The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-09-11

San Francisco, Cal, Sept, 4.-The
car in which the Savannah Knights
Templars made their pilgrimage to
the occident, arrived at its destina-
ton yesterday at noon on time. There
were delays here and there, but what
ever time was lost was made up ere
the Pacific coast was reached. 1t is
wonderful when one thinks of il, that
the railways of the country are so
closely connected that a journey from
the Southeasternmost state of the
union, save one, to almost it's North
western limits, can be made in four
days and fourteen hours, mip"s three
hours difference in sun time between
Savannah and San Francisco.
We left Savannah by the Central
of Georgia at 8 p. M, Aug. 29 for
Birmingham. At Millen the grand
commander of Georgia Knights Temp
lars, VIM. Schweigert, Esq, of Au-
gusta, and Eminent Commander A.
Ellis of Georgia Commandery No. /.
Sir Knight H. o. Odom, Mr.. Frank
X. Dorr, and Mr.. and Mrs. M. E.
Shaw, a newly married couple of the
same city and several ladies Joined
the party. At Birmingham we chang
ed from the Central to a Pullman
sleeper, which was to be our house
and home for, several days.
We came by the Frisco System to
Kansas City, crossing Alabama, Mis-
sissippi and Arkansas, and touching
parts of Tennessee, Missouri and Kan
sas. At Kansas City, our car was
attached to the Union Pacific train by
which we came through Kansas, Col
orado, Wyoming and Utah, stopping
at Denver and Ogden. At the latter
city, we took the Southern Pacific,
through Utah, Nevada and California.
by way of the recently completed short
line across Salt Lake by which forty
five miles is saved in distance and a
roadway is provided that is free from
drifting snow banks in winter.
Ours was the third passenger
train that passed over this wonderful
piece of engineering. At the point
the train crosses Salt Lake
the lake is twenty-seven miles wide
I There are thirteen miles of embank-
ment and fourteen miles of bridge. To
secure foundations for the approaches
at either end, and piers to support the
bridge, it took hundreds of thousands
of tons of rock, the lake seeming all
most bottomless except a thin strata
Of salt which gave way and sank I'M
der the weight until the rock
ballast reached the rocks beneath the
salt. 1t is worth the trip across the
continent to see this great work of
man, pigmy, it is true, as compared
with the wonders of Gods creations.
but nevertheless wonderful in concep-
ton and execution. The work has
cost 10000, 900 so far and it is esti-
mated that a couple of millions of
dollars more will be necessary to sat-
isfy the management of the Southern
Pacific Railway.
There were many sights of interest
to be seen during the waking hours of
the trip, and I might easily write
without notes a letter that would fill
a page of the Morning News.
Kansas as far it could be seen from
a fast travelling train, is one immense
cornfield. In Colorado and Utah i'm
mense cattle ranges occupy the land,
but near the cities and towns, and for
miles about Denver. that wonderful
city of the plains, the effects of irri-
cation are seen in the magnificent
farms. OF course there is such an
Immense area between the cornfields of
Kansas and the beautiful and produce
tive valleys. Of California, that though,
as a whole, immense strides have been
made since last crossed the continent,
IN developing It, there appears to the
strangers eye a wildness about every
thing,and although no Indians are to be