Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-11-13
AT MOUNT SHASTA.
FHE SURROUNDING GRANDEUR
AND BEAUTY.
Railroad Construction and Its Bless
ings to the Many-A Romantic
Ride and Unaiioyed Sleep.
LREooaD-UyIox Correspondence

which rose before me in the early morning
at Sssons. A lovely, well-watered valley
stretched to its foot; detached clouds of
mist hoated in graceful lines before it,
while slowly circling in the high heavens
were two black hawks, now hidden by the
mist and now appearing. Then came a
brightning in the east, and at the first touch
of the sun the rosy hue of life flowed
down the colorless mountain to its pine
clad base-again it seemed like Lazarus
when beneath the quickening hand of the
Christ. Suddenly the report of a blast
echoes and re-echoes from bowlder and
tree it is the first gun of the beginning
battle of the day. The blue-bloused
army of laborers advances in the war
against nature they are always victorious
but often against the greatest odds con-
quering nature they make her their slave,
and with her timber, water and rock to aid
move slowly and surely onward. Some
times a traitorous slope or level mesa
offers itself willingly and the iron bars
mark the course with wonderful rapidity.
As one stands upon the grade, the new
turned earth, the fallen trees, the up heaved
rocks and roots seem as though some
tornado had passed along. Upon all this
fierce warefare
SHASTA IN MAJESTIC DIsDAIN
Looks down unchanged and Interchangeable;
the wonder-work in its almost super
human magnitude is even pigmied by its
own grandeur. Seating myself by the side
of the grade, | watch the progress of the
work. Before me are a few Chinese labor
ers doing the rough work of clearing away
asfarb ruh Iarr do Il
they wear the broad, basket-shaped hat of
split bamboo, and as they assiduously
work at hauling, chopping and digging,
they seem more like a company of ami
mated mushrooms than humans. A little
way to the left there is a squad of men lay
ing ties listening to the laughing and joh-
ing as they work, there can be no mistake
as to their birthplace. The sound of the
carpenters hammer is heard from the
nelghboring trestlework; the click of the
stonecutter's chisel, the ak of the advance
guard of tree-fellers. and the long strokes
of the double saw, join with the other
varied sounds in grand symphony OF
labor, marked by the explosions of distant
blasts as the beat of drum.
1t is wonderful to one when ne stops to
think of the far-reaching influence and the
benefits direct and indirect which
EMANATE FROM RAILWAY
From the moment of its conception,
through the construction and after its COM
pletion. Every line of road that reaches
out from California adds certain amount
more to the value of property here, as in
this case the people of the company are
naturally Californians, and desire to de-
velop the resources of the State. They are
not like a foreign company, whose object it
Is TO carry everything from the East, and
70 hill rhsa f.n+rf,~
dustries of other States at the expense of
this but all the money they make from
railroad construction is Immediately spent
IN developing new sections of California
and bringing in tributary country to lines
already constructed. A LONG haul" say
from st. Louis to Chicago, is sought for by
Eastern lines, because, of course, they
make more money out of it. These people.
on the contrary, from the multiplicity of
their interests here, make more money in 4
shorter haul" even at the same rates, as
they thus get it all, and it would be spent
in the same locality as that in which orig
inally made. The one great need of the
Pacific coast is manufacturing. Without
manufactures we can simply become a
country village, receiving all our supplies
from the East, and raising in return only
wheat and fruit. We are in much the same
condition as the South was before the late
war, when they raised nothing but cotton
and bought everything else they used.
The most practicable way to change this
condition of affairs is to extend the railroad
system and render all this coast
CONTRIBUTING DISTRICT
To San Francisco and other home centers,
and thus make greater demand for arti-
oles, and when this demand is known,
manufacturers will at once be found among
IL ha oft
are many industries fostered, the builders
as a rule preferripg to purchase articles
which are made at home rather than to go
outside of the State for them. At Sacra-
mento they employ a large number of men
TO work up material for the making of cars.
wheels, spikes, fshplates, in fact every
thing that one can think of for railroad
use, and outside of what they make them
selves they buy quantities of stuff made by
the few manufacturers here.
Knowing how the Eastern and European
manufacturers utilize water, and knowing
its scarcity in most parts of California,
can predict with certainty prosperous fu-
ture for the northern country through this
great advantage of abundance of water
hate to see the face of nature disfigured by
mills and railroads and civilization, but |
must confess that this is but selfish feel
ing, and when see the large water power
running to waste, which during every
month of the year pours down from the
great reservoir Of Shasta, and think of the
comfort and happiness which they would
bestow upon so many families who now
but manage to keep the wolf from the door,
l hear with Joy the sounds which now fill
these forests. There as
THE CLIMATE AND THE SOIL
To support large population, and here
no &c
cheaply as anywhere The laboring man
will not have to provide for long, hard
winters, and therefore can live more eco
nomically than in the East Here is pro-
duced much raw material which now has
to be carried to the Eastern manufactures,
but which need not leave our borders if
the constant call of these mountain streams
is heard and Needed as they dash past US
with friendly offer, We will help you.
While have been thinking the track has
passed me, and now is so far beyond the
place where l so lately seated myself that
l cannot hear the words of the workmen.
From three-quarters of a mile in the most
difficult places to three miles day in the
easiest is the usual rate of advance on these
mountain grades. OF course, upon level
ground they can work more rapidly, and
some remarkable feats of railroad consruc-
ton have been accomplished. To keep up
WlJn Sucn last WoTh d cOilSldIl supply 10
called for. and from the shops at Sacra-
mento, where two thousand men find en-
ployment, fourteen thousand pounds of
spikes and other small pieces and thirty
five tons of iron are turned out every day.
II one adds to the number of men employed
in the shops the number engaged in the
work of construction on the road (which is
near three thousand), a fair idea of the size
of the army of labor which earns its daily
bread through this enterprise can oe OBJ
tanned.
THE CHOICEST SPORTS.
From Sissons out in all directions are
walks and rides tull of enjoyment. To the
lovers of sport there are forests with deer
and bear and quail, while innumerable
streams offer to the fisher strings
of fairest trout For that one who
eaIes lol 40 otner pastiIne than 10 com