Aitken 
 A K un Through the States
 
 THE LIBRARY 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 LOS ANGELES
 
 A RUN 
 
 THROUGH THE STATES: 
 
 SUPPLEMENTARY 
 
 FROM THE CLYDE TO CALIFORNIA, 
 
 JAMES AITKEN. 
 
 PRINTED AT THE GREENOCK HERALD OFFICE.
 
 A RUN 
 
 THROUGH THE STATES: 
 
 SUPPLEMENTARY 
 
 TO 
 
 FROM THE CLYDE TO CALIFORNIA. 
 
 BY 
 
 \ 
 
 JAMES AITKEN. 
 
 PRINTED AT THE GREENOCK HERALD OFFICE.
 
 '"PEN years having elapsed since I visited North 
 America, and in the interval having heard much of 
 the prosperity of the country, the rapid increase of the 
 population of its cities, with an unprecedented growth in 
 its trades and manufactures, which were to form the basis 
 of the great industrial World's Fair, destined to eclipse 
 everything of the kind that had been attempted anywhere 
 else, my desire was to again visit the Far West, so as to see 
 for myself what progress had been made. Consequently, 
 in May, 1892, along with my daughter, it was decided to 
 spend our holidays in visiting some of the important places 
 I had seen on my previous tour, and to extend our trip 
 over a much wider range of the country. 
 
 The following pages give, in a condensed form, some 
 of the more important changes that had taken place, with 
 other interesting features that came under our notice, some 
 of which may be useful to our friends who intend spending 
 their holidays by taking a trip to the " Land of the Free." 
 
 December, 1894. 
 
 131358 
 
 8
 
 A RUN THROUGH THE STATES. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 AMERICAN MARINE ARCHITECTURE RIVER STEAMERS, 
 THEIR LUXURIANCE AND SAFETY A SHIP WITHIN 
 A SHIP UNSINKABLE DISCIPLINE AND DRILL ON 
 BOARD NEW YORK AND BROOKLYN HARBOURS 
 CHARITABLE AND CRIMINAL INSTITUTIONS DINING 
 SALOON BLACK WAITERS ELECTRIC LIGHT IN- 
 VISIBLE LAMPS GRAND SALOON. 
 
 t 7J PERIOD of ten years having passed away since my 
 /j[ first visit to the Far West, and during that 
 interval having heard so much about the Great 
 World's Fair, that was destined to "lick creation" and 
 show forth the energy and prosperity of the American 
 people, and the possibility of their ultimately supplant- 
 ing the trade and commerce of our country, very natur- 
 ally created a desire on the part of the writer and his 
 daughter to spend their holidays of 1892 in having a 
 run through the United States, to see and to satisfy 
 themselves as to whether there was really any founda- 
 tion for such statements. Having spent several months 
 in visiting a few of many interesting districts, since my 
 return I have been urged by friends to supply to the 
 Press a short description of some of the most prominent 
 novelties that attracted our attention. Visitors to the 
 States can scarcely fail to observe much that is new, and 
 which might profitably be adopted in the old country. 
 One thing travellers are certain to find, that our Ameri-
 
 can cousins are a very restless and energetic people. To 
 their progressive ambition there seems to be no limit. 
 Even in marine architecture, our far-famed Clyde ship- 
 builders may, at no distant date, have to give place to the 
 enterprising Yankee. The line of steamers plying 
 between New York and Fall River may be taken as a fit 
 illustration of what they have in prospect the chief 
 characteristics of these vessels being excellence and luxu- 
 riance, combined with comfort and safety, far surpassing 
 our Clyde-built transatlantic steamers in these respects. 
 The useful and the ornamental are there side by side, 
 without any extravagant expenditure on either. The 
 " Pilgrim" and the " Puritan," the latest additions to this 
 fleet, may be regarded as models of the vessels that 
 will be constructed in the near future. The " Puritan " 
 is, in reality, a four-storey floating palace, 420 feet long, 
 4,650 tons burthen, with engines or 7,500 horse-power. 
 She is practically a ship within a ship, with a free space 
 all round between the two. The space between the outer 
 and the inner hulls is divided into fifty watertight com- 
 partments, and there are also seven watertight bulkheads 
 crossing the inner hull from side to side. Amidships, 
 she is 52 feet wide at the water-line; the cargo deck, which 
 is several feet above that line, is 90 feet wide. This 
 additional breadth is gained by starting from nothing 
 near to the bow and stern, and gradually extending be- 
 yond the line of the outer hull along each side till reach- 
 ing from each end a point in a line with the outside of 
 the paddles. The projection thus gained is continued 
 between these, two points, and when met gives the 
 paddles the appearance of being within and under the 
 vessel. The projection thus serves the double purpose 
 of providing safety in a case of collision, and greater 
 breadth to the saloons, which are placed in the middle
 
 of the deck with a double row of state-rooms along each 
 side : the entrance to the inner row of state-rooms being 
 from the saloon, and the outer row from a passage be- 
 tween the bulwarks and the state-rooms. With the 
 watertight compartments between the inner and the 
 outer hulls, and the projection beyond the outer hull 
 above the water-line, the " Puritan" is practically unsink- 
 able in the case of either striking on a rock or in a colli- 
 sion, owing to the great space required to be cut into 
 before penetrating the inner hull. The steamer is re- 
 garded by her builders and the American public as the 
 naval masterpiece of the century. 
 
 The Steamboat Company, guided by past experience, 
 has taken every precaution against fire. Every state- 
 room is fitted up with an electric-lamp that can be turned 
 off or on more expeditiously than gas. There are no 
 open fires on board, except those in the boiler-room and 
 the kitchen, which are enclosed in iron bulkheads. Not- 
 withstanding these precautions, there are distributed over 
 the vessel fifty hydrants with hose, that can be instantly 
 used by either steam or hand-pumps, in the event of an 
 unforeseen occurrence of fire. To put these in opera- 
 tion, there is practised on board a man-o'-war-like disci- 
 pline and drill that become apparent to the voyagers 
 shortly after leaving New York harbour. As the vessel 
 approaches Hell Gate (a narrow channel), where, it is 
 said, there are dangerous reefs under water, the crew 
 take up positions along both sides of the vessel, near to 
 the bow, with all the necessary life-saving appliances at 
 hand. The narrow channel being past, each man re- 
 turns to his respective duty, leaving an impression on 
 the observers that what was witnessed was intended more 
 to exhibit the discipline on board than for any real dan- 
 ger that had to be encountered on the occasion.
 
 Visitors from the old country landing at New York. 
 and intending to visit Boston, instead of hurrying over 
 the country cooped up in a railway carriage, will find it 
 more comfortable to go by steamer to Fall River, which 
 is a most enjoyable change quite different from that 
 experienced in crossing the Atlantic. Leaving New 
 York harbour at six o'clock in the evening, the journey 
 to Boston (230 miles) is performed in twelve hours, the 
 last fifty miles being by train, which waits the arrival of 
 the steamer at Fall River, and takes one and a-half hours 
 to arrive at Boston. On leaving the harbour at New 
 York, the steamer sails nearly half round the city. From 
 the deck the panoramic scenery is most delightful as you 
 pass in the midst of the throng of the busy river, under 
 the famous suspension bridge, in full view of the forests 
 of masts in the crowded harbours of New York, on the 
 one side, and the City of Brooklyn on the other. A. 
 very prominent feature in passing is the adjacent islands, 
 which are chiefly occupied by the city's grand institutions 
 of charity and benevolence, while others are set apart for 
 the isolation of the diseased and the lawless. Two 
 hours after leaving, as the twilight begins to settle down 
 over the distant scenery, the magnificence of the steamer 
 becomes the chief object of attraction some turning 
 their attention to the saloon to listen to the orchestral 
 music, which is every night provided for their entertain- 
 ment ; others having recourse to the dining-room, which 
 is generally taxed to its full capacity. The stranger to 
 American customs becomes almost bewildered as he 
 passes on to the lower deck and enters a saloon (no 
 feet long by 30 feet wide, and 12 feet high), with its 
 hundreds of diners, being served by an army of courteous 
 and obliging black waiters, all fluttering about in full 
 evening dress, the dark visages looking all the blacke
 
 owing to the great brilliancy of the saloon, far exceeding 
 that of the brightest noon-day, though there is not a 
 single lamp in view, the electric lights being concealed 
 within an opal coloured glass ornament of a trefoil 
 section, hanging about a foot down from the ceiling, and 
 extending the whole length of the saloon. 
 
 After dinner, and before retiring to the privacy of the 
 state-room, a few hours can be pleasantly spent in either 
 the after cabin, the social hall, or the main saloon. The 
 former is 82 feet long by 53 feet wide, and the latter 130 
 by 30 feet, each apartment having its hundreds of 
 electric lights. These dimensions are small compared 
 to the grand saloon of the "Pilgrim," which is 320 feet in 
 length, and necessarily of great height. There are two 
 storeys of state-rooms all round, the lower storey entering 
 direct from the saloon and the upper storey from a 
 gallery extending along the two sides and one end. At 
 the other end are magnificent stairs leading to each side 
 gallery. The masts, in passing up through the saloon, 
 appear as if they were massive columns supporting the 
 ceiling, and are constructed to act as ventilators. The 
 upper halves, from the level of the gallery to the ceiling, 
 are richly decorated in imitation of vines spirally winding 
 round them until reaching the ceiling, where they 
 terminate in richly festooned capitals, each main point 
 terminating in a cluster of electric lights that produce 
 a brilliant and pleasing effect all round. This saloon, 
 with its galleries, is constructed to accommodate fourteen 
 hundred passengers without any apparent over-crowding. 
 As midnight came on, all became quiet, some retiring to 
 their state-rooms, others to the sofas and couches in the 
 saloons. After a few hours of refreshing sleep, we waken 
 up feeling as if we were enjoying the hospitality of a 
 quiet family residence. There is a total absence of the
 
 stuffy, oily odours, and tremulous vibrations that are so 
 common in our deep-sea and river steamers, reminding 
 one as if he were in the midst of a struggle for dear life. 
 Even the splash of the paddles is unheard, in either the 
 saloons or the state-rooms, probably the result of the 
 kitchen, the engines, and the boilers being enclosed in 
 well-deafened watertight bulkheads and the deck 
 extending beyond the paddles. After a very pleasant 
 trip, we leave the steamer at Fall River, which deserves 
 a passing notice as being a fit representation of a fairly 
 prosperous American city.
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 FALL RIVER, ITS RESEMBLANCE TO GREENOCK ITS 
 WATER STORAGE, SPRINGS AND DOMESTIC SUPPLY 
 PRECAUTIONS AGAINST BURSTING PIPES ICE STORES 
 COTTON FACTORIES EXPEDITIOUS CONSTRUCTION 
 BOARD OF TRADE, ITS COMPOSITION SCHOOL BOARD 
 EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS A SCHOOL OBSERVATORY 
 THE PRESS THE PULPIT NO DEAD WALLS ON 
 STREETS. 
 
 Fall River is a city in the State of Massachusetts, of 
 about 77,000 inhabitants, situated on the bank of 
 Mount Hope Bay, and is a fair specimen of a prosperous 
 American district. Its chief trade is in cotton and 
 industries connected therewith. In many of its main 
 features the city has a striking resemblance to the 
 good old town of Greenock. Mount Hope Bay is 
 scarcely so broad as the Clyde between Greenock 
 and Helensburgh. It has commodious harbours 
 and a safe anchorage for vessels. The city extends 
 about six miles along the shore and about one and 
 a-half landward ; for a short distance back from the 
 bay the ground is level, then rises abruptly for about 
 a mile and a-half till it is nearly 400 feet above 
 the sea. Beyond, there is a natural depression like a 
 basin, with a rim all round, enclosing an area of 24,000 
 acres of land, about 4000 acres of which are occupied 
 by a lake that supplies water for domestic purposes and 
 driving power to the mills. The quantity supplied to 
 the latter is over 7000 cubic feet per minute about 
 three times the quantity supplied to the mills on the
 
 Shaws Water line of falls at Greenock. Notwithstand- 
 ing the small area of water-shed and the limited rainfall, 
 the supply has never been known to fail, the water 
 being chiefly derived from perennial springs within the 
 area of the basin. The water for domestic purposes is 
 conveyed from the lake into iron tanks placed at various 
 heights on the rising ground. This is a precaution 
 provided at the instance of the house proprietors to 
 guard against damage being done to their properties by 
 exposing their pipes to unnecessary pressure. The 
 writer examined one of these tanks in course of con- 
 struction. It was 56 feet high and 50 feet in diameter 
 very much resembling a gasholder. The water being so 
 largely derived from springs is very pure and much 
 valued for its supply of ice, the sale of which is a large 
 and important industry in the district. On visiting the 
 lake, we arrived at an ice store a large, dull and 
 monotonous-looking building, about fifty feet high, with 
 two openings in it the full height of the structure, which 
 serve as doors one in front for delivery and the other 
 at the back for receiving the ice from the lake. A long, 
 movable incline is placed at the door between the store 
 and the lake, this incline being gradually raised as 
 the ice is deposited within the store. After frost sets 
 in and the ice is about nine inches thick, a plough drawn 
 by horses starts from the bottom of the incline direct 
 out into the lake, cutting the ice into a long sheet about 
 3 y 2 feet broad, a trench being cut on each side of the 
 sheet. At the bottom of the incline this sheet is cut 
 into handy blocks, which are pulled up the incline, and 
 deposited in the store until these represent a solid mass 
 of ice from bottom to top, there being no intermediate 
 floors, the walls being held together by means of iron 
 tie-rods. The company that owns this store employs
 
 twenty-six horses all the summer delivering the ice over 
 the city. The company provides its customers with a 
 ticket to be hung outside of the door when a supply is 
 wanted, and vans go round every day to deliver the ice 
 in the same way as bakers in this country deliver 
 bread. The customers settle their accounts monthly or 
 quarterly as may be arranged. 
 
