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Maps, plates, charts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent dtre film6s d des taux de reduction diff6rents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour dtre reproduit en un seul clichd, il est film6 d partir de I'angle sup6rieur gauche, de gauche d droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images nicessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mdthode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 . W4-' ^«S ,!;^%;*V^;5■ ^^ TO VANRWErS ^ ■•■■ S6m« Notes of a Trip on the occasion of tbe driving of tbVlast #S V ' Spike in the Horthem Pacific Railroad. >i.v'>- Read before the Royal Scottish Society of Arts, Edinburgh, By D. Brucr Peebles, ^■s*?^!**. .:^«H Ri^RINTED FROM THE TRANSACTIONS OF THE SOCIETY' SESSION 1883-84. ir. .-■r) ':■ isf^^n^' ^ DI K BURGH : m|t;S^f K TED, KY N E I L,l: ^ A -N- D C O M P A: JF\: 18S4. ;;.:J.:\|,. m '-U'..iU- V ^-A? .'■*#' */aJ (Hj f¥' fS/ >:,i«W' t> * r ^ '1!^. >r';^?l<^ ?iFA ;is_;"Vr;:;-v .^■ •^>' >»,•» , '•' > ^i^1 ( m J, "> T .^ K «r •>jX l*.\^Ji^A Sonic Notes of (I Tri/ifroiih Eilinhurijh to Vancouver's Island, on, the occasion of the drit'twj of the last Spike in the Northern- Pacific liailu-aii. By Mr D. IjUUcf. Peeules, Engineer,-' Edinburgh* Having been honoured by an invitation from Henry Villard, Esq., the President of the Northern Pacific llailwiiy, to bu present at the ceremony of completing the line by the driving of the last Spike, near Gold Creek, in Montana, I left Edinburgh on the 17th of August 1883 for Liverpool, and on Saturday got on board the " Gallia," one of the Cunard liners, which reached Queenstown on the morning of the 19th. The day was very beautiful, the sun shining, and not a breath of wind to stir the surface of the water in the fine bay as we lay wait- ing for the mail. The scene was perfect in its repose. The green-bordered land almost surrounding the bay gave v. pastoral touch to the picture, and any stranger seeing Ireland for the first time as we then saw it, would surely think it an island of the blest, We left at four o'clock, and a more lovely afternoon could not be imagined, so that the beginning of our trip was all that could be desired, and we lingered on deck until daylight disappeared, Tlie ship was like a fair, for there were 334 cabin passengers, and all were looking forvi^ard. to a pleasant and speedy voyage. But about the middle of the night we ran into a cross chopping sea, and a strong henti wind sprang up, which continued against us all the way ; yet notwithstanding, we made the passage in nine days, and had some very enjoyable weather before we landed on the other side. We w^re able to have deck games, and two excellent * The writer when liu ri'iul tlii.s {Kqier w;is not witliout a It'tliii;,' tliat he was trespassing somewhat on the lines laid down by the R.S.S.A. as to the subjects to be brought before it. The oei'asiou of the journey, however, was uiii(jue. It was the acconiplishnient of a great engineering undertaking, — the practical outcome of the ideas of men who were, or now are, omiiK'nt in science anSth January ISS 1. VOL. VL Q 76 Mr D. Bruce Peebles on a concerts were given, one of which brought in a collection of £42, for the Sailors' Home in Liverpool, the other £36, for the benefit of the New York Newsboys. We had a newspaper printed and published on board too, called the Gallia Journal, which was always looked forward to, and welcomed when it appeared. My contribution to its pages took the form of a few verses, entitled " Scotland for Ever." "Scotland for Ever." Speed on, good ship, o'er the ocean wide, Speed on, for yet you have many a mile To go, and there's anc on the other side, Who is waiting for me with a kiss and a smile. Oh, I've been avva where the heather grows. On the sunny hillside in the Auld Countrie ; But the auld house is gane, an' the bonnie white rose Is awa frae the place where it used to be. Oh, I've been hame, but the deer now stray O'er the auld kailyard ; an' the hearthstane's cauld Where my faither and mither for mony a day Lived in peace and contentment ; but they grew auld, And Poverty cam, wi' his cruel hungry e'e : Sail, sair did we greet when we thocht o'er it a', — That the dear auld house, an' the bonnie rowan tree, We maun leave, faither said, an' a' gang awa. But where could we gang, what could we do best ; We thocht lang thegither, an' at last did agree, That we'd sail far awa to the land of the West : Oh, 'twas hard frae the auld house to shake oursel's free ! Yet happy for me was the change that was made, Though I left my dear lassie behind a' alane ; But she soon followed after, nor lang was delayed The time when frae twa we were changed into ane. I am rich now nae doubt, and my blessings will rest On the land of the Stars and Stripes till I dee ; But yet after a' there's a land I lo'e best, And " Scotland for Ever !" my last cry shall be. S.S. " Gallia," 24hly-cultivateil country. Here we saw large farms, witli wheat, oats, and inaixe growing in abundance. The houses, with few exceptions, built of wood, are clean, and cheerful-looking. A district this, evidently, of lieace and plenty. We saw sheep feeding, cattle grazing, many horses about at grass, and ploughing going forward ; while in some fields, stooks were standing thickly in the golden stubble, which is not cut so short as we are accustomed to in this country. The fields are well enclosed either with wire fencing, snake fencing, or dry stone dykes. As we went for- ward we had some tine views of Lake Erie, and were favoured with a grand sunset. There was a slight haze in the atmosphere, and the sun sank behind the lake like a huge ball of lire. The scene altogether was very beautiful, and the first of many grand natural displays we were to see, on our long journey westwards. At last we reached Chicago — that huge emporium of beef, pork, tallow, wheat, and lumber. Theie are few places in the world where such a marvellous growth has taken place as in Chicago. Less than fifty years ago, there were not more than 100 of a population, and for years after, the growth was very slow. But when its natural advantages began to be appreciated, steady and rapid progress was made, and now it has a population of over 000,000, and we found ourselves going about and mixing with a race of men who, for industry, energy, speculative spirit, and general go-aheadness, are not excelled by any to be met with else- where in the world. We could not but wonder, when walking or driving about Chicago. We saw its broad and busy streets, magnificent hotels, capacious grain elevators having a storage capacity for above 20,000,000 bushels of wheat, its stock yards, engineering works, tanneries, breweries, and all the other ordi- nary local