The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1900-02-08
A Letter from One of the Boys of Col. %.
Now In San Francisco. But Formerly from
Eyers Grove.
SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 20, 1900.

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 20, 1900.
DEAR MOTHER AND ALT
took most interesting trip last
Sunday, and it may be interesting to
you for me to write about it. 1t was
a trip to the top of Mount Tamal-
pals mt. Tim-elplas). / will here
with enclose little advertising sheet,
which may serve to your better un-
derstanding of what am going to
relate. This mountain is not so high
(only a5oo feet above sea leveD, but
still it's above the clouds, and is the
FIST time in my life that | have been
above the clouds, so that to look in
on them seems like an immense snow
covered plane. My, but it is an in
spring sight. had no idea it was
SO interesting trip, or would have
taken it long ago.
The cost of fare, as you will OBJ
serve, is only $I.4o for the round
trip. started at 10 a. m. and ar
rived at the top little past noon.
We took ferry boat at the foot of
Market street, S. F., and went to
Sansalito (Sans .a-leeto). 1t was cold
or chilly in city and cloudy or foggy
at Sansall,o; took train to Mill
Valley, and there we changed cars 10
the Mountain X. r., which was
train of two coaches, open coaches,
except one.half of one OF them closed
with large windows, SO as to not OBJ
struct the view. The engine is be-
hind the coaches, so as to push them
! instead of pulling. Tie grade is so
steep that an ordinary engine could
not run, SO these engines are worked
by cog wheels, which work in the
driving wheels-.a funny looking en-
gine.
| After leaving Mill Valley we pass
number of groves of the celebrated
California Red wood trees, the first
that | have seen. They resemble the
hemlock trees, only taller and more
slender, and not SO many branches,
and the branches are rather small,
quite small, compared with some hem
lock, and every tree, large or small,
is as straight as an arrow. The foll-
age is not so thick as the hemlock,
coarser. There were none OF the
very large trees, either. saw one
about four feet thick, but you can't
find one that.has the least crook in it.
The Madrones trees are not large,
but strange looking, some of the larg-
est foot thick, and smooth, yellow
ish green bark. This bark is as
smooth as persons skin, and the
leaves are something like laurel leaves,
only not SO long and broader, with a
waxy lustre. What they call laurel
here is nothing like Pennsylvania lau-
rel, for it's tree sometimes 100 fee,
high and over foot thiCk-an odd
and pretty tree to eastern folks. The
oaks are rather scrubby and look like
big apple trees there, and the leaves
look much like apple leaves, only no,
quite so large. A stranger would
hardly suspect them of being oaks
There is lots of peculiar underbrush
some that remind one of huckleberry
bushes, but they are not. Lots o.
ferns, that grow one stem out of the
ground and branches off to number
of ferns, like you find there growing
singy. There is also lots of Mama
nita, which is nearest to Pennsylvania
common laurel, yet the leaves are ial
different, but the wood is about a:
crooked as Pennsylvania laurel, and
the bark is glossy chestnut brown
and as smooth as persons skin
They make odd canes-canes thai
look as if they were painted and var
: nished when dry. Manzanita is {
Spanish word, meaning little apples
and strange to say, in the fall they arr
full of little apples, looking much like
the little wild crabappes there The.
are now IN blossom, but not so man,
blossoms as the laurel there. Thes'
5 blossoms look more like the trailing
: arbutus flower, and in little punches
, This map shows this mountain roa'