The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1909-11-04

thankful and happy mortal it would have
been hard to find when | realized that
my feet were placed once more safely on
/ terra firma Never before had the dear
old U. S. seemed so good to me, and
vowed emphatically there was no more
ocean for me-never any more.
We remained in San Francisco ten
days, visiting cousins there and at Oak
land across the bay. These cousins of
my mothers the Smalls-were born and
lived to man and womanhood in the old
town of East Thorndike, going from
there to Nevada many years ago. Some
of the older residents of Thorndike will
well remember them. Uncle Sam and
Aunt Hannah, and one son Forrest died
some years ago, and Louise, Ben, AL
mira and Mary, with their children, set
tied in California, where they have lived
very comfortably.
On leaving Oakland, the first incident
will mention was when on reaching
Port Costa our long heavy train was
run in sections on board the great double
ferry steamer 'Selane, =" the largest fer
ry boat in the world, and carried so
smoothly across the picturesque Carqui
nez straits, which are mile wide. This
boat has two paddle wheels which can
revolve in opposite directions, thus being
able to turn about in almost its own
length. To the right lay Suisun bay, to
the left San Pablo bay.
Landing at Benicia, we soon entered
the rich, fruitful country of the Sacra-
mento valley, which contains more than
six hundred thousand acres in area. Sac
ramento, the capital city of California,
is large manufacturing and wholesale
center of about seventy five thousand
inhabitants The railway shops of the
Southern Pacific cover twenty acres and
employ three thousand people. Here,
too. was born the Central Pacific railroad.
The next morning found our train at
the headwaters of the Saco river, where
the continuous panorama of mountain
scenery began.
read with a great deal of interest j..
Knowlton Browns letter published in a
Journal of the early summer, From
Maine to Washington, via. California,
and his enthusiastic eulogies on Southern
California more than corroborated my
statements to The Journal three years
ago from that beautiful country, where
l was spending about eight months be-
fore going to join my husband in the
Philippines. l felt considerable disap-
pointment at Mr. Browns brief and
hasty mention of his trip up the famous
Shasta route, Through California, Ore
gon and Washington and his visits in
Portland and Seattle as his more facile
pen could am sure do perfect justice tc
the grandeur of the mountain scenery
especially, which l feel loath to attempt.
First of interest in the Sierras is Castle
crags, massive and imposing spectacle
of granite in many forms, rising high uf
into the clear blue sky. AS the train
drew into the station at Shasta Springs,
| witnessed there one of the prettles'
sights of lifetime. From nigh ABOVE
down the steep rock sides, among the
trees and ferns, came tumbling boiling
spring, gushing out in many places into
irregular, branching, noisy streams
: which leap and plunge into the rivel
below, close by our train. This is Moss
brae falls. Near the bottom OF the de
scent of this lovely cascade, portion o.
the water has been conducted into pipe
which is turned up and shoots aloft
hundred feet or more with great force
forming graceful, white soda water
plume.
, There are hotel buildings, open al
. pavilions, and charming rustic house a
the station platform, where large cary
. ed rock fountain furnished the purest O
| soda water free to every one, and tn
, train was quickly emptied of its score
I of passengers as we all rushed out to SCI
|