among which is the
Monte Christi hotel,a splendid structure
that would do credit to a town Of greater
pretentions. Salida has about 30Ol
people that have the pride and spirit Il
make II what 1t can be, one Of the bes
towns in the State. 1t is the junction o
the Leadville and Gunnison divisions o
the Denver and Rio Grande railway
From the numerous trains that are no
ticed around 1t one might suppose i
were railroad centre. This time W,
turn our course westward and take tn,
Denver and Rio Grande train TOWARD
Salt Lake City. This has recently be
come the great thoroughfare to Sal
Francisco Via Salt Lake and Ogden a
the heavily loaded passenger trains vii
testify. After another altitudinous rid,
for six hours we reached Gunnison an,
found elegant quarters at the Ii
Vela hotel. To our great surprise W,
found this to be a magnifc. mt structure
one of the grandest west of Chicago, an,
that, too, where only a short time ag,
was outside the bounds of civilization
1t speaks plainly of the enterprsin,
chatacter ofthe citizens ofthese Western
cities and towns. 1t was finished at
cost Of $2s0,OO0, is perfect model O
beauty, architectural design and finish