Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1894-12-14
AMERICAN LETTERS.
FROM PORTLAND 70 OAKLAND.


track is built out from Oakland, so that
the ferry proper IS about six miles.
Alameda, Oakland and Berkeley are con
tIguous and fill up pretty well, or will,
the land opposite San Francisco that lies
between the bay and the coast hills. The
Golden Gate opens into this bay from
the ocean. ! Judge this bay is quite
similar to Puget sound, both being large
bodies of water extending inland from
the ocean. The climate at Oakland is
free from fog and wind and therefore
pleasanter than at San Francisco, and |
the place is much pleasanter to live in.
left Portland IN the evening. 1t /
takes about 3G hours to come to san |
Francso by rail; distance, about 700 ,
miles The boundary line between Cal |.
ifornia and Oregon we crossed after day /
light. \ high spur of mountains makes |
here toward the sea from the Sierra
range. By zigzag course we assembled
these some COCO or more feet from the
Rogue River valley. and in the same way
descended to the valley of the Sacramen
to in California. 1t is wild country of
hills. Below us, before we crossed the
summit, the valley of the Rogue River
gave variety to what else would have
been all mountains. This valley is of
good farm land and we'll cultivated. 1t
has always been free of trees, and the
lofty mountains about are largely so,
and at different points on them may be
= l., lei etutipU n
turned the summit Shasta appeared in
sight-a large mountain of snow. rising
far above everything else, some - miles
to the southeast. Its height is over
$1,000 feet. he Sacramento valley for
loug way is narrow. with only a tu-
multuous stream rushing through it.
Gradually we approach near the base of
Shasta, but the night came on before the
valley had become wide. indeed for miles
by the moonlight the foaming river was
J the principal hing to see when looked
out. Then came sleep, and when look
+ ed cut in the morning we were rushing
through the center Of the great Sacra-
& mento valley, which, with the san
: joaquin that Joins it at the south, cN-
tends for hundreds of miles in length
t and almost 100 IN breadth. Far in the
distance rose the SicrTas. but shooting
far above them and glowing o'or all the
n eastern sky arose the dawn.
r made number of acquaintances in
the car. among them family formerly
from Missouri, but that had lived on this
j. coast for years and were now moving
Il farther south. With them was quite Il
pretty young lady that came from Maine,
\ when child, with her mother. The
r mother was consumptive and died short
" after reaching California. The father.
( a sea captain, had previously deserted
his family. This girl bad hoed her OWL
row as well as she could, assisted,
Judged, by the Missouri family. She
was pleased enough to talk about New
England: said New England people
seemed different from all others. ant
that she would 90 back only her lung,
were not strong.
Since coming to Oakland | have taket
dinner twice with Prof. Plehn and hi,
wife, who are very pleasantly situated
at Berkeley. The last time Mirandi
Brainerd, with Mr.. Plehn's mother, hat
arrived direct from Middlebury. They
got through very nicely and brought The
latest news. | also had call from JOIN
Russ, formerly of Quechee, VT, an,
who graduated at Middlcbury college il
1850. Mr.. Russ has been at Oakland fo
20 years in the insurance business, an,
is very highly respected citizen. TO
gether we called upon y. l.. Mann of TN
same class. who for many years has bee
principal i'm the high schools at Sal
Francisco. Both Mr.. Russ and Mr.
Mann were very popular in collcg
and are very popular here; full o
N cordial feeling and kindly temper. Mr.
st Mann took US into the school room
III where large class of girls were Singin!
the "Slar Spar gled Banner" He Intro
duced us TO them as classmates in Yer
ot mont. and the whole school rose AM
re courte.yed to us i'm an exceedingly pleas
/" ant way. We were here, too, Introduce
to one of the lady principals. formerly
Miss LORD of Burlington, w, a yer
substantial and well-appearing woman
lie and .also a very loyal Nermonter, nue.
ne pleased to meet some one just come frol
~, the old State.
nj have now an invitation for dinner o
III Monday next at MI. Russ very pleasan
home and also cordial invitation b
letter from PhlO ID. JeWett a son Of IN
late Solomon JeWett to visit him as 500
as he gets back from Bakersfield, wher
he is called on business. | shall certain
ly endeayor to make the call if he return
before leave. New England men
meet, constantly and always very pleas
anty also those from New York. il
terviewed, the other day, an old MAJ
working in his garden. who came