Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1905-04-05
Letter From Texas.

HEREFORD TEXAS, APRIL l. 1905.
Editors Democratic has been
some little lime since writing you.
We left San Diego, Cal, on March
18th, for Phoenix, Arizona, and
owing to heavy rains at the time we
were delayed at Los Angeles from
Monday 2 p. m. until Wednesday
evening at s p. m. when we pulled
out of Los Angeles and got to San
Bernardino (San Berdon) about Ii
a. m. waited there until about 2 p. m.
and they pulled out five sections of
the passenger trains for Cajon Pass
where tbs SantaFe railroad had a
washout and land slide and no
trains passed over there since some
time the Sunday before, and about
4 p. m. it commenced to rain again
and continued to rain all night.
The company succeeded in getting
the track cleared about 6 p. m. and
ran an engine over the track to
ascertain its safety, when another
avalanche of dirt, rock and debris
came down from the mountain side
with the torrent of rain that was de-
cending and reblocked the passage
with more debris than at first and
they kept the trains there all night
and in the morning pushed them
back to San Bernardino and gave
the passengers their breakfast, tho
rain still came down in torrents all
day and about 5o'clock the railroad
company consolidated the five sec
tons into three and started us over
the Union Pacific for Ash Forks by
way of Deeming. Raicon and Albu-
querque over the main line west to
Ash Forks then south to Phoenix,
Arizona and got there Monday even
ing March Goth, having travelled
some seventeen hundred miles to
go 4S7. When we went to the rail
way Office in San Diego to get our
ticket signed up on March 18th, we
bought sleeping car berth from
Los Angeles to Ash Forks and that
was the most luckey purchase | ever
made for the company filled their
part Of the contract TO letter. and
we slept in that car seven nights.
wish now to express my thanks to
the SantaFe railway company and
especially to ii. e. Overholt Tourist
Conductor, for the many courtesics
shown us during our long delay and
| journey to Ash Forks, but, there is
another railroad man whom l wish
to introduce to the readers of the
Democrat and one who is we'll posted
in his business, as many conductors
and railroad men after looking al
my ticket, would make the remark
that "The agent who made out you,
ticket understood his business and
4 knew how to make out a ticket all
/ O. x" that man is our townsman
]. l.. Kelsey and the road he repre-.
sents is the M. & O. May he and
his road flourish like the beautiful
i palm trees Of California.
i Our stay in Phoenix was cut short
! to three DAYS by. disappointment
average western town. The streets
were in a bad condition, no side.
walks except in the main business
portion Of the city, things looked
neglected and after few days we
pulled out on our way east arriving
at Albuquerque at about 2 p. m
i Saturday March 25th and as we hac
to wait there until l1:4O p. m. be.
!, fore we could take our train soutl
for El Paso. We looked over the city
a little and finally came across E. G
I Pratt, aaformer Manchester boy, he
looked we'll, healthy and hearty anc
seemed to be enjoying the goot
, parts of the mild climate he is living
We arrived at ElPaso at $40 a
m. Sunday morning and as we coulc
not leave there for Pecos until 6:5(
p. m. we went to the hotel and aftel
breakfast went out to see the city
| The city was an elevation of 36S7ft.
is well built and has a population o
some $4,000 to $4,000. In the after
noon we went across the river int
old Mexico among the ever presen
adobe houses and native mexicans
AT $50 p. IN. we boarded the Texas
} & Pacific for Pecos, as we were due
there at 1906 a. m. we did not take
sleeper, here we got a backset, i
\ being Monday morning, the trains
that usually left Pecos at $40 ovel
| the Pecos Valley line did not rur
Monday SO we had the pleasure o
staying there twenty-four hour:
longer. Tuesday morning we got
away and arrived at Carlsbad a
$40, stopped there twenty-four hours
and met Mr.. w. II. Allison and his
brotherinlaw. They showed Us
around the country that Afternoon
and on Wednesday morning Mr.
y, Allison came as far north with us as
Rosnell. Here we are in the midst
of the flowing wells with very nice
country and fine looking orchards
| After leaving Roswell we soon came
into the grazing country and could
have counted the dead cattle OF
either side Of the railroad by the
hundreds.
We arrived at Herford, Texas
about 5 o'clock, got a team, drove
out about three miles and arc
spending few days with oul
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