Brown and myself, he led off with "Sherman's March to the Sea." Mr. Brown followed with the "Star Spangled Banner," and I closed the exercises with Moore's serenade "Come o'er the Sea," etc., after the style of Major Scholefield, of the "North Woods Walton Club." The entire range, from Long's to Pike's Peak, seemed to catch the inspiration, and join in the chorus. After concluding that no improvised glee club had ever performed before a more select and appreciative audience; and after refreshing ourselves, and cooling our over-taxed throats with some coarsely granulated snow, at least a century old, which lay at our feet, we commenced the descent at four in the afternoon. By permission of Mr. Williams, I take pleasure in annexing the following letter written by him from the summit of Berthoud Pass: BERTHOUD PASS, ROCKY MOUNTAINS, Editor Fort Wayne Gazette : Having reached the summit of this grand mountain range, in company with Col. Seymour, the Consulting Engineer of the Union Pacific Railroad, and Mr. Brown, Assistant Engineer, my first impulse is to write to my friends at home. One of the experimental surveys for the Union Pacific Railroad follows Clear Creek to this Pass. That valley was therefore our route from Denver, fifty miles east, bringing us through a rich gold mining district. Eight miles back we took saddle-horses, rising by a mule trail sixteen hundred feet in the last one and a half miles. The point on which I write is some six hundred feet above the Pass, about six thousand seven hundred feet above Denver, and about twelve thousand feet above the sea. It appears to be some two or three hundred feet above the line of arborescence, or tree line," above which no timber or vegetation grows. Patches of last winter's snow are lying around us on northern slopes, and some of them two hundred feet below. The proposed railroad tunnel pierces the mountain far be neath us. From the summit the waters flow to the Pacific through the Colorado of the West, and to the Atlantic through the Platte. Peaks, five hundred, and one thousand feet higher than this, are near us, while Long's Peak, supposed to be nearly fifteen thousand feet above the sea, is in full view forty miles to the northeast. During the next two weeks, Col. Seymour and myself expect, in company with Gen. Dodge, the Chief Engineer, to look over the routes surveyed across the Black Hill range, one hundred miles north of this place. The Union Pacific Railroad is under rapid progress. In November next the locomotive is expected to cross the bridge over the North Platte, two hundred and eighty-five miles from Omaha. The opening of this work across the plains, will soon make the people of the States more familiar with this Rocky Mountain range and its grand scenery; and, what is more important, will afford ready access to a new field of enterprise in the work of developing its vast mineral wealth. J. L. WILLIAMS. We found our venerable driver at the foot of the trail, as per arrangement; but in order to insure his return to Empire the same night, he had taken the precaution to exchange his mules temporarily, with the Empire landlord, for a pair of good horses. Mr. Brown and myself kept our saddles till we reached Empire City, at six P. M.; but Mr. Williams, participating to some extent in the peculiar characteristics of a locomotive, from his long ride upon the back of old "Knockum-Stiff," as he facetiously styled his horse, concluded to take his accustomed seat in the carriage. On our way down to Empire City, a conspiracy was organized by our venerable driver to make a permanent exchange of his mules with the Empire landlord for his horses, but I am sorry to say that the scheme was not successful. The name of Bayard Taylor, that greatest of descriptive travellers, who had preceded us but a few months over Berthoud Pass, was still fresh in the recollection of the mountain residents who had been favored with his acquaintance. III. SNOW-STORM IN THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS-EMPIRE CITY TO IDAHO, CENTRAL, GOLDEN AND DENVER CITIES-VIRGINIA CAÑON-RUSSELL GULCH-QUARTZ MILLS AT BLACK-HAWK-JUNCTION RANCH-GUY'S HILL CLEAR CREEK CAÑON-ENTRANCE INTO DENVER, ETC., ETC. DENVER CITY, COLORADO, Thursday, Sept. 20, 1866. ON the morning of September 19th, we awakened at Empire City to find that we were in the midst of a Rocky Mountain snow-storm. The weather for several days previous had been delightful-even on the day before, during our visit to Berthoud Pass, not a cloud had bedimmed the sky until after sunset, when thin, hazy clouds began to settle below the mountain tops around us, all which, we were told, foreboded a storm. As our venerable driver had not succeeded in his attempt to impose his old mules upon our worthy host of the Empire House, in exchange for a pair of horses, we were compelled to address ourselves to our return journey behind these much-abused animals; and he to resume his powerful persuasives of the previous two days. The snow had not accumulated to any great extent upon the roads; but it was falling fast, and prudence enjoined us to be early on our way. Our hitherto guide, and most intelligent and agreeable travelling companion, Mr. Brown, remained at Empire, for the purpose, when the storm abated, of rejoining his surveying party in the neighborhood of Boulder Pass. RETURN FROM EMPIRE. Starting out at eight, we reached Idaho at ten in the morning, and stopped a few minutes to say some parting words to our friends of the Beebe House. We then commenced the ascent of the Virginia Cañon, and the descent of Russell Gulch, a distance of seven miles to Central City, which we reached at twelve. I should not omit to mention, that in driving from Idaho to Empire the previous morning, we had met Messrs. Gukin and Ford, artists from Chicago, who were engaged in taking some mountain views; and were on their return from the Parks, where they had been spending the summer months. At their invitation we had promised to call at their camp as we returned, and look over their pictures; but the morning was so stormy, and their quarters looked so uninviting, that we contented ourselves with a passing salute, and a promise to visit their studios in Chicago on some future occasion. The place where we met these gentlemen is but a few miles from the Chicago Lakes, the scene of Bierstadt's great painting of the "Storm in the Rocky Mountains." The snow had fallen to a depth of from six to eight inches on our arrival at Central City; and we were fully conscious of having lost, by reason of the thick-falling snow, as we passed down Russell Gulch to Central City, many fine views, as well as a passing inspection of some of the finest and most extensive quartz mining and crushing operations now being carried on in this part of the Territory. The result, however, was unavoidable, and we were obliged to content ourselves with such information our venerable driver could give us, he being familiar with the country, and part owner of some of as the mines around us, as well as of the outfit in which we were travelling. CENTRAL CITY. Central City seems to be situated at the confluence of several gulches, which, united, form the north branch of Clear Creek; and the streets are made to follow the windings of the beds of the streams. The houses are generally built upon benches cut in the side hill for the different stories, with basements upon the streets; so that, in order to reach the cellar or back-yard, you are frequently compelled to ascend one or two pairs of stairs from the office or dining-room of your hotel. I mention this fact, not so much the result of my own. observation, as from information derived from my esteemed friend and travelling companion, Mr. Williams, who spent at least a half hour in an investigation of the subject, immediately upon our arrival at the hotel. Central City boasts of several thousand inhabitants, or, at least, as many as Denver. We noticed. several fine blocks of brick and granite buildings, two or three large banking houses, and also the "Big Barn," situated directly in the centre of the city, and which seems to be the general corral for all the town and surrounding country. After partaking of a very good dinner, and giving such attention to our surroundings as the gloomy state of the weather would permit, we held a consultation as to our future movements. It had been our intention, on leaving Denver, to spend the present afternoon and night here, which would give us an opportunity to examine many of the mines, as well as quartz mills in the vicinity. Mr. Chaffee, Senator-elect from this forthcoming State, whom we had met in Denver, had very kindly promised |