industries which spring up of necessity in great cities. In connection with the stock yards alone, it was estimated that by the end of 1883 the number of hogs killed in Chicago for the twelve months would amount to 4,100,000, the number of steers 150,000, the number of cattle shipped, over 1,000,000 ; and besides, an enormous wheat trade was being carried on, and also a large lumber business. We visited the Corn and Stock Exchanges, and wondered 80 Mr I). Uiuce Peebles ov a wlietlier such n life of excitement and nervous tension as we saw there, could have any counterbalancinp; pleasures of repose and quietness. Or, does the excitement itself, to those who arc brou<,dit up to it, not constitute their pleasure ? One other feature we must notice, however, and that is their fine parks, 200 acres in extent, which, as if by magic, have been turned from ilat prairie land into beautiful terraces, with here and there glens and lakes adorned with trees and shrub- bevy, so that business is not the sole end and aim of those that dwell in Chicago. Eight years ago, I wandered about trying to get some reiic of the great fire, and was successful ; but it would be difficult now to find a trace of it unless where it has been purposely preserved. Not only has its population increased, but other towns have sprung up around it, one of the most interesting of which is the city of Pullman, which we shall allude to presently. Before leaving Chicago we went to see the famous stock yards, which cover more than SOO acres. The business done here in the killing and packing of beef and pork is something incredible. We went through the pork-curing premises of Messrs Armour & Co., not the largest place of its kind, yet at the time of our visit they were killing ."500 hogs per day, which means that in a day of ten hours about six pigs are killed and made into pork every minute. The killing is not a pleasant sight. The pig is cleverly hitched up by the hind leg, and before he has time to recover from his surprise his throat is cut ; a moment or two more, and he is dropped into a vat of boiling v/ater, through which he is carried by machinery that lifts him up and senas him forward to a scraping machine, which takes the hair clean off, excepting a little about the snout and feet. He is again hitched up by the hind legs, and the rest of the process is speedily finished ; after which he is hung on a hook attached to a small pulley, which runs on a rail overhead, and awry h?. goes — or rather it, for it is pork now — to the cooling-Louso. So the stream of pigs goes on. It is a very red-handed bus-"- 11 ess, but a necessary one, where so much work has to be done. The same firm were killing 700 steers a day, and in u njore merciful manner, we think, than that which prevails here. Th2 Trip froiii Ediitlvvfjli to Vdurouvcr's Islcnid. 81 ts we who their lave with iriib- tliab It it animals an; led into pens in which they have no room to turn round, so that their heads are all faoing one way. A man walks overhead with a rilJe, a bullet from which is sent through the brain, death being instantaneous. We visited another killing jdace where, instead of the rifle, they use the spear. It is a rude sort of weapon, made of a piece of i| in h malleable iron gas tubing, with a sharp steel point inseiti J in one end. Death by the spear is quite as instantaneous as by the rille, and those who use it, hold that the ar.i, .als bleed butter than tao^;: killed by the rifle, and that the tongue is not spoiled as it sometimes is by the bullet. We coulu not help noticing the enormous amount of living energy or force which is daily annihilated in the stock yards of Chicago, and also the enor- mous amount of latent force packed up in a sort of secondary battery form, and transported to every corner of the civilised globe from this wonderful city, again to be transmuted into living force and energy. We also went through an oleo-mar- garine factory, and were pleased with the cleanliness of the place, and the absence of anything like adulteration, so much so, that a good deal of prejudice was removed from our minds regarding the manufactured article. The telephone has almost become a household necessity in Chicago. Domestic meetings are arranged, parties are or- ganised, orders to grocer, butcher, and baker are sent, and the doctor is consulted and advice received by telephone. Time is considered too valuable to be spent in walking, run- ning, or riding on such messages, and this economy is seen even in the way streets are spoken of. An American would never say, "Go to 85 Princes Street or 53 George Street." That would take up too much time ; he would say, " Go to 85 Princes or 53 George." High speed, high pressure, is the Chicago watchword, or motto, and if there be a breakdown, or should the boiler burst, as it sometimes does, a new one is commenced before the fragments of the old one are gathered together. Be the rup- ture linancial or otherwise, it is hardly a nine days' wonder, but in the ardour of the race is passed by and soon forgotten. It is a wonderful city, and the pride of those who dwell in it. A trip had been arranged for us to go and see the new city 82 Mr D. Bruce Peebles on a of Pullman, which is fifteen miles from Chicago, and is built on the shore of Lake Calumet, a small lake connected to Lake jMichigan by a narrow but navigable stream. In 1880 the site of Pullman was prairie land, and when we walked through the handsome town, and saw the magnificent workshops where the Pullman cars are built, the churches, the schools, art gallery, library, theatre and gymnasium, gas and water works, we oould scarcely believe that three years ago the place was a desert ; it is certainly a model town. The workmen's houses are of a very superior class ; the drainage is perfect, a vacuum being maintained continuously in the sewers, and the liquid jiart of the sewage is carried away to a farm which belongs to the Pullman Car Company. In passing through the car shops, we saw in detail the building of the dilferent varieties of cars, — palace cars, sleeping cars, cooking cars, and freight cars, — and from the top of the water-toAver, which is 200 feet high, we had a fine view of the surrounding country. The water is pumped up from Lake Michigan, and much valued, as there are no grog shops. Those who have examined the workman- sliip of the Pullman cars sent over to this country cannot fail to be pleased with its perfection, and the town, or city as it is called, seems to be as perfect as the cars which are built in it; to us it seemed a workman's paradise. The company now own 3500 acres of land, and the city has no doubt a great future before it. Vse, returned to Chicago, where the train was waiting for us, and started in earnest for the far north- west. Passing Joliet, famous for its large iron-rolling mills and stone quarries, Ottawa, where there are large glass and tile works, and La Salle, famous for its zinc mills, we soon got our first sight of the Mississippi Piiver, which has 1500 miles to travel from thence before it reaches the sea. We crossed the river by a fine bridge 1556 feet long, and ran on through the Cedar Valley, with its pleasant villages and good farming, equalled, however, by the beautiful Minnesota Valley, through which we soon passed, and got forward to St Paul, the eastern terminus of the Northern Pacific Kailvvay, and the capital of the State of Minnesota. The area of this state is estimated at 83,500 square miles, or 53,459,840 acres. About one-third of it is wooded with Trip from Edinburyh to Vancouver's Island. 