The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-06-05
A Spicy Account Of the Trip to
San Francisco.
SCENES ALONG THE ROUTE
The Grand Welcome Given the Boys in
San Francisco-People Seemed to
Take Particular Interest in
the Montana Regiment.

tertaining letter to one of his school
mates in this city. giving a very spicy
account Of his experiences up to date.
The letter is dated San Francisco, May
81, and is as follows:
"Well, Jim, ] will try now to write
the letter which i have owed you for so
long. l tried to write on the train, but
the springy motion of the cars made 1t
impossible. / am glad l saw you at Sill
yer Bow, and sorry 1 did not see more
of the boys. 1t will be a long time be-
fore 1 get another chance. I suppose
you have heard everything incident to
our journey after we left Silver Bow,
but in case you haven't l will give you a
short account of II.
THE first thing of any importance
was our arrival in Dillon about Z o'clock
in the evening. We had heard that they
intended ~banqueting us there, but hav-
ing been sadly disappointed by a SINH
lar rumor at Helena, we took no stock in
il whatever. Most of us, too, thought
Dillon was a little country village, and
imagine, then, our surprise when we
stopped at the depot, where a band and
the cheers of all the populace welcomed
us. and a row of benches long enough to
accommodate eight companies at a time
were just covered with things to eat.
Our marched up without any
parley, and then a score or more OF girls
and women passed around pies, cake
and fruit faster than we could get away
with them. We ate all we could and
then returned to our cars, and as the
train pulled out gave to the people of
Dillon three cheers that almost shook the
town. Even at the little town of Lima,
where we arrived at 1880 that night, all
the people were waiting for us, and in
the light of a big bonfire and torches
sang us songs n cheered us till the
train pulled out. That was the last OF
Montana, and the last of Montana hos
pitality, for some time at least. Even
the scenery, after that, seemed unin-
wiling and undressing. but as we
neared Utah il began to be more YER
liant and green, and at Cache Junction
a bunch of lilacs which the people gave
each of us told what state we were in.
We soon arrived at Ogden and stopped
at the depot. but guards were placed at
the doors so we couldn't get out of the
cars. My uncle had come up from Salt
Lake to see me. and besides loading me
down with bundles of lunch and food,
gave me a silver watch and several
other presents, including some money.
I'VE did not stay long in Ogden and
after pulling out followed along in sight
of the Salt Lake for many a mile. Once
Tie tIdll Stoppcu dtHci ucdi Tic shoIts
and we all started out TO battle u
hands i'm the water. but before we could
reach il the train started and you should
have seen the wild sprinting to get on.
None of us got left, but at Ogden sew
eral who ran the guard were left, but
came up on the next section. Through
the rest of Utah and most of Nevada the
country was nothing but desert N dry,
barren prairie for miles and miles. The
train stopped at Wadsworth and lei
Each of these towns lie right in the des-
ert. you might say but despite this they
are as verdant with trees and flowers as
a garden or park. At each place, too.
we were Toasted with lunch. flowers and
fruit which the ladies of the Red Cross
society had prepared for us. After leav-
ing Reno we began a slow and gradual
climb of the famous old Sierra Nevadas,
and by h time we reached Truckee
the cold told us that we were in a high
altitude. Not far beyond we entered the
first of the snowsheds which make this
railroad famous. Have you ever heard
of them? 1t now in these high noun
tains all the year round, sometimes to a
depth of 30 or 40 feet. and then the snow
slides n causes avalanches. So, to
prevent ~blockades and accidents, the
has housed the track along
all the higher attitudes. There are AZ
miles of these sheds, each ranging from
a block to several miles long, n none
of them more than a few feet apart. II
is very monotonous riding through
them. Through the boards you can get
fiashlight glimpses Of the scenery
around-one minute a cliff towering
away above you. and the next a chasm
and rushing torrent hundreds of feet
below-but before we had gone far a
driving snowstorm pre- tented cen an
occasional glimpse. 1t is too bad we
-@.,I - -~~l t- ul~4xv
say il is the widest and most pictur-
esque in the world, SURPRISING even the
Alps. The snow made our cars colder
and gloomier han ever so, though !.
only Z o'clock. We all went 70 bed
and did not wake till the train stopped
in the depot at Sacramento. We did not
get to see the town. though, partly be-
cause it was too dark, but principally
because the train did not stay long
enough. 1t had not gone far when it
stopped again in what we thought was
a depot. but when we got out of the
cars we found ourselves on board a big
ship chained to a dock in the ocean.
There were also two trains besides our
one of them IL fiat cars loaded
with rock. and all went across the bay
together. Our train pulled out and went
10 Oakland. where all the soldiers
marched onto another ferry boat and
again crossed the bay to the wharf at
San Francisco.
quite a number of people and sew
eral bands welcomed us, and after
stacking arms we all marched into a big
pavilion. where the aides of the Red
Cross had prepared us a banquet. After
eating all that We could possibly accept
they loade us with flowers, moi com
mon wild ones. but American beauty
roses and the like. n then to the tune
Of the band we marched out again. not,
however. without giving to the ladies
Of the Red Cross three rousing cheers
that re-echoed from across the bay and
from all the tall buildings in the city. A
little later We marched through town TO
our camp. several miles beyond. and
thousands and thousands of people
greeted US with cheers. flowers and al
nonading. Even Montana could not
have given us a reception more rousing
and sincere. They seem to take especial