Pleasantville weekly press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1890-1911, 1897-01-13
LETTER FROM CALIFORNIA.
A Journey Across the Continent
by a PIeasantviIIe Citizen.

| A Journey Across the Continent
| by PIeasantviIle Citizen.
| Les Angeles, California, Dec. a, 1897.
Editor of the Pleasantviile PRESS:
As promised, | will write you of our
trip to this place, and later on something
| of the Pacific coast as | fndit. We, (wife
and - LETT Philadelphia Monday, Dec 2S,
| at Z. M. and arrived here Saturday
evening at 8 2. M. 1t would take a
week to properly describe our journey,
| SO | will skip over it in a general way
with now and then something a little
more descriptive. Some of the more int
| eresting parts were passed at night.
| We were not favorahly impressed with
North Carolina. The cotton-felds were
much inferior to those we saw later on
in Louisiana. It's stunted pine forests
reminded US OF our own State. The
darkey and mule prevailed and seemed
to be the population and tillers OF the
soil. We saw now and then a COW in
grass and many shanties with no win
dows. We stopped day and night at
New Orleans, but our limited stay pre-
vented us from seeing much. 1t is bus
fling city OF 100000 inhabitants, has 13
m les of river front, where steamers load
aud carry the products of the cotton,
rice and cane fields to foreign and domes-
tic ports. In 1895 herexports were over
$6S, 900 000 She claims the finest Gem
etery in the world. The city being below
the river level, graves cannot be dug, and
vaults or sepulchers are built above
ground. 1t is called the "City of the
dead" Audubon Park, now owned by
the city, was once the home OF an early
French settler, who planted many live
oaks which now are the most prominent
feature of the park. These venerable
oaks with their tons of moss drapery.
which hangs down from 6 inches to 6
feet are stately and magnificent and
much priced by the citizens. | measured
the highest tree feet above ground. 1t
was 20 feet 3 inches in circumference.
Two limbs feet at their base branchedy
out each 66 feet and the tree shaded a
circumference of 402 feet. Before the
building of iron ships Louisiana live oak
figured largely in nhe construction Ofour
war ships, Thursday morning at 10 A.
NJ. we embarked on the Sunset Limited,
the finest long distance train in the
world. 1t covers the distance 2,006
miles to Los Angeles in 5S hours, an av-
erage OF 81 miles an hour, 1t is vesti-
buled throughout, and for exercise ladies
can traye' from end to..and. 1t only runs
through the Winter months. All that
money and ingenuity can do is here for
the comfort of tourists. Parlors, hbrar-
les and abundance of current magazines,
bath rooms, barber shops, sleepers and
diners where the best meals are served
at very moderate prices. Inexperienced
no fatigue but thought it luxury OF a
life time. 1t seemed like leaving home.
The earnest ''good-byes" and hand
shakes of our short acquaintance, and
introductions to their friends who had
met them at the train will be by us long
remembered. Leaving New Orleans we
came acaoss the great Mississippi and
through the bayou region of Louisiana.
Then across the sugar, rice and cotton
country Then through great pine for
ests, and through the great dreary plains
of Texas across the Colorado River, to
New Mexico, and through Arizona to the
Pacific coast, the paradise of America.
On this route from New Orleans there
are no large cities, Houston and Ell Paso
being the principle ones. Much of the
land is a barren valley, supporting only
age bush and cactus. A sandy plain
with broken Jagged hills on either side,
but when properly irrigated will pro-
duce in abundance. In Central Texas we
saw many cattle and horses on the diff
erent ranches. Each ranch has its wind
mill pumping water for the herds; one
company has 10000 head of cattle. We
saw a Ground up" Of perhaps thousand
or fifteen hundred cattle by cowboys on
their mustangs. We had expected to see
in this warm climate green foliage but
for thousand miles perhaps all is dead,
dry grass and sage bush. Cattle feed or
CANA grass which is very nutritious
where green or dry.) Later on it will
spring up green to be dried up again by
the hot Simmer sun. A few Mexican
villages with their windowless adobe
houses were passed, the men being EN-
NnlOyed on the road as section hands. In
COS the road winds .Snss- s-t1e -
p.> efming a great loop,
the graoe being too steep TO run straight.
Near Tucson we saw cactus, the tallest
of which is said to be 10 feet high. At
Yuma we saw the genuine Indians. some
very old warriors or 'has beens." Their
long, coarse, grey unkempt hair and
wrinkled features, and scaly feet that
had never known shoes. made them OBJ
jects of interesting pity, as we thought
of the mixed European races that have,
through their claims Of Christian ciyila-
ton. driven them from the face OF the
earth. 1t is said these Indians( coVef
their heads with clay to ward Off .Ae hot
sun and destroy vermin. From Yuma
to Los Angeles, a distance of 19S miles,
much of the way is through desert SIM
liar to our beach sand, and one-third OF
which is through a once salt sea. The
steep mountain sides show plainly where
| for centuries the surf line beat and
washed. The road bed at one point ID
263 feet below the sea level. We saw a
mirage of lake which is said to be per-
petual. The water seemed as if it was
ruffled by gentle breeze, and sparkled
| in the sunshine, in several places. Huge
piles, resembling great coal heaps. were
seen from our train; they are burned rock
| from the crater of extinct volcanoes. Al
one point there are several acres of boil
ing mud, which cannot be closely ap
preached on account of the hot soil
| Yesterday we spent. our time on thu
| street cars and parks, viewing the beau
tiful homes of the residents aud the fine
city OF Los Angeles, of which we will
write more later on. By the way straw
berries grow here the year round. They
are big, luxurious fruit, not very red. but
much sweeter than our berries East
There are, also, thousands of greer
orange trees laden with their ripe, yellow
fruit.
| A.. LAKE.
AN EDITOR REMEMBERED
Walter Edge of the Atlantic City