The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-06-18
JOHN CLAT WRITES
HIS IMPRESSIONS OF
JUNE Nv THE WEST
Crops Finance Sheep and Cattle Mingled With Bit of Phil!
OSOphy and Some Vivid Word Pictures

John Clay in Clay. Robinson & Co. s
Live Stock Report)
During the last two weeks l have seen
lot OF the west By the west l mean
beyond the Missouri. the plains. the
mountains, the Salt Lake valley and on
toward Boise City Everywhere there IS
an ocean of green: the corn is peeping
through in Nebraska. the rye is in the
ear. and there are vast fields of wheat
ana oats waving IN the summer breeze.
Every acre Of ground wet. sOdden, often
covered with water. In Colorado. as stat
ed, IN last weeks Report, the first cut
ing or alfalfa IN but half crop but
Inc Deets are coming through, ana 9TH
erWise farming operations are going
ahead successfully. In wyoming Utah
and Idaho heavy rains have done much
damage and have killed many a lamb
Lots of newly shorn sheep have persisted
under load of wet snow, but the won
dro1s coat of green grass viii make fat
lambs and great rOllickins. heavy beeves,
After all is said and done, 1t is an i'll
wind that blows nobody good"
Yesterday morning We got up at $3.50
10 take train from Evanston, WyO..
10 Salt Lake City, but with a perversity
OF fate, or bad management. or ill-iuck,
call il what you like, the great engine
with sixteen cars behind IL pulled up 10
the platform al $50. IL was damp,
cold morning, blasts of snow filling the
air and whitening the hilltOps, a sad sort
of greeting IN the merry month of June.
No Jolly sun greeted the ''grey-eyed
morn; only the glistening Orbs OF the
electric lights in the all-night saloons
frightened M the sad SOFrOWful and
weeping dawn. The engine snOrJS and
backs. then SnOrts again in angry mood,
and moves away toward Echo canyon. y
raging river runs BY our side, we leave
il for a bit. but join il 2gein. and then
drop swiftly down toward OSNen. a man
tie OF sreenery hiding the town. Ia"
up above are weird mountains, their sides
notified with snow. their peaks white and
cold with dark clouds playing hide and
seek about them. You enjoy a full course
breakfast al the depOt-a good one IL is
and then yOu .Ul away 10 the headquar-
tiers OF MormOnism.
Shores of Salt Lake.
never pass down by the side of the
Great Salt lake but that ! admire the
pleasant homes and the we'll kept farms
that border II. In the gloom of the driZ-
ZlnS atmosphere the ghOst-like trees add
an impressive feature 10 the scene. ON
the way down the mist half lifts; il still
lies on The lake, a soft. dreamy sort Of
mountain sides, and then far away are
snOw-clad ridSesJcut in profile, the sun
flashing On their snow white mantle--a
q fairy. WlnIrE scene that makes YOU
March when the storm king rcVels in
pTanks and dances up and down the Ia
vines and euiches that he claims as home.
Then as We reach the city II Is hathed IN
sunshine. a sting i'm The air still left. the
beautiful minarets of the temple siihOC-
cited against the sky and the outline of
the hills beyond. Not N0tTe Dame nor the
Madeline. nor even the classic archltec-
tuTe of Westminster. ever impressed me
so much a IS the graceful lines Of the build
ing over which the angel MOTOni holds
his sceptre. II is classic in stone and
lime q pearl OF great price in setting
Of mystic mountains and d weird lake.
See IL q sunset. bathed i'm a warm gold
en- glow, the lake a sea Of fire, and then
slowly the silent valley goes TO sleep and
the flashing northern lights with mellow
touch soften the gathering gloom. Last,
but not least starlight iS~wlth you. and
perchance p soft, radiant moon steals over
some rent IN the mountains, coming from
far-Off lands 10 bless the scene below.
Sheep Industry Suffers.
Last week in writing of the October
financial panic I said it was more or less
s,-mpath=tic and sentimental in the west
No bank failures of any moment took
place; tie granger on his farm still went
ahead. and is doing so. There is this
difference. hGWeVer-thls year he can get
labor in abundance. His crops are com
ing forward in excellent shape. grain
prices have been good, and are likely
10 remain So. Mining interests have been
affected seriously, and IN places like Salt
Lake the bad effects are being felt. Den
yer is prosperous. while Salt Lake is dull
The cattle industry has not been affected.
IT is prosperous and more active than
year ago.
But the sheep industry has suffered
severely. After half a dozen years OF
great prosperity a turn of the tide was
due in this line of business. and while
the great panic IN the east last fall may
have precipitated this change, still our
sheepmen were riding for a fall. The
speculation in sheep was just as active
in the west as were the bulls in Wall
street The high finance Of the east was
fortunately left out and. generally speak
ing. flock masters did not get out OF
their depth. Still. the low price of wool
and tho prospective prices for mutton
are giving everyone connected with sheep
what is popularity known as a touch Of
cold feet Added to this, there has been
a great expansion in the land business.
Often the most successful and progress
siVe stOckmen. both in the cattle and
sheep business. have tied up a lot of
money in real estate. either to protect