 Some idea may be formed of the prosperity of this 
 city from the fact that in 1881, on my previous visit, the 
 population was 51,500, with 45 mills running, while in 
 1892 the population had increased to 77,300, with 67 
 mills in operation and others in course of construction. 
 It seems to be one of the chief characteristics of 
 Americans to try to outstrip everything that has been 
 done previously. An instance of this occurred in this 
 city last year in the construction of a weaving factory, 
 900 feet long, 120 wide, and 4 storeys high. The 
 company, anxious to have the building completed with 
 as little delay as possible, imposed a heavy penalty on 
 the contractors if the time taken to erect the building 
 exceeded six months. To the great surprise of many 
 and the satisfaction of both the company and the con- 
 tractors, that day six months on which they broke 
 ground the building was not only completed but there 
 were several looms in it at which cloth was being woven. 
 All the waterfalls being occupied, the mills erected dur- 
 ing the last 15 years are worked by steam power. In 1892 
 there were 23,000 people employed in the various mills. 
 Weekly pays are the rule ; every day in the week, with 
 the exception of Monday, being a pay day at one or 
 other of the mills. This arrangement has been found 
 preferable to paying the workpeople all on one day. 
 Banks are an indispensable adjunct to every prosperous 
 district. Here we have seven national and four co-
 
 operative banks, and all doing a large business. There 
 are also four savings banks, patronised wholly by the 
 workpeople, and in which sums as small as five cents 
 can be deposited. In these four savings banks there 
 are ,2,590,000 at the credit of 28,900 depositors. To 
 discover the cause of such great prosperity might profit- 
 ably engage the attention of those who take an interest 
 in the industries of our Scotch towns and the wellbeing 
 of the inhabitants. The decline of our local industries 
 and the poverty of the workpeople in this country are 
 frequently attributed to the high price of land in the 
 neighbourhood of our towns. It naturally occurred to 
 us that the prosperity of Fall River might, to some 
 extent, be due to its cheap land ; but, on making 
 inquiry, we learned that such was not the case, the land 
 there being more than double the price of what it is 
 with us at home. But one benefit they have that we 
 have not. They have in reality a Board of Trade, 
 composed of twenty of the leading practical men of the 
 district, who meet monthly and watch over the interests 
 of the city. Whenever it is known that a company 
 intend starting business in the States, this Board com- 
 municates with the firm, gives all information in their 
 power, courts them to come to their district, assists them 
 in getting a suitable site to erect premises, and uses its 
 influence to get them free from local taxation, in some 
 cases for a period of ten years. This is a great contrast 
 to our British Board of Trade, composed of clergymen 
 and a few party politicians whose headquarters are in 
 London, and who, as stated by a late President, have 
 not met during the past quarter of a century ! 
 Massachusetts is famed for paying greater attention to 
 education than any of the other States in the Union. 
 That report was pretty well supported by what came
 
 under our observation in this city. There is a com- 
 mittee of nine gentlemen who attend to the education 
 of all between the ages of five and fifteen, of whom 
 there are 14,900 within the city. Their training is said 
 to cost ^40,000 per annum. Three of that committee 
 retire annually, and other three are elected to take their 
 places. We visited one of the schools, a handsome 
 granite building, presented to the city a few years ago 
 by a lady in memory of her son, and named after him 
 the B. M. C. Durfee High School. It occupies a square 
 fronting four streets. The class-rooms are commodiously 
 fitted up, besides which there are laboratories, lecture- 
 rooms, gymnasium, library, industrial and mechanical 
 departments, with lathes for turning and drilling, band- 
 saws and benches for carpentry work. The machinery 
 and tools are the most modern of their kind. There is 
 a 7^ horse-power engine to drive the machinery. On 
 the third floor is the grand exhibition hall, in which 
 teachers and students assemble every Friday during the 
 session. The building is surmounted by an astronomical 
 tower with dome, 17 feet in diameter, which can be 
 turned either by hand or clockwork. In it is a telescope, 
 a duplicate of one in use in the Lick Observatory. 
 There is an opening in the dome about 2^ feet wide, 
 and the full height from the rim to the centre through 
 which to view the celestial bodies. We were permitted 
 to ascend and stand on the rim, holding on with our 
 hands while the dome revolved. The building, being 
 erected on an elevated part of the city, we had a fine 
 bird's eye view of the whole district ; but there being no 
 protection in front of us, it caused a strange, thrilling 
 sensation, until we got down from our elevated position. 
 Afterwards we passed some time inspecting the articles 
 manufactured by the students of this school. Some of
 
 the joiner and cabinet work could not have been 
 surpassed by tradesmen of many years' experience. The 
 School Committee seem to be very successful in their 
 educational supervision, if we may judge from the 
 great demand for the broad-sheets that are continually 
 issuing from their press. There are seven weekly and 
 three daily newspapers, all apparently well supported by 
 the citizens. 
 
 Another favourable feature of the city is, that in the 
 midst of their temporal prosperity, their spiritual well- 
 being is, at the same time, amply attended to. Within 
 the city there are 41 commodious churches under the 
 care of well-educated and talented preachers, and there 
 are also several mission stations spreading their Christian 
 influence over the city. Eleven of the churches belong 
 to the Roman Catholics and thirty of them to the 
 Protestants. 
 
 The greater number of the houses are constructed 
 of timber. Some of the dwellings of merchants and 
 manufacturers are of beautiful design and have a most 
 inviting appearance, from the fact of their not being 
 enclosed with high walls or railings along the streets. 
 In passing along you can step from any part of the 
 pavement on to the green sward. One would almost 
 say that those taking a stroll over the city derive more 
 pleasure from the beautifully laid-out lawn and flower- 
 plots than generally falls to the lot of the owners of the 
 mansions.
 
 3 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 RAILWAY FARES SLEEPING CARS OMAHA FORMATION 
 OF AN ISLAND A BONE OF CONTENTION MEETING OF 
 GREENOCKIANS ENCOURAGING NEW INDUSTRIES 
 POPULATION INCREASED THREE-FOLD IN TEN YEARS 
 HOW TO TRAIN HORSES SMELTING WORKS SILVER 
 INGOTS DIRTY WATER SUPPLY SETTLING TANKS. 
 
 The time allotted for our departure from Fall River 
 having come, a young American lady joined our party, 
 and we selected Omaha as our next halting place. We, 
 however, broke our journey at Chicago, in order to take 
 our tickets from there for a round trip to San Francisco, 
 down the Pacific Coast to San Diego, and, on our return, 
 we visited places of interest between San Diego and 
 Portland, Oregon, on our way back to Chicago. 
 American agents are very obliging in getting tickets made 
 up so that you may travel by various routes to almost 
 any destination. For a journey of over 6,000 miles, a 
 first-class ticket will cost 26 sleeping accommodation 
 requiring to be paid for in addition. From Omaha to 
 either Les Angelos or San Francisco, the charge is 
 2 i2S for a " section " that is sufficient to accommodate 
 two persons, and the time required for the trip will 
 probably be from three to four nights. If the journey 
 is to be continuous, it is well to secure your compart- 
 ment before starting, and, if possible, to get a lower 
 berth in the centre of the car. Omaha is 1,000 feet 
 above the sea level, situated on the west bank, with 
 Council Bluffs on the east bank, of the Missouri River 
 the former being in the State of Nebraska and the latter
 
 14 
 
 in the State of Iowa, the river being the boundary line 
 between the two States. For several years past an 
 island has been-ferming in the river, caused by the debris 
 coming down from the upper districts. This island has 
 been a bone of contention between the two States for 
 several years, each asserting its claim to it. The Board 
 of Trade of each State agreed to refer the question in 
 dispute to the American Government, which has lately 
 settled the question by fixing a line up the centre of the 
 island giving a half to each State. Having arrived at 
 our destination and fixed our quarters at the Murray 
 Hotel, we" went out to view the city. In going about, 
 we noticed a large building in course of construction, 
 and, from a poster on its walls, we thought the con- 
 tractor's name was familiar to us as that of a gentleman 
 who had carried on an important branch of the house- 
 building trade in Greenock. Though not personally 
 acquainted with him, but having experienced how much 
 valuable information can be got by a visitor when 
 meeting some one thoroughly acquainted with the 
 district, we directed our steps towards his residence, 
 resolved to make ourselves known. We were fortunate 
 in finding the gentleman in the midst of his family, and 
 on their learning that we were from their native town, 
 the hospitality which we received knew no bounds, and 
 we were even urged to prolong our visit, so as to give 
 them an opportunity of conducting us over the more 
 interesting parts of the city, an invitation that we cheer- 
 fully accepted. 
 
 Our newly-formed acquaintance, from his familiarity 
 with the city, was admirably fitted to point out its most 
 interesting features, he having come to the place some 
 ten years before as manager to a large firm of builders. 
 At the expiry of his engagement, he began on his own
 
 '5 
 
 account, and has now an extensive and prosperous 
 business of his own. While his good lady was driving 
 my companions round the qity, MHPark introduced me 
 to other Greenockians who had settled there, one of 
 whom had lately gone into the growing of beet and the 
 manufacture of beet sugar. In course of conversation 
 with my old countrymen, I asked if they had discovered 
 any satisfactory reason why their adopted city was so 
 successful in all its undertakings as compared with their 
 own native town. The reply was that the city was still 
 in its infancy ; they had no slums, no paupers, no 
 unemployed, and they had a Board of Public Works, 
 composed of gentlemen of the highest standing, who 
 gave their close and earnest attention to everything that 
 tended towards the improvement and prosperity of the 
 city, and did all in their power to bring trade to the 
 district. Above all, they put great value on the fact that 
 employers and their workmen got on harmoniously 
 with each other. There being a total absence of trades- 
 union agitators, a strike very rarely took place within 
 the city. Instead of that spirit of beggar-my-neighbour 
 and trade jealousy that is the cause of so much worry 
 and annoyance at home, an inducement is held out to 
 everyone to come and settle in the district. My inform- 
 ants gave a very striking instance of this that occurred 
 lately. A new railway was being promoted that was to 
 pass at a considerable distance from the city. The 
 Board of Public Works held a consultation on the 
 matter, and, notwithstanding their having many railway 
 lines already running through the city, the Board voted 
 ^100,000 to the Company, on condition that the line 
 would be brought to the city, giving it a goods and 
 passenger station. My friends further stated that the 
 citizens confirmed the vote of the Board.
 
 i6 
 
 Omaha is 500 miles west of Chicago, and is in reality 
 more prosperous, healthy and desirable as a residence 
 than the latter. That is a natural result of its 
 geographical position, being situated almost in the 
 centre of the States, on the banks of a rapidly-flowing 
 river, with hundreds of miles of rich agricultural land all 
 round, with iron ore and coal in abundance, and railways 
 bringing the rich ores of gold, silver, and lead from the 
 mines in various States to the smelting works in the city. 
 The writer visited Omaha ten years ago, but on the 
 present occasion met with a succession of surprises, 
 owing to the enormously changed appearance of the 
 whole district. The great increase of its traffic is truly 
 marvellous, and its population, which in 1881 was under 
 31,000, is now over 150,000, being quadrupled ; while 
 Chicago, in the same period of time, has scarcely 
 doubled. Its streets are long, broad, and straight as an 
 arrow, and at least every second street has now its line 
 of cable or electric cars. Electricity here, as in almost 
 all American cities, has entirely supplanted the use of 
 the horse in car-pulling. Still, horses seem to be as 
 much used as ever, but in performing lighter work. 
 Every contractor who employs a few men superintends 
 them on horseback. The news-boy delivers his morning 
 paper on horseback. In some parts of the city where 
 gas is still in use, the lamplighter lights and puts out the 
 lamps on horseback. It is highly amusing to observe 
 the animal as it goes zig-zag from side to side of the 
 street, stopping under each lamp with seemingly as 
 much intelligence as its rider. American horses, as a 
 rule, are exceedingly well trained nothing seems to 
 startle them. They are put to work when very young. 
 It is quite common to see a farmer coming into the city 
 with his mare in harness, and her foal (of a few weeks'
 
 '7 
 
 old) trotting at her side. When it gets older, it is 
 hitched by a halter to its mother's head. The next 
 stage, when it gets older still, it is harnessed so that it 
 must assist its mother in doing her work. The 
 Americans are thus freed from all danger and excitement 
 in breaking in their young horses. 
 
 The smelting and refinery works are worthy of a visit. 
 They are on an extensive scale, and have supplanted all 
 similar works in the Eastern States, chiefly owing to their 
 proximity to cheap fuel and direct railway communication 
 with the mines in several of the Western States, from 
 which the ore is carried direct into the works. The ore, 
 during the greater part of the process, has a worthless 
 appearance, resembling a mixture of clay and rotten 
 rock. We saw the various processes of extracting silver, 
 which, towards the completion, is obtained in the liquid 
 state, and run into moulds. When it becomes solid, 
 it is thrown into a tank of cold water, and when taken 
 out is ready to be sent to the mint. Each of the ingots 
 weighs 75 Ibs., and was said to be worth 1150 dollars 
 (^236). It is wonderful how small a quantity of precious 
 metal is derived from such a large quantity of refuse, 
 that, to get rid of, has to be tipped into the river. 
 
 Leaving the smelting works, the river next commands 
 our attention. Its general appearance reminds one as 
 if looking on the Clyde immediately after a launch in the 
 neighbourhood of a shipbuilding yard ; the whole surface 
 is covered with pieces of wood and floating debris, that 
 forcibly demonstrates the rapidity of the current. The 
 muddy appearance of the river made us shudder when 
 told that what we looked on was the never-failing source 
 of the city's domestic water supply. Our friend who 
 accompanied us, being largely interested in the water 
 supply of the city, gave us some consolation on that
 
 i8 
 
 point, by assuring us that the water we so dreaded was 
 chemically pure that what we saw was mechanical 
 impurities that were completely removed from the water 
 before it was sent into the city. Further, that the city 
 physicians recommended to discontinue all wells con- 
 structed previous to 1881, the date of adopting the 
 present supply, which is taken from the river several 
 miles above the city, where there was constructed a suc- 
 cession of settling tanks into which the water flows. 
 From the last tank it is pumped into a reservoir 8 miles 
 distant from the city, and fully 300 feet above the level of 
 the river. From this reservoir the water is distributed 
 direct to the fire hydrants over the city and houses in 
 the higher districts.
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 MANITOU NATURAL SODA WATER, AN ARTICLE OF 
 COMMERCE THE DONKEY BRIGADE GARDEN OF THE 
 GODS PIKE'S PEAK TWO MILES ASCENT BY RAIL 
 VIEW FROM THE SUMMIT. 
 
 Our next halting-place is Manitou, in the State of 
 Colorado, about 700 miles south-west of Omaha : on the 
 journey having to change from the Union Pacific to the 
 Denver and Rio Grand Railway at Denver, which is the 
 capital of Colorado, and generally known as " The 
 Queen City of the West." We decided to spend a few 
 hours here and see what were its charms. The city has 
 grown up steadily during the last thirty years, and is now 
 said to have the largest population of any place between 
 the Missouri River and San Francisco. Its houses are 
 substantially built of stone and brick; its streets are wide 
 and well finished with cement on footpaths and carriage- 
 ways. Its electric cars are an object of great interest. 
 On one of them we rode out to a public park which 
 occupies half a plot (320 acres) of school lands, all 
 planted and beautifully laid out within the last three 
 years. The trees and shrubs strikingly indicated the 
 great fertility of the soil, these having more the appear- 
 ance of twelve than three years' growth. The city is also 
 worthy of notice as being the healthiest in the States ; 
 the average annual death-rate in eleven of the largest 
 cities being ig per 1000 of the population, while in 
 Denver it is only 10 per 1000.
 
