The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1901-09-13
TOUR OF THE W EST.
A Milwaukee Man Describes Trlps
Taken by Himself. His
Wife and Friends.

~ from tour through the West, tells B
Of some interesting experiences. Speak I
ing Of their. ride to Pixies Peak, Col,
which IS nine miles from Colorado
Springs and about 5000 feet above the
level of the sea, Mr.. Zetteler said:
1.-THE scenery is difficult to describe.
At the side of the track is the mountain
stream, which is clear as crystal, and
winds it's way down the hill in the most
picturesque manner. Rocks and boulders
of all sizes and shapes are everywhere.
The cog railway, by means of which one
wonder. The grade is so steep that it
makes one shudder to look over the side
of the car, in rounding a curve, and see
the ravines below. The atmosphere is
SO rare that, with few exceptions, trav-
elers look deathly pale and become faint.
rest. was almost deaf during the
greater part Of our stay in that section.
On the top Of Pixies Peak, where we
wore our overcoats and made snowballs,
it is impossible to bring water to the
boiling point, and it takes one and one
half hours to cook potatoes.
As Big az Exposition Building.
I'm the eleven-mile gorge, through
which flows the South Platte river, we
cur Exposition building, some Of them
being 1000 feet high and 80 to 100 feet
apart. We rode through tunnels cut in
the solid rock. In the distance we saw
snowcapped mountains, among them the
Mount of the Holy Cross.
"At Glenwood Springs there is natur-
al sulphurous hot water spring, whose
flow has been directed into a 7OO-foot
tank. Notwithstanding the water has
an odor like that of bad eggs, it is de-
S*At Salt Lake City, Utah, we visited
| the Great Salt Air beach, a popular re-
sort, which can accommodate about $500
| bathers. There are more than 1000 bath
! rooms there. Our party INDUCED in
float on the salt water. You lie on your
up and down on the surface like a cork,
or lie on the water; it is impossible to
| sink. -Four barrels Of this liquid make
one barrel of salt: We visited the salt
palace and Fort Douglas, attended the
| saw the Mormon temple, the schoolhouse
used exclusively for Brigham Young's
children, Brigham's old home, his grave
and the house of his fayorite wife, Anne
all 1872 feet wide and blocks contain ten
| acres each. Mountains, some of which
are snow-capped, surround the city.
A Trip to Chinatown.
| "While in San Francisco, we strolled
through Chinatown. The first place we
visited was Chinese drug store. Our
guide ordered prescription for rheuma-
| tism, which consisted of beetles, bugs
and insects of various kinds, which were
to be boiled in water and whisky.
1.-THE Joss house, or Chinese place Of
| worship, is an interesting place. The
God of the Chinese is made of wood and
sits behind splendid and costly drapery.
In front of him are huge carved wooden
images, representing various gods and
spirits, both good and evil. A flame or
| light is kept constantly burning. This
is wick fed by an oily substance. A
great brass urn stands near the entrance,
It is work of art and is used for the
| burning of incense.
'"The opium dens are to be found in the
basement Of some Chinese tenement house.
The rooms are small and filthy. There is
a platform about two feet from the floor
on which the inmates sleep, eat and
smoke; About three or four, feet above
berths, and 80 on up to the ceiling. During
the winter forty to fifty Cinnamon occu-
py one small room. The odor of opium,
while it is being smoked, is sweet and
sickening.
''The Chinese theater is reached by
going down a narrow opening from the
alley and thence along narrow passage
for some distance. Visitors (other than
Chinese) are always allotted prominent
places on the sta &c, where they may re-
main as long as they choose: There were
400 or 500 Chinese in the audience.
| Everybody, visitors and all, seems to
have the right to walk anywhere on the
stage, without fear of hindrance.
Catching Big Sea Bass.
"At the Santa Catalina islands we
spent the greater part of one day. Here
| two men, after two hours work, brought.
| in a sea bass weighing 300 pounds, and
about twenty other fish weighing from
s to 20 pounds each. The black sea bass,
or Jewish, as they are popularity called,
They are the largest Of their tribe which
are caught with hook and line. How
ever, exciting as is the sport of landing
| these fish, all the pleasure is in the catch
ing, for they are not fit to eat when
caught. We went out to sea in a glass
sights in the water. Large trees loom up
out of the depths and spreau their leaves
in the sunlight, while beautiful fish Of
various kinds dart in every direction.
1--WE visited the old mission at Santa
Barbara built by the Franciscan monks
us through the place. More than 5000
persons are buried in the churchyard,
which is very small The bodies are laid
three deep, side by side, as close to one
another as possible; in short, 1t is one
vast sepulcher.
AT Santa Cruz we drove through the
canyons to the famous big trees, about
seven miles out. One Of the trees is go
feet in circumference. another, called
the giant is 375 feet high and 65 feet
around. The Fremont tree, under which
Gen. Fremont camped in 1S48, is go
feet high and 20 feet in circumference.
Twenty-Five persons can stand in the
hollow Of it. The Gen. Grant tree is 25O
feet high and So feet around. The Gen.
Sherman tree is 1000 years old. All these
trees are from 800 to 1000 years old.
Went Aboard Battleship Wisconsin.
eve went aboard the battleships Ore
gon and Wisconsin at Seattle, Wash.
The navy yards are located about eight
cen miles from Seattle, up the Sound, at
q place called Bremerton. Seattle, like
San Francisco, is built on a series Of
hills, and the cable and electric cars run
up and down grades that are astonish-
ing. The town has many public parks.
The climate here is much the same all
the year around. At no time after we
struck the coast was the weather as hot
as it is in Milwaukee. The atmosphere