Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1885-07-22

iate Oh lnulanalas now OF portland, told
US that she went out the Willamette
ON last Thanksgiving Day to visit two
or three weeks with her son. A snow
blockade prevented her return until
in February.
A rival railroad speaking Of the
Oregon Short Line, last winter, says:
''This road which runs from Una.
tilla Junction southeast to Baker
City, and So along until it strikes the
Union f'aci6cline to Portland, is in a
very bad condition indeed. 1t is suf.
fering the worst snow blockade any
road ever suffered from. The whole
track for miles and miles through the
mountains is covered with snow to the
depth OF thirty feet, and there seems
to be no possible way to remove it
except to let nature take it's course
and melt it away"
This road does not deny the accu-
sation, but retorts that the rival road
suffered equally with snow.blockade.
OF course the valleys are not all as
wet as the Willamette, and doubtless
the snow blockade was of uncommon
severity. In fact, one can find al.
most any kind of climate he may wish
in some one Of these numerous valleys
or ON the mountain sides.
Cyclones are the great bugbear
raised on the Pacific coast against
Iowa. Again we put Mrs. Cook on
the stand. She testifes that she has
little choice between being blown up
in an Iowa cyclone and shaken to
pieces by all Oregon carthq Jake. On
the whole, however, she prefers the
chances of the cyclone, and will re.
turn to Iowa in few weeks, to make
this her permanent home.
Yet candor compcls us to say that
most of the people seem we'll satisfied
with their far western home; and We
confess it has many inviting features.
Men of capital and enterprise, with
care and good business tact, may here
find splendid investments, with sure,
steady and large returns. 1t is not a
place for laboring men, unless it be
skilled mechanics and artisans. Chi.
nesc labor is abundant aud cheap,
and. despite the great outcry against
it, is generally acceptable to the EN-
ployers. Those who may 90 from
Iowa to compete with this cheap labor
on the Pacific coast will indeed go on
= FOOLS GRAND. 81
The scenery OF the country is grand
beyond comparison in its wildness-
its rugged picturesqueness; but there
is a broader, deeper, a nobler, gran
deur in the wide-rolling, fertile prai
ries of our own lovely Iowa. Ate,
sating our eyes on the mountain
scenery Of the wild Far West, We
gaze with a rapture almost amounting
to inspiration on these grand prairies
of our own proud State, as our train
bears us homeward.
SHOUTS.
There are many 6ne horses all along
the route, and the stock of horses il,
the places we visited will average
good. Cattle, too, are good, showing
a strong impress of the approved
breeds. Sheep are at least fairly good
some very fine. But hogs--y s.
they really called them hogs-well, ne
pen picture can do them justice
Their shouts have evidently started
toward the setting sun, and in fac,
got we'll on the way. Their ears
have made desperate but unavaila'
BILE effort to keep pace, and despite
the long legs OH which they are
borne, have constantly lost in the race
the distance between snout and ears
has been constantly increasing. The
tail has got along better, and has
nearl y caught up with the ears. Nc
ordinary rules of gauging a hogs
merits will apply to these western
specimens. So our agricultural ed
itors adopted a new one; the hog wa:
to be suspended by the ears; if the
rear end descended, showing the pre-
ponderance of weight to be back Of
the ears, it was to stand approved
but if the snout descended the hog
was to be discarded. On a careful
mental application Of the test by the sc
agricultural editors, but three hogs
were found west Of the Idaho line
that would pass muster.