83 ilt on Lake [) the ■ougli vhero art orks, .vas a ouses uiim magnificent pine forests, interspersed with tracts of hard wood, such as hickory, maple, white and black oak, elm, &c. Before proceeding further, it may be as well to know a little of the history of the railway which we were so soon to see completed. In 1835 the project was earnestly discussed. In 1845 the idea was practically put into shape, but it was only in 1864 that it was organised and a Bill passed through Congress, which gave no money subsidy, but made up so far by giving a large and splendid land grant, on condition that the road would be completed by a certain time. The Com- pany passed through many vicissitudes, and president after president gave up the struggle. It seemed as if it could not possibly be finished in time to secure the land grant, and it really was not. Congress was lenient, however, and the speci- fied time, after t%'0 extensions, was finally fixed at July 4, 1879. Some time after this a change of management took place, which brought the control under the presidency of Mr Herny Yillard. An extraordinary financial operation, now known as " Villard's blind pool," led up to this, and no man without a widely known character for financial ability and sterling honesty, could have hoped that such a bold and extravagant proposal would be entertained. Mr Villnrd announced to the eastern capitalists that he wished to obtain a sum of eight million dollars, to employ in a scheme which he could not divulge without running the risk of failure. Capitalists not only responded to the call, but far more money was sub- scribed than was wanted, and many were disappointed that so litt'ie of the money they offered was accepted. No security for this large amount was given — nothing but a simple printed receipt. The money was at once applied in buying up Northern Pacific stc ..k, the result being that Mr Villard obtained control of the Company, and was elected president. It would occupy too much time to go further into details of this marvellous financial stroke of business, but the result was that the railway was completed in about tlueo years after the date it should have been. Congress, however, has not interfered with the land grant, which secures to the Northern Pacific Eailway 42 millions of acres, the greater part being val'iable for its timber and minerals, or for stock-raising or farT.iing. 84 Mr D. Bruce Peebles on a The inhabitants of St Paul were waiting for us in a very jubilant state of mind. Great preparations had been made. Floral arches had been erected, and long festoons of flowers were stretched from the buildings on each side of the prin- cipal streets. There was hardly a window but what had its flowers, and banners with the stars and stripes, and the prin- cipal buildings were decorated with large stretches of cloth covered with elegant designs, mottoes, and words of welcome. All this was a great and agreeable surprise to President Villard and his guests, who on their arrival were charmed to see everything so bright and gay. No better evidence of the prosperity of this young city could have been given than the lavish and almost extravagant display to be seen in every direction. Carriages of the leading citizens were placed freely at our service, and on leaving these the guests passed through a lane formed by the young and beautiful daughters of St Paul, who flung flowers over them as they passed on their way to witness the procession which was now to commence its long march past. The procession was on a large scale. About sixty different bodies were represented. It was twelve miles long, and took more than four hours to pass. One of the exhibits drew a good deal of attention. It was the Post Office of 1846. A pony waggon carried the whole building, but at the date when it was in use there were only 20 inhabitants. The population now is 88,373. Nine railway companies have their headquarters here, and 155 passenger trains run in and out of the railway station daily. The city stands at the navigable head of the Mississippi in a fine plateau surrounded by bold bluffs, which give it a romantic and beautiful appear- ance, out in time coming will offer a barrier to the extension of the business part. A banquet was given in the evening at the Hotel Lafayette, on the bank of Lake Minnetonka, and in saying good-bye to St Paul, we are sure every one thought him a jolly good fellow. Minneapolis, the groat flour-milling city, is about ten miles from St Paul in a westerly direction, finely situated on a broad plateau, through w^hich the Mississippi runs, and forms the famous Falls of St Anthony, calculated to give out 120,000 h.p. Trip from Edinburgh to Vancouver's Island. 85 very Iniade. lowers prin- |ad its prill - cloth [come. « iident led to >f the m the every freely The river has a perpendicular fall of 18 feet, and a rapid descent of 82 feet within the limits of the city. This fall is largely employed in driving Hour mills, and we had the privi- lege of going over the celebrated Pillsbury A Mill ; the largest llouring mill in the world, with the exception of one at Biida Pesth, in Hungary. The machinery is driven by two turbines 4 feet 7 inches diameter, the pits for which are 53 feet deep and 12 feet diameter; 17,000 cubic feet of water pasS' each turbine every minute, and 1400 h.p. is given out by each wheel. With this 2800 h.p. they turn out 5000 barrels of Hour every day. The r.iain driving belts are 50 inches wide, and run at a speed of about 4000 feet per minute. The mill is a marvel, and is only one of the many, driven by the Falls of St Anthony. There are twenty-seven altogether, some of them, such as the Washburn, being of a very large size. In some mills ending stones are still used for taking away the germinal point of the grain. In the Pillsbury A Mill this is not done. The grain is first cleaned and all the chaff and straw taken out of it ; then it is assorted by grading screens, which separate the large from the small grains, so as to fit them for being acted on by the rollers. The first rolls merely crush the grain, the second set bruise them finer, and so on the process goes, the middlings being taken out by sieves, bolting cloths, and purifiers. The grain travels over and over again to the top of the mill to be let down through hoppers, until the last pair of rollers have been passed and the process completed. It is then taken up for the last time and let down through a hopper into the sacks or barrels placed on an automatic weighing machine, which shuts a valve when the proper quantity has been let through. The bags or casks are speedily marked by paint brush and stencil-plate, and are then ready for shipment or carriage overland. The milling of wheat is not the only industry carried on in Minneapolis. There are large engineering and machine shops, in which the manufacture of agricultural and general mach'.