Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-12-14
VIEW FROM A HAND CAR
Ride From Cripple Greek to
Colorado Springs.
IGRAND PANORAMA
GROUP OF PICTURES THAT MADE
COLORADO FAMOUS.
Experience on What is in Some Re
spects the Most Remarkable Road
in the Country.
BY WM. Z. CURTIS.

journey, ana the surveyors nave siio"ii ga
cellent taste in selecting rights of way on
which passengers may be entertained feo-
pie used to go into the White mountains
for scenery, and l can remember when the
New York Central Railroad Company ad-
vertised the fact that 1t ran along the bank
of river opposite the Palisades. The Hud-
son will never lose its beauty, however; the
Horseshoe Curve, on the Pennsylvania, Is
like one of the old masters. and the views
on some of the other eastern roads are as
good as YOU will find in any art gallery,
hut the sensational effects furnished In
Colorado are more In accordance with the
spirit of the age.
There are two new scenic roads on the
eastern slopes of the Rocky mountains.
One of them is being built from Dehset
westward as a short cut 10 otah ailu ~
Pacific coast. The constructor is very 80
nensiye like most railway building In Colo-
RADIO 1t will cross the Continental DlViue
through a tunnel rs miles long, at an ere
vation of $3.50 feet, sixty-six miles ives.
from Denver Forty-nVe Hiiee Va
have already been laid.
Another wonderful road, which mas peen
in operation for nearly three years; anu 49, -,
in some respects, the most remarhaule a. -,
the United States, If not in the world -
onI,od tho colorado Springs and Cripple
Creek Short Line, and connects tllose wv
cities In the first place, from 'he WI,
doWs of the cars you can see more SCENE
more height and depth and other creatuies.
n g, PM saws than from any railway Oh
o,,ual length that was ever lald III 'iio
eeo"nd Mace. It was built by local people,
With local money, and the stock Is an heiu
w Colorado Springs and Cripple creek. II
g. ,,ot listed ON any exchange, and Is not 1oT
IL 1, any CITY, The road cost sieat
deal of money-S3.i2o, 900. ne colts oater
ZION was very expensive because gre
nart Of the track is laid upon shell "
pp%a,;te carved out of the living rock on the
. and south sides Of Pixies PEAK.
A Road Full Of Turns.
,,,.. +.ocl is 45.s miles long, while, in an
m,,a the distance between Its termini
10 only 1913 miles 1t has uniform grace
-. &c ner cent compensated in curves
snor, Fountain creek, Colorado Springs 10
49, enn,n,it Of the pass over the DIVIDE,
a,starce of twenty-one miles by rail- ana
US, lilies nv air line. The maximum curve
10 eighteen degrees radius, $3.50 leet. -
Cnr,1oir 10 Cameron, distance Oh els "A, - :,
miles. there is an unoula.,ii ,s,a and rom
ner cent compensated in curves. ana ilo iron.
ran,eron TO Cripple Creek 80 per cent
grade. with maximum curve oi g.. b.
degrees radius 800 feet Between et. re-
uniform grade. three miles of track are re-
omired to gain distance OF 1000 rect.
The road winds around the sloes anu orea
tho tons of North and South Cheyeniis
Inc TOdQDtu Is Iut tiAt
rock most of the way, the track Is laio
u;th 15-nound rails upon 8. 16S cross ties TO
the mile ,z .bo,,ab eo,id
granite. the longest being 532 rect ana
Several trestles and viaducts. winch are
now being filled in with earth. IL is the III
tention of the company to make soi hu
roadbed without bridges or Vlaoucls 'he
entire distance. :, 10,
The altitude of Colorado Springs is 5992
feet while. that of Cripple Creek Is $500
feet and that of Victor 9.'34 rect ne
highest altitude reached by the tracks IS
10 3fO feet Two passes in Colorado are
higher than this-Marshall Pass, on the
Denver and Rio Grande, being 1882 feet
and Hagerman Pass, on the Colorado Mlo-
land 10.944.
The same company owns sixteen miles or
electric trolley lines In Cripple Creek ana
Victor which connect with the steam ROAD
and serve as feeders, reaching the outS
ing mining camps. The line was surveyed
T., 1899: construction work was begun jan
nary e. 1900; the last spike was driven
March g. 1901. and the line was opened for
traffic April s, 1901. 1t was originally IN
tended for freight only. Until 1t was com
Melted the only railway communication De-
tween the Cripple Creek district and Col
orado City, where the smelters are, was
either by going around Plkes feak' over
the Ute Pass, or. still farther' py way OF
pueblo and the Grand Canyon Of the Ar
kansas Stage coaches and mule teams
had been carrying passengers and ore over
Cheyenne Mountain for several years, and
Colorado engineers have always contended
that they can take railway train wherever
a stage coach can go; hence the owners or
several of the big mines at Cripple Creek
and their friends in Colorado Springs or
ganized a company and with their own
money shortened the distance between the
two cities one-half.
An Incompatible Panorama.
We went up in the regular coach and
tad Nv
own weight and one of the engineers held
strip of fve-inch scantling against the
rim of a wheel, in order to sacken our
speed. II that scantling had broken, or II
he had lost control of the car, this letter
would not be written.
An incompatible panorama was spread
out before us-a picture typical of Colo
RADIO, and a thoughtful man could see many
things which escape the eyes of careless
observers. We could see the noblest group
of mountains in the United States-eight
majestic peaks rising more than 14,000 feet,
and two more the Spanish peaks, rising
nearly to that altitude. The Sangre de
Christie range rose like a great wall to the
southwark, and seemed to surround us, but
mountains are common in Colorado.
There are forty-two peaks In that state
more than 1900 feet high.
Immediately under and around us We're
the pictures that have made Colorado ia
nous. Manitou Springs, the North and
South Cheyenne Canyon. the Garden of the
GODS the Bear Creek Canyon, Palmer Lake
and other natural parks and gorges, of
which volumes nave been written both in
poetry and in prose. We could see east
ward nearly 100 miles, where the vast
prairie stretches to the Kansas boundary.
somewhere near the horizon, and which Is
now gridironed by railroads and broken up
into ranches and farms, Only few years
ago that was all cattle land, but now at
least 100000 acres are in a state of high
cultivation, where farms with water rights
have sold for $500 an acre. while meadow
lands planted with alfalfa, are worth 500
an acre anywhere.
From our hand car we could see fifteen
different towns, with an aggregate popula
ton of 177000. where thirty years ago the
Indians were in possession OF the country
The tallest of these towns is Altman SET