Year: 1872

GObtSl u Oill SOtl IQNO VII
= BY A CITIZEN OF HIGHLAND co.


NO. I.


SALT LAKE CITY, Utah Territory, J
April 21, 1872. I


DEAR FRIENDs:-W Well, we are


here, and some nineteen hundred
: miles from home. The trip was
pleasant to the mind, but very


wearisome to the body. The trains
made all connections on time, and


everything went on smoothly until
we arrived at Omaha. There we
arrived at the terminus of competi-
ton, and the grand monopoly of the


West commenced. They have


more ways Of ofskinning a man than
one, but their most shameful dodge


Ofswindling man out of his money,
or you might say stealing it, is this:


They sell you ticket in the East to


San Francisco. You pass on that


ticket very we'll until you get to


Omaha. There you want your


baggage checked to Ogden. This
you cannot do until you give up
your ticket to San Francisco an get
one for Ogden. They say they can
not check on second class tickets


Now If they would do the honest
thing, you could get your baggage
checked to any point on the road.
So you have to give them your tick
Jet, calling for ride over eight
hundred miles of road, to get your
baggage checked to Ogden, thereby
swindling you out of from twenty
to forty dollars, for you could sell
your tickets for that amount. But
as this is one of the great monopo-
lies, there is no recourse for you
until we get Government that |
will not give a charter to set of !
swindlers, but will look after the
interests of the people and not up
hold monopoly in its swindIes.


The road is very good, and will
compare favorably with our Eastern
roads. The cars are very fine, with
all Of the modern improvements,
and kept well supplied with thevery
best Of ice water. /


The country is an unbrokeu wild
for hundreds of miles after you pass
Omaha-just one vast plain, with
now and then a herd of deer grazing
in the distance. These vast plains
are too destitute even for the poor
Indian at this time of year. Bat
here, as well as in Ohio, they say,
this is an uncommonly late Spring. |


The most of the stations on this
road consist of a depot, section
house and a water tank. ht most
of them there are from ten to twenty
men, and I think the greater part of
the country along the road will not
be under cultivation for years to
come.


At Cheyenne we stopped to change
engines and get breakfast. Here also
those wishing to go to Denver
change cars. This is a right lively
place, with considerable business,
all conducted or brought about by
the U. P. R. R. They have here
several machine shops, which do
the repairs of most of the rolling
stock of the East end of the road.
You might say this is to the r. R.
what a well-watered island is to
those who traverse the mighty
ocean. Here also you can get some
of the worst coffee that was ever
drank for twenty five cents per pint.
The taste is very peculiar, and in
my long experience of coffee drink
ing I have never tasted anything
bearing the name of coffee, with as
little foundation for its name.


AT this place the locomotive took
a partner. So with two engines we
steamed it away for Sherman-the
highest point on the q. P. R. r it
being over eight hundred thousand
feet above tide mark. The grade
from Cheyenne TO Sherman is very
steep, and the engine worked man.
fully, but with good feed and water
they overcame the grades and ran
into Sherman in fine style.


Sherman is not worthy of the
brilliant name that it. bears. Here
we saw the first of the monopolists'
friends and the poor mans enemy,
"the Heather Chinee." They are
in the employ of the U. P. R, R.
and c. P. r. r. from here to San
Francisco. They work for about
one-third what a white man will. or
can work for and live. Their diet
is very cheap.


From Sherman to Rawlings there
is very heavy down grade, and we
went with almost the speed of the
wind. The telegraph poles, al
though one hundred and twenty
feet apart, looked like fence posts
set for a post and rail fence; but we
arrived at Rawlings without any
accident.


From here to Bryan we ran at the
rate of twenty miles per hour, but
after passing this station a few miles
we enter Echo canyon, and it is
down grade from there to Ogden.
We ran very fast over a very crook
ed road. Echo canyon is the pass
through the Wasatch Mountains.