Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-10-11
IHDIgS SUMNER CAPITAL.
THE ATTRACTIVE CITY OF sIMLA, IN
THE HIMALAYAs.
Thousands of Feet Above the Sea Level
Curious Carts for Mountain Travel
Handsome Public Buildings.

town is -QelSntlully Sltudteu, anu more
picturesque retreat for the hot weather
would be hard to find. 1t can well be be-
lieved that it is most inviting, when the
Governor General and his retinue put up
with jaunt of quite 1000 miles to get
there from Calcutta. Simla is known in
that country as hill station. A number
of these have been established along the
Himalayan range, at attitudes of from
1000 to 5000 feet, and among them the
European soldiers and others from foreign
shores find the recuperation so essential to
strangers in the sultry season. Simla is
most attractive and popular, and, being
made resort for the Government officials,
has come to be regarded as the Indian
summer capital. The place is 1856 feet
above sea level, and the nearest town of
any Importance is Kalka, fifty-eight miles
away. This distance is made with teams,
and although relay stations are scattered
thickly along the road, the journey is
of 4,756 feet in the level of the two places,
with continual whirl, either going up or
down, around dizzy precipices and danger
Gus gorges. The ''tonga" is the prevailing
style of cart used over this route. 1t has
two wheels, is drawn by two horses and
can carry four persons. The Harvesting of
the horses is one of the most unique fea-
lures. They carry padded saddles, and
across these rests an iron bar. The pole of
the cart rests on this, being fastened by
clumsy iron bolts. The whole arrange
ment is clumsy, but it is claimed to be well
adapted to banging over the rocky roads.
The first view of Simla is had some eight
miles away, as the road winds about the
brow of one of the intervening peaks. The
houses are clustered on the side of a
mountain in magnificent setting of frs,
spruces and oaks. The scene presented
words, says writer in the ST. Louis Globe
Democrat. 1t is like great amphitheater,
with the buildings for the audience, and
the valley, 900 feet deep, for the proscen-
ium Charming bungalows, lived in by
Europeans, are in the suburbs; Govern
ment buildings, of many stories, overtop
each other on the streets, making a series
of receding terraces. with the highest point
capped by a handsome new town hall.
Simla was chosen as a hill-station site in
1916, after the close of the Ghoorka war;
The first European residence was erected
in 1922, and in 1926 the Governor-General
went there for the summer. His successors
did the same, and in 1864 the place was
officially and permanently established as
the summer capital. The city is built on
Mount Jake. In all directions in the out
skirts are residences. On narrow ridge,
less than 100 yards wide, called the Mall,
and serving as the Broadway of the city, is
the postoffice, fine church and some of
the Government buildings. The Mall is
guarded on both sides by substantial rail-
ing, over which a TOUCHDOWN of 1000 feet
can be had.
The Mall is the rendezvous of baby car
riages, jinrickshas, jhampans, palkees and
dandies. all except the first being modes Of
conveyance peculiar to the East. The
jinricksha is small, two-wheeled hand
carriage; the jhampan, the palkee and the
dandy are on the general plan of the
palanquin. A battery of artillery is sta
toned on a peak at Jutogh, four miles
distant, distinctly visible from the Mall,
and never failing to make itself heard dur
ing artillery practice, when 100 peaks re-
vertebrate the hurtling detonations Many
roads and paths radiate from the ridge,
but never following the same level; they
lead up some woody slope or down 10 un-
DERIVING streets, or into ravines almost
chilly with shade and foliage. These by
ways are so numerous and bewildering
that it has been found necessary to place
sign-boards at the entrances of the princi-
pal ones; on these boards the names of the
houses are given.
The most popular outdoor place of
amusement is charming glen about two
miles distant, called Annandale by Captain
Kennedy, the first explorer of these hills,
in memory of sweetheart of his boyhood,
whose name was Anna-hence Annadale,
which was gradually changed to AMMAN
dale. 1t contains a race-course and a rife
range The level ground within the race
course is used for volunteer inspection,
games of football and cricket; fancy fairs
and picnics are held on the grounds. 1t
was originally established as a branch OF
the Agri-horticultural Society of the Pun
iab. but now it only supplies local wants
in fruit, flowers and trees.
IL Is TcdCutu ny tuTtc TOduS, pTdCllCd-
BILE for rickshas, equestrians and jhampans.
But imagine descent of 1000 feet in two
miles. and two miles of winding paths.
One could almost throw a stone from the
ridge to Annandale. Only those with
physical stamina can make the journey
on foot, and ladies seldom undertake it.
1t is an interesting sight, during festal
day at Annandale, to watch the people
of Simla, native and foreign, whirling
down the steep curves in jaunty rickshas,
or seated in long armed palkees, borne on
the shoulders of coolies-all winding
along sylvan paths to this Himalayan
Olympia. The return is slow and toll
some requiring about two hours for foot
travellers; the rickshas require several
coolies to propel them during the ascent,
while ihampanees tug and puff beneath
their human burdens.
Simla has now a fine water supply. 1t
is brought fourteen miles from a noun
tain $500 feet high, and distributed oyer
the city through iron pipes. This vafu-
able improvement cost the municipality
six laos of rupees, or $4,000. The ma
tive population is about 10000, and the
European nearly 5000, but both elements
are fiuctuating, owing to the winter exit
of the Government retinue to Calcutta.
Most of the European shops are branches
of houses in Calcutta and Bombay. There
are several schools, both for natives and
Europeans, and a number of churches, two
mosques, two Hindoo temples, hospital
and charitable dispensary, telegraph and
postoffices.
The chief Government buildings are
the Department of Public Works Office,
the Courthouse, General Postofice, Army
Headquarters Offices Block, Government
of India Secretariat Building, the Foreign
Office, Office of Finance and Commerce,
the Kaithoo Jail and the Vice-regal Pal
ace. Most of these buildings are what
are called half-timber structures. Owing
to the uncertain foundations of shale rock
on the declivities of the mountain it was