-jry is carried on, — waggons, carriages, doors, and sashes, barrels, mill furnishings, and hardware. There are also marble and granite works, with many other thriving industries. 80 Mr D. Bruce Peebles on a As four-fifths of the water power of the Falls of St Anthony still runs to waste, and is sure sooner or J^ter to be taken advantage of, Minneapolis is certain to grow and become a large city. A new syndicate building block and a grand opera house were finished last year, at a cost of half a million of dollars. A chamber of commerce is being erected, which with tlie ground will cost 225,000 dols. ; and a hotel which will con- tain 400 rooms is being built, the cost of which is estimated at 1,250,000 dols. We could go on giving figures showing the amazing growth of this young city, but have said enough to show how money is made and spent in it. The Falls of St Anthony supply power for almost nothing. Wheat is raised in Minnesota and the neighbouring states at a low price; and the magnificent timber of Minnesota has been growing for long years bofore IMinneapolis was born, but now she gathers these products together, fits them for the market, and turns them into dollars, many of which find their way to the pockets of the farmer and the lumberman, but more into the pockets of the millers and their men, of this fine city. An extraordinary procession too., place in which the many local industries were represented, it was stated to be 15 miles long, and took between five and six hours to pass. The floral decorations, arches, flags, and banners were on a scale quite equal to those we saw at St Paul, and the hospi- tality shown at both cities will be long remembered by those who had the privilege of witnessing the wonderful display which had been prepared to celebrate the completion of a new road connecting the east with the west. Minnesota may be called a lake state, for it is estimated that in it there are 10,000 lakes ; the state atlas shows 2500 which are half a mile or more in length, while some of them are much larger. Pied Lake has an area of 340 square miles, ]\Iille Lacs nearly 200 square miles, and others vary Trom 30 to 80 square miles. The beautiful Lake Minnetonka, which is close to Minneapolis, has an area of 24 square miles, and a shore line of 300 miles. This is accounted for by its peculiar indented character, its many bays and channels. We spent a day sailing amongst these, and wandering about on its shore. Being beautifully wooded, villages and hotels have sprung up Trip from Edinhnrcjh to Vancouver's Idiuul. 87 to accommodate the many visitors who annually run away from the busy city to rest themselves in the romantic nooks and corners of this charming lake. We also visited Fort Snelling, now only used as a ren- dezvous for troops, and continued our drive to the Minne- haha Fall, celebrated by Longfellow in "Hiawatha." It is a charming little fall at the entrance to a beautifully wooded glen. •. , i Eighteen miles from Minneapolis is Stillwater, hnely situated at the head of Lake St Croix. The St Croix river is a tribu- tary to the Mississippi, and ships of large size get to otill- water. This is a big log centre, and we saw thousands of loas covering many acres as they lay in the lake waiting to be" operated on by the saw-mills, some of which are ot large size and turn out millions of feet of sawn timber annually. The special object of our visit was to see through the North- Western Car Company's works, which give employment to about 1,500 men, besides 300 convicts. In 1882 they turned out 1500 thrashing machines, 350 agricultural engines, 14Jo freight cars, and 51 baggage cars. They also turned out 3 000 000 common and 100,000 pressed bricks, 17o,000 barrels ; aiid the sashes, doors, and otUce furniture made by them amounted in value to 190,000 dols. The value of the who e tor the year amounted to 2,272,000 dols. The lloor area of the chops and warehouses is above 19 acres, and more room will be reuuired soon. Their wood-working machinery is especially fine and we saw doors and sashes manufactured at a speed that as.onished us, everything, even to the finishing rub with sandp. per, being done by machines. We were rather surprised at seeing sciuare holes bored by a compound tool with amazing speed, and were favoured with a cutting from the frame ot a freioht-car. which showed what may be done by a good too . The" tool is used for mortice work, and many holes 1 inch square and 4 inches deep can be put through the oak framing per minute. ^ ^ ^ Many of the automatic wood working machines are looked after by the convicts, for whose services the company pay the Government 45 cents per day, and are bound to employ as many of them as are sent. The convicts get 40 cents per month tor 88 Mr D. Bruce Peebles on a good behaviour, and a suit of clothes when discharged. We were surprised to see the amount of business done in this thriving and industrious place. The city has a population of 15,000. The telephone is popular, and the electric light well patronised, which is not to be wondered at, as gas is of poor quality and expensive. The sides 0^ Lake St Croix are finely wooded, and there are many elevated plateaus from which we had magnificent views of the beautiful and varied scenery. Brainerd was the next place of importance we stopped at, and it is hkely to grow very soon into a big town, as extensive workships have been built in it by the Northern Pacific Pailway. In the vicinity there are some fine lakes, and plenty of game. Visitors take advantage of this, and its fine situa- tion offers great inducements to those who are fond of the gun or the fishing-rod. It has 7000 of a population. We passed Wadena, Perham, and Detroit, the latter a fine hunting and fishing centre. We then ran on to Moorhead, population 5000, — the last town we had to go through in Min- nesota, — and crossed the Red Eiver by a very good bridge, which