 20 
 
 The appliances for working the electric cars detract 
 very much from the appearance of what are otherwise 
 fine streets. Wood poles about 25 feet high are placed 
 at the kerb on each side of the street opposite to each 
 other. A wire crossing the street is fixed on top of these 
 poles. A succession of these poles and wires is placed 
 all along the streets at about the same distance apart as 
 our street lamp-posts. These cross wires carry the 
 longitudinal wires that convey the electric current from 
 the dynamo to the cars. From the centre of the roof of 
 the car an iron rod, with a pulley on its upper end, 
 stands up at an angle of about 45 degrees. The longi- 
 tudinal wire rests in the groove of this pulley, which is 
 the point that completes the electric current between the 
 car and the dynamo. This rod is fitted with a swivel 
 and spring on to the top of the car, so that it can be 
 turned round in any direction, and have a spring upwards 
 that keeps the pulley always pressed up against the 
 longitudinal wire. A cord hangs down from the pulley 
 in front of the driver, so that he can pull it down and 
 break the current before applying the brake, or, if neces- 
 sary, to shift on to another street. Every time the contact 
 with the wire is broken, an electric flash is seen at the 
 pulley. Manitou is about 80 miles south of Denver. It 
 is situated in a nicely secluded valley about 8 miles long, 
 and approached from a level plain which converges to 
 about half-a-mile broad towards the upper end. On one 
 side the ground rises gently, and on the other very 
 abruptly, till it terminates in a high mountain range, while 
 Pike's Peak blocks the way in front. 
 
 Manitou is a favourite resort for invalids, who derive 
 great benefit from its invigorating atmosphere and the use 
 of the mineral waters that are continually flowing from its 
 wonderful effervescent springs of soda, sulphur, and iron.
 
 21 
 
 It is also a favourite halting-place for the tourist, who can 
 spend a few days pleasantly amongst its many attractive 
 spots and scenic grandeur, the latest attraction in the 
 district being the trip by cog-wheel railway up to Pike's 
 Peak, which was opened in July, 1891. 
 
 Manitou is purely a city of hotels and boarding 
 houses : no business being carried on, except what is 
 necessary to supply the wants of tourists and invalids. 
 The streets are wide, though very irregular, and the 
 houses detached, with a considerable extent of ground to 
 each, and supplied with electric light. Houses in course 
 of construction have wires put in for the electric light, the 
 same as we put in pipes for gas. It is surprising that 
 the Americans, with all their ingenuity and enterprise, 
 should still use steam power to generate electricity, while 
 they have an abundance of unused water-falls in the 
 immediate neighbourhood of their electric works. 
 
 There are a great many soda springs over the grounds 
 and on the streets, all nicely formed into wells about 
 three feet in diameter, with the water welling up in great 
 abundance, the gas passing off into the air, and the pure 
 water into the street drains. A very attractive soda well 
 is situated at the approach to a fine museum and large 
 sale warehouse. This well is enclosed all round with a 
 railing and a table in front. A young man, dressed in a 
 neat uniform, stands within the railing, having in his hand 
 a dipper with three tumblers ; with this he lifts water from 
 the well, and hands a glass to each person as he passes. 
 Old residenters seemed to take as kindly to their native 
 beverage as an Englishman does to his beer. Passing 
 along in the evening, my attention was attracted towards 
 a gasometer in course of construction at the end of a 
 large stone building; and being desirous to learn for 
 what it was to be used, I went to the place next
 
 22 
 
 morning. The workmen had not commenced, but 
 the manager, who was there, noticing that I was 
 looking rather inquisitively about the place, came forward 
 and introduced himself, and on finding what I 
 wanted and that I was a stranger, he showed me 
 all over the works, and invited me to remain until 
 the men had commenced, when I would see the whole 
 operation in practical working. These works are the 
 property of the Manitou Natural Soda Water Export 
 Co., and are at present the only works at which the 
 natural soda water is re-charged with its own gas, and 
 afterwards sold over the States as an article of commerce. 
 In a corner of the building was a gasholder, the same as 
 the one being constructed outside. The gasholder is 
 placed over the well, into which the water from the 
 spring is continually flowing ; the gas, as it gets liberated 
 from the water, is retained within the gasholder, from the 
 top of which a tube is taken to each of the bottling 
 machines, where the gas, under a pressure of 20 Ibs., is 
 restored to the water within the bottles. The operator 
 at each machine has an attendant who examines every 
 bottle after it is charged to see that it has the gas and 
 water in proper proportions, and it is then passed on to 
 a man who puts on the label, and afterwards to another 
 who makes up the cases for export. The company, to meet 
 the increasing demand, were erecting the new gasholder 
 with the view of doubling their output. Livery stable- 
 keepers spare neither trouble nor expense in providing 
 and placing at the disposal of visitors facilities for young 
 persons visiting places of interest. It is an amusing 
 sight to see every morning in front of one of the hostelries 
 the turn-out of the " burro brigade " that is, a cavalcade 
 of from forty to fifty little donkeys, all harnessed with 
 saddles and bridles. They start off at nine o'clock to
 
 2 3 
 
 the nearest hotel ; when the requisite number is chosen, 
 the remainder proceed to another hotel, until they 
 are all taken up. An experienced guide and ostler 
 accompany every twelve donkeys. The guide explains the 
 district to the children, and at the end of their ride sees 
 them safely restored to their guardians. 
 
 A couple of weeks could be very profitably spent here, 
 within a range of twelve miles, taking a new route every 
 day. The Garden of the Gods, three miles distant, 
 although very grand and illustrative of the effects of 
 frost, wind, and weather on the rocks, was to the writer 
 a great disappointment, probably from hearing so much 
 about it ; but to call it a garden is a misnomer. There 
 is in reality no trace of a garden. It resembles more 
 some great sculptural studio, where the various objects 
 are roughly blocked out ready for the fine lines and 
 finishing touches of a master hand. The ascent of Pike's 
 Peak by the cog wheel railway is an experience that is 
 certain to leave on the mind an impression of life-long 
 duration. The distance from the station to the summit 
 of the peak is eight and a-half miles, and fully two miles 
 perpendicular in height above the station, the fare being 
 ji, and the time occupied in the ascent one and a-half 
 hours. The engine takes only one carriage, holding 
 fifty persons. After leaving the station, for a short 
 distance we pass through a valley alongside of a deep 
 ravine which, from the strange formation of its rocks and 
 the immense boulders that appear to be thrown together 
 in the wildest confusion, gives the impression as if this 
 had been the fag-end of creation. As we ascend, the 
 plains begin to appear over the top of the foot hills. 
 The sides of the mountains, when viewed from the city, 
 had a smooth, barren appearance, but now impress us 
 with their great fertility. What appeared to be stunted
 
 24 
 
 shrubs in the distance, when we came nearer we found 
 to be fine trees, whose trunks were from two to three 
 feet in diameter; and beautiful flowers grew in abundance. 
 The higher we went these diminished in size as, for 
 instance, sunflowers, which were about eight feet high 
 down in the valley, were just about the same number of 
 inches, but as perfect in form and colour. When about 
 half-way up, we reached Ruxton Park, where there is a 
 station, and a notice of a property in the neighbourhood 
 for sale, the extent of which was 250 acres. About a 
 mile further on there was another notice of lots for sale, 
 varying in price from 150 to 200 dollars. The summit, 
 viewed fromManitou, looks like a point in the distance, but 
 when we got on to it we found it was a large plain of broken 
 granite, in extent about the size of an ordinary Scotch 
 farm. There were a telegraph station and temporary 
 hotel, and railway sidings were being constructed. An 
 hour was allowed to send telegrams and to have a refresh- 
 ment and view the surroundings overlooking the lesser 
 mountains. As far as the eye can discern, the sky seems 
 to meet the land all round, with the exception of a small 
 portion where a mountain range rises up and meets the 
 sky; viewed from the summit, the cities of Colorado 
 Springs and Manitou were dwarfed and had a chess- 
 board like appearance. In the distance the land all 
 round resembled a large sheet of water, with the forests 
 resembling islands. ... Looking down the sides of the peak, 
 it is marvellous to see the great number of valleys and 
 extensive patches of level land, enlivened frequently by 
 lakes of clear water, which can only be seen when looking 
 from the summit. There was a -slight mishap to the 
 engine before we got half-way down, and all the 
 passengers had to get out until the repairs were com- 
 pleted. This mishap gave us an excellent opportunity of
 
 25 
 
 examining the construction of the engine, carriages, and 
 line. As to the efficiency of the latter and the provision 
 against accidents, there seemed to be no cause for alarm. 
 There are two cog wheels under the engine, and two cog 
 rails in the centre of the line, any one of which is 
 sufficient to work the line in the event of the other 
 failing. The rails are very heavy, and to prevent their 
 sliding down the incline they are anchored at short 
 intervals by solid masses of masonry built down into the 
 ground, and the rails formed so as to have a thrust against 
 the upper side of masonry. All bridges and masonry are 
 constructed of granite, which has been dug out of the 
 bed of the line. 
 
 The writer would strongly recommend all who visit 
 this district not to neglect to ascend Pike's Peak.
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 LEAVING MANITOU THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS THE 
 ROYAL GORGE RAIL AND RIVER SIDE BY SIDE 
 AN ENGINEERING DIFFICULTY OVERCOME SALIDA 
 BOOM IN TOWN LOTS RELICS OF AN INDIAN 
 OUTRAGE RAILWAY MOUNTAIN CLIMBING COAL 
 MINES BLACK CANON CHEAP RAILWAY CON- 
 STRUCTION. 
 
 Having had many opportunities during the past few 
 weeks of witnessing some of the chief features of the 
 Americans in their city life, their social habits, and their 
 modes of enjoying themselves at their health and pleasure 
 resorts, we now resolve on visiting some of the romantic 
 and picturesque scenery of the Rocky Mountains, for 
 which the Denver and Rio Grande Railway route is so 
 famous. Leaving Manitou and joining the main line at 
 Colorado Springs, we soon enter a district of singular 
 formation. From the banks along the side, we are 
 evidently passing along the bed of a dried-up lake, and 
 soon enter an extensive petroleum district. On reaching 
 the Arkansas River, the railway runs alongside of it till 
 arriving at Canon City, where the river and railway pass 
 through the Grand Canon of the Arkansas. The chief 
 attraction here is the awe-inspiring grandeur of the Royal 
 Gorge, which is the narrowest part of the canon, seven 
 miles long and only fifty feet wide at the bottom, and 
 about seventy -five feet wide at the top, the granite walls on 
 each rising to a height of from two to three thousand feet.
 
 2 7 
 
 The railway, for the greater part of the distance, rests on 
 a shelf, which has been formed by blasting out the rock 
 and throwing it into the river, which flows very rapidly 
 and winding in its course. The sides of the canon, at 
 times jutting out as if to block the way, necessitate the 
 train (which here moves slowly) going round a succession 
 of turns in the shape of the letter " s." Occasionally 
 those in the last car seem to be within speaking distance 
 of those in the front car, when all of a sudden the engine 
 takes a turn and bolts off in the opposite direction, fre- 
 quently repeating that freak Until a point is reached 
 where the gorge is straight and very narrow and the cliffs 
 highest. Here a formidable engineering difficulty has 
 been overcome. The river was not only monopolising 
 the whole width between the perpendicular walls, but 
 had actually undermined them, so that no foundation 
 could be got for the railway. To overcome this obstacle, 
 sockets were cut into the cliffs overhead on each side at a 
 considerable distance apart. The sockets formed rests for 
 the foot of iron couples that were thrown across, as if it were 
 intended to roof over the river. The railway is suspended 
 from the apex of these couples by strong iron hangers, and 
 is thus carried a considerable distance over, and running 
 in the same direction as the river. Looking up from the 
 platform of the car at this point, a streak of light is seen 
 fully half a mile overhead. The train, on emerging from 
 this narrow gorge, enters the valley of the Arkansas, beau- 
 tifully enclosed all round by mountains. Conspicuous 
 amongst them is the Sangre de Christo range (the blood 
 of Christ), said to be so named from its pure white, snow- 
 covered peaks. At first sight one can scarcely determine 
 where the peaks terminate and the sky begins. 
 
 At Salida, a pretty little town, there is a junction, 
 where several lines branch off. Tourists who wish to
 
 28 
 
 sleep over-night here should avoid the Station Hotel, 
 owing to the great amount of shunting that is carried on 
 all night. The chief advantage gained by staying there 
 is to get the train leaving in the morning, so that the 
 Marshall Pass and the wild grandeur of the Black Canon 
 can be seen in the day-time. 
 
 Salida was twelve years ago held by the Indians. Two 
 years later the railway passed through and left in the 
 district 30 of a white population. There are now over 
 3500 inhabitants, all seemingly very jubilant over the 
 future prospects of the town. Meeting with one of the 
 original settlers, he took great interest in showing us 
 over their electric works, and pointed out a lot of land 
 that eight years ago had been bought for 50 dols., and 
 which was sold the week before our visit for 1600 dols. 
 Our informant seemed grieved that he had not taken up 
 some lots before the " boom " had set in. Here a 
 railway leaves the main line, and after proceeding a few 
 miles, it branches off into two. One of the branches 
 goes 100 miles and the other 250 miles south, each 
 passing over very interesting mountain ranges. After 
 taking a circuitous route, they meet again, and join the 
 main line 400 miles west of Salida. These side lines 
 are constructed chiefly for pleasure and sight-seeing, and 
 to show tourists the magnificent scenery of the Rocky 
 Mountains. We took for our route the inner circle. 
 Leaving Salida, and running over a few miles of a beau- 
 tiful plain, the foothills are reached, which present a 
 very singular appearance from their being totally covered 
 with a forest of white bleached trees, some standing and 
 some lying on the ground. This, we were informed, 
 was the result of an Indian outrage on the white settlers 
 about nine years ago. The Indians, having failed in 
 their attempt to drive the settlers out of the district, set
 
 2 9 
 
 fire to the forest all round the plain, and then deserted 
 the district. 
 
