Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1897-04-12
MAIL ROUTE AGENTS EXCTR-
SION.
T w ritten fo- the MONITOR

March 9, at 1880 p. m. The train was
drawn by the famous engine No. 500,
consisted of eight cars, one baggage
and seven Pullmans. Burlington, Ia,
was the first stopping point, at which
place supper YVES served to the dele
gates and their wives, who numbered
2S5. We passed Lincoln, Neb., in the
night and daylight found us travelling
through a dreary waste Of land con-
sisting of sand and sage bush. Break
fast was served at Ravenna, six hun
dred and eighty six miles from Chi
cago.
Nebraska, with it's barren plains, af-
forded but little interest to the travel
er.
NJ arch IL we arrived at Billings,
Montana. There we encountered the
first snow after leaving Springfield,
Mass. Helena was the next point of
interest. We stopped there for sup
per. The weather was cold and dis
agreeable. At Spokane Falls a stop
of two hours and half was made;
breakfast being served at Hotel"Spo-
kane. There was but little time for
sight seeing at this point.
We reached Portland, Oregon on
the 18th, lat $3.50 a. M, where dele
CATION was in waiting to receive us.
At the Portland Hotel a sumptious
breakfast was eaten, which called
forth hattering praises from all.
Many asserted that the "Portland"
had no equal along the coast, and was
quite on par with the prided insti-
tutions of the East.
The city of Portland occupies fine
commercial position and has mana
ged up to the present time to gather
into her business gamers the largest
proportion of the vast traffic of this
young but lusty commonwealth of the
Northwest. Her position is also an
interesting one. She sits beside a
great river and her suburbs reach up
into the terraced green forests that
skirt the water ways of this entire
country. After leaving Portland, the
great point of interest on this route is
Mt. Shasta, which comes into view as
the train rounds the headland just
S outh of the long tunnel through the
Siskiyous. It's elevation is 4,442
feet.
Perhaps the most advantageous
point from which the mountains may
be seen from the railroad is at Sisson,
Strawberry valley. There are five
glaciers on Mt. Shasta, one on the |
south, two on the east, and two on
the north; the most extensive and in
teresting of these is the Whitney,
which takes it's rise near the summit
and on the north, following down to
the east of Shastina, and clearly visi
bic from the Shasta valley. Shasta is
seen from the railroad, off and on,
for 200 miles. After going down from
Mt. Shasta into the canyon, we ar
rived at the national soda springs, |
situated near Soda Creek Here. al |
so, were numerous water spouts
which were fine sight. In travelling
a distance of 154 miles we crossed the |
Sacramento river IS times and passed I
through 16 tunnels. All down through /
the picturesque canyon of the Sacra
mento the interest of the sight seer
never flags. At the mouths of the
side canyons there are windows of |
rounded boulders, relics of the hy
draulic mining days, then there were
quartz mines in active operation, for
this is one of the richest gold mining /
districts in the state. At Redding the I
head of the Sacramento valley is
reached, and the remaining 26O miles /
of the journey run through the rich
est and most highly developed agri
cultural section on the coast. The
vast vineyards and wheat fields of the
valley proper, and the extensive
fruit ranches OF the lower foot hills
give evidence of the plenty and pros
perity that reigns in this favored +
land.
We were royalty entertsined at Sac
ramento. Governor Budd favored
the delegation with an address, and
the assembly gave our party an hour
of it's time.
Monday March Is, we arrived at
San Francisco. The convention open
ed the following day with it's usual
routine of business. 1t was the 22d
in the history of the association, and /
was the first to be held on the Pacific
coast. There are now about 1850
members in the country, and a dele
gate is elected for every fifty mem
bers, It is mutual benefit associa-
ton, combining it's operations to the
service, and conducted at the lowest