The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-07-14
Colorado Cities Offer SuggeS-
 tiOns For Birmingham
ACROSS THE GREAT DIVIDE
Birmingham Party Was Considerably Delayed By Heavy Washouts in Rockies-Dr. Abercrombie's
 Experience in Floods.
BY BURR BLACKBURN.

| cial 1.-The Elks' special Is now a great big family of Elks, rushing through the ! Rockies and marvellng at the marvellous
 sites and magnificent scenery of Colorado.
 Four days have been spent in this state
 and every minute of daylight has car-
 ried with it pleasure unlimited. The ad-
 vertising project of the Chamber of Con-
 merce and Board of Trade of Birmingham | is proving a great success. Birmingham
 literature is devoured out here, and the shifting population takes in every word
 with open mouth. The newspapers of Dallas. Denver and Colorado Springs have
 carried interesting stories of the special
 and the resources of Birmingham.
 And speaking of a free and easy jolly
 good time, not another special knows how
 to find It, as does this Queen and Cres- cent load of southern spirits which Presi-
 dent D. D. Curran has sent out in charge
 of John Wood, the genial passenger man
 from Meridian.
 As l write this letter we are passing
 line toward Gleenwood, with snow-cov-
 cred Mt. Massive to our left, set off in
 white clouds and blue skies, shining in
 the bright sunlight. This is the highest
 peak in Colorado, being II, 427 feet above
 sea level Our train is 10,2OO feet above
 sea level, and is within 1000 feet of the
 timber line. Right along the track we
 see the peculiar blending of melting snow
 banks on one side. while green grass and
 pretty little red, yellow and white flowers
 stretch off toward the other.
 The scenery out here is magnificently
 large. It deals in heights and distances
 While it astounds the imagination, it has
 not the delicacy and variety of touch
 which nature has bestowed upon the hills
 and valleys of Alabama, Tennessee and
 the Carolinas. One feels that all can
 be seen from the moving train. What a
 forsaken, desolate, awful feeling must
 have come over the pioneer when he stood
 alone in these vast "bignesses," so diff
 ferent from the motherly protecting
 thought which nature has put into our
 homelike Alabama.
 We travelled all Sunday night out of
 Dallas, but it was not until Midday Mon
 day that we set our watches back on the
 state line. The passage through the
 broad prairie lands was indeed an experi- I table lands which is possibly the strang- est formation in the world. Then came the long prairies. when both horizons
 made a perfect line, and not a tree was | in sight. A man on a horse in the dis l tance, a jack rabbit or prairie dog by the track, would bring all eyes to the windows. Then the intervals were varied by windmills and ranches. For miles nothing would be seen but the sheep drover's tent or dugout and his flock. The stations were marked by little groups of farms, the grocery store, bank and sa-
 loon. Later, large herds of cattle and numerous burros were frequently seen. Rising in long curves and grades into the mountains of Colorado the scenery changed and the presence of whole vil- lages of mud houses was noted among the hills.
 We were all amazed, upon arriving at Pueblo, to find this little city entirely free of grade crossings. The town is crossed by dozen viaducts, each one as large as the two or three which Br- mingham has been unable to push through. This is also true of Denver. and
 most of the other western cities. Even Colorado Springs, with only s3ooOO popula- ton, has several long viaducts and no dangerous crossings.
 The train was held up several hours by washout, and finally proceeded when Clyde Ennis, the Ledger reporter, waded out and placed ballast under the cross- ties. At Walsenburg, the greatest little town in Colorado, the Elks had decorated the city in preparation for the special and met the train in their uniforms. opened two kegs of nails, and with speeches in the cars and other demonstra-
 tions. gave the party a true Welsh wei come.
 The party awoke Tuesday morning in Denver and embarked immediately on the
 rubber-neck cars. "rhe Queen City of
 the Plains" is 40 years old and has a population of 225,00 It could teach Bir-
 mingham two great lessons. There is not frame building in the city limits, and they cover S9 square miles. Frame build ings are entirely prohibited. Denver is city of beautiful parks. The municipal government and private citizens have spent millions in their development. The city itself owns 5000 worth of decorations which 1t uses elaborately on all occasions when conventions visit the city
 The National Educational association was in session in Denver, and several l prominent Alabamians, including Pres- | dent Abercrombie of the university. had | just returned from an adventure on the | McClella nroute, where there were 1000 | educators held out over night by a wash | out in Clear Creek valley. Dr. Aber- | crombie had driven 30 miles through the | country and was terribly sunburnt. | The Birmingham party paid Gov. John | Shaffroth, the democratic governor. A visit in the beautiful state capitol. They were received cordially and intro- duced to Senator Teller, who was in the reception room. J. E. Shelby remarked to | the governor that Before leaving home l our governor admonished us that we should maintain the observance of all Ala bama laws while on this 900 mile trip. and we had hoped to do so, but, under l the spur of your magnificent hospitality fear we have broken at least one of | these statutes, and will have to ask your | pardon"
 "Oh, no,'' laughed Honest John. n | There is no extraterritorial Jurisdiction | recognized in Colorado and you are per | fectly safe in going ahead with your fun. T l A trip on the Moffett route, Il, 900 feet
 high, winding through the snow and beau | tiful scenes, a visit to White City, to |