The Republican journal., 1909-06-03
Across the Continent
Maine to Washington via California
ON Id Return via Montana.

I'D O. - many times to see if l was really
n''r or dreaming. No doubt some of
sT'N. oaders can explain what has bother
70" 80 much and of which will speak
q aa r + get farther along on my journey,
saFn > the pinching began. March 4th,
8''l1 ,,ra} day, you will remember, there
l7''e bIizzard that extended over very
va mart of the eastern country, inter-
lHt ,sry much with President Taft's
I'+r sn,aJ The writer intended to have
l'''S IN Washington, D. c., on that day
S'1 .as delayed, and did not leave Bos-
''' .ntil March 5th. 1t was still snow
~ and very cold when my wife and l
Ns ,,5 out on business and pleasure
~ o,ross the country. We have son
~ s,.,ness IN Los Angeles, Calf, who
,,,sd us there, and our route was
.' ,bs south Station, Boston, over the
o,,n 4 Albany R. R., through Wor-
bOS% nr Mass. where we were met at the
its1 5rnot by friends with boxes and
tno o+s If truit, eatables and good
''s ssss for d pleasant journey, which is
s N y,,1rf;nlshed. Then on to Springfield,
'c enough the grand old Berkshire
9E,, 49," via Pjttsfield and Albany, N. Y,
n sara If was still showing and plentiful
Sl .n.y was already on the ground. From
; .iso3y We passed through Schenectady,
ilt.so syracuse, Rochester and Buffalo,
!! s9- ,1irfs from Boston. There we crossed
~ INTO anada, where to our surprise
a ss .roN had about all disappeared. At
as+,ojr Michigan, 300 miles from Buff
t i.+ -Fs ground was bare and began to
.a, .pring look, and from Detroit
Y-.,.. Ohio. Indiana and Illinois, 400
.,ss 10 Chicago there was very little
a .o.oJ, IN the country except that it
, ~sg slightly warmer. We stopped six
Ems IN hlfago to take glance of the
,vs retopis OF 100000 people, and
sssri we rad visited twenty years ago
when Dt4 il was baby of only 1000, 900
rsoDIs We could not tell from our for
ne- visit there that we were ever there
More Instead of growing old, as one
rald naturally think in twenty years,
rsrago was very much fresher and
,ts bindings finer and younger looking.
Isarng Chicago in the evening we miss
Il many iuteresting sights, and when
isylight appeared found ourselves in
Missouri, having passed through a part
If Iowa. and at noon were in Kansas
In. where we took Boston lunch of
63Sqd beans and coffee.
Ia show Won how the tide of travel is
mining will go back for a moment to
Bastor. When we boarded the car that
mo. us 10 Chicago without change
there was in our car about six passen-
GERS. al headed for the west, and there
Te~a eleven cars in the train. Our car
gradual, filed up, so that when we ar
5ytl at Chicago it was very nearly full.
At Kansas City they had to put on two
more ears, there We're so many middle
west people going west, and at every
station from there until we reached the
California line they had difficulty in find
ing as5at-
From N=rsas City we saw a great
mar, resting sights down through
he STATE of Kansas, but night overlook
before We were through the State,
and WHEN morning came again we were
|nNsv Mexico having passed through a
corner of Oklahoma and Texas. All day
ng rode through New Mexico. 1t
Vas ore grand panorama of mountains
mipr3,res The mountains were most
gwhite with snow, for we passed through
ie edge 81 / western tornado that came
near holding us up, and did hold up the
rams the next day. We arrived in Ell
Faso, Texas. at 6 p. M, four days and
ttee nights out from Boston and $500
miles away There | parted with my
good wife. who had made the journey so
l7asan' to DO business and let her go on
alone 10 meet our son in Los Angeles,
7ion She had not seen for five years.
4ttyr NO days stay in the thriving
aty t Ell Paso, a place of $4,000 people,
Twas prepared to go on. The weather
1sc-vas mild, fine and springlike, willows
Va.e 5arng out, but to show how freak
N Is be- weather is there sometimes,
gar' e. the depot to take the 6 T. M.
1s0 70 Tucson, Arizona, and found it
vas two hours late. | went back to the
,0tp. .a wait, and at II P. M. it was still
s5 Not Wishing to miss that train |
gain went to the depot and waited I'M
II morning and the train was still late,
di learned for the first time that it was
he'd lp n the blizzard in New Mexico
aaJ We rad escaped two days before.
atsA NJ train from New Orleans on
uF Hontttrn Pacific came along, and the
one hgnlre! or more who had waited
Nom " until A. M. embarked for
aAzoHa at the grand sights just began
apo ar All day long it was one con-
Aas change of scenery, snow-capped
lDuntalns and treeless prairies, and des-
fS' gorEes and canyons. The journey
Ffue9 shorter on account of the many
M eonJnual changes in the landscape.
Ron lGl son to Yuma, Arizona, my ride
vas N thu night, and there is where |
N JWstea the worst and had to pinch
5ySeii t. see if | was really awake and
We arrived in Yuma at 4 A. M, just
poft aayight, and the depot and sur
%noags were brilliantly lighted with
tsc'nc aghts. AS l stepped from the
, Ian lbs first thing saw was large palm
ayes Of todr species, intermingled with
.9tf trees such as | had never seen
elofe Then, right in the depot yard,
~; ssie orange trees laden with their golden
aGl and the depot and fences and
,saullhgs adjacent were covered with
g ,% bushes in full bloom, of a variety of
Spsues, and thought l had been killed
11sSai!foad accident and was in heaven.
as only natural thing that had ever
, ssn before was the railroad. In my
4 a the train had gone on and
m M, 4e. But had planned to stop there,
r N.Y. stood looking and wondering what
4s+ Well. | partially came to and look
, @aI my clothes, which looked natural,
,5 h. mad "a the same hand grip. looked
S ,;raS The depot to see if l could find a
IFrOr, but thnre WAS none so | was I'M