St. Paul daily globe., 1894-03-12
ISN'T EXACTLY ARCADIA,
BUT MAY SH0N UP BETTER WAFew
DAYS.
SIT. PAULITE AT Los ANGELES.
He Strikes the Land Of tho Lux.
uriant Rose During the Rainy
Season, and Is for the Time
DisappOinted-Mee AID. Gull
len and Says He Isn't Worry
ing Over the RIauonaIex.

Special Correspondence of the Globe
Los ANGELES, CAL. March s.
"hnowest thou a land where the lemon trees
bloom,
Where the golden orange grows in the deem
thlcketS' gloom.
Where wind ever soft from the blue
heavens blows.
And the groyess are of laurel and mvrtle and
rose?'
L have read this somewhere. or some
thing like it. will not voueh for the
eXactness of the quotation. but it is
near enough for my purpose here. 1t
maze It's impress upon me at the time,
ana nave longed to find that blissful
spot. have now been in California but
three days, and have had but little time
for research, but L can truthfully say
that | have not Yet realized the poets
vision. 1t is certainly not to be found
III Los Angeles. They tell me the eli
mate is different at San Diego, at River
SIDE and other points, and | may find
nay longed-for Arcadia there. Ii L
should L will let you know later.
LETT st. Paul Saturday, the 24th of
February. The week previous had been
very cold and boisterous, and as | left
the cable car on that eventual Saturday
night and filed down Sibley street
towards the union depot. satchei and
umbrella in hand. old Boreas, as if
angry at my departure, gave me part
ing blast from behind in the way of q
send-off. which nearly sent me off my
ieet. Gathering myself up proceeded
OH nv way to the station, and never was
Il happier mortal than | when | closed
the Pullman car door behind me and sat
down with the consciousness that. for
The balance of this winter at least, L
was to leave the rigorous winter of Min
neSota behind and bask in warmer
clima
Our route was by the Great Western
to Kansas City, and thence by the Senta
Fe TO Los Angeles. Through low and
MISSOURI the snow gradually but very
pereeptIbly disappeared with every mile
post we passed until Kansas City was
reached. where it practically disap-
peared and only patches here and there
III shaded places remained At Kansas
City we met Mrs. c. w. Hornick, OF St.
Paul, who, with her child. had come
through by way of Chicago ell route to
Los Angeles. From this point our
road runs almost due west until we
reach the Colorado border, and at La
Junta we make detour and run almost
que south as far as Albuquerque, New
MEXICO, and thence west again.
Through Western Kansas the country
was bare of snow, and we noticed far
mers plowing in many places, and
everything bore the appearance of
spring, but upon reaching the Colorado
line and ascending the high plateau we
found the country again mantled i'm the
garb OF winter. and tor many miles the
ground was entirely covered with snow.
ihe atmosphere in this section is re-
markably clear, and a little distance
southwest of La Junta Pixies Peak
comes plainly in view. although nearly
fifty miles away. On speeds our train
over this elevated table land; which is
more than 1000 feet above the sea.
Away In the distance the Baton Rouge
or mountains are plainly visible, at the
foot of which lies the city of Trinid
AT the latter place another powerful
engine is attached to our train and we
prepare to ascend the mountain
pass. At this point the roadbed
Is succession of curves, and
winds SmOke-like up the steep
incline. At some points the grade is so
steep that the two engines. putting and
blowing. can bare move the train. and
the car wheels fairly creak under US as
the manV SharD ourvnc aYa +,,nod A.
the top OF the mountain we plunge into
a tunnel of midnight darkness, and
upon emerging from it we have left
Colorado behind, and find ourselves in
New Mexico. We are now at an altitude
of 5000 feet above the level of the sea.
and the air is SO rare that many of the
ladies find it difficult TO breathe, and,
not knowing the cause. call to the porter
for ventilation. Now the train goes
whizzIng down the mountain, as if to
make up for the lost time i'll the ascent.
The ride through New Mexico is not OF
especial interest, except to the student
of legendary history. Scattered by the
way are sleepy Mexican villages, an
cient Indian pueblos. and those Older
abandoned ruins which give to
this region its peculiar atmosphere
OF mystery. At p. NJ. we reach
Albuquerque, where most of the passen-
gers have retired for the night, but a
few still remain up to get view of the
Pueblo Indians, who are always lurking
about the station here. The morning
finds us in Arizona. Ii the scenery in
New Mexico is uninteresting what can
we say of Arizona? Language simply
fails us. They tell us we passed through
the worst part of the desert in the night,
but the best is bad enough | had no
idea that so much worse than worthless
country was to be found on the COLI
tinent. Our guide book says it is "a land
of prodIgiouS mountain terraces, ex-
tensiYe plateaus, profound canyons and
fiat, t,arid plains alternating with beds Of
lava, bod mountainous cones of black
and red cinder. ETC." l should say so.
That DON'T half describe the desolaton.
1t is the most sterile portion of the most
hopeless waste in America, whose mo-
notony intercepts every approach to
California. except the roundabout
one by the sea. At Winslow we get the
first sight of the Moqui tribe of Indians,
who swarm around the station. They
are uncOnsciOnable beggars, and pur-
sue their trade among the passengers
with disgusting persistence. these
beggarly hangers-On to civilization are
perhaps the lowest aud most worthless
of all the Indian tribes. Their novels
are scattered by the wayside, and the
half-dreSsed women, some with naked
babies sitting astride their hips, are
anything but an exalting spectacle.
One of the ladies of our party. desiring
to get picture, leveled her kodak at
them, which had the same effect as a
mountain hOwitZer. and scattered them
in every direction.
We reached this city on Thursday
morning. just one hour behind schedule
time. The trip so far has been an ex-
tremely pleasant one, and every one
spoke in the highest terms of the lux
uriOus surroundings and perfect train
service. Persons travelling OH long
journey Of this kind, although total |
strangers, become attached to each |
other, and our parting at the station
here was like the parting of old friends. |
have not been in California long |
enough yet to judge fairly of the eli |