The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1886-06-23

Commonw ealtil.
Denver Letter in Pomeroy's DemoeEa')
Those who ride in sleeping cars IN the
East are quite apt to remain ID their
bench to turn, snooze, think, plan ard
rest as on they roll. Not so here. Sun
rise, and all were up. The cars OF the
Burlington Route were so well laden
with passengers that every berth was
the great majority Of passen-
gers in the sleepers being persons from
the East who had never been to Denver,
never seen its rocky mountains. Near
ing their destination, they were like the
early bird.
It is now six o'clock. In two hours
we will be in Denver The berths have
all been made up for the day, the cars
busted out and people are on the qul
rive. We are running southwest. Be
hind US is the head Of the Republican
valley and the millions of acres OF choice
Nebraska corn land. We are on top OF
the divide, as a fly would be on top OF a
barrel that lay upon the ground. Miles
of unfenced country are to be seen, With
here and there little house, home OF a
homesteader or headquarters of ranch
man or cattle raiser whose cattle are to
be seen grazing on the wide expanse OF
plains here being run over.
The depot buildings are small, painted
red and snug. Depots are so far apart
that several others can be built between
them in time! The appearance IS that
of a very new country, yet 1t IS older IN
fact than is the East, as first OF all from
the vastly deep rose the backbone OF the
continent, still to the west of us.
A lady screams: 80. Seen'
She points to the west and there, sure
enough, are to be seen the snow-capped
mountain peaks of the grand old noun
fains. In little while the cars have
sped on so that We see the main range,
extending south from Cheyenne or near
there, for hundreds of miles. They rlse
as a great wall might rise along the sea
shore, the plains to the east being under
the evening shadows of the mountains
that rise in the west.
Nog we see down into the valley OF
The South Platte Many school teachers
insist that Denver is city on the North
Platte. Such is not the case. Denver IS
on the waters Of the South Platte, about
40 miles from where it heads. The
river is not large, except after q freshet.
It runs through pleasant, vide valley
that at Denver is fourteen miles east
rom the foot hills and that a; Greely is
about forty miles east. Along here is the
choice agricultural lands Of the State,
taking in the county west from Denver
to Golden in gorge of the mountains.
Boulder. Longrnont, Fort Collins and
Greely, in the respective counties OF
Jefferson, Boulder, LariIler and Weld.
Longmont being in Boulder county, one
of the finest in the State.
West of these counties, west from
Denver, the county-seat OF Arapahoe
county, are the Rocky Mountains, rising
as an abrupt granite wall to the height OF
q mile, or 5000 feet above the plains.
From north to south we see them from
the cars, rage CT fully two hundred
mile. Denver is about 5000 feet above
sea level We are q full mile near the
stars than are those who live IN New
York. The mountains rise up INTO the
clouds that rest upon their snowy peaks.
from 5000 to 5000 feet above the plans;
The air is light, SO clear. so raniied
that no new conner can Judge distance.
20 the northwest we see very high
peak, standing like white-headed Long
.John Wentworth, of Chicago, higher
than his fellows. That is Longs Peak.
IT is named in honor of Lieut.. Long. an
explorer who was long time in getting
to the top of it, there TO float the Amerl-
can flag.
WHITE ABOVE THE GRAY AND GI2EN.
Snow is white and deep on the tops
and sides of the mountains, while the
plains below are green with growing
grains and grasses. Away along to the
south rise the snow-capped Rockies, hse
O great cross-cut saw, its teeth IN ar. 1t
IS seventy miles from where we are this
morning in the cars, west to the top Of
Longs Peak, yet people in the cars estl-
mate the distance at fifteen to twenty
miles.
There are big mountains and little
mountains all stuck in together ike
closhes-pins in snow heap. About
ssyenSy-fve miles south from Longs
Peak. and sixty miles due west from
Denver, It's snow-white top piercing q
gray, snow-made cloud that is beating
ap to fall and to 8hiten anew, rises
Gsay's Peak, the top OF which is Il, Al
feet above the level of the sea. It is the
snountain under which the company OF
9hich the editor and writer hereof is
president is driving tunnel at the altl-
sude of 10, 900 feet above sea level, and
which tunnel Will be five miles long.
Welcome, old fellow We have seen
Won before, as from your summit range
we have looked east toward the Atlantic
and westward toward the Pacific, miles
upon miles. Some Of these days we will
walk through you and ride through you,
and walk into your hundreds of fssure
veins laden with gold, silver, copper and
lead, and get as much fatness out Of you
as a rat gets out of a cheese it has bur-
rowed into beyond the reach of a cat.
To the south from Gray's Peak, about
seventy-tive miles distant, with many a
snow-covered peak between US is
PIXIES PEAK,
distant about ninety miles from Denver,
bnt its top not so high by fourteen feet
as is Gray's Peak, which up-shoots west
of Denver, as a guide to Salt Lake City,
which is 400 miles north of west from
Denver, direct Line, and 6S7 miles dis