The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-03-15

greatest engineering featS ever n COM
pliShed in the United States. The road
is standard wide gauge road And the
regular passenger engines and coaches
and freight cars of any railroad may be
pressed into service. A great many en-
gineers pronounced the plan of building
a standard gauge road to the top of
the mountain as impossible. They said
it might be possible to build narrow
gauge road but never a standard gauge
road. But the feat has been accom-
plished-
When one stops to consider that the
road winds and twists around for 4
distance of 20 miles to gain height of
one mile, even the uninitiated in engi-
neering work may understand the diff
cultieS that are to be encountered in
the construction of the line. The grades
are from 3 to 50 per cent. Take one
end of 33-foot rail and raise it about
two feet from the ground. In this man
ner one can get illustration of how
steep are some of the grades.
The trains that are operated on this
line are equipped with all the latest
modern safety devices and danger to
life is practically eliminated the danger
it is said being less than on level coun-
try railroads The road, from an aIti-
tude of 400 feet rises to 5000 feet in
the 26 miles, difference of 400 feet
The season at Cloudcroft lasts from
the first of June to the last of Septem-
Der. One feels that something new has
been discovered when the beauties of
Cloudcroft are viewed for the first time,
because the place is so decidedly incon-
sistent with the features of the sur
rounding country and the geogra phical
features of the latitude Going to Ala
mogordo from the east one passes
through such a vast territory of uncul-
tivated prairie land and from the west
passes through such dreary stretches
of cacti plains where the sand and dust
blow necessarily that the little village
almost inclosed in a circle of mountains
breaks upon the view of the traveller
an unexpected and inviting garden spot
of green grass and shade trees. One
traveller said: The idea that a place
exists within a days ride of San An
tropical in character and where cool
breezeS always blow, seems prepOSter-
Gus, and 1 would hardy have believed it
had 1 not found it out for myself
1t seems that no more delightful place
may be found. The dense pine forests
carpeted with ferns and wild flowers
invite the tired brain to rest. and the
laden air gives one sense of exhilara-
ton seldom experienced.
1t is said the sunsets as seen from
Cloudcroft are glorious A poet who
saw a sunset from Cloudcroft for the
first time watched until the orb had
dropped beneath the horizon and quiet
Nv and reVerentia1ly walked back to
.iThe Lodge" with the simple state
ment: Were / a Raphael. L would
not waste my talent on model OF COM
mon clay. 1 would immortalize a
Clouderoft sunset by investing it with
the soul of the Crucified One.
The place is an ideal spot and the
company that has promoted it as a
summer resort has kept it as close as
possible to it's natural state, and at the
same time give the visitor to the local
ity that degree of comfort to which he
is accustomed.
The Rock Island will spend thousands
of dollars in advertising Cloudcroft as
a summer resort now that the new FL
Paso line is completed and in operation