landed us at B'argo, in Dakota. The Eed Eiver is a sluggish, dirty-looking stream, which flows through a magnificent broad prairie belt, where grand wheat crops are raised with very little labour. Fargo was very gaily decorated with wheat, evergreens, and bunting, and a magnificent arch had been erected over ihe railroad track. There was a splendid display of fruit, vegetables, and game, and the beautiful wild flowers of the district were lavishly employed and worked into wreaths, festoons, and designs. We left Fargo, and began to get into the heart of the great wheat belt of the Eed Eiver valley, and close upon the cele- brated Dalrymple farm, through which the railway runs for a distance of six mil s. This farm contains 75,000 acres, of which 27,000 are under cultivation. The yield last year was on an average 20 bushels to the acre of No. 1 hard wheat, and two hundred self-binders were employed to harvest this crop, for which a contract had been made at 1 dollar per bushel net, the buyer lifting it. The crop, therefore, would be worth 540,800 dols. To each 160 acres a self-reaper is allotted, and eac nea ma Trip from Edlnharyh to Vancouver's Island. 89 We |in this lone is not to The many of the each 1000 acres require a steam thresher. The harvest was nearly over, so far as reaping was concerned, but we saw many steam threshers, and the enormous heaps of straw piled beside them gave evidence of the great amount of work they were doing. Looking across these prairie farms is like gazing across the boundless sea. The yellow stubble appeared as far as the eye could reach, and, losing its character in the distance, the great level tract looked more like a desert tlian a farm which, year after year, will produce wheat to supply the wants of many thousands. Some consider that such enormous farms are a mis- take, and think it would be better if there were more settlers to such an acreage ; but capital does not generally deal in senti- ment, and so long as they pay they will no doubt continue. A little further on, at New Buffalo, a voung town of only 150 in- habitants, we met a Scotsman from Ayrshire, who had a share in a very large farm. He had just got one of Fowler's steam ploughs and tackle, at a cost of £5000, and intended to see what could be done with it in prairie farming. He was san- guine, but those who had experience were of opinion that it would never compete with the gang plough and mules. The prairie farmer, when he settles down for the first time on virgin land, has three operations to perform — first breaking, then backsetting, and next ploughing. Breaking consists of cutting the sod about three inches thick about the 1st of May. The powerful sun, and the moisture got from the thawing earth below, soon rots the grass, so that about the beginning of July it is fit for backsetting, which is simply the turning back of the sod and about three inches of earth with it. Cross ploughing is then done in the fall, and the soil, after lying in this state all the winter, is ready for the seeding, which is done in April and May. Spring ploughing on settled farms takes place whenever the sun's heat softens the soil to the depth of iibout six inches. Hand sowing is not practised, but a broadcast seeder, which will sow twelve acres a day, is used. Harrowing follows ; and although there may not be a drop of rain for four or five months, the wheat thrives and iiourishes, fed by the rich soil which has been frozen to a depth of from seven to nine feet, and now gives up its moisture as thawing 90 ;Mr D. Diuco Peebles uii a takes place, under the mfluence of the increasing summer heat. We, who have been in the habit of making a run up to London or across to the Continent, had now to get rid of all our notions of railway travelling. We were into the prairie hind of Dakota ; and, as mile after mile passed, we began to feel queer, 'and to wonder whether we really were going forward, or if the wheels were not skidding, and cheating us as to our progress. In the morning when we got up we looked out of the window, and there was the prairie. After breakfast, when, instead of our newspaper, we fell back on conversation, the prairie was sure to be the subject. Lunch time came, and in vain did we look for some variety in the scene ; bunch grass and sage brush, with the occasional si,f];ht of a prairie dog or jack rabbit, were the only things thiit gr.ve occupation to the eye or drew a remark from the lips. Hardly a bird was ever seen, and a strange sense of weariness came over us. Tiresome and monotonous were these long runs, with scarcely a tree or mound to vary the level stretch of country we were passing through ; and the question often asked was, " Are we never to get out of this, or are we travel- ling in a charmed circle, going round and round over the same ground ? " One mile was so like another, a dozen miles so like the last, that, weary with gazing, the smokers took refuge in the smoking car with their cigars, and others seized old twice-read newspapers to try and lighten if possible, the tedium of the hours that went so wearily by. We were here about 1500 feet above the level of the sea, and in winter the scene must be very lonely, as there is scarcely a tree to be seen in northern Dakota, and the mercury goes down sometimes to 40° and 45° below zero. The blizzard, too, occasionally comes, compelling the hardiest and bravest to seek shelter, but it is not of long continuance ; and with the mercury even at 40° below zero, the fine, pure, dry air, when there is no wind, makes the climate more bearable than in localities where the atmosphere is moist and the temperature only a little below freezing point. Our next stopping place was Bismarck, the capital of Dakota, named in honour of the German chancellor; and here we 'Trip from Ediiilnirijli to Vancoiurr's hianil. 