The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-01-11
THE AwAK1NG OF NEVADA.
Population of the State Doubled With in a Year

in Year
 Far off across the desert, to the southwest a faint column of smoke arose, and when the gang of Greeks who were scattering the toes and spik- ing the rails which came over the end of the construction train saw it they stopped a moment in their work, talk ing and gesticulating excitedly. For days they had been pushing the two strips of steel out from across the bar ren wastes of Southern Nevada toward the sunset sea. They knew that some where off there, to the south of Death Valley, a gang of Mexicans was push ing two other strips of steel across the Mojave desert to meet them, and when the column of smoke was sighted they knew 1t came from the engine behind the other construction train. For eighteen months they had been working toward it, and now, with redoubled energy, the work was pushed forward. And few days later when Greek met Mexican, a new trans-con- tinental railroad was complete.
 When, on January 30, the last spike was driven which completed the Salt Lake route, near what became the town of of Good Springs, the shout 4L,+ .,.o,,4 ,,,, ,,,, 4ba dacart fir and tha locomotive whistles that blew called Nevada to awake from a long sleep.
 It was months before depots were built, the track ballasted, and a wa ter supply secured, so that regular trains could be operated, but on every work train men poured into the desert. They went in box cars, coal cars, way oars-anything that would carry them, Armed with kits of tools and few provisions, they swarmed over the desert mountains and hills. The gold fever was raging. They were chasing the end of the rainbow. And the "chug' of the prospector's pick and the echo of the dynamite bast called Nevadalto awake.
 In June a train bearing a distin- guished party of United States Sena- tors. Representatives, Governors and other state officials, Journalists and l irrigation experts, stopped at Reno, on the Southern Pacific. in Western Ne vada. A few miles out from the taWn the United States government had been at work building a dam and dig i ging a great ditch. The distinguished gentlemen made a few speeches to one another. the dam was closed, Senators and Representative laid hold oi cranks and hoisted the headgates oi 1 the canal and as the waters nf the Truckee went dancing down the great | ditch to moisten and make fertile three hundred and fifty thousand acres of Nevada soil the rushing flood called Nevada to awake!
 And Nevada is awakening. Within little more than a twelvemonth hel population has doubled. Her noun tains and hills from Reno to the Col orado River are covered with treasure seekers. Towns and cities have sprung up almost by magic. Railroads are rushing across her wastes, and IT. 1 rigatfon is enlarging her agriculture making rich homes for thousands.
 Less than two years ago a prospec tor lost his way on the desert near tht California line, in Wye County. Fam ishing with thirst, he became delirous IlAt length he fell in the hot sands ant lay, unable to move, until death cant to his relief On the spot where tha mans body was found is now the towl of Bullfrog. A water works plan costing $5O,O00 supplies an abundance of water. There are hotels with bath in many rooms, and residences equip ped with all the modern paraphernalif that make for comfort, and througl them flows in abundance the precious liquid for lack of which a poor pros pector perished only few months ag' on this very spot. EEilectric lights il lumine streets where only the stars o heaven looked down on the death 0 the lonely miner, and within the radiu of very few miles there are nov about fifteen thousand people. That i the way Nevada is growing.-Clarenc H. Watson, in Review of Reviews.