The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1899-11-23
CAMPING AT THE PRESIDE
Is the 3Sth Regiment. Which
Contains a Number of
HillsbOrO Boys.
An Interesting Letter From Roy Nc.
Guire Describing Their Trip
From II. Louis to san
Francisco.
PREsIDIo, CAL.
November 9, 1899,

io''s
We left st. Louis at nine O'Clock Fri
day morning, October 20, and proceeded
on our way. The second battalion left
first under the command Of Captain
Sawyer, who was acting major, then the
first battalion, followed by the third
next day. Each train had eleven cars
counting officers and baggage cars. We
passed through lots OF small towns,
where the people were collected to give
us welcome. Guards were put at the
doors to keep US from getting off the
train, for most of the boys would 20 up
town and get left.
AS We crossed the prairie we could see
nothing but sage bush and sand. 1t was
amusing 70 watch the prairie dogs in
their villages as we passed. They would
sit on top of their houses, and when they
saw US, would instantly disappear. The
ranches were few and far between
Each ranch was provided with a wind
mill and where there was farming it wac
carried on by irrigation. There were
no large towns along the railroad across
the prairie They were mostly small
villages and looked desolate to the side
of some of our Eastern towns. We trav
eled through the rest of the prairie after
dark and in the morning we were greet
ed by the sight of trees and mountains
They looked far awav until along about
evening, when we began to pass through
the foot hills, with nothing but sand
and sage brush on them. We saw plenty
of wolves on the prairie and antelopes
among the foot hills, but they we're to
shy to get close to. As We got farther
among the mountains trees and rocks
began to appear and at dark We were
we'll among them. The scenery after
dark was grand. The moon wae just
rising above the mountains and threw
it's light on the rocks and water.
There was a small stream Of water
that ran along the railroad for more
than 200 miles and i1 was we'll stocked
with fish. The moon shining on every
thing made it look wild and desolate
The solid mass OF rock rising to the
hight of three and four hundred feet on
either side, at times it seems as If the
train would surely jump the track it was
running so fast, and at other times it
looked as If we were running straight
into large mass OF rock. but instead OF
that it made a beautiful curve around.
I was on guard as We passed through
these picturesque mouptain and stood
on the platform of the car and watched.
When the train stopped the boys would
climb out Of the windows and pick up
pieces of stone to send home as relics of
the trip. We stopped at small station
about ten o'clock one night in the noun.
tsins and two young ladies and a man
came out Of houee near by with gui-
tars and harp and sang for us. They
also brought us out a blackberry pie,
and what We done to it was plenty.
At Denver, COL, we stopped about
two hours and a good many of US got to
90 up town. 1t is large city and has
we'll paved streets. Wherever soldier
goes he has to pay just twice as much
for anything as citizsn does. l sup.
pose it is because they think soldier
has plenty of money, but it is just the
other way, most of the boys are always
broke. Some of the boys got off at .
little station and got left behind, but
they caught the next section and came
on. Grand Canyon was passed after
dark. The cliffs hung out over the
train and looked as if they were going
to fall on it. The walls ON either sid 9
are so high that you have to look straight
up to see the top of it. We passed
through thirty.fve miles of snow:sheds
and tunnels. The grade was 30 steep
that the train had to run first on one
side of one mountain and circle around
and run on the side OF another and kept
it up until we,were about three hundred
feet upon the side of steep mountain
with large lake directly underneath
us. The best of the scenery was shut
out by the snow sheds, which were
nearly as dark as a tunnel. In the snow
sheds We could see places where the
people lived. At every one of these
houses there was side track where we
stopped until a coming train passed by.
When We reached the top OF this noun
tain we could see,everything going on
down in the valley beneath us. We
could also look down and SEE the track
We had just left about 80 minutes be.
fore. One of the engines that had helped
to pull US up had just left us and we
started on our downward trip The
train ran at terrible rate of speed and
If anything had happened to the engine
We would all have been thrown down
into the valley beneath u, and killed
Tor it was about four hundred ieet to the
bottom. There was about three feet of
snow on the mountains then and the
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