91 were to witness the laying of the foundation stone of the ]ti'iiicipHl Government buiklinf-- of the state. Sitting Bull, the chief of the Sioux Indians, had been invited, and he was there with his party, which consisted of several eminent chiefs. Tliere were Flying-by, Spotted Horse, Bull, Tall as the Clouds, {,'row Eagle (Sitting Bull's brother-in-law), Boone, Tomahawk, Two Bears, Drag of the Wood, Holy Ghost (Sitting Bull's eldest sister), Beautiful Feather and her cousin, the wife of Spotted Horn Bull. These were joined afterwards by Long Dog, Young Fireheart, Long Soldier, and about twenty others. The foundation stone was laid with Masonic honours, and curds, coins, trinkets, and newspapers were put into it. Sitting ]5ull, his eldest sister, and her cousin were on the platform ; and after tlie prayer connected with the ceremony, the Sioux chief took off some of his trinkets and put them into the recess in the stone. He then laid Ins right hand successively on each of the four corners, at the same time muttering some words. Tlie squaws contrilnited some of their ornaments also, and each laid lier rigiit hand on the stone in the same manner. Mr Villard then asked Sitting Bull to make a speech ; he did so, but it was very short, and delivered in a very low tone. The speech being interpreted was, that the Great Spirit had told him to come and bless the house, and acknowledge the supremacy of the white man ; he had therefore come and blessed the building, and hoped ir. would prosper. We shook hands with him after the ceremony, and got his autograph, which he was selling at a dollar each. We wished we could have talked with him, to have heard his side of the story of the wars and massacres his name is con- nected with. No Indian, it is said, has taken so many white scalps, and no chief has ever given the United States Govern- ment so much trouble. The pitiless slaughter of General Custer and his men, 204 in number, not one of whom was spared, on the banks of the Ftosebud River on the 17th of May 1876, led to strong measures being taken against the Sioux, which resulted in the complete dispersion of the tribe, and the surrendering of many lodges. Sitting Bull and his band made off to the north, and got beyond the northern boundary into British territory, and it was only in the spring of last year that he returned to the United States and surrendered to the VOL. XI, H 92 Mr I). Bruce Peebles on a Government. We got a rough portrait of him, but it failed to givp the expression of his fine dark eye. He seemed to watch the proceedings with great interest, and his thin lips never relaxed or lost their expression of firmness and determination. Had he been educated, no doubt he would have been a states- man or diplomatist, as well as a warrior. Clever, fierce, cunning, and far-seeing, he troubled his enemies exceedingly. We could not help having a feeling of pity for this man. A hero he no doubt is, or was, in the eyes of his own people, — one who had fought, and successfully too, against the invaders of their hunting grounds, and who had been forced to take measures he never would have done, had he been fairly treated. The trading white man came and bargained with the Indian for his buffalo hides and his furs, and what did he give him in exchange ? Very little money, but plenty of fire-water, small- pox, and things worse. Quarrels ware bound to come, followed by murder and then revenge. Wlio is most to blame — the white or the red man ? The buffalo is going, and at the present rate of destruction will soon be gone ; will the red man go too ? Who knows ? A remnant may be saved, and many efforts are being made, some with a fair chance of success, to get him into civilised habits and make a farmer of him. The extermination of the buffalo will bring it to be a matter of do or die with the Eed Indians, and it is to be hoped they will — as some of them are now doing — turn to cattle- raising, farming, or possibly to some kind of handicraft. We shall see more of them as we go westward, but no face will be seen amongst them all, expressive of so much quiet sadness, as that of Sitting Bull, as he ga^es from the platform on the great and mixed multitude which has come from far and near to witness the laying of the foundation stone of the chief building of the capital of Dakota. At Bismarck we were on the banks of the Missouri Kiver, a broad silt-bearing stream, which here is about 2800 feet wide. On the opposite or west shore is Mandan, a rival town ; and the first wo enter, in what is called the Missouri division. Great will Bismarck become as the capital of Dakota, but many think that Mandan will become greater. Some English Trip from 3lin,hiirf/Ii to Vanconi'cr'ti Idand, 9:J rfentlcmcn had just been there buying up town lots, havin;^ faith in what may be ahnost taken as n law, that towns always stretch out westwards. I'.ismarck cannot do this, and Mandan can, therefore they say luck lies with its position. At anyrate, it has made a |:,'ood beginning by building a lirst- class hotel, which cost G5,0U0 dols. The river is crossed by a iine bridge, the building of which was carried on under many difficulties and a heavy expenditure. We crossed from Bis- marck to Mandan, and then went forward through green valleys with steep hills on each side, which will soon be taken up for cattle ranches. AVe bad no idea that anything particular was before us, but after going up a rather steep grade, were startled by a scene which bailies description. • Of all the tumbled-about masses of hills and rocks and mounds, this surely is a place unequalled in the world. We had just got to the " Bad Lands." We shall let Professor Denton, who explored this part of the country on behalf of the Northern Pacific llailway, speak. His words will express better than anything we can say, what the place looks like. He says:— "From Green Eiver to the Bad Lands a beautiful prairie extends wave on wave for fifty miles. We naturally expect this to continue, not so. We walk on near the summit of the prairie, and lo ! the edge of a valley, hundreds of square miles of which are visible to us. But such a valley, containing myriads of mounds, buttes, pyramids, pinnacles, forts, and turrets. Here are canons, ravines, gulches, and perpendicular precipices, pyramids with brown and blue bases and vermilion tops, towers with un- scalable walls that defy the earth-ransacking geologist; mounds of all sizes, double, triple, and multiple ; mounds with yellow bases, white girdles, and blood-red caps ; mounds green, drab, white, blue, red, and mottled ; truncated mounds with mounds on them ; mounds beyond mounds, like ocean waves lost in the distance ;— but interspersed with these are beauti- ful slopes many acres in extent, green as emerald, and lovely spots covered with fragrant juniper, fit carpet for a queen." Bad Lands is a bad name for such an interesting country, and does not express the sense of the phrase from which it was derived. The name was given to the district by some of the H % 94 Mr 1). I>ruf;e Teebles on a old French tni])i)ers who found the phxce (liirioult to travel in with their goods and genr, and named it "MduvaiHcs icrrcs iwur traverses." The natural shelter and fine luxuriant grnsaos to be found in the vallevs lit them admirably for the ranehman, and before lonj,' we may expect to hear of the JJad Lands luiing Hlled with sheep and cattle, ryrnmid Park is the name the district is beginning to be known by, a much more appropriate title than Dad Lands. After getting through the Bad Lands, we again ran into prairie, Avhichwas like getting into smooth water after coming through a storm, so marked was the difference between the stretch of country then before us, and the tantalising jumble oil rocks and