The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-03-14
PALACE CAR IS
PREFERABLE TO
COVERED WAGON
R. G. Leeds Writes of His Ex-
perienceS in a Journey
Across the Continent in a
Modern Train.
ENCOUNTER A FIERCE
STORM IN NEBRASKA
Lucin Cutoff Is a Good Ex-
ample of the American
Method of Doing Things on
A Large Scale.

1 II
left, last month, 1 promised I would
write you occasionally and tell you
about the various interesting sights
and happenings I encounter ON my
travels.
To begin with, there was the jour
ney of practically two thirds the way
across the continent, from Chicago,
via the Northwestern, Union Pacific
and Southern Pacific, to San Francis
CO. Overland Limited was the name
Of the splendid train and I could not
| but contrast, in my mind. the ease.
| safety and comfort with which we
were accomplishing our twenty-five
hundred mile journey, with the hard
ships and dangers those pioneers. our
| forefathers. endured, before the days
of transcontinental railroads and pala-
tial Pullman train transportation.
Those daring souls, in ox-drawn pra-
irie schooners, unfalteringly pushed
their way to the coast, living off the
land as they proceeded. beset by hos
tile Indians and tortured by thirst
and heat in the deserts. While we
enjoyed the convenience Of modern
Pullmans and dined in a way that
Lucullus. the great Roman Epicurean,
would have approved of highly. We
saw but few redskins. and those en-
gaging in such prosaic occupations as
digging bitches or driving farm wag-
ons. And the deserts! l might say
with truth that they amounted to very
little, that their dangers were nil, all
of which was due to the modern rail
road and its magic mile-a-minute
train.
Made Deep Impression.
Three things, at least, will remain
persistent in my memory of the trip
across the continent, and the first, I
am sure, made the deepest impress
sion. Crossing Illinois and Iowa, sum
set of the second day aboard the train
found us half way across Nebraska.
BY nightfall we were beyond North
Platte and in the teeth Of a mighty
blizzard, accompanied by a terrific
snow storm. The wind howled and
ragged, as I hope never to hear it
again, shaking the very cars as our
train barely crawled on it's way
Through 1t all we suffered no discom-
fort, sitting snug and warm in the OBJ
servation car and smiling derisively at
the futile efforts of Boreas to smite us
with his icy blasts. We did not escape
unscathed, however. for the boreal ar
mics made off with twelve valuable
hours of our trains running time, de-
spite the mighty snow pillow ahead,
piling the storm kings spent shafts
car high on either side of the track,
and the two powerful engines that
puffed and floundered in its wake.
According to the conductor it was the
worst blizzard that had been encount-
cred on the road in years.
The Lucin cut.oH.
The next thing we encountered, of
more than passing interest was the
Lucin Cutoff, an example or the Am
erican idea of doing things in a big
way. A. few years back. after leav-
ing Ogden, Utah, trains on the Union
Pacific continued on their way around
the great Salt Lake. Today, thanks
to e. H. Harriman's genius and mil
lions. trains proceed from Ogden
across Salt Lake. No, not by bridge
nor by ferry. BY a gigantic fill for
miles straight across the lake. This
is the famous Lucin Cutoff and is
illustrative Of Mr.. Harriman's belief
that what this country needs is bet
ter railroads" That is, instead of
building more railroad mileage, take
that we already have and bring 1t up
to the highest efficiency And the
Lucin Cutoff is one way Mr. Harri-
man has taken OF practicing what he
breaches. BY this piece Of railroad
engineering trains on the Union Pa
cific are saved not only more than
forty miles extra distance. but also
many curves and some fairly stiff
grades. Even the novice can under
stand the advantage of distance. curve
and grade elimination to railroads, as
a saving in dollars and cents.
Great Snow Sheds.
Last there were the snow sheds,
through which the trains whirled in
the Sierre Mountains. The Sierres
are the last barrier one meets before
entering sunny California and. after
a fashion. it appears more or less
natural to enter the beautiful Golden
State after surmounting obstacles, so
rich is the reward after arriving
there.
Owing to the fact that our train
Was twelve hours behind schedule
time, We crossed the Sierres during