The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1892-07-21
THURSDAY, JULY II, 1892.
ACROSS THE CONTINENT.
FROM OCEAN 70 OCEAN.
Scraps from Our Notebook Made
on q Six Weeks Jaunt Across
the Continent, on the Pa
cific Coast, and in the
Great Northwest.
PART THIRD.

At the conclusion Of my last article
we had reached Los Angeles, the me-
trOpolis of Southern California, which
place we arrived ut about 80 o'clock
p. M, Sunday. May 22nd. This being
the terminus of the Santa Fe Route,
or rather the point where we were to
leave it, We diScmbarked from our car
which we had been travelling in so
Ion" we had come to feel quite at home
III our coy and comfortable ''palace
on wheels" Leaving st. Louis We'd
nrsday night, we had travelled cOntin-
uOualy over one vast railway system
three and Il half days and four nights,
covering a distance OF 300 miles.
changing cars but once during that
time. Think of it. Travelling almost
two-third~ of the distance across the
Continent over the lines of single
railway corporation. and making but
one change Of ear. on the entire trip.
That Is reducing travel down to q fine
point-to the very acme Of comfort
and pleasure What Il contrast to the
OK trains and caravans Of the pioneers
and early settlers of the West.
The Santa Fc Route is great sys-
tenn, controlling and operating thOus-
;tuds of miles of railroad throughout the
West and Southwest. From ST. Louis
we Travelled Via II. Louis & san Fran
cisco Railroad. (llnOwn rs the Frisco
Lnc) to Burton. Kansas. 53S miles;
VIA AtchisOn. Topeka X Santa Fe Rail
road to Albuquerque. New Mexico,
$50 miles; via Atlantic X Pacific Rail
road to BarstOw. California. 131 miles:
VIA Southern California Railway to
Los Angeles. III miles. The en-
Ilnecrs run from ITO TO 100 miles,
while the conductors run from go to
300 miles. The road i well equipped
IN point OF rOllm" stock. the track laid
with heavy iron. smooth and i'll good
condition. The conductors and train
men generally were polite and OBJ
lI@ing and ever ready to answer all
questions and mpart any information
they could.
Mr.. W. +. White, Passenger Traffic
Manager, Chicago, was the leading
spirit in providing for the transporta-
ton of the editors over this gigantic
system, from Chicago, st. Louis. Gal
weston, FL PasO. Denver and Ogden
To California and back again to the
places OF starting, and too much credit
can not be given him for the successful
manner in which the parties were
handled and the royal treatment re-
cslvcd by each and every one while
guests OF his road.
The Santa Fe Route has been =
great factor in the growth aud devsl-
opment Of the West and Southwest.
One can not realize fully what such 4
vast railroad means to that country
until he travels over it and sees for
himself. 1t has been worth hundreds
of millions of dollars i'll population and
development that could never have
been possible without it. But what a
gigantic undertaking it was to build it.
There were the broad stretches of
prairie 10 be traverscd. the steep
rugged mountains to be climbed. the
far reaching plains and arid sand des-
efts TO be crossed. tcats that it seemed
almost beyond the skill and endurance
OF man to accomplish. But it has
been done and the signs Of life and
thrift that followed in its wake are
marvellous
Even the great sandy desert extend
i'm hundreds of miles, from back in
Arizona 10 Southern California, has
been brought under subsection and
connected with the balance of the
world by ties Of steel. In crossing
this desert We see no sign of life in the
country around and nothing to sustain
and support ii. and not only every
pound of food but every drop of water
has 10 be carried by rail TO the people
along the line These consist chiefly
OF railroad employees. such rs mechan-
les and Others at the relay stations.
section hands. station agents and tele-
graph operators. Whole trains fitted
up with immense wooden or cast iron
tanks. after the fashion that oil is
transported, hauling water to supply
the needs Of the people at the stopping
places along the road were familiar
objects.
The principal desert through which
we pass is the great Maiove (Mahar-
veyl lying between the san Bsrnar-
dina range Of mountains. After trav-
cling a couple of days out OF sight of
stream or we'll. at Newberry. Cali
iornla, we came to large spring right
III the valley from which the water