Round the World by Andrew Carnegie
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page 7 of 306 (02%)
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notions of the Rocky Mountains, derived from pictures of Fremont _a
la_ Napoleon crossing the Alps, have received a rude shock; we only climb high plains--not a tree, nor a peak, nor a ravine; when at the top we are but on level ground--a brown prairie, "only this, and nothing more." * * * * * TUESDAY, October 22. Desolation! In the great desert! It extends southward to Mexico and northward to British Columbia, and is five hundred miles in width. Rivers traverse it only to lose themselves in its sands, there being no known outlet for the waters of this vast basin. What caverns must exist below capable of receiving them! and whither do they finally go? At the station we begin to meet a mixture of Chinese and Indians--Shoshones, Piutes, and Winnemuccas. The Chinamen are at work on the line, and appear to be very expert. At Ogden we get some honey grapes--the sweetest I ever tasted. It is midnight before we are out of the desert. We are up early to see the Sierras. My first glimpse was of a ravine resembling very much the Alleghany Gap below Bennington--going to bed in a desert and awaking to such a view was a delightful surprise indeed. We are now running down the western slope two hundred and twenty-five miles from San Francisco, with mines on both sides, and numerous flumes which tell of busy times. Halloa! what's this? Dutch Flat. Shades of |
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