Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1901-06-12
SIGHTS BY THE WAY-SIDE.
JOHN sILBAUdh WRITES OF HIS TRIP TO
THE WEST.
Witnessed Some Sights That Causes HIS Hair to
Stand on End-Saw Several Old veraonites In
His TravelS-Lsid up With Sprained Ankle.
SALIpA. CoLoeApo. June ).

| md In company with Mr. NJ g Nich
1ls and Rev. Stemen we got into Sparta
1t usual time After supper | went out
| and called upon our old friends, T. A.
Hecrick and Howard Miller and wife
| Mr.. ard Mrs, Miller were both in the
store and seemed quite at home behind
the counter In the morning | went
down to La Crosse and put in the fore
noon on business there, and by chance
| happened to be near the railroad bridge
when the II O'Clock passenger train pull
ed out for Minneapolis, and looking into
| the engine cab, l aw it was Charley
Roberts firing so Il jumped on and rode
over TO the bridge switch and had O ute
| a chat with him, returning on the train
| irom Dubuque. which they met there
| AT o'clock | eft La Crosse for the west
proper and the man at the throttle jerk
| ed us down the river at breakneck speed
and put us into Savannah in the early
evening and from there | started west
at $50. On our way down the river |
saw some very nice sights. and lots of
clam hunters. The river in places was
| full of boats in which the fishers We're
| seeking for their prey, and on the banss
| were the watts where they boiled thela
| Ia some places were bins containing. /
should Judge, so to IS bushels of empty
shells for the button enterprise, / had
a short stop in Omaha and from there
reached Denver at 80 a m, tired, dirty
| and hungry. After getting my break
fast ! put in the day sight seeing, and
Thursday forenoon called at the home
of Hon. A. M. Stevenson where, upon
| invitation, / took dinner that evening
Mr.. Stevenson had just returned from
| the east and it seemed that every man
| in town wanted to see him on business
Having remained in Denver until the
| following Monday / decided to try a
| little higher altitude, so Monday evening
! ~ o clock | started on what proved to
| be very tedious journey to Salida. We
sailed all night till we got to Pueblo
at 2:10 a. m, when we were informed
! that there were washouts ahead and we
must remain there indefinitely, and as
| we got into the depot, a five coach train
pulled out for Trinidad, and miles out
| the whole train, engine and all piled in
| to the river. While the train was on
| the bridge flood carrying drift wood
struck the bridge, and down vent the
whole thing. There were ll5 passengers
| on board, Is of which (all mem were in
| the sleeper, but very fortunately, every
one got ont alive with only few slight
| injuries. Butas the first reports reached
| Pueblo every body was las they say
| Jumping sideways with excitement, as
| they were reported all lost; but when
| the wrecking train came in next morn
ing with the crowd and relics ii proved
| to be as before stated. Most of those in
the sleeper lost part or an their clothes
and 1t was comical as well as sad to see
| the men with red blankets from the
- 4 n.
| lection. Most of them having lost only
| their pants made the latest F.yle skirts
| of the blankets and part of one around
each foot for shoes But they were all
| fitted out again and sent on their way
| II joicing that it was no worse. At 4l5
p. N. we got on our way again, 16 hours
behind time, and as we passed along mp
| the Arkansas river over the washoute.
| etc, felt at times all but comfortable.
| but on the bad places our train barely
| moved, so we got ON all right. / saw
places where the track in pieces 300 to
| 800 feet long was broken and carried off
| several yards and stood up among the
bushes, on edge and every other way.
| AS we wound our way up the river it's
| raging. muddy waters went foaming by.
sometimes at comfortable distance and
sometimes close enough TO the track
| that dropped match straight down
| from my hand out of the window and it
| lit in the swirling currant Then | did
| not feel very comfortable. An hour and
half before dark we entered the Royal
| Gorge, or Canon of the Arkansas river
| This is certainly wonderful piece of
natural scenery, with it's shaggy walls
and rocky peaks towering 2, 900 feet high
| directly over your train and at the bot
tom it is not over fifty feet wide in
| places and there is that same rushing
river aud the railroad track You may
| bet there You are close TO the river all
| the time and in one place the river is
| underneath the train as she passes
through swinging bridge hung from
| the walls of the canon, the braces being
set like a letter A from each side. Well,
| You may bet was not sorry when we
reached Salida at p. M safe and sound
and when | had taken long breath
| from sight seeing went to bed TO catch
few maps between the thoughts
| find that this is very nice town OF
about 3, 900 people After / had looked
around, the next morning / went down
20 the railroad office and found our old
friends John Gosling and d. L. Egennass.
| John was picking away at his type
writer and Albert was fixing cars Just
as though he owned the road | have
| called ON John and wife and find them
nicely situated, indeed. The business
here mostly depends on railroad business
and they have some fine stores here,
| though none as large as some at home
| II looks odd 10 see the deliveries ont
here with few groceries a sack or
two of oats and couple of bales of hay,
| hut that Is the way it is done 1t also
seems out of place to 90 out in shirt
sleeves and look up and see snow all
around you. can't get onto that; but
take it all in all its very nice place to
! live. looked around few days and
| then went to work with the railroad
company, but last Saturday I got laid
| ont with a sprained ankle and have
since been going on three legs, but
hope TO geb to work again soon.
/ was sent TO the railroad hospital for
treatment 1t is beautiful institution,
owned and controlled by the company,
| and each month 80 cents Is taken ont of
! employees check for its maintenance,
| then when you are sick or hurt you can
| 20 there and be treated free, that is
| employee All outsiders have 10 pay, of
course. Well, think ii is time to chop
| this off so III stop, promising that il
| this finds its way into the columns of
| the paper and l don't get my neck
| broken trying to ride mountain burro.
| I'll come again some day. With regards
To yourself and all inquiring friends /
am Yours truly,
JOHN Il. SILBAUGH.