liills we had just left behind. We passed Glendive, I\Iiles City, and liiliings, all thriving towns very gaily deco- rated, and hurried on, as we were looking forward to seeing something novel at our next stopping place, Oreyclifl'. On (air road westwards we saw many si)ecimens of the North American Indian in small parties. Llere we were expecting to see them in a large party, as Mr Villard had arranged with lion lUdl, the chief of the Crow Indians, to have a great Indian gathering, and had promised that presents would be given if a sullicient number came to exhibit their feats of horsemanship and perform their wur-dance. When we got to Greyclill' it was rather late in the evening, and not far from the railway we saw a huge, blazing log fire, with many figures sitting and standing around it, and others mounted on ponies moving about, vanishing into the darkness and again appearing. These were the Crow Indians who were waiting for us. They had been going through their feats to ])revious sections of the guests, but it being now dark we could see nothing but the war-danoe, under far better circum- stances, however, than if we had seen it by daylight. Fifteen hundred males, or bucks, as they are called, had assembled with their wives and children, mustang ponies, and dogs. We unfortunately could not see their wigwams, but on going for- ward to the blazing logs we saw some thirty or forty warriors seated in a circle, and half a dozen stpiaws seated round a big tom-tom, four of them with large drumsticks. Little Elk, a Trip /mill Kdhilnii'tf/i to rinimi'irr's Islmid. o; cliii'f, W!is liusy ()])i'iiiii;4' u Ixtx s(>iit by Mr Villaiil, o'.it (»l" wliidi lu) took a (HiaiiLity of vvlmt we \v(nilil cnll l)iuiimni,n('ni jewel- lery, cij^iiruttes, kc. Ho first selectud tlio artinles which suiteil himself, iitid then distribiiLed soiuu to the warriors and an outer circle of S(iuaws. While he was doing so, ii curious chfint was commenced l>y one of the 8(|uaws sealed nt the tom-tom. She sung the first line as a solo, and was answered by another squaw also in single voice. They tiujn began to beat the tom-tom, the rest of the squaws joined in the chant, and the painted and feathered warriors started to their feet, brandishing their tomahawks and knivt , and the war-danco began. Feathers, tomahawks, i)ainted faces, and beaded bells ^'ut mixed n]) and mingled together. The squaws set them- selves earnestly to work, and sang louder and louder, and in- creiised the time faster and faster; the warriors responded with their yelling and leaping, until feathers and tomahawk'*, lieads, arms, and legs were all into one confused and agitated mass. We thought of Tarn O'lShanter— " The piper loud luul louder blew, Tlie (.liinccrs ipiick iind ([uieker Hew." But there was no "Cutty Sark " in the dance to give it piquancy to such as Tarn. The furious dance went on until a climax came, and then the tom-tom ceased, the voices sud- denly stopped, the dancers as suddenly dropi^ed into their seats, and there was silence, with the clear stars looking down upon this strange scene, so weird and picturesque. It could easily be seen to what a pitch of enthusiasm and madness savages might raise themselves by such an amount of sound and fury, which set: >ed somewhat meaningless to ns, but no doubt the dance a comi)anied by the war-chant had deep meaning to them. Little Elk, the young chief, was a splendid fellow; he did not dance, but went about amongst the warriors lithe and graceful in every movement. His sym- metrical limbs and pleasing attitudes were very ddCerent from the coarse build and clumsy cantrips of some of the warriors who had just sat down. He had on a minimum of clothing, and we thought what a fine model for a sculptor he would be. He was not painted, but the others were, with most 96 Mr D. Bruce Peebles on a fjlarinu; colours thickly laid on. After the dance, which was repiiated again and again, we wandered about and saw the squaws, the most of them completely covered with white drapery. They were mounted on their tine ponies, and kept moving about, perhaps as much astonished as we were .at the strange mixture of white and red men so curiously brought together. It was with ditficulty we got a glimpse of any of their faces, as they kept them closely covered, but some of them drew aside their veil for a moment, and we saw features far from ugly, rather on the beautiful side, with the long Egyptian nose and moderately thick lips. It was an Eastern- like scene in some respects, the white-draped figures moving about so noiselessly, and vanishing now and again into dark- ness, horse and rider looking as if they were not tv?."^ but one, so quickly, gently, and cleverly did they move through the crowd. Belts, tomahawks, pipes, and mocassins were sought after, and good prices given for them, to carry away as sou- venirs of this extraordinary meeting. Soon after this the Indians began to disperse, and we went back to our cars. We passed through Livingstone in the dark, but saw ic on the return journey. A line runs from it to the celebrated Yellowstone National Park, which extends fifty-five miles wide from east to west, and sixty-five miles long from north to south, and contains an area of about 3575 square miles. The Bad Lands are wonder- ful, but far greater wonders are to be seen in the National Park, with its mountains, woods, lakes, cataracts, geysers, hot springs, fossil forests, &c. Most of the guests visited the Park, but we preferred missing it, in order to seethe Yosemite Valley, as we could not see both. We were now nearing the Belt Mountains, and went up a grade 116 feet to the mile, which continued for twelve miles after leaving the Yellowstone Valley. We ran through the Bozeman tunnel, 3500 feet long and 5560 feet above the sea-level, then down on the western side through a rugged and picturesque canon, into the fertile Gallatin Valley. Irrigation is required here for farming, but there is plenty of water and many irrigating ditches, so that the farmer is inde- pendent of rain, and always suie of his crop. The weariness of the prairie was now past, and our eyes were gladdened by the sight of maguificeut forests of splendid pines. Great gorges Trip from Edinburgh, to Vancouver s Idand. 