Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-09-24

|
passed Sidney. Neb Cheyenne. Laramie
and other Wyoming towns during the
night Daylight overlook us about Raw
Inns. The desert plains, the dead looking
sagebrush and the seemingly baroness
| everywhere afforded a marked contrast to
| Nebraska.
Across Utah and Nevada.
| Passing through Echo and Weber canyons
we were ushered into the Great Salt Lake
Basin. There growth and development were
very manifest by the great increase in
business traffic and passenger travel. We
crossed Salt Lake by a short cut-off that
seemed to afford a very definite idea Of
what can rightly be called the Great Salt
| Lake and Salt Lake Basin. The causeway
over which the train was drawn Is over
twelve miles In length and the track
| through the basin is many miles longer.
Salt Lake is an inland sea of 1850 square
miles IN extent and it's basin extends far
beyond the limits of the lake.
After another night we reached Sparks,
New, about 5000 feet above sea level. over
200 miles east of San Francisco. Here we
turned our watches back an hour.
At Reno. an old Nevada town fourteen
miles east of the California line we began
the crossing of the Sierras. Barring the al
most continuous snowsheds, every part OF
the crossing was most interesting. The
many high ridges and deep valleys, the
winding course of the railroad to gain
elevation, the charming Lake Bonner with
| its wild irregular shores, the lofty Cape
Horn and the deep bed of the American
river all tended to intensity the interest
| of the mountain travel.
1t is said that the Canadian-Pac rail-
road has q track outside of it's snowsheds
| for trains "a
vision by the Southern Pacific railroad
| would make that route much more enjoy
| able and popular.
| Coming down on the California side of
the mountains we discovered great fruit
raising industries. Orchards of all kinds
which seemed to be as numerous as corn
fields of Nebraska. appeared in view as
we reached the foothills bordering on the
| California wheat fields.
Visit I'm San Francisco.
Passing through the beautiful capital city
of California Sacramento, transferred
across the Straits of Carquines on the great
car ferry boat and across San Francisco
bay on the mammoth passenger ferry
boat, we finished our transcontinental trip
at San Francisco in its Grand palatial Union
ferry depot at the foot of Marqet street
I was met by the general secretary Of the
San Francisco Young Mems Christian as
| ISOLATION. Mr.. Henry j. Mccoy and his as
| sistant and taken care OF as the guest of
the association for the 1--WE or six days
I stayed in the city.
The association gave Mr.. Fisher, the
national secretary of the Young Mems
Christian association in Japan and myself
a most hearty goodbye reception just be-
fore we were to sail from America.
The San Francisco association is one of
the Oldest in America It has done a splen-
did work. 1t has fine property on Ellis
and Mason streets worth $500, 10000 with no
debt against It, 1t has 1000 members and
carries on all kinds OF association work. II
maintains a branch work among the SOL
diers at the Preside and a department
work at Mission street Nearly 700 students
were enrolled in the night schools last
year with an encouraging condition in all
other lines Of association effort Henry
]. Mccoy, its general secretary for almost
a quarter OF a century, is a very efacient
and popular man, not only in San Francisco
but on all the western coast and all over
North America.
Some San Francisco Statistics
San Francisco Is no mean city. A few
statements that came under my eye well
verify this assertion OF mine In 1904 II
had a population of $500 and area of 80 .
900 acres, 20 miles of paved streets, 2sl
miles of street railways. nifty banks. 45.OoO
telephones, eighty-ive public schools, las
daily, weekly and monthly publications In
many languages. the greatest shipbuildinR
port on the Pacific ocean. the largest land
locked hsrbor in the world having a
1000 miles Of shore line affordlng a free
sweep OF water navigabIe for ocean vessels
over a stretch OF almost sixty miles. The
Union ferry depot, the Emporium, the
James Flood, the Chronicle and the GILL
or Spreckels building are large up-to-date
buildings and would adorn any city. The
Call building rivals the Times building in
New York City. Notwithstanding its past
growth. San Francisco seems now 10 be
forging ahead with tremendous energy and
bright prospects, and new up-to-date build.
ings are being erected in every part Of the
city and In its suburbs. II looks 20 me as
though It would at least become and re-
main the New York OF the Pecifc coast.
understand, however, that its city govern.
J ment is not what Il ought TO be. Il needs
a Mayor Weaver or Governor Folk
The one great lack In San Francisco is
the want Of pronounced spiritual Christian
life and work. Notwithstanding the vigor.
} Gus work OF its professed Christians, tbs
J work of the churches the Sunday schools
the Young Mems Christian association and
other Christian organizations, this want 1,
felt. Materialism, cUmmsrcialism and
| IT.