The Newtown bee., 1904-09-02
Horneward
 Bound. E L. JOHNSON, BY RE-
 QUEST, Gives Interesting Account of His Trip From Cobra do to Newtown.

When the letter that appeared in last weeks BEE was sent in it was with the intention that it should be the last, but 1t is urged that from Colorado Springs to Newtown is some thing of trip, and that it is rather abrupt to leave our friends so far away from home. Our tickets, Tuesday, July 19. still gave us some of the thirty days allowed us west of Chicago, and we might have used some of them at St Louis, but although not too old to camp out in the dry air of Southern California, we did not wish to encount- CT the St Louis fair at this season of the year, near the end of trip that had necessarily involved an immense amount of fatigue because of it's in- tense interest.> It was with greater reluctance than the giving up of the Exposition that we decided it was not best to take advantage of an excursion that was advertised for Thursday, the 21st, by the Colorado Midland railroad, a"Wild Flower Excursion," where the cars were to stop and
 ALLOW PASSENGERS TO GATHER WILD
 FLOWERS.
 We had so longed on our Cripple Creek trip to stop and gather the beautiful specimens so luxuriantly growing all through the mountains, that the temptation to stay for that excursion was very strong. The run of 75 miles to Denver was interesting and was kind of farewell to the noun tains and their foothills, that we were so soon to leave behind us. Without doubt we missed much because of our short stop in Denver, but felt that we were homeward bound and our sleeper was engaged for the night run to Omaha, Q distance of $40 miles. As night closes in we cross the line between Colorado and Nebraska and we see no more of the country until early morn ing when we find ourselves about half the distance across the state, which is APO miles in width. We have left be- hind the mountains and their foothills and are running along the fertile val ley of the Platte river. To the north of us it runs nearly parallel to the track for some little distance, wide, rapid, but shallow stream, with banks so low 1t easily overflows. The Platte valley is narrow but very fertile, and we soon see large stretches of growing corn which is backward and uneven owing to heavy rains. We passed through the grazing section of the state in the night. Large numbers of cattle are brought from Texas and Kansas to be fattened on the grasses of Nebraska before their sale for beef, a fact we'll known probably by all our local butchers. Kentucky blue grass and timothy are raised with great suc- cess. The wild grasses are abundant as to species and exceedingly nutri- tious. It cannot be that we have all forgotten what a great country Ne braska once was for the buffalo, and that when the cars first began to run over the plain men in wanton, wicked sport shot scores of them as the train rolled slowly by where herds were grazing. So great was the slaughter of them at one time that large trade was developed in getting buffalo bones to Igrind into fertilizer. It was no uncommon thing for trains to be stalled sometimes by great herds crossing the track on the prairie so that the engine could do no other thing than wait until the herd had crossed. There are those still living Then, too, we remember how Nebras- ka suffered in the early days with the grasshopper scourge. Hundreds of square miles would sometimes be devastated by them, not green thing being left along their trail. Even rail- road trains would be stalled for hours because of their covering the rails so that the wheels would slip. All this has passed away and Nebraska is strictly a grazing and agricultural state. We'll watered as it is there is little need of irrigation. Cottonwood | trees are most abundant, but oak, elm, maple, black walnut and hickory are found, and planted timber gro WIS rap- idly on the prairie. We
 AT LINCOLN, THE CAPITOL OF
 NEBRASKA,
 about 6 .. m., where we make long stop. It is on the right bank of Salt Greek, . tributary of the river Platte. We were told, but did not see it, that } mile and half away is salt basin where good salt is manufactured. It