The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1894-11-01

PROF. T. s. C. LOWE.
and alchemlst OF old are puerile. They
have achieved in the last hundred years
work which shames the combined re-
suits of the centuries OF these mighty
wizards the civil engineers are the
Titans, and they would no doubt try
to scale the heavens, piling Pelion
upon Ossa should they desire to do so,
and in the attempt not risk the conse-
Quences that befell the giants of the
Greek legend.
| will not say that southern CalifOr-
MIA is the wonderland of the continent,
for that is already trite. You have
been told all about its climate, produc-
tons, scenic beauty and the fertility Of
the soil All these We're made avail
able to the rest OF the world by these
same magicians, the civil engineers,
who were the pioneers of the railroads.
Through the terra incognito of the
far west. among wild mountain passes,
binding SHOWS, desert heats, dangers
and disasters of all kinds they blazed
the way for the railroad and civiliA
bL''Al' anu " IlLtIl VIC owe Il UtDJ "a
gratitude that. it is safe to say, we
will never iquidate. Upon all of the
great railroad systems of the country,
east and west, there are remarka BILE
examples of the subduing of natural
obstacles. Gorges are spanned by
trestles so lofty that the passenger,
safely seated in the luxurious coach,
fears to move hand or foot as he is
whirled rapidly over them, being op-
pressed with ridiculous sense that his
doing 50 viii pIecipitate the whole
train into the yawning abyss. Trn-
nclS burrow under mountains, SER
pentine tracks climb over mountains,
and, winding about, find a foothold
upon the edge of cliffs, cleave rocks,
defy storms and SnOwslides, rush down
into timbered canyons and leap wide
rivers.
There is up the slope of Mount Wash
ingtOn, as there Is on Mount Eesuvius
and Mount PLATE, railroad, by means
of which passengers reach the top.
These featS of engineering in their day
excited the admiration of the world,
but they are lar surpassed by a yerita-
bic railroad in midair which has al
ready climbed a spur half way to the
summit of one of the Hottest mountains
IN southern California, and will in a
short time be extended to the very peak
above sea level.
Man has natural aspiration towards
the heights. The valley is for every
day life. its occupation, pain and per-
formanch; the mountain top is for the
sublime mood, the wider horizon, the
purcr existence. In southern Califor-
MIA the mountain walls seem in the dry
season TO be but brown battlcments
east out by nature in hurry and travail
TO protect from the desert heats her
chosen valleys. Ia the wet seasons
these battlenents turn from brown to
green, and always there are magic
lights playing about them. Tender
haZeS veil their distance, purple gar
mcntS reach down to the nearer plains
and sunlight dwells on their submits,
glorifying their crowns of pine and locks
of snow. Climbing any of these slopes
over the rugged narrow trails, every
wrinkle on the face of these Alps of the
west is found to be deep gorge green
with gigantic trees, declled with laurel,
cicmatis, lilac and bay where the can
yon walls tower skyward, and made
brilliant with myrads of flowers and
ferns, where the peall-born streamssteal
in the bottom of the cleft To climb
on foot or the back of burro to one of
these SUBMITS is an experience to be
remembered forever. Wherever you
look Il prospect of enchanting beauty
or stupendous grandeur is spread out
before You, but the danger and difficult
ties Of these ascentS can be endured
only by the strong and hardy.
Pasadena has a superb mountain
background, and visitors 20 this lovely
town see far up one of the mountains,
pcrched upon lofty spur, white
building, and running sheer down from
1t until it is lost in the purple a line
like a thread. This thread is the ia
nous Mount Lowe cable incline rail
way, already completed to the top of
Echo mountain, and in the near future
to ~ extended to the summit of Mount
Lowe. seven miles further, by the route
already surveyed, and terminating at
point where the loftiest observatory
upon the continent is to be built from
the Astounding granite. The incline is
approached by an electric trolley road
three miles long, which winds about
the base of the mountain, passing cool
green canyons, and traversing the mesa
named long ago "Capa do Orc" by Cab
rillo, "ho deserted the gold of its pop