Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1891-01-29
ACROSS The CONTINENT.
4 Descriptive Letter by a st. ClaiFSVille
Boy who Made the Trip in
Six Days.
SAYFRANcIsco. Cal. Jan. "A. 1891

see between Columbus and Chicago, of
interest, except Lake Michigan. We ran
along the lake for about ten miles before
we came to Chicago; the lake was frozen
almost as far as We could see, yet the lake
steamers were coming and going. We
left Chicago at II O'Clock, noon, on Thurs
day, in sleeping car, and did not have
to change cars again. The car was pref
" well filled, but all except our party were
only going to Denver. Col The other
passengers were all from Maine and
Massachusetts, and the sleeper next
ahead OF US was filled with Maine people,
who were going to Los Angeles, Cal. They
were all nice people, except one woman,
who thought she ought to run the train.
We took the Chicago and Alton route
from Chicago to Kansas City. All after
noon Thursday we were running through
Illinois, and on the prairies often as
far as we could see there were no signs
of life. We passed through Joliet, and
stopped for supper at Bloomington
While waiting for supper | took stroll
around, thinking | might run across
Harry Finney. | asked policeman if
Harry was i'll that place, who said he
was, and asked me where was from?
told him st. Clairsville. Ohio, and he in
himself, having left there Is Years ago.
1t was not long after we left Blooming
ton before we retired to rest, and that
night we crossed the Mississippi River,
and did not get to see it. AwOke in Kan
SaS City, Friday morning: here there was
snow on the ground We stayed in the
city three hours. After we got to Chicago
we could get no cigars for less than cts
We got some cigars in Kansas City, and
asked for some matches; they gave us
the old "eight-day" sulphur matches
that being the only kind we have got
since we left Columbus We left Kansas
City some time in the morning, and the
rest of the day we were running through
the State of Kansas. 1t was showing
pretty lively when we left. and the rail
road men feared blockade, and put two
engines on the train. There were twelve
coaches on, and the two engines did not
run very fast with them, although the
track was straight. ! was surprised at
the speed, for | expected to get fast
ride in the Western level country, where
the track is so straight. The Western
people may call that fast, but | have
gone down the crooked c., L. and W. on
a freight faster than they ran these II
cars on their straight track, and with
two engines. We saw cyclone cellars
in some of the towns in Kansas. We
watched the Kansas prairie all afternoon
to see a Kansas deer, but we only saw
two, and they were at a station, and had
on red dresses and high hats 1t was
pretty cold in Kansas. We went to sleep
in Kansas and woke up Saturday in Col
oradO, 60 miles east of Denver
In Denver it was 49, below zero, and
the snow was II inches in depth We
stopped here for two hours. but they left
our car down in the yard, to put new
wheels under it, and we did not get to
see much of the town.
We left Denver at 1910. The towns
were not as thick through Colora 10 as in
the States through which we passed be-
fore we reached it. The snow began to
get lighter as we passed through Color
ado. We saw bald eagles flying across;
and also saw jack rabbits, prairie dogs
and wolf. We saw many cattle ranches
as we came along, but we would have to
draw on imagination to find out how the
cattle ct eanything to live Oh, or the peo-
pie either
The next stop of any Importance was
Cheyenne, the capital of Wyoming. We
arrived there about 3 p. Nj. Saturday, and
uated on the side OF the mountains. and it
was very windy-at least, we thought so,
yet the people there called it calm day
| feel sure that if the wind would blow
in old St. c. as it did while we were in
Cheyenne, the people would begin to think
of April 10, 81. Cheyenne possesses all
the modern Improvements electric
light, street car service, etc. Nearly all
the Western towns, both large and small,
are lighted by electricity. 1t was not
long after we left Cheyenne, until we
were on the summit of the Rocky Mount
aims. The highest point we reached that
is marked, was at Sherman, Wyoming, a
small station west of Cheyenne, at an ell
ovation of S,244 feet. On the summit
of the Rockies is the AmeS monument
a pyramidal, granite structure, 60 feet in
height, with a base sixty feet square,
which was erected by the Union Pacific
Companany to the memory of the Ames
Brothers, to whom the completion of the
Union Pacific was largely due. Sunday
morning | awoke at Green Brier. Wgo-
ming, and Sunday we ran through part of
Wyoming and Utah. Wyoming seemed
to be an extremely barren State from
what we could see of it.
The scenery was grand in the noun
tains in Utah. These mountains appear
ed to be red, and one could imagine he
could see almost anything in them. From
Denver, Col, to Ogden, Utah, we had the
car to ourselves, with the exception of
one gentleman, who was bound for Salt
Lake City. | forget his name,' but he
was tirst-class man to travel with. He
was an editor, doctor, dentist, ranch own
er, and at one time was a Circuit Judge
in Utah. He gave us some pointers on
the Mormons. He said he had sent 250
Mormons to the penitentiary, and was
sorry it was not one thousand. He show
ed us houses where men lived with four
and five wives. Echo canon is entered
soon after leaving Cranston, Wyo., and
is 30 miles long, and its beauty and
grandeur are astounding. Among its
wonders We saw Hanging Rock, "The
Steamboat, " Gibraltar Monument
Rock and pulpit Rock Pulpit Rock
have since learned, is so called from its
shape, and from the suppoSition that
first sermon on Utah SOIL 1t looks like
a man preaching or laying down the law
Weber Canon is on the main line of the
Union Pacific, and is not simply a long
depth through the mountains, but it is
majestic succession of mountain scene
ry; mighty gateways long narrow valleys,
visions of great peaks, holding in their
ravines eternal SHOWS, heights crested
with pine and aspen, and towers and
d0mes of rock. "The Devils Slide" is
grand sight. Two rows of rock, s or 10
feet high, and about 4 feet apart run
straight up the side of the mountain, and
between the two the devil is supposed to
do his sliding The thousand mile tree
is one thousand miles from Omaha, Neb.
We arrived at Ogden, Utah, Sunday
afternoon at 3 o'clock, stopping until 9
o'clock. Ogden is a very nice place,
though everything was high bologna
30 cts. per lb., bread 16 cts a loaf-loaf
about half the size of nickel loaf in
Ohio; ham 30 cts. per h.; eggs 20 a dozen;
beer 10 cts. glass. | was afraid to ask
the price of whisky, for fear it would
knock me down. and I'd miss the train.
AT Ogden they filled our car with pass
engers for San Francisco We had plen-
ty of singing all along the route. and