The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1901-10-11
LETTERS FROM MANILA.
David Carson, a Neosho County Teacher,
Writes Interestingly to the Times"
and Other Kansas Friends.
MANILA, P.I., August 20, 1901.

MANILA, p. l., August 20, 1901.
Editor CHANuTE TINES: In pursuance of my
promise, to write you a line now and then,
herewith enclose the first installment.
We left Emporia at 40 am, July II, and are
still on the journey there began. We rounded
Samar Island in the Strait of San Bernadino at
1880 this morning, being 800 miles form Manila
and $500 miles from Chanute. l need tell you
nothing of the first part of that journey save
that west of Dodge City it was even hotter than
the eastern part of Kansas and absolutely bar.
rem. Talk about the Great American Desert!
Surely that is it. Colorado was little better,
with the single exception of a sage brush
growth as blue as the sky, which reflected the
land, however. and raise alfalfa in great abund-
ance. The soil resembles Neosho county gum
DO spots. Toward night we began to enter the
and it affected the temperature at once For
the first time in two months knew what it was
to be cool. Supper was announced in the din
ing car about this time-or, rather dinner the
porter called it-but prefer to follow the good
old Kansas custom and call it supper. The
meal cost 81 and was indeed good one. The
style, that we just ordered the whole outfit.
The porter smiled and hastened off to get it.
The table wouldn't begin to hold it, and we
couldn't eat the half of it. There's no doubt
that Fred Harvey gives passengers the best
there is, and there is equally little doubt about
the cost of same. On these through trains one
has all the conveniences of modern hotel.
New Mexico and Arizona seemed to me more
barren even than western Kansas and though |
know that thousands of cattle are raised there,
for the life of me couldn't see what they were
raised on unless it is hot air and sand.
l will exhaust the patience OF your readers
with but two incidents of the land trip, many
Of whom have been over the same road and
know all l would say At the town of Needles,
CAL, asked a native how hot it was there, and
received this reply: "Why man, it gets 124 de-
grees in the shade, and it's only 81 feet fIom
hi" The other fact worthy of note is the
building of the Santa Fe railroad across the
mountains of California. In one place the road
must fall 81 feet in less than quarter of mile.
According to state law the incline could be only
So feet to the mile. This problem puzzled the
engineers for one whole year, but was finally
solved by a teamster who suggested that a
complete curve be made around the hill, which
would meet che provisions of the law and re-
duce the danger to the minimum. The sugges-
tion was adopted, and the road makes com.
plete circle on top the Sierra Nevada noun
tains, enters tunnel, comes out on gentle in
cline below, and stands today monument to
the common sense of teamster.
Three days after our journey began, at exactly
$50 on time to the minute, this great train
reached the Golden Gate, having completed
journey of over 1900 miles. We entered ferry
boat belonging to the Santa Fe and were taken
across to the city of San Francisco.