The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1886-11-11

ci6c train, which came from Omaha.
Here we met Lieut.. and Mrs. Murray
again. The ride from Denver to Chey.
enne was up grade, and as our train was
very heavy, they put on "double head
er" 1.-TWO engines). Most of the country
passed over between the two places is a
desert waste, covered with nothing butsage
brush, with here and there house in
the distance. 1t grew fearfully moaoto.
nous after while, but as we approached
Cheyenne we began to catch glimpses of
what might truly be called scenery.
For miles the road wound around the
base of chain of almost perpendicular
cliffs, so high that the SUBMITS could
scarcely be seen from the car window,
and cut by the long continued action OF
water into all kinds of fantastic shapes
and forms. One that I noticed part.cu.
larly seemed like chiseled statue Of an
Indian Chief wrapped in his blankets,
and standing solitary on the top of an
immense cliff. While crossing these
prairies, succeeded in seeing one psai.
rie dog, setting on the mound of earth
by the side of his hole and apparently
very much interested in the passing train.
Next morning some of the boys, who
were more energetic than I, got up early
and saw thousands of them. l also SAW
one cayote galloping, or rather travelling,
across the plain. One thing saw puz-
zled me very much until I found out
what it was. l would see high boa:d
fence running approximately parallel 20
the railroad, probably for several hundred
yards, and then come to an abrupt
utop, and there would be an interval of
several hundred yards, whence the fence
would commence again. finally asked
what they were for, and found that ths
object was to keep the snow out of th,
cuts; the snow banks up against the
fences and prevents the cuts from being;
made impossible. On this part of the
road, to some extent, and especially from
Cheyenne to Ogden, snow sheds are used;
they are built somewhat like covered
bridge, extending entirely over the track,
and being in reality an immense tunnel,
lighted by windows at intervals.
After leaving Denver, we got acquaint-
ed with some ladies and gentlemen who
were going to Frisco, also. This made it
more agreeable, and caused the time to
pass much more rapidly than it would
otherwise have done. We reached
Cheyenne in time for supper, and reached
our next important stop. Ogden, next
afternoon, Tuesday, at $40. During
this time, we were at a very high altitude,
and the rari6ed air caused good deal of
nose bleeding among the passengers.
Speaking of the altitude reminds me of
what barber in Denver told me: we
were all in the shop, and he was telling
me, while shaving me, about Leadville
and Pixies Peak. told him l had never
been to either place, and he said that
when you got upon the Peak, you had to
use pair of bellows in order to breathe
with any degree of comfort, and that
while standing up there above the clouds,
if the sun came out and warmed them up
you could wash your hands in them. He
seemed rather indignant. when we laughed
at him.
Just before reaching Ogden the road
passes through deep canon where the
scenery is unexpressibly grand. The
road, together with mountain stream,
which flows through the canon, take up
almost its entire width, while on each
side the mountains reach apparently into
the region of the clouds. Through this
pass leads the road used in former years
by the overland wagons. believe the
trip from the Missouri River at that time
took nearly 125 days.
At most of the stations in this part of
the country, we see few Indians, gloomy,
irty.looking fellows, with raven black
hair, entirely upacquainted with comb,
and usually wrapped in a gay striped
blanket or carrying it along with them.
The variety of costumes 10 which you
see them is something truly remarkable.
Occasionally a squsw could be seen with
a papoose strapped on her back-the
little thing entirely hidden from sight in
the kind of basket in which they are
carried. The mother uses the child
somewhat as the keeper of dime muse.
um does his curiosities, by paying her ten
cents you are allowed the privilege of
gazing upon the unwashed counlenance
OF her lovely child. don't know that
there is as much rivalry among them as
among their more favored and more
highly civilized sisters as to the beauty
and general attractiveness of their chill.
dren, but have no doubt that the one
who can show the most dimes when the
train leaves considers that her little
angel has won the prize. The Indians
are allowed to ride from place to place
on the platforms Of the baggage car, and,
if they do nothing more, they seem to
take delight in sitting on the steps while
the cars are waiting at the station. at
Ogden, we had about an hour to stay,
and here we met Holly (S6) and his wife.
They had been on a little trip down to
Salt Lake City just to see the place
they were with us that night; at $50
next morning, an ambulance with four
mules met them to take then out to his
station. This was in what is called the
"Alkali DESERT" the hottest, dustiest,
dryest, most disagreeably dirty place l
ever passed through. They seemed very
oboorf,b ovor the nrosnect which w0uld