Catoctin Clarion

From Kansas City, to Sacramento, Cal.
[CONTINUED.]

Now we encounter a snow storm but the long snow sheds save us from being snowed in and the cars are dark as a dungeon. After emerging from one of those long tunnel-like snow sheds we reach the summit of the Rocky mountains.

This place, Sherman (called so in honor of General Sherman,) has the highest altitude 8,242 feet, and on a high point south of where the train stopped a monument of granite is erected to the memory of Hon. Oakes Ames, who was the promoter of the U. P. R. R. The scenery around here beggars all description. It is majestic and like the Chinese language: hard to make out.

Dale Creek bridge, 165 feet high and 650 feet long, crosses a wild-looking ravine. The Black Hills to the North, with those to the West, covered with snow, the sun going down at the same time, made the scene very impressive. Our train is running in two sections and at times we could see the rear train jumping apparently from the tops of trees or emerging from a tunnel. At times our train runs for miles with all steam cut off, again we have two iron horses puffing and snorting with madness for the grade is steep and hard to climb. Night overtakes us and we pass through Rawlins but are awake early enough to look out at Rock Springs. This is a wild region, the only industry being sheep raising and mining, both of which are carried on very extensively, the U. P. Co. having full charge of all the coal mines.

Rock Springs is a live town, but as there is not a blade of grass to be seen or even any shrubbery, we judge it would not be a very inviting place to a lover of trees and the green fields of the East. The country westward to Green River Station is almost totally devoid of vegetation or habitation. At Green River Station the high bluffs present strange looking formations and are known as the Green River Shoals. The walls rise up perpendicularly for hundreds of feet, and are composed of layers of every kind of soil packed in sandwich fashion. All through here the rivers were covered with thick ice We now pass on to Echo city, through Echo canyon into Weber canyon, here we see black rockies and red rockies, the north side covered with snow and the south side clear and clean. Weber canyon is thirty-five miles long, and is one of the grandest and most picturesque scenes on the trip. At times we are crossing high bridges and running under and alongside of high mountains winding in and out of deep gorges, past Pulpit rock where Brigham Young is supposed to have preached his first sermon in Utah.

We reach the celebrated "1000 mile tree" which bears upon one of its overhanging branches a board with the above legend, and which shows that we are just 1000 miles from Omaha: a sign which is said to have been hanging there from time immemorial to greet the weary and foot-sore overland traveler on his way to the gold fields of California or to cheer him on his return to his family and friends in the East. We now cross several bridges over the Weber river which we have been following for a long time until we reach the "Devils Slide" formed by the high fences or ridges of rough granite rock about ten feet apart, running from the river bank to the summit of the mountain, about 200 feet. Many of our gentiles wondered if Brigham Young was the devil who slid down there into Utah, but, those thoughts were scared out of our heads as we were just about to enter the "Devils Gate" and the scenery was too grand to lose sight of for one moment.

The "Devils Gate" was where the rushing waters of two streams met and passed between two gigantic ball like rocks falling into the caldron below. The sight here was wild but entrancing. On either side within close proximity were the high mountains, there the surging river and trestle bridge before you and behind you and all about you. One's hair almost stood up straight and the cold shivers crept through every vein. Onward and upward we went through the rocks. by way of tunnel, of course, and around them, until at last we sped again into a wide and level valley where the natives were busily engaged in sowing grain, plowing or repairing their irrigation ditches, for like other mountainous and prairie countries this is the only means of raising eatables in this country. Although the mountains are covered with snow and some of the rivers with ice, yet that did not seem to effect the weather in the valleys as it was warm and pleasant.

Unintentionally this letter has grown rather long and if our readers are not already worried, we will ask them to wait until our next for a conclusion of this trip. Yours,
FAHARDY.