The record-union., 1892-06-18


tribution TO reinforce the resources OF
the buffet car.
How shall I describe the trip? How
shall l attempt to express the emotions
that all that grand and varied scenery
excited In me? A series OF exclamation
points, each one larger and more tower
ing than the other, might give some idea
of the crescendo effect. The country
was a reyelation " hat can we know
OF topography by looking at flat map?
Nhat can we understand Of area by using
the scale of so many miles TO the inch ?
Nothing, absolutely nothing 1t made
every heart swell with patriotic pride,
and looked from the car window and
said to myself. This is our country; this
is California ~
Grand - impressive -wonderfGl-vast
-grand"-Srepeat the gainur
T! Of adjectives and return to the tonic note,
and what have we? Words, words,
words. Oh, you must see the country for
yourself. You must ride for two nights
and a day and watch the ever-changing
landscape. You must note every line in
land and sky anu winding river. You
must gaze down into the rushing Sacra-
mento and up the mountain slopes. u on
must plunge through tunnel after tun-
mel. You must smell the fragrance OF the
aZaleas that grow along the banks. Gou
must see the wild lilac and the black
eyed SuSanS and the yellow lupins. You
must listen to the note of the meadow
lark and gaze upon the broad fields of
grain, the gentle slope Of bright green
vineyards. Ou must see the acres of
grazing land and the lowing kline, the
swift succession of orchards, berry
patches, grain fields, of farms, woodchop-
pers' cabins, of log cabins plastered with
mud Ia the crevices. You must wonder
with blank amaze where all the wood
comes from as you vaguely try to esti-
mate how many miles of wood piles you
have passed IN your journey. on must
admire the groves OF young trees that
Loyalty start up where their fathers
fell and seek to hide their loss. Y GU must
see the great hillocks of sawdust, mute
testimony OF all the lumber that has been
shaped from the long logs at the saw
mills that dot the country. Your ear
must catch the wild shrek of the buzz
saw as it tears its way in triumph through
the tree trunk that groans as it gives up
us identity as tree and becomes pile OF
planks. \ on must see columns of blue
basalt. You must look with wonder
upon the line of mountain top and sky.
and all this time you are not yet out of
California. You are still within the
bounds of our glorious Golden State.
What wonder you sink back in your
seat and say, "Ah, this is marvellous
countryD Y eS, you must see it to half
comprehend it. Figures per chance can
not lie, then neither can they stir the i'm
agination, for round numbers can give
no adequate conception Of the resources
OF the top side OF our State, of what man
may reach out and reap and gather for
his own use. The eye cannot hope 10
penetrate below the soil to see the hidden
riches of California, but oh, how royalty,
how laVlShly, she spreads her riches in
the palm of her hand
Is that all? Have you seen all the beau
ties OF that trip, when you have seen
toyH
sink far behind and be swallowed from
sight in the broad eXpanse of land? All
have you forgotten the Sacramento River,
the glorious valley of the upper Sacra-
mento? All the way for miles and miles
the traig rushes along the Sacramento,
and the river runs TO meet the train, and
we pass and continue TO pass, in flash,
the swift current of water, the swifter
current of steam. Part of the way the
river spreads out smooth, broad and
placid, its banks are low and fringed
with azaleas and hosts of wild flowers;
the trees are green, their foliage varied,
and strange-shaped leaves, that at first
sight look like some new variety Of fern,
grow down to the waters edge and wave
their tendrils in the river that glides by
SO quietly. In other sections the bed
is narrow, but the banks are
bare Of vegetation and show the
pebbles and gravel and broken drift
er's encroachment upon the land. Here
1t is sweeping by with a rush and a roar;
its bed is broken by powders; its surface
is broken by waves and waterfalls and
| the white spray dasheS up, and the river
flows on as if determined to crush all OBJ
StacleS in its way. While it is like a
house divided against itself as it flows on,
it seems to reconsider its desire to go on
to the sea, and the water struggles to get
back to its mountain fastneSs, to reach its
source. 1t may be fancitul, but as /
| looked from my window the struggle
seemed very real. In another place the
river was creeping, craftily crawling,
only to break into a mass of angry waves
as it passed bend in its course. Along
the east bank stood a solid wall of rock,
against which the river fretted itself in
vain. 1t could not move it; that wall OF
rocks was the stern stand back" Of the
land to the water and the river obeyed.
And then how many times we crossed
and recrosSed that river. Attimes it was
coming to us, and then 1t was winding
away from US, and it like an arrowy
alpine river flowed" band of silver; a
path of light, winding through field, and
dale, and valley, and mountain gorge
oh, that river! What though its path
was often fringed with driftwood What
though here and there fallen tree, like
tie tlr tree in AndersOn's fairy tale Der
! Tannenbaum, had intrusted itself to
| the mercy OF its waters! What though it
| blocked our path and forced us to turn
aside, yet that river was delight and
joy! Then when we reached the Shasta
Springs, where the water dashed itself
down the steep mountains in wild haste
! to fling itself at the travellers feet, where
1t spouted high in air for the very eXulta-
| ton of being free, the rush and foam
OF the stream and the bubbling of the
springs seemed natures etfervescence of
spirits. Every bOOV took ad Santapp of
the halt of the train to run down to the
great basin in the Swiss chalet where the
water was caught and take a drink of the
| delicious nectar Of the mountains. Not
few carried glasses filled with it back TO
the train with them. Then 'all aboard ~
and we moved upward and onward.
For hours before we could hope to see
1t, everyone was asking, Nv here is
| ShastaY' In which direction shall we
see it irst?'' 'Do you suppose the fog
will lift in time for us to see ?'' And
to every inquiry 81 discouraging reply had
been given, tor the rain had fallen
steadily all day, and the fog had clad the
mountain pines with an airy ermine, and
clouds, dense and dark, lowered over the
face Of the heavens. Castle Crag was
reached-the tavern standing out in
picturesque beauty on the hlllSldeS, and
still no sight of Shasta. Miles further
north and still the monarch of the mount
aims had wrapped his mantle about him.
Expectation faded into the certainty of
disappointment; we were trying to recon-
cile ourselves to the loss of the great
/ landmark when 10, II see it,? exclaimed
a member of our party, and in moment,
when the sun burst through the gloom,
the veil of mist parted and the snow
clad summit of Shasta shone through the
air.
[ never can forget that moment, the
! Cgi GnnIInht the