Pleasantville weekly press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1890-1911, 1897-04-14
LETTER FROM CALIFORNIA.
A Journey Across the Continent
by a PIeasantville Citizen.
NIJMBER THIRTEEN.

1
We left San Francisco March "a, at Z
| a, m. for Salt Lake City. The first step
is the ferry across the San Francisco
! Bay to OakwoOd. One while crossing
on these ferries must notice the many
guIls that fy near as if begging for food
| and passengers will frequently throw
| food which they will catch in the air.
| At Oakland we begin our journey by
rail, at Post Costa, 33 miles from San
| Francisco, and the head of navigation
| for large ships. Our train is run on a
ferry boat (said to be the largest in the
world, and can carry SO loaded cars)
| across the Sacramento River to Benicia,
| where we again take the track and
across the Cspay Valley noted for its
mild climate and productive soil. Farm
ers were at work with teams OF horses
| to harrow or a gang of plows. Mrs.
Lake thought it a pity to plow up the
pretty yellow poppy, the wild blooming
mustard, and the millions of daisies, for
| get-me-nots and violets. Next we pass
| vast extent of meadows, paradise
for ducks, of which we saw many. From
| the meadows we pass to stock and fruit
| farms where sht ep and cattle are raised
with little expense. Ninety miles from
| San Francisco we stopped at Sacra-
mento City, the Capitol of the State,
and a hustliDg busting town. Three
| fourths of all the fruit raised in the
state (for other markets) are shipped
| from here. From Sacramento an extra
engine Is attached, for in the next 100
miles we climb about 1000 feet to the
summit of the Sierra N vadas. The
two engines and IL cars make up our
| train.
At 1. o. m Rockland is passed. 1t re-
minds US of a New England town from
| it's huge granite boulders and miry
quarries A tunnel 700 feet long is pass
ed through, and we bob out and go
| twisting, turning and curving around
| the mountai e. First the scene is on
one side and then the other. la many
places the track is in sight away to the
| right or left on the mountain sides, and
as we go winding through the bills to
the snOw-covered mountains the scene
| changes. Much live oak tsmberis passed
and then, at a higher aetitude, pines
| from the forest, and later on, as we
climb, cedar prevails. At. 3 30 p. m.
snow is reached, and we double Cape
Horn, q famous mountain pass. High
above is q mountain peak, and $500
feet below, perpendicular, is the rocky
bed of the foaming waters of the Ameri-
can River. Here the road bed is carved
from solid rock. Beyond this we pass
abandoned gold mines where moun-
tains have been leveled in search for
gold. Next the great American canyon
is passs with walls 2 900 feet high.
At Blue Canyon stop is made and pas
seDgers, ladies and all, engage in game
of snow -balling. At SIP. m. the summit
of the road is reached, the highest alti
tude 7O17 feet above the level of the sea.
Between San Francisco and Salt Lake.
The mountains tower 5000 feet above.
Night comes on and we rest our weary
eyes, and as daylight approaches we
peep out to view the Humbolt Valley
where thousands of cattle and sheep
| find pasture. There are focks of thou
sands of sheep with their sheep herder,
shepard and dogs watching. At Eiko
we stopped for breakfast. This station
| is shipping point for the many gold
mines in the vicinity. On the desert
plains many Indian wigwams are pass
ed, and at the station Squaws, with
their little pappooses strapped TO their
backs, and old bucks beg the passengers
1
where the Uuion Pacific builders, and
Central Pacific builders, met May 10th
| 1869. and the most wonderful feat of
Railroad building the world had ever
| known was accomplished. A stop at
Odgen and then we go on to Salt Lake
City where we arrive at p. m. and
stop off for day to inspect that famous
and historical City.
AL nj Ia al 1.o m "
and out to Fort Douglas, 500 feet above
the city. Here a good view is obtained
of the City and plains and The Great
well surrounded by mountains, is beauti-
fully located, and has plenty of desert to
enlarge upon. Perhaps in Summer it
would nave q better appearance when
| the trees are in leaf There are 70 miles
of streets, all 1872 feet wide. Telegraph
and electric car poles are in the middle
of the streets. A few OF the prlhclpal
streets are paved. Prominent are the
Mormon buildings. The temple was
| finished four years ago ard it was Al
years in construction. lit took three
weeks to dedicate it. There wereseveral
hundred invitations sent to prominent
persons and business men, but since that
| time it has been closed to Gentiles. The
| foundation walls are 10 feet thick at
their base, and gradually narrow to
5 feet 100 feet above the ground. They
are of white granite and were hauled by
oxen from quarries 20 miles away.
Three towers adorn each end, and it is
a NEST magnificent structure. The first
buildings were surrounded by stone
walls-a safe guard against the wander
ing Indian tribes. The Tabernacle how
ever is open to the public. 1t is of pecu-
liar construction-haviug roof formed
like turtles shell supported only by the
main walls. 1t is $50 feet by $50 feet,
and 70 feet high. 1t has fac large
organ constructed from wood obtained
| from the mountains near by. 1t seats
II 900 persons. A pin dropped at one
end was by US distinctly heard at the
| other end. We paid a visit to the State
and County building, then to the SanI-
| torinm where water is piped from hot
mineral springs 8 miles away. There
are two large swimming pOols, and
| many small bath rooms with tanks for
those who wish to enjoy plunge.
| From Salt Lake to Denver across the
Rocky Mountains is claimed to be the
grandest of any railroad route in the
world. The distance by rail is nearly
700 miles. No pen can properly de-
scribe these wonders of nature. They
must be seen to be realized, and as we
only saw them from our swiftly moving
train. little can be expected from the
notes that have taken. In these noun
tains there are fertile valleys, which once
were the bottoms of Lakes. The Can
yons that lead from them have been
formed by the water running from them,
| or from rents in the rocks formed by
volcanoes. Through these canyons the
water still finds it's way to the sea. By
means OF irrigation the plains are made
to yield abundantly both in fruit and
grain. The railroad winds it's way
along the stream, through the Canyons,
around the mountains and rocky cliffs,
sometimes forming great loops in order
to make an ascent or decent as the csse
might be. At one point called Castle
Gate two huge cliffs, resembling castles,