Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1904-09-17
SCHOOL TEACHER GOES WEST
Few Notes Gathered On Her Trip
Across The Continent
To Arizona.

The following extract has been
taken from a letter received here from
Miss Eleanor A. Drury, now of Tus-
con, Arizona, but formerly one of the
teachers OF Anne Arundel county pub
lie schools. Miss Drury was one of
the best and most conscientious teach
ers in the county, and much regret
was expressed when she left to make
her home in Arizona. She says of
her trip across the continent:
Leaving Washington at nine o'clock
on Friday night, August Goth, we travel
ed at the rate of from thirty TO forty
miles an hour passing through Virginia
at night. Our first stop for ten minutes
was at Salisbury, n. G. After leaving
Salisbury we found ourselves in the land
Of cotton and colored people. In this
State, South Carolina, and Georgia the
cotton was in bloom, a beautiful pink
and white flower The character of the
soil through this section is very different
from tina, of Maryland Ii is light and
of reddish color. To one used to the
dark loan Of Maryland, it looked poor
We stopped at Atlanta an hour and took
a short walk in the city. II was here we
were told to put our watches back one
hour. Atlanta is an up to date busy,
thrifty town. Some of its building are
fourteen stories high.
Our route from Atlanta was directly
south We could tell this as each day
became warmer We ran very near the
coast line of the Gulf OF Mexico, crossing
Minette, st. Louis and several small bays.
We reached New Orleans on Sunday.
To us, so used to our quiet Sundays, it
looked as if they must have forgotten the
day. The French market was open, II
being chief market day. We visited the
oldest church there and rode through the
residential section of the city which was
very beautiful. Palms and semi-tropical
fruits were growing on the lawns. In
Louisiana we were in the midst of cotton
in the ball. 1t was being picked. One
of the prettiest sights on earth. From
New Orleans we took a direct westerly
course. passing through the rice and
sugar.cane plantations of louisiana and
Texas. We reached San Antonio, Texas,
on Monday morning. IL is one OF the
cleanest, pre.tiest and most up to date
towns of the southwest. After leaving
San Antonio we came to the worst part
of the great American desert. AS far as
the eye could see on both sides of the
train was a dead level no grass only low
brush, with here and there a green spot.
We rode one night and two whole days
across these plains Our next stop was
El Paso, where we put our watches back
two hours. Then when we got out in the
city, saw strange looking people and
heard strange language, we began to
feel that Maryland was long, long way
behind us. We had two hours in Eel
Paso. so we went over into old Mexico,
visited an old mission, saw some most
beautiful drawn work and carving. Many
bought some of it. We were inspect
ed by an officer upon our return to the
United States. For another whole day
we went oyer desert then wound in and
out around mountains IN Arizona, the
land of eternal sunshine. We reached
Tucson at $50 p. M, on Tuesday, found
it as much Spanish in architecture and
language as Ell Paso. Its climate is I'M
surpassed in the United States. Tucson
is thrifty, prosperous modern town.
Combining as it does the mission style
of architecture with that of the present
day 1t is interesting and pretty. Tue
son is on the mountain plateau 2 400 feet
above sea level.
ELEANOR A. DRURY.
Tucson, Arizona.