 Owing to the steep incline towards the Marshall Pass, 
 it is necessary, before beginning the ascent, to divide the 
 train in two, each half being taken up by two engines. 
 Gradually ascending towards the summit, the view 
 becomes less interrupted and more impressive. As we 
 look down on the plain and over the vast number of 
 peaks of the lower mountains, we see the many wind- 
 ings and deep gorges over which we have passed, some 
 of them being crossed on wood trestles hundreds of feet 
 high, while others had to be gone round in a horse-shoe 
 form, necessitating at times a journey of about ten miles 
 without getting any further ahead, beyond attaining a 
 greater height, and looking down on the point we passed 
 nearly half-an-hour before. Unless watching closely the 
 course of the train, you get so bewildered that you can 
 scarcely believe your own eyes when you see the half of 
 the train you left going along the track you have just 
 passed over, and seemingly scudding along in the oppo- 
 site direction to which you are going. When near to the 
 top, several portions of the line can be distinctly seen, 
 each alternate portion apparently going in opposite 
 directions. On reaching the summit, and while the 
 train is being made up for the descent, sufficient time is 
 given to ascend a high tower that is erected to give 
 passengers an opportunity of looking down on the peaks 
 of the lesser mountains, and of seeing where they came 
 from and where they are going to. 
 
 When the descent is commenced, an engine proceeds 
 a little way ahead of the train to make sure that the line 
 is all clear. It is very interesting to watch from the 
 train the weasel-like motion of the engine pointing out, 
 as it were, the zig-zag course and steep inclines over
 
 3 
 
 which we have to follow, until getting to the town of 
 Gunnison, where a halt is made. A branch line leaves 
 here for Crested Butte, about 30 miles up in the 
 mountains, where there has lately been discovered, near 
 the top of the mountain, a remarkable bed of very 
 superior coal that is now being shipped all over the 
 States of Colorado and Utah. This discovery of coal in 
 the mountain has been of immense benefit to the gold 
 and silver mines in the district. Smelting works are 
 now erected in the vicinity of the mines. Before leaving 
 Gunnison, observation cars are attached to the back-end 
 of the train. These are comfortably seated, and open 
 above so as to give a complete view of the magnificent 
 scenery of the Black Canon, which is, in some respects, 
 similar to the Royal Gorge, but more wonderful. Its 
 wildness is beyond description. The Black Canon is 
 sixteen miles in length, and it is just of such breadth 
 between the walls as to allow the Gunnison River to 
 flow through it. The railway for the whole length of the 
 canon rests on a ledge that has been formed in the solid 
 rock, the debris from which had been turned into the 
 river. On the one side a gorge is passed from which a 
 stream of water flows into the river, and on the other 
 side streams of water are pouring down from great heights, 
 and are dashed into spray before reaching the bottom. 
 The cliffs along each side range from one to three 
 thousand feet high. There is nothing black, as indicated 
 by the name ; the walls have a clear, sparkling appearance, 
 and, from the narrowness of the canon and the height of 
 the cliffs, appear as if seen in clear moonlight. Some 
 of the upper strata of the wall resemble in appearance 
 the freize of some ancient temple, richly decorated with 
 carving and groups of figures of various sizes; and 
 frequently detached portions of the rock rise up like
 
 31 
 
 richly-ornamented cathedral spires. Passing from this 
 wonderful and imposing scenery on the way to Grand 
 Junction, the time was very agreeably spent, as we had 
 the good fortune to be introduced, as Scotch visitors, to 
 a gentleman who had taken an active part in promoting, 
 constructing, and working the line over which we were 
 passing. We asked if he could explain how it was that 
 Americans could carry passengers at such moderate fares 
 over such costly-constructed railways. He said "You, 
 like all tourists from the old country, have extravagant 
 ideas as to the cost of American railways. The Black 
 Canon, through which you have now passed, cost only 
 95 P er rnile ; the Royal Gorge the same, with the 
 exception of one mile, which was ^2 2,000 ; and the 
 average of prairie railway does not exceed ^900 per 
 mile." Having some doubts about this last statement, 
 we ventured to say he must be mistaken the sum he 
 named was under IDS per lineal yard. He said there 
 was no mistake about it, and went on to enumerate the 
 various items, with their prices, stating that labour was 
 the most costly, being from 8s to IDS per day ; but little 
 of it was required to what was necessary in the old 
 country, where the debris had to be carried long distances 
 and handled several times. In the canons it was only 
 handled once by throwing it aside. In the rolling 
 prairies, where the line sometimes extended straight for 
 hundreds of miles, the grading was all done by the horse 
 shovel, ready for laying down the sleepers. Besides, he 
 said, the land costs nothing. In many instances, to 
 encourage railway extension, a grant of land is given 
 alongside of a line to the company who constructs it. 
 Our informant completely removed from us the 
 impression that American railways are the expensive 
 undertakings that at first sight they appear to be.
 
 3 2 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 SALT LAKE CITY TEN YEARS' INCREASE OF CITY AND 
 POPULATION THE TEMPLE THE TABERNACLE 
 ONTARIO MINES NOVEL RAILWAY TRAVELLING 
 GARFIELD BEACH BATHING ACCOMMODATION. 
 
 Refreshed by a few hours very pleasantly spent in 
 the sleeping car, we arrived at Salt Lake City, prepared 
 to spend some days in taking an unbiassed survey of 
 the " City of Zion," as it is now called by the Latter-day 
 Saints. Meeting with several old acquaintances, some 
 of whom were Mormons and some Gentiles (all are 
 Gentiles who don't belong to the Mormon Church), a 
 very good opportunity was had for hearing both sides of 
 the polygamy question. The writer having visited the 
 city in 1881, pronounced it at that time (with one 
 exception) the finest and best kept of the American 
 cities he had visited. A stream of water was then flowing 
 down a channel formed outside of the pavement on each 
 side of the street, with a sluice opposite each property 
 to turn the water into the gardens, to irrigate the grass- 
 plots and shade trees that lined each side of the 
 carriageways. Everything had a clean, tidy and well- 
 kept appearance, as if lately taken from the hands of 
 the contractors. There were no police on the streets. 
 The population was then about 28,000, about one-fifth 
 of whom were Gentiles and the other four-fifths Mormons. 
 The latter had full control of the city, and aimed at 
 making it the finest city in the world. The population
 
 33 
 
 is now 49,000, and though still a fine city, it was a 
 great disappointment to find that it lacked much of its 
 former beauty and well-kept appearance of 1881. Many 
 of the water channels were dry ; some of the beautiful 
 shade trees seemed as if dying for want of moisture, 
 and the grass-plots were overgrown with weeds and 
 totally neglected, while uniformed police were perambu- 
 lating the streets. This change is attributed to the great 
 increase of the Gentile population, who have lately become 
 the majority of the Councillors, and who go in more for 
 speculative enterprise than for beautifying the city. 
 Polygamy, which was at one time the chief barrier to 
 friendly relations between the Americans and the 
 Mormons, is now a thing of the past. At a general 
 conference held in October, 1890, it was unanimously 
 voted that polygamy be renounced in future, and that 
 all marriages should conform to the law of the land. It 
 is said that there was a general feeling in favour of 
 the abolition of polygamy. Though it was sanctioned 
 by the Church, it was rarely practised. Before con- 
 tracting a polygamous marriage, it was indispensable for 
 the husband to get the consent of his first wife, then, 
 afterwards, the consent of the Church. This change is ex- 
 pected to bring about a more friendly feeling between^the 
 Americans and the Mormon citizens than has existed in 
 the past. Looking from the heights behind the city, its 
 position is very imposing. Situated near the end of a 
 beautifully-cultivated plain, extending westward as far as 
 the eye can reach, and from thirty to forty miles in 
 breadth, bounded on each side by a range of mountains, 
 the occasional patches of snow in their gorges present 
 a pleasant, variegated appearance, in beautiful contrast 
 with the grain-covered plain at their base. To the right 
 is Garfield Beach, the nearest part of the lake, while
 
 34 
 
 right in front is a city of cottage homes, with its broad 
 streets extending miles into the plain. The cottages are 
 partly hidden by luxuriant shade trees on the streets 
 and fruit trees in the gardens. With the exception of 
 the business portion in the centre of the city, there are 
 no tenement houses. The workpeople are invariably 
 the owners of their dwellings, thus giving everyone a sub- 
 stantial interest in the prosperity of the city. Their cot- 
 tages seemed to be models of comfort and cleanliness. 
 Only the public buildings are visible above the trees. In 
 former times the Tabernacle was the most conspicuous, 
 but it is now superseded by the Temple, which is the 
 largest and finest building in the city, and the most pro- 
 minent feature in the landscape. Its foundation was laid 
 on the 6th April, 1853, when the population numbered 
 about 5000. It is now almost completed, and is to be 
 dedicated on the 6th of April of the present year (1893), 
 so that the people have diligently spent the past forty 
 years, in so far as this building is concerned, in faith and 
 work. It is said that the only hindrance to the progress 
 of the work was when the builders at one time got ahead 
 of the stone-dressers at the quarries. The exterior of the 
 building is of granite ; and at the beginning the principal 
 stones had to be carried by ox teams a distance of thirty 
 miles. Ultimately, a railway was established between the 
 city and the quarries, since which time the work has 
 steadily progressed. In addition to the Temple and 
 the Tabernacle, there is a Latter-day Saints' College, 
 maintained by the Mormons, where every facility is given 
 for acquiring a first-class education. There are besides, 
 belonging to several other religious denominations, many 
 fine churches and places of worship, some of them show- 
 ing great taste in architectural design. There are also 
 many handsome new schools, and others being erected.
 
 35 
 
 It is said that in 1891, ^120,000 had been spent in the 
 construction and maintenance of school buildings. The 
 pupils in these seminaries of learning are supplied with 
 books, &c., at the expense of the city. The Tabernacle 
 is well worth visiting o.n Sundays. It is an admirable 
 design for any public building where there is risk 
 from a panic in case of fire. All round is a succession 
 of doors. In whatever part of the area one may be seated, 
 you can rise and walk across to any side of the building, 
 and there will be an open door facing you. The build- 
 ing, though seated for 13,000, can easily be filled in five 
 and emptied in three minutes. 
 
 The acoustics of the Temple are most wonderful. 
 Standing near the top of the stair leading to the gallery 
 in the semi-circular end, though two hundred and thirty 
 feet distant from the speaker, he is heard as distinctly as 
 though he were speaking into each ear. The city holds 
 an enviable position as regards health, and is kept 
 in thorough sanitary condition. Refuse and offal of 
 every kind are removed to a crematory outwith the city 
 boundary. The citizens pride themselves in promoting 
 local industries, and rigidly stick to using the home in 
 preference to the imported manufacture. They are 
 highly favoured by having an abundance of cheap fuel. 
 Natural gas has lately been discovered in the locality, 
 and preparation is being made for having it introduced 
 into the city for manufacturing and lighting purposes. 
 Electricity has completely superseded the mule cars of 
 ten years ago. There are now 75 miles of tram-rails 
 worked by the electric motor. Accidentally meeting a 
 young man, who had formerly been in the writer's em- 
 ployment and who had spent several years at the dig- 
 gings, he volunteered to spend a day showing me over 
 the Ontario Mines, about 35 miles distant from the city.
 
 36 
 
 The return fare was 123. The most interesting part of 
 the trip was a novel experience in railway travelling the 
 time occupied in going the 35 miles was 3^ hours. 
 Ascending the mountain side, the line was at times very 
 steep and dangerous looking. At intervals along the 
 steepest parts were switches for turning from the main to 
 side lines that ran up steep inclines for a short distance. 
 These side lines were used only when the engine was 
 dead beat, and could take the train no further up the 
 hill ; then the brake was put on till the switches were 
 set; then the brake is taken off and full steam appplied, 
 running the train as far up the steep incline as the 
 combined power of the steam and the momentum of the 
 train would carry it. The brake is again applied, and 
 a rest taken till the engine had drawn its breath and 
 gathered steam, then the brake is withdrawn and full 
 steam put on, getting up hill as far as possible. This 
 process was repeated time after time till arriving at the 
 summit, when we came to a long town with only one 
 street through it, and about 6000 of a population, all 
 being employed in the mines and smelting works. 
 
 The extensive fruit orchards, flower gardens, and 
 well-cultivated agricultural fields that surround Salt Lake 
 city are objects of great interest to visitors. But the 
 object of greatest interest is the Salt Lake itself, situated 
 more than 4000 feet above the level of the sea, with 
 several large rivers continually discharging their waters 
 into its basin, without any visible outlet or any apparent 
 rise on its banks. The evaporation from its surface is 
 supposed to be sufficient to maintain it always at the 
 same level. Yet within the last fifteen years it is said to 
 have fallen several feet in depth. This is accounted for 
 by the great extent of land that has been taken into cul- 
 tivation in the neighbourhood of its rivers, from which 
 the water has been diverted for irrigating the land, which
 
 37 
 
 becomes a medium of evaporation in addition to that of 
 the surface of the lake. Salt is extensively manufactured 
 from the waters of the lake. Five measures of the water, 
 when evaporated, yield one measure of solid salt. Visi- 
 tors should not omit having a bathe in the lake. They 
 will look back to it as one of the pleasures of their lives. 
 An hour can be well spent in the water without any 
 harm, and even then it will be left with great reluctance. 
 During the summer season, bathers' trains run every 
 hour between the city and Garfield Beach, where excel- 
 lent accommodation is provided. On arriving, apply at 
 the office, pay a shilling, and get your bathing-dress and 
 a key with the number of your room. There are thirty 
 buildings, each divided into apartments to accommodate 
 forty bathers in all, twelve hundred persons can be 
 accommodated at one time. Each room has all the 
 necessary toilet requisites, with electric light and a shower 
 bath, and with a plentiful supply of fresh water, this 
 being indispensable for washing off the crust of salt that 
 has deposited on the body. The water is not more than 
 five feet deep for a long distance out. It is impossible 
 to sink in it ; but if the head once gets down and the 
 feet up, it is very difficult to regain an upright position. 
 There are placards put up warning visitors of the danger 
 of putting one's head under the water, there being great 
 risk of getting strangled. If the water gets into the mouth 
 or eyes, the sensation is beyond description. After bath- 
 ing, those who are inclined for recreative exercise can 
 have a dance. For that purpose a large pavilion is fitted 
 up, with an orchestra. The pavilion is set on high piles 
 out on the lake, open at the sides and seated all round* 
 where you can sit looking out on those sporting in the 
 water. The piles under the pavilion have each an electric 
 light attached, so that bathing can be carried on by night 
 as well as by day.
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THE PRAIRIES SNOW SHEDS CAPE HORN MUCH- 
 NEEDED IRRIGATION SACRAMENTO VALLEY YUBA 
 
 CITY -r-RiVER SILTED UP ORCHARDS FRUIT CULTURE 
 
 AMERICAN HARVESTER AN OCEAN OF WHEAT 
 
 OAKLAND. 
 
