The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-11-06
On His Way Around to New
York via Manila.
THE SANTA FE ROAD.
Comes in for a Big Part Of
These Notes.
Interesting Sketches by the
AtchisOn Trained Observer.

Usually when ] travel the Pullman
sleeper is the rear car of the train. In
the smoking room of this car I nearly
always meet a tall angular man who
is connected with the railroad: a head
man of the track department as
rule. Occasionally the conductor
comes in and gives him a telegram,
which the man reads IN an Indifferent
way, and then puts in his pocket.
met such a man in the smoking room
last night, who advised me to get up
early this morning, and see the pass
over the Tchacipi mountains. There
fore I dressed at daylight, and spent
an hour on the rear platform. In
crossing the mountains. there are
eighteen tunnels in eighteen miles.
In getting off the mountain the train
winds around a distance of fourteen
miles to make the three miles During
this twisting and turning. the track
crosses itself, by means of d trestle.
Finally it reaches the San Joaquin
valley, down which the train runs
nearly all the way to San Francisco.
have always had great respect for
the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe rail-
road but j respect it still more since
7 have seen the western end of it: its
mountain crossings, its Grand Canon,
and its fruit country Last year the
Santa Ee frequently handled one hun
dred and eighty car loads of oranges
fin one day; its average for three
months was something like fifty car
loads Of oranges daily, and the orange
CROP is larger this year than il was
last year. The largest LOGON olives in
the world are in daily use on the
Santa Fe; on the mountain sections
between Chicago and San Francisco.
A few seasons ago, the largest engine
was capable of hauling only ten loaded
freight cars over the heaviest grades.
now the heaviest locomotives haul
thirty-fOur loaded cars UP the same
grades haven't much part in it, and
possibly the reader of this hasn't, but
we are wonderful people: as 7 travel
about and see the great things Ameri-
cans have accomplished, ] find myself
shrinking up-frOm mOdesty-I sup
pose I am thinner than ever since see
Ing the western end of the Santa Fe.
Last night soon after dark the train
crossed the Colorado river and entered
California. The Colorado river is the
line between Arizona and California.
Twelve miles west o. the river is the
town Of Needles, Cal, where we stopped
for supper. Here we found huge palms
in the yards and literally hundreds of
Indians on the station platform selling
beadwork At 10 o'clock this morning
we passed Barstow, where the Los An
geles branch begins. An hour or two
after leaving BarstOw, we were in the
MOjave desert. I didn't see it, but I
was awakened by-th dust drifting IL
at my windows. At daylight, we were
crossing the mountains named above; I
will not again attempt to spell that
word. We stopped for breakfast at
Bakersfield, California. The first signs
of settlement may be seen a few miles
east of Bakersfield. There are a great
many oil wells around Bakersfield, and
great oil refineries may be seen at in
terVals. At ten or eleven O'Clock, we
pass Fresno the center of the grape
district. The center Of the orange in
dustry is at Riverside, on the Los An
geles branch As we proceed westward.
the country rapidly improves; fruit can
neries, vegetable canneries, in most of
the towns. There are also great ware
houses devoted to dried fruits. The San
Joaquin valley looks something like the
Arkansas valley, except that there are
more trees, more vineyards, more irri-
eating bitches, and less hay. Imagine
the Arkansas valley a great garden.
with scarcely a bare acre, and you have
an idea of the San Joaquin valley. I
have always admired California; I am
glad it is coming up to expectations.
am writing this at 10 a. m. The rap
Idly moving train on which I am pas
senger will reach San Francisco at six
o'clock this evening; the fruitfulness
continues nearly all the way.
Tourists are pouring into this coun-
try, on the SIS rate. The railroad men
say many of the tourists have very
little money but they want to see the
land so widely advertised. Not only
the railroads advertise California, but
every California town has its advertis-
ing bureau. California is as we'll known
as Uneeda biscuit or Peruna. Adver-