The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-07-14

4 greater part or the people Went over on
/ foot, the carriages being reserved for
the families.
Chief Coleman had prepared cars for
| seven or eight hundred persons; but
I long before the hour for departure ar
rived it became apparent that there
would not be room for the gathering
crowd Mesilla and the towns down the
river furnished their quota to swell the
multitude; and as additional car after
car was switched on to the main track
and attached 10 the train 1t began to
/ look as though part Of the people would
/ be left All present were. however, nm
ally accommodated, the shrill whistle of
! the locomotive sounded the signal All
/ aboard" the bell began to ring, the
/ brass hand which had been provided for
Inc occasion struck up a familiar air
and the long train of box and nat cars
swarming with human freight moved
slowly out
! owing TO the immense crowd, every
available piece of rolling stock at the
depot was brought into requisition and
| | 500 people were stored away in 16 box,
combination and fiat cars. The ladies'
and children were provided with seats
/ in the box and combination cars and the
men had to take things as they found
them on the flats Every foot on space
l was occupied The hex cars furnished
seats for so persons each, besides stand
ing room for many more and perchss
on ton for all who could pile on. Thus
each carried from hundred to a hun
dred and twenty and the estimate of
/ 800 persons is not considered any too
large for the number who moved out on
this. to them, novel excursion.
on the return it was ascertained that
several hundred persons had been left
and that after the train moved out of
the depot disappointed crowds. who
came down too late. reluctantly return
ed to their homes. No blame can be at
tached TO Mir. Coleman for this, as
every car that could possibly be used
was brought into requisitiOn and ne was
sure there would be room for all. He
saws that he did not think there were SO
many people in the town and is at a
loss to know where they all came FROM
Nothing OF special interest occurred on
the way up to RincOn. A stop was
made at Dona Ana to add another score
to the number of eXcurslonistS, am at
Leasburg a few more The trip up
through the green fields and beautiful
VINEYARDS gave all such view of the
valley as they had never before enjoyed.
The road passes right through the pref
test portions of the improved lands ana
the scene as viewed from the top of
high box car was really beautiful and
excited the admiration of even those
who have lived here all their lives but
had never before enjoyed such
panorama.
At Fort Selden halt was made long
enough to allow the officers and num-
Der of the men to get on and the merry
crowded cars moved on and up through
the canon stretching from the fort to
EincOn. The scenery through this canon
is very pretty but hardly reaches the
stage of subhmity so often found in
mountain gorges. At places the cllfts
rise up probably three hundred feet IN
bleak and barren grandeur but quickly
taper off into low hills, widening out
here and there and enclosing between
their feet and the river banks little
wales of green, which form pleasant
contrast to the dark hills themselves
muddy fh6 RIO
Grande a their feet.
I.incon is the junction of the two
branches Of the A, I. & S. F. railroad,
or rather of the Rio Grande Mexico &
Pacific. as the line is called from san
Marcial south and west. Rincon IS the
Spanish for Corner and here in lit
tie corner formed by the river bend and
the bluffs which skirt the western bor-
der OF the Jornada del Meurto, stands
the little town where The Ell Paso
branch and the Guaymas branch di-
verge. The latter here crosses the river
on an iron bridge. passes through the
little town of Colorado on the opposite
side, and thence on down to its junction
with the Southern Pacific at Deming-
The other is the line on which our eX-
cursiOnists were being borne along and
which. following down the east bank -
the Rio Grande, through Las Cruces
and the entire length of the MeSilh val
ley, crosses the river at FL Paso,
/ merges into the Mexican Central and,
passing through the city of Chihuahua,
I proceeds on to the capital of the Mex
/ lean republic-composing the grandest
railway line in the world-unitng the
/ people of the Mississippi valley by the
/ friendly bonds of commerce with the
| descendants of COrtes and Spanish con-
/ quistadores.
A few minutes stop was made at
/ Rincon and turning the train south
ward again, the locomotive bore us
down the river to a shady grove on
the bank just above Fort Selden, where
I all disembarked and scattered out i'll
I the woods to enjoy themselves. Baskets
were opened tablecloths spreads out
upon the grass and loaded with good
les" and old and young, rich and poor.
partook of their repasts with a gusto
only brought by exercise, pure air and
/ light hearts.
After the tables were cleared the
band "discoursed sweet music; a little
speech o. thanks to the railroad COM
pany was made by Col. Rynerson on
behalf of those who had enjoyed the
hospitality Of the company; Mr.. r. r.
Coleman, chief of construction, was
voted to be also "chief of good fell
lows; the children scattered through
the bottoms, sporting in childish gleei
the lovers who were present separated
from the vulgar throng in pairs ana
rambled through the shady groves ana
along the river bank. pouring into each
others ears the sweet nonsense which
only lovers speak and none but lovers
can appreciate; and until the whistle
gave the signal for returning all went
merry as marriage bell" Everything
mundane must have an end and so did
our excursion The return trip pre-
scented no features differing from those
enjoyed in the morning. Rafting along
the banks of the Rio Grande, at the
base of the mountain cliffs or through
the beautiful fields and gardens, every
car loaded to its utmost capacity, and
even the engineers cab the tender, and
the locomotive clear out to the point
of the pilot bearing along at lightning
speed its ight-hearted crew, we
reached the depot again at 4 o'clock in
the afternoon, tired and dusty, but in
good spirits and with only pleasant
when we shall look back to the day
which witnessed the first railroad ex-
cursion in the Mesilla valley.