 Well satisfied with our short stay at the City of the 
 Saints, we set out on a two days' railway run to Yuba 
 City, situated at the north end of Sacramento Valley, 
 intending to spend a few days there with a relative, who, 
 with his family, had lately settled in that city. On the 
 route we passed through hundreds of miles of prairies 
 and over the Sierra Nevada range. Before arriving at 
 the highest point Cape Horn we had to pass through 
 forty miles of snow sheds, which was very tantalizing, as 
 only now and then could glimpses be got of Donner 
 Lake with its beautiful and interesting scenery, through 
 which we were passing. At Cape Horn there was no 
 such obstruction, the railway passing on a shelf of rock 
 overlooking a chasm said to be two thousand five hun- 
 dred feet in depth nearly half-a-mile. From this point 
 we had an exquisite view of the valley and the slender- 
 looking trestle bridges over which the train had to pass. 
 For a great distance through the prairies there were no 
 signs of vegetation except grease-wood and sage-brush, 
 with ranges of mountains in the distance. American 
 enterprise will no doubt change this ; as soon as land is 
 required, they will step in and turn this desert into well-
 
 39 
 
 cultivated ground by collecting the Waters that flow down 
 from the snow-covered peaks of the mountains and stor- 
 ing them up at the foothills, lead them, as required, to 
 irrigate and fertilize these prairies, as in many instances 
 they have already done, and one of which is very con- 
 spicuous as we approach the Sacramento Valley, which 
 was until lately a sage-covered desert, similar to that 
 which we had just passed through, but is now wholly 
 cultivated as grain and fruit ranches. The orchards 
 have a very pleasing effect when seen from the railway, 
 the trees being so regularly planted that they appear in 
 straight lines from whatever point you look at them, the 
 space between every two lines of trees resembling a long 
 avenue converging to a point in the distance. Windmills 
 are a very striking feature in the landscape, from their 
 prominent position towering above the trees ; every house 
 has one to pump up water for domestic use, a plentiful 
 supply of which is certain to be found by digging to a 
 depth of from ten to twenty feet. These windmills have 
 a very pleasing effect on the scene. From their great 
 number and parasol-like appearance, and being painted 
 in stripes of various colours, they appear like gigantic 
 sun-flowers. 
 
 Leaving the main line at Sacramento and proceeding 
 about 40 miles north, we arrive at Yuba City, situated 
 on the Yuba River, which is about the same width as the 
 Clyde at Glasgow. Yuba City is on the one side of the 
 river, and Marysville on the other side, connected by a 
 wooden bridge. Yuba City is subject to the Maine 
 Liquor Law, so that the citizens have to cross the bridge 
 to Marysville before they can get a supply of alcoholic 
 liquors. In former times, when the gold fever was at its 
 height, this city was a very important and central point. 
 The river is said to have been navigable up to near the
 
 4 o 
 
 city. The diggers came down from the mountains and 
 disposed of their nuggets for domestic supplies. In 
 course of time mining operations very injuriously affected 
 the district. The debris sent down from the gold wash- 
 ing, so completely silted up the natural bed of the river, 
 that levees had to be raised on each side, extending 20 
 miles down from the city, to confine the water to its 
 course. That being so, it is impossible to drain into the 
 river, and when the wet season sets in the water lies out- 
 side of the levees till it is dried up by evaporation thus 
 polluting the district by disagreeble odours and a pre- 
 valence of malarial disease, which, though seldom fatal, 
 unfits the victim for a long time from active work. The 
 most effective way to get rid of the disease is to go to 
 the mountains, about 80 miles distant and 4000 feet 
 above the level of the district. On the top there is a 
 plain of 20 by 10 miles, where the air is bracing and the 
 weather is always fine. The invalids go in parties to 
 camp out and spend the time in fishing and shooting. 
 A new railway that is being promoted is to pass thrqugh 
 the city. 
 
 The authorities intend to have some of the worst of 
 the sloughs filled up with the debris, and to dredge the 
 river, which it is expected will restore the district to its 
 former healthy reputation. The inhabitants, in prefer- 
 ence to depending on gold-diggers, have now turned 
 their attention to the more permanent industries of 
 grain and fruit culture. We spent some time in 
 visiting orchards in various stages of growth, from 
 the first year after planting till full bearing, which 
 is about the sixth year. In the latter the fruit was 
 in various stages of ripeness. The trees are 
 placed twenty feet apart, and when full bearing, 
 no other crops are raised amongst them. The
 
 ground between the trees is ploughed and harrowed 
 every year to destroy the weeds. Where harrowing had 
 been omitted after ploughing, the surface of the ground 
 appeared as if it were half-burned bricks or stones ; but 
 when broken up it became a fine powder, in which 
 it was impossible to find a pebble. The surface 
 of the ground all over was parched and dry for a depth 
 of three or four inches, beyond which it was moist and 
 easily worked. It was amusing to see workmen begin- 
 ning to dig holes in the ground. They cut the surface 
 with a carpenter's sharp axe, and after getting down a 
 few inches the pick and spade is used. The dryness 
 seemed not to injure either the trees or the fruit ; each 
 of the trees bears from five to seven hundred peaches, 
 many of them weighing half a pound each. In the 
 Eastern States the trunks of the orchard trees are white- 
 washed to a height of about six feet above the ground. 
 In California white-washing is dispensed with, and, 
 instead, a pump with a tank filled with a solution is 
 placed on wheels, so that it can be moved about. Every 
 spring the trees are sprinkled with this solution to 
 destroy the insects that infest them. It is said that with- 
 out this operation the crop is certain to be a failure. 
 
 Leaving the orchard, we proceeded to the canneries 
 where peaches were being preserved and packed ready 
 for export. Some hundreds of hands were employed in 
 the various departments, from the making of the tins to 
 the packing of them into cases ready for the market. 
 The tins are all prepared by machinery r<eady for 
 soldering. Each holds two Ibs. of fruit, to which is added 
 a half-pound of syrup, then the cover is closed, leaving a 
 small hole about the size of a pin point. This tin is 
 then placed for a short time in boiling water till all the 
 air is expelled. When taken out a drop of solder is
 
 42 
 
 placed on the small hole, and the tin is then ready for 
 export. Mr Berges invited us next day to drive out to his 
 grain ranche to see the American harvester in operation. 
 Arriving at the ranche, there was a sight that would 
 command the admiration of any British farmer. Here 
 was what Mr Berges called his small harvester, requiring 
 only twenty-six horses to work it (the larger one, he said, 
 required thirty two horses). There were four rows of 
 six horses a-breast, and two in the lead. Only four men 
 are required to work the whole affair. The driver sits 
 perched on front of the harvester, holding the reins in 
 his hands, and seemed to guide the whole affair by the 
 two horses in front. A revolving belt projects about 
 twenty feet from the side of the machine in front of 
 the grain. As the machine moved forward, the grain in 
 front was cut about fifteen inches above the ground and 
 thrown on to the revolving belt, which carried it into the 
 machine, where it was elevated and passed through the 
 operations of threshing, winnowing, and filling into bags. 
 A man is constantly attending the grain shoot putting 
 on empty bags, removing and sewing them up when 
 full. Two bags are laid side by side on a platform ; 
 when a third bag is filled and sewn up it is laid across 
 the other two. The platform is then tilted up and the 
 bags deposited on the field. Waggons were going round 
 collecting the bags, conveying them to the store on the 
 side of the railway. The chaff and refuse is blown out 
 at the back-end of the machine. With four in attendance, 
 the machine reaps about thirty acres per day. The 
 straw, being of no value, is set on fire after the reaping 
 is completed. This ranche was formerly a forest. Some 
 fine stately oak trees are still standing at long distances 
 apart. On asking if there was no risk of injuring these 
 trees by the straw burning round them, the reply was
 
 43 
 
 that it tended to keep them in a healthy condition. 
 The heat was not so great as to injure the trunks, and 
 the smoke destroyed the insects that infested the trees. 
 On passing through the Sacramento Valley, which is 450 
 miles long and 60 miles broad, in short, a complete 
 ocean of growing wheat, my attention was arrested by a 
 district where I counted eight harvesters at work. One 
 of them, at a considerable dis:ance, seemed to have a 
 funnel from which smoke appeared to be issuing. On 
 inquiring at the conductor if he could inform me if they 
 wrought any of the harvesters by steam, he said he did 
 not know. But he introduced me to the manager of 
 one of the grain ranches in the district who was travelling 
 on the train, and to whom I repeated the question. He 
 said, " I guess you are from the old country. Our 
 methods of harvesting will be new to you ; that to which 
 you are referring is not a harvester, it is a cooking 
 carriage. We are just now passing through one of the 
 largest grain ranches in California. It belongs to Mr 
 Reggan ; he has 40,000 acres of grain, and he has at 
 present fifteen of these harvesters at work. To make 
 sure that there is no dew or moisture on the grain, the 
 harvesters don't begin till the sun is well up, generally 
 about nine o'clock, and to save time the cooking 
 carriage travels from one harvester to another and 
 supplies the men with dinner, so that after they begin 
 they don't unhitch the horses until the day's work is 
 done." He wound up by saying, " I guess that is a long 
 way ahead of your ways of harvesting in the old 
 country." Where the railway passed through grain fields, 
 there were about a hundred feet between the line and 
 the crops, and the railway company had to keep about 
 ten or twelve feet ploughed alongside the grain, so that 
 if the dried grass by the side of the line took fire it
 
 44 
 
 would not reach the grain. In respect of seed-time and 
 harvest, the American has a mighty advantage over the 
 British farmer, whose crops are frequently injured by 
 unfavourable harvest weather, causing an excessive 
 amount of manual labour, while the Californian farmer, 
 after putting his seed into the ground, can rely on having 
 three months of wet weather and a harvest without a 
 single shower. He sows the seed at the beginning of 
 the wet season, and by the time that the dry season sets 
 in, the crop is so far advanced that it takes no injury 
 from the drought that follows. This applies only to 
 small grain. In the case of Indian corn, irrigation is 
 necessary during the dry season. So far as the yield per 
 acre is concerned, the British farmer is far ahead of his 
 Yankee competitor. In any case where the writer had 
 an opportunity of closely inspecting their crops, the ears 
 of the American wheat were not half the length or 
 weight of our home wheat. American farmers boast of 
 their rich soil not requiring any fertilizers. That may 
 do so long as they are operating on virgin soil, but it 
 cannot last long. It is probably by trusting too much 
 to their rich soil and not supplying the necessary 
 fertilizers, that their crops are so light. 
 
 In some places, near to cities in the East, when pre- 
 paring the land for next season's crop, it appeared, from 
 the knobs of manure laid down, it was applied as freely 
 as on our Scotch farms. California's wealth and pro- 
 sperity is largely due to having good land and plenty of 
 it, with a favourable climate for harvesting operations. 
 The greater part of her export trade consists of the pro- 
 duce of her valleys, and has of late been largely increased 
 by the rapid extension of the railway system. At the 
 time of my visit there were many vessels lying in San 
 Francisco harbour that had arrived there before the seed
 
 45 
 
 had been put into the ground, and were waiting to get 
 their cargoes from the coming harvest. 
 
 With the view of getting reliable information as to 
 the land in its natural state, we drove from Yuba City 
 twenty-five miles into the foothills to a Swiss settle- 
 ment. There was plenty of land, and various kinds of 
 heavy crops growing on virgin soil. This would be a 
 farmer's paradise if it were near to a market or a railway 
 station. The roads were all a hundred feet broad, but 
 very disagreeable and irritating to travel on, from the 
 clouds of dust and from the joltings caused by the deep 
 ruts. All the traffic was carried along a track of from 
 eight to ten feet broad, which was several inches deep in 
 fine dust. There was no attempt at road making, except 
 in one part about two miles long, where wheat-straw had 
 been used to fill up the ruts and prevent the dust rising. 
 
 By the way we stopped at a gold mine and saw the 
 operation of crushing the quartz and washing the gold. 
 It was a very monotonous process only a few specks 
 could be seen at the end of the operation, as if these 
 were fine brass filings. We left, thinking that the result 
 was not worth the labour.
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 SAN FRANCISCO PALACE HOTEL CLIFF HOUSE STREETS 
 FORMED FOR FUTURE CITY EXTENSION GOLDEN GATE 
 PARK SEAL ROCKS CHINA TOWN CHINESE SCHOOL 
 STATE BOARD OF TRADE SAVINGS BANKS. 
 
 Leaving Yuba City, we start on a five hours' journey 
 to San Francisco. The greater portion of the land along 
 the route is taken up with orchards and vineyards till we 
 approach the Straits of Carquinez. Here the train had 
 to be divided into sections, and run on board of a huge 
 steamer, having four lines of rails on its deck. After 
 the train had been ferried across about three miles of an 
 arm of the sea, Francisco Bay, it was again made up and 
 run about ten miles along a lake-like expanse of the bay 
 on the right and a succession of towns on the left, till we 
 arrived at Oakland, which is practically a suburb of the 
 great city of San Francisco, separated from each other 
 by the bay, about six miles broad, from which a line of 
 splendid ferry boats ply every few minutes between the 
 two cities. Cattle and carriages are taken on to the 
 lower deck and passengers are accommodated on the 
 upper deck, from which there is a most interesting 
 panoramic view. Crossing the bay is practically passing 
 through an extensive and well-sheltered harbour, there 
 being a large fleet of merchant vessels from all quarters 
 of the globe safely riding at anchor there. Looking 
 back, the city of Oakland seems like a forest, presenting 
 a striking contrast to the barren-looking but imposing
 
 47 
 
 and romantic city of San Francisco in front of us 
 occupying a strip of level ground along the shore and 
 extending backward over a succession of hills that form 
 the lower end of the Pacific Coast range. The highest 
 of these hills, though furthest distant, is the most 
 conspicuous, from the fact of its being held sacred as the 
 city of the dead, and having erected on its highest point 
 a large cross, the emblem of the Christian's faith. The 
 nearer the city is approached, the more romantic does it 
 appear. The streets, with houses on both sides, can be 
 distinctly traced running in straight lines from the water's 
 edge, up hills so steep that no horse vehicle can ascend 
 them. 
 
