The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1906-06-28

VI GllC sea.
a good deal of the road bed is cut
from solid rock and where this is not
done it is heavily ballasted. On all the
heavy grades the track is securely
serve only to bear the weight of the
train It is the rack rail in the center
| by which the train is pushed forward.
There are two large cog wheels beneath
the engine which run upon the rack
rail. The engine goes behind the Oh
ServatiOn car on the ascent and pushes
it. On the descent the engine goes be-
fore the car. The two are not fastened
together, and both are provided with
ample brakes and either can be stopped
independently of the other
The first point of interest on the
ascent is Engleman's Glen. 1t is one
of the beauty spots of earth. 1t is a
place to lie supine and rest; to listen to
the voices of the swaylng pines and the
| noise of limpid, purling stream; to
! gaze on a world of color, to feast on
natures grace, to breathe Gods purest
air, and offer up prayer to Him for
| all he has bestowed" Down the glen,
dashing over rocks and forming water
! falls and eddieS, Wanders clear noun
tain stream Ruxton Creek. At one
moment we see the spray daShlng over
the rocks far above us, at the next 1t Is
| ho1fk cfr fnl
nearly three miles. Not far from the
place where we started is Shady
Springs The high mountain towers
| above this and on the summit are Cog
and Magog. The Lone Fisherman sits
patiently fishing from the northern
wall of the canon, as he has done for
ages past. From Echo Falls the sound
of falling waters is distinctly reyerber-
ated Natural Creek Tunnel, through
which the stream flows, is an arched
waterway formed by fallen boulders
We are almost frightened as we pass
Hanging Rock lest it fall upon us with
its ponderous mass.
The first stop is made at Minnehaha
Here is a tiny park and d bunch OF
rustic cottages, Struggled closely to-
gether The air is filed with the sound
of the falling waters. Lizard Rock,
Pinnacle Rock, The Devils Slide,
Woodland Park and other points of in
terest are passed by, and the Half Way
| House is before us. \ short stop is
made here and then the little engine,
putting laboriously pushes the car on
ward. Ilell's Gate is passed through N
safety and we enter the green Ruxton
| and Aspen parks. Here Bald and Sheep
! Mountains tower above like sentlnelS.
| We are directly under the summit of
the peak and for the first time we have
a near view of the grand old mountain.
| The next place of interest is lnspira-
| ton Point From here We may see,
far below, a glacial lake covering 10
acres. Here, 20 the person with geo
logical point of view. may be seen gla-
cial rocks with unmistakable signs of
the action of ice in bygone ages. We
/
a few shrubs and Alpine flowers. At
Windy Point the first view to the west
is obtained. Soon the summit is
reached and the world lies before us
What strange sensation if is as we
stand two and half miles above the
sea level, 1t can not be described
There is no elevation in the world pos
sible to be reached that affords so wide
and varied view. The reason is
simple. All other elevations approach
ing Pixies Peak in height are in noun
tain chains and the view is Instructed
by other mountains. But Pixies Peak
stands at the very extremity of grand
spur of the Rockies. There to the west
stand a thousand towering peaks III
spotless white. On the east stretches
mighty plain, seemingly infinite in
extent, dotted here and there with
villages and cities; lakes and rivers. At
this early season the snow lies deep
around the summit and the air has the
chill of December. Coats, furS and
mittens are necessary, and the blazing
fire inside the hotel is acceptable. "Who
has not gazed from that sublime eyre
without emotions deep and thrilling;
and who has not borne away impress
sions strange and indelinable but III
delible as Welt Here, where intinltude
is so wildly portrayed, he who knows
S not reverence will bow his head
There are many points Of interest on
the summit. At the topmoSt point is
steel tower with powerful telescope
e The country around for more than a
hundred miles may be brought close tC
: the eye. Denver can be plainly seer
S eighty miles to the north. Pueblo, the
+ Pittsburg of the West, with its furnace
1 fires, is plainly seen. The Cripple
Greek gold mining district occupies tn;
K attention for few moments. We read
l. the signs on the stores of Colorado
: Springs fourteen miles away.
e The SHOWS of a hundred years lie
a deep in the Bottomless Pit and the
e Abyss of Desolation.
e But the whistle Of the engine blows