Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1898-01-19
MAINE TO CALIFORNIA.
A Trip Across the Continent by the
Sunset Route.
Especial to THE AMERICAN

Monday, Nov %, left South Brooks
Vile for the Pacific coast, starting as early
as 5 a. m. to take the steamer for Belfast.
l arrived in Belfast in due season and had
a chance to see many friends, including
much remembered "Duster"
At p. m. l took the steamer "City of
Bangor" for Boston. We arrived in Bos
ton Tuesday morning at 20. l ar
ranged for my trip across the continent
over the Sunset route. 1t was the first
trip of the tourist car through New Or
leans since the yellow fever quarantine.
left Boston Tuesday evening on the
night express for Washington, there to
take the tourist car. We did not stop at
many stations. At the Harlem river, New
York. the train rolled on the railroad
transport "Maryland'', and the sleeping
passengers, without being distur bed
sailed around the great city of New York
to Jersey City, where the train left the
boat, and was soon speeding away for
Washington, where we arrived Wednes-
day morning at 1890. Passing through
Maryland l saw large fields of corn in
stock, and some lying in piles on the
ground husked. 1t was of the white
variety, and should judge the crop had
been very good.
did not stop long in Washington. l
noticed the streets We're wider than those
of our nothern cities and very clean and
pretty.
After leaving Washington we found the
country through western Virginia and
the Carolinas very rough and billy.
should judge most of the farming was
done by negroes and the poor classes of
whites, their homes being nothing but
small shanties. About their door yards
were large fiocks of hens and turkeys,
and herds of hogs. The cultivated land
was mostly cotton fields, ON some Of
which the cotton had not been picked.
We arrived at Atlanta Ga, Thursday
morning, stopping twenty minutes for the
passengers to get lunch and replenish
their lunch baskets From here to Mont
gomery the land was more level, with
repetition of yesterdays houses and fields.
There are some living in those huts to day
who lived there during the rebellion, and
do not know that it has ended. Through
Ala bama the forest trees have on them
what is called Spanish moss. 1t resembles
very much the beard of an old man, only
much longer.
We arrived in New Orleans just after
dark. We left New Orleans Friday morn
ing and at 8 arrived at Houston, Texas.
Before reaching Houston, we passed
through some large fields of sugar cane.
The conductor told US the owner had
1900 acres in cane this year. We also
passed near the sugar plant which was
immense.
Saturday morning we were in western
Texas, at Paisano. 9S4 miles from New
Orleans. The altitude of the place is
5 0S2 feet. 1t was very cold during the
night. In the morning the conductor
brought into the car an icicle two feet long
which was great curiosity to some of the
passengers.
Many of the houses along the line here
are built of adobe, a substance similar to
our blue clay when dried, only of a
brownish color. After leaving Ell Paso-
our last stopping place in Texas, quite a
business town, where we saw lots of cow
boys and Mexicans-our stations were
small and mostly for the purpose of get
ting fuel and water for the engine-the
water being pumped from artesian wells
by wind mills. Through New Mexico and
Arizona the ride was tedious-nothing to
interest aside from mountains and large
plains between, with but very little vege.
tation of any kind except cactus, OF
which there were all varieties, very large
and handsome.
In western Arizona we saw a very
pretty mirage. To me it was the most
wonderful thing had seen on my route
For miles and miles we passed what
seemed to be streams and lakes of water
with islands and indentations. At times