 We felt as if our credulity were being imposed on 
 when the spot was pointed out where, less than fifty years 
 ago, the first hut was erected that formed the nucleus of 
 the city that has now a population of half-a-million. On 
 landing, we proceeded to the Palace Hotel. Having 
 . been informed that it was the largest hotel in the world, 
 we were desirous to see how it compared with other 
 hotels. It occupies a complete block, surrounded by 
 four streets, built all round eight stories high, the centre 
 forming a hollow square, roofed in with glass at the height 
 of the eighth storey. Conveyances are admitted to the 
 square through an archway in the main building. The 
 paving of the square, and the front of the buildings 
 all round, is of white marble, which gives it at 
 night, when lighted by electricity, an appearance 
 of noonday. Each of the flats has a gallery all 
 round looking down on the rotunda at the end of the 
 square, where a concert is given every evening. The 
 outer half of the street flat is occupied as shops, each 
 having show windows and an entrance at the back from 
 the hotel, from wh,ich there are many customers, the
 
 48 
 
 building having accommodation for eighteen hundred 
 visitors. Having got comfortably settled, we turn our 
 attention to seeing the city, and ascend Telegraph Hill, 
 overlooking the harbour towards Oakland. The bay in 
 front seems as if it were a lake ; all, except where the 
 city stands, appears as if shut in by mountains. It is not 
 till crossing several hills of the city that it can be seen 
 there is a break in the coast range that admits water from 
 the ocean to the bay. The channel takes a very irregular 
 circular course of about ten miles, gradually getting nar- 
 rower from the ocean to the Golden Gate, which is about 
 midway, and a mile wide, when it gradually gets wider 
 till it terminates in the bay. The strip of level ground 
 along the foreshore has been formed by levelling down 
 the little hills that originally formed the foreshore of the 
 bay. This is not so apparent near the older part of the 
 city, where the space is now fully occupied by wharfs, 
 warehouses, and business premises, as it is away in 
 the extreme south, where the process of levelling is 
 still going on as the city extends. In South San Fran- 
 cisco we observed a striking instance of this, where level- 
 ling down the smaller hills into the bay was being strenu- 
 ously carried on to give more accommodation for sugar 
 refineries, shipbuilding yards, iron forges, ete. About 
 half of one of the hills had been levelled down ; the 
 other half on which dwellings had been erected was 
 allowed to stand, between the levelled portion of the bay, 
 with temporary stairs given for access. It was said this 
 half was to be cleared away as soon as the ground was 
 required for industrial works. Cable tramways, the 
 invention of Mr Halliday, were first applied in this city, 
 and have been carried to great perfection. They have 
 been instrumental in making the city hills habitable. 
 This is clearly an instance where necessity was the
 
 49 
 
 mother of invention. The writer ascended an incline of 
 one in three and a-half, where it was quite impossible 
 for horse-cars to work. Taking a trip to the Cliff House, 
 we joined the cable cars near to the harbour, passed 
 over several steep hills, and crossed three valleys within 
 a distance of three miles. The streets passing over 
 these hills are practically switch-back railways, with the 
 cars so completely under the control of the driver that 
 he can stop or start them at any moment, and on any 
 part of the incline, without creating the slightest 
 excitement or disagreeable sensation amongst his 
 passengers. There are now over sixty miles of cable 
 lines within the city, and others are being constructed. 
 From the cable terminus we took the railway, which 
 runs about seven miles on to a point overlooking the 
 Cliff House. In its course the line passes through a 
 plain situated between the precipice overlooking the 
 Golden Gate and Lone Mountain Cemetery. This 
 plain was evidently laid out for the future extension of 
 the city. The streets were laid off crossing each other 
 at right angles, most of them completed, drained, and 
 planted with shade trees, with railway stations at short 
 intervals apart. Only a few houses were at the time 
 being erected. 
 
 Beyond the plain the railway runs along a sharp wind- 
 ing and dangerous-looking cleft on the precipice over- 
 looking the Golden Gate. The terminus is at the 
 entrance to a beautifully laid-out park (which was gifted 
 to the city by Adolphus Sutro). This was the only place 
 in the States where we observed Scotch gowans growing 
 in grass plots. The park is plentifully studded over with 
 groups of statuary, many of them being placed on the 
 terraces formed on the face of the precipice overlooking 
 the Cliff House, giving to the park, when seen from the
 
 5 
 
 shore, the imposing appearance of a strong fortification. 
 From this point the shore and the ocean have a very 
 dull and dismal appearance. There seemed to be no 
 life natural to the district beyond that of the Cliff House 
 beneath and the Seal Rocks a short distance from the 
 shore, where the sea lions were continually struggling to 
 get to the sides of the rocks, the tops of which were 
 completely monopolised by a multitude of sea fowl of 
 various kinds. 
 
 Going down to the Cliff House, we walked along the 
 sand on the shore, which we found as difficult as walking 
 amongst snowdrift. From here we took the train, which 
 leaves every hour, for the Golden Gate Park, which is 
 kept in fine order, with deer glens, buffalo parks, 
 conservatories and fine drives, and all sorts of attractions. 
 
 There was said to be little difference of the temperature 
 between summer and winter. Frost is scarcely ever felt 
 here, and it was very comfortable during the day, but 
 very chilly in the evenings, necessitating the use of over- 
 coats. Next morning a friend resident in the city 
 volunteered to spend the day with us. Our first start 
 was to visit Chinatown, which is the older part of the 
 city, and wholly occupied by the Chinese, who were very 
 civil and respectful in their manners, and clean and tidy- 
 looking in their persons. But their habitations seemed 
 as if overcrowded, and had a repulsive appearance that 
 gave us a rather unfavourable impression of their 
 surroundings. Many of the shopkeepers carried on their 
 respective trades in the streets in front, some sitting 
 working at their shop doors. In the neighbourhood of 
 the Baptist Mission Church our attention was arrested by 
 very peculiar sounds. The Rev. J. B. Hartwell, having 
 observed us listening, came forward and invited us in to 
 see how they taught the Chinese children. There was a
 
 lady conducting a class of about 20 children, from five 
 to ten years of age, who were being taught in the Chinese 
 dialect. All wore blue cotton loose dresses. Chinese 
 boys and girls all dress alike, so that we could not dis- 
 cern between a boy and a girl. The lady stopped the 
 teaching, and gave an exhibition of the proficiency of the 
 children in music in their native style. This they did in 
 a manner that, though strange, was highly amusing to us, 
 each child moving either its head or its whole body 
 backward, forward, or sideway, according to its own 
 fancy. There was plenty of sound, but, to our minds, 
 there was really no music in the whole performance. 
 
 Bidding our entertainers God speed in their Christian 
 work, we proceeded to the pier, got on board a steamer 
 and sailed round the north-end of the city, and crossed 
 the channel in front of the Golden Gate, which, from 
 this point of view, had a much narrower appearance than 
 when looking down on it from the cliffs above. We 
 landed at Tiburon, on the north side of the channel. 
 Here the city had a very different appearance from what 
 it had when looking at it from the east. We were now 
 looking into the valleys, and at the ends of the hills 
 on which the city stands, the general outline fitly 
 represents a side view of a switchback railway in the 
 distance. Tiburon is a small village in the neighbour- 
 hood of the Corinthian Yacht Club anchorage ground. 
 We went on board the Commodore's yacht, and were 
 rather surprised at being received by a young Greenock 
 gentleman, who a few years ago was spending his school 
 days in our neighbourhood on the Esplanade. After 
 answering inquiries regarding his old associates, we bade 
 him adieu, and returned to our hotel, well satisfied with 
 our day's excursion. During our stay at the hotel we 
 had the good fortune of getting introduced to a mwber 
 
 ^wnM
 
 52 
 
 of the " California State Board of Trade," from whom 
 we derived much information as to the constitution and 
 objects of the Board. In the Exhibition Hall adjoining 
 the Board's offices there was a very interesting display of 
 agricultural and industrial products of the State. Here, 
 we were informed, the chief object of the Board was 
 to show these products and give information and assist- 
 ance to intending settlers, and to encourage, as much as 
 possible, the introduction of new and the extension of 
 existing industries. The Board consists of fifty-two 
 members, fifteen of whom form the directorate, and the 
 others act on the executive committees. All incorporated 
 associations within the city of San Francisco and every 
 county within the State have the right to send a repre- 
 sentative to the Board ; but he who is sent must have a 
 direct interest in the prosperity of the State. No one is 
 acceptable who is interested as a manufacturer in a 
 foreign country, or who takes an active part in the 
 importation of goods that come into competition with 
 home manufactures, or that in any way whatever is 
 detrimental to the interests of their own workmen. The 
 Board have statutory monthly meetings, and any repre- 
 sentative absenting himself from six consecutive meetings 
 is struck off the roll and his constituency asked to elect 
 another to fill his place. Under this strict and careful 
 supervision, if their statistics can be relied on, everything 
 seems to go on prosperously. Their exports and imports 
 are invariably about equal, and the deposits in the work- 
 men's banks (savings banks), which should be a fair 
 index of the prosperous condidion of the working classes, 
 were, in 1890, in the city of San Francisco, over eighteen 
 millions sterling. 
 
 The British Board of Trade is an> alarming contrast 
 to this, composed of clergymen and others, who have no
 
 53 
 
 experience in either trade or commerce, and seemingly 
 take no interest in the prosperity of the country. A late 
 President of the Board (Mr Chamberlain, M.P.), said it 
 had not met for many years past, and, further, admitted 
 to his constituency that his firm had received a handsome 
 subsidy from the Americans to sit with folded hands 
 rather than send their manufactures to that market ; and, 
 if reports be correct, Mr Mundella, now President of the 
 Board of Trade, has a greater interest in the manufacture 
 of woollen fabrics in Saxony, and their importation into 
 the British market, than he has in promoting industries 
 for the employment of British workmen. May not this 
 kind of thing have much to do with the present depressed 
 state of trade in Great Britain ? The question is 
 certainly well worthy of careful consideration.
 
 54 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 CHICAGO, ITS SITUATION A MARSH HIGH BUILDINGS 
 CHICAGO RIVER HARBOURS WATER SUPPLY 
 DRAINAGE DEATH-RATE PULLMAN CITY, THE 
 DISTRICT A SWAMP. 
 
 The city of San Francisco is remarkable for its 
 being built on the hills and valleys of the lower end 
 of the Pacific Coast range. But the city of Chicago 
 is no less so, from its being built on a swamp on 
 the banks of Lake Michigan. The city boundary extends 
 twenty-four miles along the shore and fourteen miles into 
 the plains. Within that limit, and as far beyond as the 
 eye can make out, the land seems to be level with the 
 shore. Viewed from the tower of the Auditorium, the 
 whole district is level with the surface of the lake. For 
 miles after entering the city, the train runs along and 
 crosses on the level of the streets. To warn the citizens 
 against danger from an approaching train, a bell on the 
 engine is kept constantly tolling while the train is in 
 motion or until it reaches its destination. Taking up our 
 quarters at the Wellington Hotel, we began to contrast 
 the appearance of the city as we saw it ten years before 
 with that of the present day. The population is now 
 more than double that of the former period. The streets 
 are completely changed. Horse cars have given place to 
 cable cars, which now run in trains (three cars in each 
 train), moving rapidly along, with only short intervals 
 between the times of departure, stopping momentarily 
 when required at each crossing to set down or take up
 
 55 
 
 passengers. The traffic on the streets has greatly in- 
 creased. This is no doubt owing to the changed char- 
 acter of the buildings and to the greater part of the 
 increase of business being now transacted within the for- 
 mer area of the trading portion of the city. Buildings 
 of eight and ten storeys have disappeared, and their 
 places have been taken by huge blocks of from sixteen 
 to twenty storeys high, newly completed and all occupied. 
 In the same neighbourhood a site was pointed out on 
 which the society of Oddfellows was preparing to build a 
 temple thirty two storeys in height this being ^35 feet 
 from the surface of the street to the roof. Such informa- 
 tion made me inquire how it was possible to get ''a sure 
 foundation" on which to erect such ponderous buildings, 
 seeing that the whole district was a marsh that had been 
 raised from six to eight feet above its natural surface by 
 dredgings from the foreshores of the lake. The explana- 
 tion given was that the whole area of the building and a 
 considerable distance into the streets all round had to be 
 dug out down to the clay, and the whole afterwards 
 filled in with a solid mass of concrete cement to the 
 depth of from twelve to fifteen feet, and then allowed to 
 harden, so that it becomes a solid rock on which the 
 structure can be quite safely erected. The Masonic 
 Temple, as now occupied, is a fair sample of these great 
 commercial buildings. It is twenty storeys high (255 
 feet). Beyond its extreme height, there is neither beauty 
 nor attractiveness about it. The front of the two lower 
 storeys is built of marble and the upper storeys of red 
 brick. The block is built all round the four sides, with 
 a large square in the centre, roofed in with a glass cupola 
 on top to give light to the inner offices. The roof 
 between the centre of the building and the cupola is flat, 
 with a parapet all round in front, forming a promenade
 
 56 
 
 from which, with the exception of the Auditorium, is the 
 best place to get an extensive view of the city and the 
 lake. Three sides of this building are used as offices, 
 having a passage all round between the external walls to 
 give light and access to the outer offices, and a platform 
 round the square at each floor to give access to the 
 inner offices. The fourth side of the building is taken up 
 as a staircase and landing for the elevators, of which there 
 are fifteen in operation all day. These elevators have 
 carried, since the building was opened, 31,000 persons 
 daily. The lower or street flat is used as shops and a 
 bank, and the top flat as lavatories, barbers' premises, 
 and the Masonic Halls. All the intermediate floors are 
 utilized for the offices of merchants and manufacturers. 
 Every occupation is carried on within the building, such 
 as tailors, jewellers, architects, doctors, &c. The offices 
 on the top flat are higher rented than those on the lower 
 flats, a preference being shown for them by many, owing 
 to the greater privacy and quietness, and the customers 
 being so expeditiously shot up and down without the 
 slightest delay. All passengers are carried free as far as 
 the top floor, but those who wish to get a view from the 
 roof have to pay one shilling, and they enjoy the 
 privilege of walking up the stair. The lake, as viewed 
 from the top, has an ocean-like appearance. A 
 breakwater is formed about a mile out from the shore 
 and extends several miles in front of the city. The 
 Chicago River is seen entering the city, but is soon 
 lost to view amongst the buildings. It extends about a 
 mile into the city, then divides, a branch going to the 
 right and another to the left, dividing the city into three 
 sections. The river being navigable, no harbours are 
 required. Wharves are formed on eacli side, and goods 
 can be landed near to the spot where they are wanted.
 
