The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1899-06-02
AMONG THE ROCKIES.
A Maury COuntian Tells of His Trip
West.
The Wonderful Beauty and Grandeur OF
the Snow-Capped Mountains and
Deep GOrges.

Rocky MoUNTAINs, COL, May %.
Editor Columbia HerdLd, Dear Sir
Thinking a few items from this far
famed land would interest your many
readers, I will try and give you some
idea of my trip to the West.
My ride from ST. Louis was made
doubly pleasant by the company of
ministers and elders of the Cumberland
Presbyterian Church, who were en-
route to the General Assembly at Den
yer. Our journey across the great
plains of Kansas and Colorado, dis
tance of 500 miles, was somewhat tire
some, and the scene was only broken
by the numerous prairie dogs. These
are small animals, somewhat like a
large fox squirrel, with a short tail.
They borough in the earth to very
great depth, and it is said that in cuts
of railroads they have gone to the depth
of seventy feet or more. In some sec
tions of the state they are very trouble
some to the farmers, and as yet they
have never found any way to destroy
them.
After twenty-eight hours of constant
putting of the mighty engine, we
reached Denver, the "Queen City of the
Plains" l spent few hours in this
beautiful city, looking at the handsome
residences, beautiful streets and city
park, which | enjoyed very much.
! This city is constantly adding to its
population, and affords one of the most
desirable places for home seekers in
| the West.
At p. m, | left Denver for the
mountains. For seven miles the
country was fertile and beautiful to
look upon, when suddenly we entered
t he great Canyon of Clear Creek. With
the great mountains on either side, with
| overhanging rocks and dotted with
spruce pines to the height of six hun
dred to a thousand feet, and the mighty
rush of the water, the scene was grand
one to me. At O'clock the train
reached Idaho Springs, a neat little city
of over 1900 inhabitants, where loved
ones met me.
The elevation of Idaho is 7,543 feet
above sea-level, and is famous for its
number of gold, silver, copper and lead
mines. l visited several OF the mines,
which were very interesting, and one OF
which was located on high mountain,
ii 900 feet above the sea. No more pow
erful or better designed plant can be
found in Colorado. It's equipment con-
sists of 200-horse power engine, which
is used for hosting the ore from the
great depth of 100 feet; also l50-horse
power air cOmpressors, driven by water
power, which are used to run the drills
in the tunnels below. There is also a
large mill to crush the ore, which is
washed and separated ready to ship to
the smelter.
A trip up over the loop was very in
teresting,a ,and it affords great place for
pleasure. seekers and sight-seers. The
railroad up this Canyon is marvellous
feat of engineering, and leads to Silver
Plane, where the snow slides in Febru-
ary last killed Is miners.
The miners here live in little huts
built in the sides of the mountains,
some of which are five to seven hum
dred feet above the valley below. How
wonderful tC me is the great fact that
for every enterprise there is some one
to fill every position. How happy and
ontented are these working peo-
pie! ....
My next trip of interest was upon
the mountain of Bellview. With a
pleasant and entertaining companion,
we started up the mountain road, which
, is cut out of the side of the mountain,
, with two true and tried horses hitched
to buggy. The roads up the noun
tains here are very narrow and steep
and difficult to drive. Yet wagons with
, four horses go up after the ore and
usually bring down from 5 to tons al a
load. There are places that IL one
should happen to get out of the track,
! he would fall hundreds of feet below.
, After three hours ride we began to
reach the snow, and in some places it
was very difficult to get over. At one
, point it was five feet or more deep. We
took out the team and pulled the buggy
: up over the snow bank by hand and led
I our horses around up the mountain side.
We soon reached the top, from where /
2 could see the great snowy range that
, divides the waters, the east flowing to
, gulf of Mexico, and the westward down
Colorado river into the Pacific. This
{ was the grandest view i had ever seen.
! This dividing mountain seemed to ex.
Y tend as far as the eye could reach, and
' was covered with snow. / stood there
! with a field glass, seemingly able to
q draw the greatest peakes of the state TO
= my feet; and then turning my back up
. on this awe-inspiring sight, my eyes
rested upon the great plains stretching
Q away to the eastward for hundreds OF
}, miles. AS stood there beholdiug the
}, wonders of Nature, | thought of the
4 scripture which says, "And God created
q the heavens and the earth" If the
: earth is so grand to behold, what mus
) heaven be?
My letter has already grown too long
Q but / could tell you much more.
d JOHN w. CECIL.