San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-04-22
CALIFORNIA; CLIMATE
WONDERFUL CHANGES THAT ONE
EXPERIENCES GOING WEST.

Traveller Jumps from Dresry Winter
Into Smiling Summer-Icefelds Sue
ceeded by Flower Gardens-Snowbanks
by Ripening Fruits.
The traveller who comes to California by
the Central Pacific line during the winter
months experiences a surprise winch Is OF
so remarkable and at the same time agree
able character that its charm Is never
lost. No matter how thickly the trip may
be crowded with events of note, the first in
PRODUCTION to the Golden state stands out
sharp and clear in his memory.
Let the tourist leave his eastern home
after the winter season shall have COM
menced. Journeying westward the same
climatic exigencies commonto all the coun-
try east of the Sierra are encountered. Icy
winds sweep the plains, snow lies to depth
of many feet upon the face of the earth, the
windows of the cars are coated with frost,
and hot fires and loads of blankets are nee
essary for even ordinary comfort. As the
boundary line of California is crossed the
cold becomes more intense, the SHOWS are
deeper and averitable Arctic climate seems
to have been encountered.
Half dozen locomotives become neces-
sary to move the train, and they puff and
groan and give vent to many an ear pierre
ing shrek as they slowly and YEARLY climb
the steep grade. The snow is so deep that
the outlook from the window is entirely
cut off, the white walls rising perpendicu-
larly on either hand far above even the car
roofs.
Here may be seen the most ponderous
machinery ever devised for clearing the
snow from the tracks. Immense plows of
different patterns, propelled by dozen or
fifteen locomotives each, are kept busy
fighting the snow, which lies twenty feet,
thirty feet or even deeper on the level, and
which is drifted by the gale in perfect ava
lanches. For miles and miles the track is
protected by snow sheds, whose massive
timbers groan and strain with the weight
imposed upon them.
Here are armies of men, their faces black
ened with SCOT to prevent blindness and
their feet swathed in rolls of gunny sack
ing, shoveling as if their lives depended
upon it, and yet unable to keep more than
a few feet of the road passable. Step out
side the car and the cold is so intense that
a stay of couple of minutes in the open
air is amply sufficient TO tool the most ar
dent curiosity. If a thermometer be handy
it will be found to mark 10, even 20 degs
below zero. The very air itself is filed
with lev needles and there is a penetrative-
ness in the chill atmosphere that the heav-
lest and warmest wrappings are unable to
resist.
Perhaps stop is made at some station.
One may perchance learn by consulting the
guide book or an unusually obliging en-
ploye that there is a town of couple OF
thousand inhabitants close by. But there
are no proofs of that fact visible to the in
experienced eye All that can be seen is a
confused tumble of odd shaped mounds of
snow, from the center of many of which
columns of smoke ascend slowly into the
frost laden atmosphere.
If disposed to be sarcastic he will read
from his guide book entertaining descrip-
tions of outdoor midwinter picnics, with
orange trees laden with golden fruit, the
air heavy with perfumes, the earth car
peted with blossoms, and then ask what
sort of a semi-tropical climate this is any
how. If the train should be showed in
week or two his sarcasm will become Bit
terer and bitterer as the time YEARLY pass
es away, until the most ardent lover of
this lovable state will be silenced.
Bat revenge, sweet revenge, is in store
for the silenced Californian. Shivering
with the cold, the snow piled mountain
high, the wind whissling gale, the skep-
ticaI and disguised traveller buries himself
beneath pile of blankets and seeks relief
from the dissgreeble sights and sounds of
midwinter in the Sierra.
A few hours pass, half dozen, perhaps.
The train has been steadily pushing its
way westward. This summit has been
crossed The extra engines that have been
called in to assist the cars up the mountain
have been dismissed. The puff and snort,
the groan and whistle have ceased. The
gait has been accelerated, and the wheels
roll rapidly over the rails with a mOnoto-
nous "click-clack, click-clack" at each
joint.
The traveller finds his load of blankets
becoming heavier and heavier. He tum-
bles and kicks about in his berth. That
Internal porter must have a terrible hot
fire going Sleep becomes impossible, and
with many yawn and much stretching of
limb the tourist dresses himself and finally
draws aside the curtain and peeps out to
see how deep the snow is.
But what is this? Is he dreaming? He
rubs his eyes again and takes another look
from the window. Oh, there must be
something wrong about it. 1t is not posi-
BILE. Has he died and gone to Paradise?
How can such change have been accom-
plished? He went to bed cold and SILVER
ing, with snowbanks twenty feet deep,
with the thermometer out of sight below
zero and with the gale bowling in his ears.
He awakes to see-what?
Nature in her most charming mood. Far
as the eye can see the swelling SUBMITS
and slopes of the hills are carpeted with
the loveliest green. Myriads of flowers
deck the sward, while the foliage of tree
and shrub sparkles in the morning sun