 57 
 
 The disposal of the sewage and the water supply, com- 
 bined with the rapidly-increasing population and the 
 level nature of the district, were necessarily creating a 
 good deal of alarm amongst the citizens, and was becom- 
 ing a vexed question to the Drainage Commissioners and 
 the Water Company. The sewage was originally dis- 
 charged into the lake, from which the water supply was 
 drawn through a tunnel from a crib erected two miles out 
 into the lake. The Water Company are doing their part 
 by making a new tunnel and forming a crib to draw the 
 water from a distance of four miles out from the shore. 
 The Drainage Commissioners had a much more difficult 
 and expensive task to perform, but they have done it to 
 great perfection by turning the sewage of the city from the 
 lake into the Mississippi. This they have accomplished 
 by taking advantage of a canal between Chicago and the 
 Illinois river. At the latter river there was a lock keeping 
 the water in the canal to the level of the lake, through 
 an extensive plain. The lock at the river has been 
 dispensed with, and the canal deepened through the 
 plain, so that now, instead of water flowing from the 
 canal through the Chicago river into the lake, it flows 
 from the lake through the Chicago river into the canal, 
 transforming it into a great open sewer, conveying the 
 sewage of the city into the Mississippi. The work 
 occupied a period of three years, and the city is now in 
 a fairly healthy condition, the death-rate being 17^ per 
 1000 of the population. With a Scotsman who has been 
 resident in Chicago since the great fire, we took train to 
 Pullman, about 12 miles distant from the city. The 
 only work carried on here is the manufacture of railway 
 carriages. The place was founded in 1881, and before 
 the end of that year 9000 of a population had settled in 
 the town. From statistics given us, the annual death-
 
 58 
 
 rate from that time till 1892 was 7 per thousand. This 
 is surprisingly low, considering the level and the marshy 
 nature of the country. On both sides of the railway line 
 the land was in many places covered with water, and 
 many of the houses erected along the line were standing 
 in water, with plank passages for access to and from. 
 It was said that the marshy state of the district was more 
 apparent this season than usual, owing to the rainfall in 
 the months of May and June having been six inches, 
 which was about double that of the average years. 
 Carriage-building is done here on an extensive scale. 
 The only part of the works open to visitors was that 
 occupied by the large engine for driving the machinery 
 of the water works. The water is raised up into a 
 large tank, from which the works and the town get their 
 supply. The ground in the neighbourhood of the works 
 is nicely laid out with grass and flower-plots and play- 
 ground for the workmen. There are also many streets 
 laid out and planted with shade trees, all ready for the 
 future extension of the city. 
 
 The Columbian Exposition will be the chief attraction 
 to visitors to the States during the coming summer. 
 About the end of June last we joined the crowd of visi- 
 tors, paid our shilling, and gained admission to the Exhi- 
 bition grounds. On our return at the end of August, we 
 again drove through the grounds, and were astonished at 
 the progress made during two months. Many of the 
 principal buildings had been completed externally, and 
 some of the smaller ones were pretty far advanced. The 
 site, which is over a thousand acres in extent, is really a 
 magnificent one. On the side fronting the lake, har- 
 bours were being formed to accommodate visitors' yachts. 
 Within the grounds is a natural lake with a nicely-wooded 
 island, part of which was being beautifully laid out as
 
 59 
 
 ornamental ground. Like all such Exhibitions, there is 
 much flimsy work to please the eye. I accidentally got 
 into conversation with two gentlemen who had differed 
 in their opinion as to the cost of the pillars supporting 
 the iron bars forming the railing round the small lake the 
 pillars were about five feet high and two feet in diameter. 
 On giving my opinion as to the cost, the gentlemen 
 declared that they could not be made and erected under 
 ten times the amount stated by myself. They believed 
 them to be solid marble ; but having previously noticed 
 one lying aside that had been broken, I took the gentle- 
 men along to see it, and they found the supposed marble 
 pillar was made up with a few hoops fixed on slim wood 
 standards, covered with a composition of tow and stucco! 
 This discovery had a magical effect on the gentlemen. 
 They began to doubt the stability of everything con- 
 nected with the great Chicago Exhibition. 
 
 To those who have seen the Exhibitions of other 
 countries within the past forty years, the present will 
 simply be a repetition on a much larger scale just a 
 great sale shop. There is a local pride amongst the 
 citizens of Chicago in having everything the largest in 
 the world a determination to beat creation. But the 
 visitors who take a circular tour to the Far West will find 
 many places and objects of far greater interest and edu- 
 cational value than the great Show. Even the city of 
 Chicago itself will be, to many, of greater interest than 
 the attraction of the World's Fair. Elevated railways 
 were being constructed from the centre of the city into 
 the Exhibition grounds. These are now in operation, 
 and will enable strangers to appreciate the wonders of 
 the great city.
 
 6o 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 THE WORLD'S FAIR AN ADMIRABLE SITE ITS BUILDINGS 
 
 AMERICAN IDEAS THE YELLOWSTONE PARK ITS 
 
 EXTENT HOTEL ACCOMMODATION JOHN COULTER 
 DISCOVERS IT A SIX DAYS' TOUR THE HOT SPRINGS 
 A GLASS MOUNTAIN THE GEYZERS THE BLACK 
 GROWLER DEVIL'S INK-BOTTLE 
 
 Tourists to the World's Fair should not miss paying 
 a visit to the Yellowstone National Park. A week spent 
 in it will be a pleasure of life-long thought, although, to 
 the lover of nature and romantic scenery, a month would 
 be required to do it justice. The name " Park " is 
 rather misleading, as it tends to convey to the mind 
 the idea of an artistically laid-out and well-kept enclosure 
 in the vicinity of a city, set apart for the recreation and 
 enjoyment of the citizens. The Yellowstone Park is in 
 almost every feature the very opposite of this. It forms 
 the north-west corner of the state of Wyoming, extending 
 sixty-five miles from north to south, and sixty miles from 
 east to west, and is over sixty miles distant from the 
 nearest town. The interior of the park is void of every- 
 thing in the form of art or cultivation, beyond that of 
 roads and hotels for the comfort and accommodation of 
 tourists, and huts for the military and guardians of the 
 Park. Everything within its boundary is in its primitive 
 state, and it is evidently the intention to keep it so. It 
 was not till near the middle of the present century that 
 this district was visited by any civilised person. About 
 that time an exploring party went from St Louis to see
 
 6i 
 
 and report on the condition of the western district. In 
 the course of their travels they passed close to, but did 
 not enter, the Park. On their return, one of the party 
 named John Coulter became greatly attached to a tribe 
 of Indians and they to him. John, being of a roving 
 disposition, left his party, and spent several' years among 
 the Indians, hunting and trapping, their chief hunting 
 ground being within the park. After several years spent 
 in this way, John returned to the more civilized society 
 of St Louis, and became a source of great interest and 
 amusement to his old associates, who gathered round to 
 listen to him relating the stories of his adventures in 
 hunting and shooting over mountains of glass, and of 
 springs, where, at short intervals, boiling water was 
 thrown hundreds of feet into the air, and ponds of 
 boiling sulphur were scattered all over the place. Those 
 who listened to his tales treated them as mere fiction, as 
 the outcome of wild and fancifnl imagination, so that 
 when the district was spoken of it was sarcastically 
 referred to as "Coulter's Hell," until near 1870, when 
 another exploring party visited the district and made a 
 survey, and published an account of their discoveries, 
 which confirmed the discredited statements of John 
 Coulter. 
 
 This had the effect of attracting the attention of the 
 American Government to the interesting character of 
 the district. They satisfied themselves as to the facts, 
 and within the next two years a bill passed Congress to 
 have the district reserved as the "World's Park," and that 
 everything within its precincts, whether animate or 
 inanimate, should be preserved in such a manner as to 
 show to future generations a part of the American con- 
 tinent in its primitive state. The Park was free to all 
 parties who chose to camp out, fish, or hunt, up till 1882.
 
 62 
 
 Now hunting and shooting are prohibited, but fishing by 
 tourists is allowed, if for pleasure but not for profit. 
 Camping out is encouraged, and there are many who 
 make a trade of supplying horses, conveyances, tents, and 
 all other requisites for camping out, and also conduct 
 parties who desire to spend a month or two in a quiet, 
 free and easy style. 
 
 A circular tour of six days through the Park is begun 
 every day during the summer months, and is carried on 
 under Government supervision. The charge for a six 
 days' tour is ^10. This sum includes the return railway 
 fare to and from Livingston, with breakfast on the train 
 going and dinner returning ; also board at six hotels, and 
 carriage drives within the Park. Livingston is a station 
 on the Northern Pacific Railway, situated in the midst 
 of a mining district, with about three thousand inhabi- 
 tants, being the nearest town to the Park. The hotel 
 accommodation is very inferior, but the Railway Company 
 allow tourists who arrive in the evening to sleep in the 
 cars over night, and they get breakfast on the way down 
 to the Park. The distance is fifty-three miles by rail. 
 Carriages wait the arrival of the trains at Cinnabar, and 
 convey the passengers other eight miles to the Mammoth 
 Hot Springs Hotel at the entrance to the Park. The 
 hotel is a large three-storey building, resembling in 
 appearance our Scotch hydropathics, and it is conducted 
 after the same fashion. This hotel is double the size of 
 any of the others in the Park, and a party beginning and 
 a party ending the six days' tour meet and stay here over 
 night. 
 
 On getting our rooms and lunch, the party went with 
 a guide to walk round the hot springs of the Mammoth 
 White Mountain, which, from the hotel, has the appear- 
 ance of a sloping mound of ice, but, when reached, it is
 
 63 
 
 found to consist of a succession of broad terraces, about 
 a dozen in number, each having a grand display of hot 
 springs. We ascend terrace after terrace, to nearly six 
 hundred feet above the hotel. On one terrace are the 
 Cleopatra Springs, with about fifty various sizes and 
 forms of basins, all richly ornamented with stalactites and 
 tracery of beautiful designs and various colours. The 
 water silently wells up as clear as crystal, and almost 
 imperceptibly spreads over the surface. A nice little 
 spring, the "Sea-shell," had dried up for about three 
 weeks, but on the day before our visit it had again come 
 into operation. On another terrace was the Jupiter 
 Spring, welling up silently at a temperature of 160. 
 
 At a little distance from it was the " Cone," that 
 seemed as if boiling furiously at a temperature of 183 
 deg. fah. The oxodising spring commands great atten- 
 tion. Silver placed in it becomes completely oxydised in a 
 few minutes. There were sulphur, soda, and appolinaris 
 springs all within a short distance of each other, the 
 water of the two latter having a very agreeable, pungent 
 taste. From the top is seen 180 acres of terraces, and 
 a multitude of hot springs. The whole surface has the 
 appearance of marble, from the waters depositing their 
 lime, soda, and magnesia as they flow over the terraces. 
 On the top is a rock slightly elevated, and from its 
 appearance it is named the Elephant's Back. Along the 
 top, every joint in the vertebrae can be traced, with 
 a small hot spring issuing from each. A little distance 
 beyond, on a grassy plain, is a clear pond about one hun- 
 dred yards long, within which hot and cold springs are 
 constantly discharging. This pond has several degrees 
 less temperature at the one end than at the other. 
 Close by is the Devil's Kitchen, but the entrance being 
 narrow, dark and deep, there were few who cared
 
 64 
 
 to enter. His satanic majesty has much property allotted 
 to him within the park. 
 
 Beginning the descent, there is a wall of about two 
 hundred yards along a ridge of hard rock, named the 
 " Narrow Guage," in which a fissure extends the whole 
 length, varying from one fourth to one inch in width, 
 from which there is a constant hissing and escaping of 
 steam and spurting of water, as if from the valve of a 
 high-pressed steam boiler. The descent is a steep incline, 
 the surface being white and rather soft, yielding to the 
 pressure of the foot. On the level, in the neighbourhood 
 of the hotel, there are several basins of dried up springs, 
 one of which was said to flow for a few weeks at intervals 
 of four years. A shower having come on during the 
 night and cooled the air, in the morning every spring on 
 the white mountain- could be distinctly traced in the dis- 
 tance from the steam these were giving off. After break- 
 fast, the party set out for the Fountain Hotel, a journey 
 of 42 miles, for which we were supplied with good horses, 
 comfortable carriages, and experienced drivers, who were 
 to continue with us till our return, five days after. 
 Entering the Park by the Golden Gate, we passed over a 
 wood roadway suspended from the side of a precipice. 
 The long journey was very pleasant by reason of the 
 many attractive objects that were seen by the way. 
 
 We soon reached the Obsidian Cliffs (a mountain of 
 volcanic glass), overlooking Beaver Lake, and through 
 which the road had been cut. The glass is jet black, 
 and resembles flint in its texture ; part of it had been 
 broken up and used to macadamise the road. The 
 Beaver Lake was in a nicely secluded spot, but very few 
 of the animals were visible. The Norris Basin is a half- 
 way house, where there are six square miles of a very 
 interesting district. There we spent three hours. After
 
 65 
 
 lunch, a guide conveyed the party two miles, describing 
 by the way the springs, geysers, and paint pots. Ascend- 
 ing to the crest of the hill, we looked down into a plain 
 that might be mistaken for a lake covered with ice, were 
 it not for the steam rising all over the surface and the 
 jets of water occasionally spurting into the air at various 
 points. A short way out in the plain is " Little Con- 
 stant," a nice little geyser that throws a jet of water about 
 twenty feet high every thirty-two seconds. The jet 
 ascends for about ten seconds, then follows a rest. The 
 " Hurricane " is the next to claim our attention. A 
 volume of steam and water is constantly rushing out 
 from an opening in the side of a rock. The opening is 
 about three by two feet, and there are regular pulsations 
 as if there were a force pump at work. Turning to the 
 left, on the other side of the rock, a few yards distant, is 
 " The Black Growler," from which an immense volume 
 of superheated steam is constantly issuing forth with a 
 force that would throw a thousand horse-power boiler 
 into the shade. 
 