07 long and canons varied tlie scene, with their grand and picturesque beauty, as we sped on to Helena, the capital of Montana, Helena is a mining town of about 7000 inhabitants, and said to be the wealthiest town of its size in the United States. The train section we were in was late in arriving, so that we had an opportunity of seeing the town in the evening lighted up by electricity as well as gas. The electric light is largely patronised ; the hotels and most of the shops were lighted by it, and presented a very gay appearance. The streets were crowded, as were also the saloons and gambling-houses, which gave us a good opportunity of seeing what a mining town is like in holiday times. Every second shop was crowded with gamblers, and faro seemed to be the favourite game. The dancing saloons were full also ; but we saw no drunken- no ness. We visited the Chinese qu..»cer, and saw them gam- bling also; their game was a curious one, and might be named odds or evens. A handful of bone counters was thrown down on a table, and the keeper of the table with a chop-stick began to remove them in pairs. The gambling now began by the players putting down their money on an odd or evon number. The keeper continued drawing in the counters in pairs ; if he could do this until the end and clear the table, those whose money was on the even numbers won, while if a counter was left on the table the odd numbsrs won. li seemed a childish game of pure chance, but so absorbed were they in it, that they did not notice the presence of strangers. We thus had a chance of seeing a phase of the Chinese character which shows itself wherever a few of them meet together. They are inveterate gamblers. We left Helena, and were now close upon the TJocky Mountains, runniog on to the Mullan Pass thruugli a beauti- ful valley. We went on and up through ravines, and tracks cut in the sides of the mountains, until we got to the level of the Mullan tunnel, which is 3850 feet long and 5547 feet above the sea-level ; but it was not finished, and we were under the necessity of climbing yet higher, over a temporary road that had been made to insure that no hindrance would interfere with the opening of the railway. The train sections bad to be still further divided to enable the engine to take us k 98 Mr D. Bruce Peebles on a up the very steep grades now before us, and it was a novel and somewhat alarming sight, as we watched the course of the cars going upwards and onwards by a road so dangerous-look- ing, that we were in constant dread of sometliing happening, We saw the cars far above us while we were waiting our turn to make what seemed a venture of life and limb going up such dangerous-looking heights. Great cliifs and enormous blocks of granite seemed to stand threatening-like ticross the path; the cars were again and again lost to view, and were seen farther and farther up, until they finally disappeared; but we were soon assured of their safety by the sight of the engine returning to take us up also. At last we all got up safely, and saw a large sign board on which was painted " Tip top Eocky Mountains, 5773 feet above sea-level ; Lake Superior, 1198 miles; Puget Sound, 847 miles." We were now at the point of highest altitude on the jSTort' jrn Pacific Piailway, and higher than the Bozeman tunnel, which will be tlie highest point when the Mullan tunnel is completed. The grades and altitudes compare very favourably with those met with on the Union and C.'entral Pacific Ptailroad. The Boze- man tunnel is 5547 feet above the sea-level, which is 500 feet lower than Cheyenne and 3000 feet lower than Sherman, the liighest point ci the Central Pacific. On the Union and Central Pacific Railroads, forty miles of snow sheds had to be erected, and have to be maintained at gLuat expense, but the mountain ranges on the Northern Pacific ara crossed at such low altitudes, tbat no great stoppages are expected to take place. By planting trees, and erecting snow fences, it is hoped that serious blockades will not occur, which will be of immense advantage in keeping a clear line and un- interrupted traffic. Instead of the rugged savage-like beauty of the ascent we made on the east side, we had now before us gentle slopes and beautiful valleys. It seemed as if we had climbed a wall, when we got over the water-shed, and landed ourselves in a fine garden. There were only about forty miles now between us and the place fixed upon to drive in the last spike of the rail- road, and we hurried forward, as a large company from the west was expected to be waiting there to meet us. novel of tlie i-look- )enin. Uruce iVrblcs oic a \Vli(il(! sLroets an; jiliiiiked over, luul in tlio canning,' scuson the town must bo very lively, as tlieru are dozens of canning' factories busy vvitli tlie i)aekiiiy of tliu celebrated " Chinook sdmon," which make the Columbia Jtiver their .summer home. AN'e left Astoria, and were soon out into the I'aciUc Ocean on our way to San Francisiio, ()7U miles from Tortland. We sailcMl throu^'h the Gohlen Cate into the maj,miliceut bay, which would hold the combined fleets of the whole world, ami arrived at the marvellous city which, from a sandy desert, has become one of the leading cities of the United States. Like London or New York, it is cosmo]»olitan. The traveller jiassing thnnigh it from whatever country may be sure that he will come across one of his own nationality, who will give him a welcome and lead him to others in whose company he will soon feel himself at home. 'J'lie gambling and speculat- ing sjjirit is falling off with the giving out of the great mining sujjplies of gold and silver which ])roduced it, and steady laisiness has in a great measure taken its place. The caldo cars are doing wonders, and it is not too much to say that without them the city would never have grown to its present ])rop()rtions, as horse?', could never work the steej) grades to be met with in the strr jts. Evidences of the great wealth that has been, and now is, in the city may be met with at every turn. The magnificent public buildings, palatial hotels, and handsome private residences cannot fail to imj)ress this on the mind of the stranger, and his wonder will be all the greater if he knows that between thirty and forty years ago the great city was only a village, with wooden houses of small size, and tents spread about irregularly here and there. The Golden Gate I'ark and Cliff House are visited by all strangers, and we saw the great slimy-looking monsters of sea-lions basking on the rocks, and heard them trumpeting, a noise something between the yelp of a big dog and the ranting of a cow. The climate is delightful, although last summer the mercury rose up often above 100''; but a breeze springs up in the afternoon, which tempers the heat, and renders the evening temperature very enjoyable. After a short stay, we went o(f to the celebrated Yosemite Valley. Lut to get there we had to travel 185 miles by rail Ti'ij) froiii EiJliihxrijJi In T'>iii<'oiin/''s hhnuL 109 (1 HCMSOIl i^aiiiiiii'' iiiioolc r liuiiio. Oci'iiii , Wo ut bay, world, desert, (States. aveller re that to Madera, and then 0." miles l>y stn^e coacli to the valley. Is it worth i^oiii^f so far to see? we were asketl on onr return. We said yes, we would < ■- 'f "■ M^ f- ^:♦■'; 1.- .(. ' > -%^ - < ^ J4^ ,^^i^^ ii^&x Jk_ ^.^i^^fiiMif:-