Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1891-11-26
Across the Continent
Correspondence Alexandria Gazctte.]

Correspondence Alexandria Gazette.]
NEwBURG Nv IL, 1S91.-The writer o.
theae lines, desiring to visit the State o.
Oregon started from Washington, D G, on
the evsoing of tho second, passing
through portions OF Maryland, Penuaylva
nls, Ooic, Iadiane, linois aud Mlesouri
,uocsss:uliy.
As you Desr the western part Of the latter
S;ete rolling ,prasia s presented 70 your
view There Is want Of timber, SD hb
feucs Of liVicg Streams, artificial ponds fol
holding water for the stock and, from VIA
she writer ssw. rather su' CT to droutbf.
Psstipe fcom Ksrsss city on the D P
road 10 D-cvsr 10 tbe plight, 1 .aw nothing
cf eastern Ksreas. Tbe western rart of tie
S ste eboGs total absence Of hl trees
mech Of The eCrfece seems 10 ba an ancs
cesd level can gee for miles ard milss,
| locking cd strange 10 sn eastern man Tht
hss tesn us7d 10 toe bills erd valieys ard
he ever presence CT forest in the land
scspe. Th!s appeerscce contisuee on &c
Denver.
l noticed several river hottcms, eoms ci
tbeu caits dry ; others with some water
standing In the low place.. We passed
may prairie deg towns 10 eastern Cocra-
do; sa = lo:s c: leo little animate, some OF
them locking eo "cu'e," sitting en- their lii
| tla morrde.
| "a go gataasc to Dtnvar We c5ud sse
the R7ckies to Inc vest, whose tops ware
covered with suor. nesriy hundred miles
away. Ag it was Disht whan I eu:e!ed
DsnVer, say but l!ttia oft. F;on Dsuver
ge went to Cheyenne on ruu OF eoout q
hundred aad four miles, reaching and leav-
ing It before dag. Lseviug Cheyenne We
begin to get up toTsrds the greatest height
along this line, Cheyenne being $3.50 feet
above the se9 sEd about 1000 feet above
| Dsnvar. Here we entered rough, billy
couatry With not much vegetation, come
! dry eraes. scattering sage brush, lots OF rock
spd scme scFubby pines.
+ Nea. Sherman. about 33 miles from
/ Cheyenne, aud whcss elevation S.247 feet,
s,ands ths great stone monument erected to
sne memory OF Hon. Oakes Ames snd his
brother Oliver, through whose energy and
| inGomiteole perseverance, the Union Pacific
Railroad was completed In an Incredibly
short length OF time and whose "llttle
nemcrapdum book" Ct the former psre!-
ssd come great manner.
Before reaching Sherman we pass through
q wild, rugged couDtry see some buffalo
grass end ciumps OF stunted pines. High,
bold Masses of rock near their gray sides,
piled oue upon the other In wild confuelon.
To the north can be seen the pine.
clad peaks OF the Black Hills. Longs peak
in the southwest, 20 miles away, Pixies
Peak south 165 miles, and to the northwest
E mountain, 100 mi'eee
Just before reaching Sherman, and after q
| long and steady pull, the iron borse almost
1 cf hrn far ho IL In o
this elevation, we ind ourselves at the cum
large board to our right, 1.-The Divide OF the
| Continent" Here the elevation reaches
S 247 feet. We are now l ,197 feet above
Cheyenne and 2,023 feet above Denver. An
ovsrccst was quite comfortable on getting
out OF the Ger st Sherman. and am told
that the temperature In win:er gets ss low
as 300 below zero.
Our ride across Wyoming wss eomeRhst
nonotonous. After leaving Sherman butfs'
10 grass and sage brush we're to be seen GOV.
e.!ng every foot OF country the eye rested
upon, looking like vast desert not tree
to be seen ard only at lopg intervals the
habitstion of man. In some little valley be
hss found some water, irrigated part Of
THE desert.like country. and has gotten two
blades Of grass to grow where only one grew
bsio!e. How people can go out into such o
naked and cherries. looking place, ss many
of the places we're along through this ooun.
try, and live end be content, ls more than l
can underetsnd.
There ia but little change In the scenery
as we run across Idsho With the exception
that We strike The Snake river, the surface
becomes billy, ooversd through with sage
brush. Oar road becomes quite winding
ard tortuTous With long ard heavy grades.
ard before reaching Huntington, where We
change engines. To the north We see the
Seven Devils mountains oapped with enow.
We cross the Snake at Olds Ferry and en-
terlng canon enjoy some mountain scenery
before the san again leaVes Us In the west.
We paesed through the Blue mountains
In eastern Oregon during the night, and
Sunday morning found US going down the
Columbia. Oa entering the Columbia we
we're treated TO scme OF tie finest scenery to
bs had on our road. We iun beside the
river for sevetsl miles, our train whirlng
around ecms narrow passa2ea where there
was just rooE enough between the river and
the great immense rocks for us to slip by.
Dawn this river the scenery is beautiful,
grand, sublime. The mountains on our left
rise thousand fact ebove Us; the beautiful
Columbia at our right an1 the high mount
sins on its northern shore partly clothed
With f- trees ard rarity with huge pro.
isctipg rocks, where the eagle may
and resting place fsr above the
haun;s OF man We look to eur eight and are
repaid In the B.idal Veil fall leaping from a
e:ddy height In two leaps almost at our feet,
and the Mutoaomah falIa, with q sheer
drop of $50 feet. We, however, were not
able to see the top, as heavy fog hung over
IL. aud 90 but the lower portion was to be
seen. Oar train paused q few moments
here for.a look. L was truly grand, though
ne could but See large body of water
pouring out OF cloud. There was also the
Lstourells falls, leapiDg down distance of
400 feet. behind which cos Gu %s k. The
Rooster Rock. huge column standing 10
our right, close to the edge of the river, and
the Pillars OF Hercules are objects Of inter.
eat Ia the grand rcauic views on the Ooluu-