 Near to the crest of the hill is the " Devil's Ink 
 Bottle," or fifteen-minute geyser. It is interesting to 
 watch its action. There is a basin about fifteen feet in 
 diameter and three feet deep, with an irregular opening 
 in the centre of the bottom, that is visible only about 
 three minutes every time the basin is empty. During 
 that time a violent gurgling sound is heard, and boiling 
 water flows in for five minutes. When the basin is about 
 half-full, there is a violent upheaval of steam and hot 
 water to the height of about twenty feet. This goes on 
 for five minutes, when the upheaval suddenly stops, and 
 it is five minutes before the basin is again fairly empty. 
 This operation goes on without ceasing. The water 
 seemed very dirty, and none of it escapes. It all falls
 
 66 
 
 within the rim of the basin and disappears down through 
 the orifice from whence it came. We passed through a 
 number of little hills overlooking another interesting 
 plain. Near and in the distance, at every point, there 
 were objects that startled and excited anew both wonder 
 and admiration. Getting on to the main road, the 
 carriages were ready to convey us, through a district 
 smelling strongly of sulphurous vapours, the other twenty 
 miles of our journey. Every now and again attention 
 was attracted by clonds of steam overtopping the pine 
 forest, and indicating the location of some active geyser. 
 The road was exceedingly rough. There was much up- 
 hill and down-dale and fording of running streams that 
 seemed more like crossing in a boat than in a carriage. 
 Arriving at the Fountain Hotel, the day was rather far 
 spent for seeing to advantage the playing of the Fountain 
 Geyser ; the only chance was to get out of bed at four 
 next morning and walk about a mile up hill a feat that 
 very few seemed to care about.
 
 6 7 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 THE LOWER GEYSER BASIN THE FOUNTAIN GEYSER- 
 MUD CAULDRONS NATURAL PAINT FACTORY MILI- 
 TARY STATION THE FIREHOLE RIVER OLD FAITHFUL 
 THE UPPER GEYSER BASIN A MUD VOLCANO THE 
 TANNER'S VAT THE YELLOWSTONE LAKE LAKE 
 STEAMER CANON HOTEL INSPIRATION POINT 
 THEORY OF GEYSER ACTION THE LOST RIVER. 
 
 Our second day's excursion was brought to a close by our 
 arrival at the Lower Geyser Basin, where the Fountain 
 Hotel is pleasantly situated, overlooking a marshy valley 
 with the ground on the opposite side rising gently and 
 forming a nicely-rounded field. The highest part is about 
 a mile distant from the hotel. Crossing the marsh 
 and getting to the top of the field, the slope on 
 the other side is strange looking, but most impressive, 
 from its terminating in an extensive plain, scattered over 
 which is a magnificent display of steaming springs and 
 spouting geysers, each performing its part at intervals. 
 On the top of the field is the Fountain Geyser (from 
 which the hotel takes its name). It plays every four 
 hours, and discharges the greatest volume of water of any 
 geyser in the district. The orifice is on the top of a 
 crystalline-looking mass, with little depressions all round 
 and full of water. Getting near and looking into the 
 opening, a continuous gurgling and boiling sound is 
 distinctly heard. When near the time of its operation, 
 the venturesome and inquisitive visitors are sure to be 
 hurried off, in great alarm, and they invariably get wet
 
 68 
 
 feet. A sudden and unexpected spout of steam and hot 
 water is ejected for a few seconds, and is repeated several 
 times, then it starts off at full force for about eight 
 minutes, rising eighty feet the water flowing down 
 towards the Firehole River, which runs through the 
 plain. A short distance from here are two active little 
 geysers within five feet of each other, which are named 
 the Jet and the Splash. The names are very expressive 
 of their actions. Travelling over this slope, a strange 
 sensation is felt from the hissing sounds of steam and 
 water that are constantly issuing from the numerous 
 fissures and crevices that abound over the whole surface. 
 Every step taken produces a crackling sound, as if one 
 were walking over breaking ice. Getting on to some 
 pine-clad hills near by, a new sensation is met in the 
 form of " Mud Cauldrons," of various forms, sizes, and 
 colours, and of every consistency, from that of plasterer's 
 mortar to fine golden syrup. The one that commanded 
 most attention is about one hundred feet by sixty feet. 
 It has evidently been much larger, but is now contracted 
 by a deep, broad rim formed all round from the mud that 
 has been thrown up from the mass depositing and drying 
 on the rim. The boiling mass had the appearance of 
 porridge when about fully cooked. There was a con- 
 tinuous sputtering and plop-plopping all over the surface. 
 Sometimes the mud was thrown eight feet into the air, 
 and when near the edges it fell on to the rim. For a 
 considerable distance outside of the basin there were 
 many small cauldrons, some of them not larger than a 
 milk-pail, each having a mixture of its own, with steam 
 sputtering up through it. A group of these were named 
 the artists' paint-pots, their contents being like very fine 
 paint ready for use. In one instance, a board was put 
 up on which were given specimens of painting, but, when
 
 69 
 
 dried, it had in reality more the appearance of lime- 
 washing than of oil-painting. From the rim of the large 
 cauldron, and all around it, there were continuous dull 
 groanings and melancholy sounds, as if the earth were 
 suffering great pain. 
 
 Next morning the third day's excursion was under- 
 taken, the destination being the Upper Geyser Basin 
 Hotel, a distance of eight miles, through a rough but 
 most interesting district. The hotel is situated on a 
 slight elevation, having in front a beautiful plain about 
 three by one and a-half miles in extent, surrounded by 
 pine-clad hills, with the Firehole River flowing through 
 the plain. On the margin of the river, about a mile from 
 the hotel, was the military quarters, very miserable- 
 looking log huts, where horses and men are always ready 
 for duty when required. When our party arrived at the 
 hotel, officers came riding over the plain, tied their 
 horses under the shade of the trees, and entered into 
 conversation with the visitors, ready to give any informa- 
 tion that was asked. The duty of the military is to 
 protect the spring and geyser deposited formations, &c., 
 from damage, and when any of the important geysers are 
 due, to attend and prevent incautious visitors from 
 getting injured when they are in operation. At the time 
 of our visit the Castle Geyser was due. It operates 
 generally every twenty four hours, but it is often irregular 
 in its time. It is one of the important geysers of the 
 district. Its orifice has round it a considerable castle- 
 like and elevated crystalline deposit, a portion of which 
 has been broken away. Climbing up and looking in, 
 one observes that the orifice is from three to four feet in 
 diameter, and appears like the top of a factory chimney, 
 with steam taking the place of smoke. Walking along- 
 side of the Firehole River, one sees many hot springs
 
 70 
 
 flowing into it. One of these was very conspicuous, 
 flowing out of the bank about two feet above the surface 
 of the water. Its appearance and action were in every 
 respect like the condensed water flowing from the side 
 of a Transatlantic steamer. From the hotel can be 
 traced the location of many springs and geysers in the 
 woods, from the steam arising amongst the trees. Of 
 the many geysers in this basin, Old Faithful is the most 
 regular and reliable. It is within three minutes' walk of 
 the hotel, on the same level, easily approached, and on 
 keeping a few yards to windward can be closely watched 
 while in action. It plays every sixty-five minutes, and is 
 situated on a mound of crystalline deposit slightly raised 
 round the orifice, which is about six feet long and two 
 and a-half feet wide in the middle, irregularly tapering to 
 a few inches at each end. During the intervals between 
 its actions the water goes completely out of sight. When 
 looking over the nozzle into the orifice, there is heard a 
 continuous gurgling and boiling, with an escape of steam 
 that scalds the hand, if put down close to the opening. 
 A few minutes before it begins to play, it boils up about 
 five feet above the surface, several times repeating this 
 operation, getting a little higher each time, till it puts 
 forth its full strength, when a column of water the full 
 size of the orifice is continuously ejected for about five 
 minutes. If there is a slight breeze, the steam is blown 
 to the side, and the water is seen rising to a height of 150 
 feet. 
 
 Next morning the fourth day's trip is to the Upper 
 Geyser basin, a distance of 35 miles, across the continen- 
 tal divide, and past many wild and romantic places and 
 large tracts of primeval forests, with beautifully straight- 
 growing pines, and occasionally meadows and lakes. 
 Coming to a district smelling strongly of sulphurous
 
 7 1 
 
 gases, the carriage was stopped to allow us to visit the 
 Mud Volcano, situated in a deep pit below a precipice. 
 The following is a very good description of it, taken 
 from an American paper: "The concussions and 
 splashing sounds of struggling mud in fiercely wild com- 
 motion shake your nerves and din your ear. Peer into 
 the depth below, over the sickly green edge of this 
 gaping crater, while it holds its poisonous breath for a 
 few moments, and at the bottom you will see issuing 
 horizontally from beneath the mountain a tide of seething 
 mud, charging against the side of the horrible abyss, 
 ebbing and flowing and churning backward and forward, 
 striking and recoiling ceaselessly, groaning the while over 
 its moribund condition and lost strength. It fascinates 
 while it appals. Let us begone, and leave for more 
 pleasing sights." Passing down to the carriage, we 
 observed an opening from which steam was issuing. All 
 round it was a deposit of hard crystalline sulphur, as 
 yellow and pure looking as the stick sulphur that can 
 be bought at a druggist's shop. 
 
 Our next stoppage is at the Thumb, a lunch station 
 on the shores of the Yellowstone Lake. Here is another 
 track of springs and geysers of a different kind. The 
 lake abounds with fish ; here the feat may be easily per- 
 formed of catching a fish with the rod, and, without 
 moving from your position, simply turn round, boil it in 
 a hot spring before taking it from the line. On the 
 verge of the lake are hot springs known as the " Tanner's 
 Vats." This name is very appropriate. Looking down 
 into this hot steaming spring, the bottom seemed to be 
 covered with animals' hides of various sizes. They were 
 dark in colour and soft and pliable to the touch. The 
 lake is about twenty-five by fifteen miles in extent, with 
 many bays and creeks, and is about eight thousand feet
 
 72 
 
 above the sea level. A steamer plies between the 
 Thumb and the Lake Hotel. The captain is very proud 
 of his steamer, holding it to be more comfortable than any 
 transatlantic liner. But before the voyage was completed, 
 some of the tourists were honest enough to confess that 
 they had suffered more sickness in that two hours' trip 
 than in the six days crossing the Atlantic, besides losing 
 the opportunity of seeing some fine natural objects by 
 the stage route that can be seen nowhere else. I would 
 say to tourists, keep to the stage road. There is nothing 
 new to be seen from the steamer on the lake. There 
 was very little attraction round the hotel, beyond that of 
 boating and the great hauls of fish that could be caught 
 in the lake in a very short time. Next morning we began 
 the fifth day's trip, our destination being the Canon 
 Hotel, eighteen miles distant, running the greater part 
 of the way along the Yellowstone River. Some of our 
 party, bent on sport, set out with rod and line about an 
 hour before the carriages, and by the time we made up 
 on them, they surprised us by the great string of fish 
 they had caught in such a short space. At some places 
 the water was clear and shallow : the trout swimming up 
 the stream could be distinctly seen from the road. The 
 hotel stands on rising ground, and is very conspicuous at 
 some miles distant, but, when reached, there is noth- 
 ing apparently to admire, beyond that of the building 
 being so situated as to command a view of an extensive 
 range of fine highland scenery. About ten minutes' 
 walk down from the hotel the scene is completely 
 changed, the " Grand Canon of the Yellowstone" con- 
 cealed from view in the midst of a forest coming gradu 
 ally into our gaze. The canon seemed as if scooped out 
 of the solid ground to a depth of fifteen hundred feet, 
 and the river rushes into it over a succession of preci-
 
 73 
 
 pices of various depths, the water appearing as a white 
 foam before it reaches the bottom. The canon is said 
 to extend twenty-four miles before terminating on the 
 plain, but only about four miles off it is in view from this 
 point. The off-side is almost perpendicular, with cliff 
 rising above cliff, covered with trees. On the near side, 
 for nearly four miles, the outline at the surface is like an 
 Indian's bow, sloping down at an angle of forty-five 
 degrees in the centre, and gradually getting steeper till 
 it is almost perpendicular at the two ends. 
 
 Near to the falls is " Lookout Point." Four miles 
 down is " Inspiration Point," and there are several other 
 points, with narrow, dangerous-looking ridges leading 
 out to them. These points seem to be hard rock, that 
 have withstood the ravages of time, wind, and weather, 
 and from which an excellent bird's-eye view can be had 
 of the bottom of the canon. Some parts of the slope 
 are covered with trees, amongst which there are numer- 
 ous groups representing statuary, minerets, and spires 
 standing up hundreds of feet from the bottom. We look 
 down on them from hundreds of feet above. One of the 
 high spires seemed as if crowned with a group of 
 statuary. On the head of the central figure of this 
 group there was what appeared to the naked eye to be a 
 crown of thorns on the head, but, on closer investigation, 
 it was found to be an eagle's nest, in which the young 
 could be distinctly seen. The sloping sides were perfect 
 displays of beautiful colours. The neighbourhood of 
 Fountain Hotel is infested by various kinds of wild 
 animals that take shelter in the forests. During our 
 stay in the hotel, a large black bear was caught in a cage 
 trap. It was very savage when any one went near the 
 cage. A roll was put on the end of a stick, and reached 
 into the cage. The animal snapped the roll from the
 
 74 
 
 stick and devoured it greedily. In our excursions we 
 visited the Excelsior Geyser. It is said to be the largest 
 of the geysers, and plays at intervals of from three to 
 four years. When not in operation as a geyser, it does 
 duty as a boiling spring, and has a basin, about 3000 
 feet in diameter. As a geyser it throws the water up 
 into the air about 300 feet for twenty-four hours. From 
 an American paper, it is reported to have been in action 
 about six weeks ago. Many theories have been 
 advanced as to the cause of geyser action, and from 
 whence comes the supply of water. The one most 
 favourably received is that there are igneous rocks under 
 the earth's surface, which, though gradually cooling, are 
 still so hot that the water percolating down from the 
 earth's surface and coming in contact with them gets so 
 heated as to generate steam, which collects in cavities 
 till of sufficient force to expel the water up to the earth's 
 surface. The writer differs from this view, and takes the 
 liberty of suggesting that the generating of steam is the 
 result of chemical action by the water coming into 
 contact with sulphur and other substances under the 
 ground. There is, near to Pocatella, in the State of 
 Idaho, about 150 miles south-west of these geyser basins, 
 what is known as the Lost River. It disappears under 
 ground, and no further trace is had of it. This, I 
 venture to suggest, is the source which, through sub- 
 terraneous passages, supplies the hot springs and geysers, 
 that in their turn send a continuous supply of water to 
 keep the Firehole River in full flow.
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY 
 
 Los Angeles 
 This book is DUE on the last date stamped below. 
 
 'M* 'MAR&;l 
 ^301975 
 
 Form L9-Series 4939
 
 Lf ay lord 5 
 
 GAYLAMOUNT 
 PAMPHLET BINDER 
 
 Syracuse, N.Y. 
 Stockton, Calif. I 
 
 2 
 
 168 
 
 A311r