THE WESTERN WORLD

Tuapeka Times, Volume III, Issue 105, 12 February 1870, Page 7

THE WESTERN WORLD

The completion of the railroad across America, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, makes Americans calculate on a number of travellers to visit the wonders of that which is sti.l the new world. Ono of the grandest sights on the Pacific side is declared to be the Valley of the Yosemite, in the Sierra Eange, about 250 miles east of San Francisco. The first time a white man ever entered it was in 184S, and even now the journey is " somewhat hard." The way from San Francisco is by way of Stockton, a town 110 due east, and this part of the journey is done by river steamers the next hundred miles by stages, and the last forty-three by saddle horses, which, in two days (the riders camping in the woods for the night) bring the travellers to Inspiration Point, where the whole magnificence of the Tosemite bursts upon the view. The valley is ten miles long and three Avido. Its sides are granite walls from 2000 ft. to 4500 ft. high. Great domes and pyramids rise above the deep hollow, at the bottom of which is a little lake and stream. A small river, 70ft. wide, tumbles over on one side of the immense height, coming down in three falls, the first of them 130 ft. In the valley are nooks and bits of scenery of rare beauty, contrasting almost strangely with the solemn grandeur of the surrounding walls and peaks. The spot is more than a place for summer resort — it is one of the wonders of creation. It is boasted that no one ever made the trip nncl i-eturnod-clisappomted. At Stockton the tourist may turn aside, and a ride of 72 miles will bring him to the Calaveras grove of big trees. There are 92 trees, ranging in height from 150 ft. to 327 ft., and from 10ft. to 30ft. in diameter. Their age is supposed to be from 1200 to 2500 years. There is another grove, only six miles from Mariposa, on the Tosemite route, containing 427 trees, the largest 3-lft. in diameter. The Q-eysers are another wonder of California. They are about 60 miles north of California. Hundreds of springs of all kinds, colours, and temperatures are to be seen, with immense deposits of sulphur, alum, magnesia, epsom salts, and other minerals. The puffing and roaring of the steam which issues from every crevice in the rocks, and rushes with great violence from the " Steamboat Springs," the dashing and surging of black boiling water in the unfathomable depths of the "Witches' Cauldron," and the sulphurous fumes which fill the air, produce an indescribable effect on the beholder. At a farm in West Cornwall there lived a respectable family, consisting of a mother and two sons, Henry and James. James was taken ill through overwork, andhe proceeded to Penzance with the intention of going to Scilly. The gale sprung up, and the boat, having proceeded as far as Land's End, was obliged to return. Henry became alarmed about his brother's safety, and proceeded to Truro, wnere he saw his brother looking out of one of the carriages. The sudden surprise drove him mad, and his brother has since shown such symptoms of insanity that they are both placed under restraint, i On the arrival of the Liverpool express at Crewe Stations, soon after 5 o'clock on October 9 the man whose duty it is to tap the whels of the carriage saw under one of the vehicles an object rather foreign to the situation. It turned out to be a little boy, who on being told to " come out " aid" Don't say anything; I have lost my friends and want to go to Bristol." He was interrogated by the railway officials, and he told them he hung on by his arms and legs to a slender iron stay only three quarters of an ihch in diameter, the whole distnee from Liverpool (34 miles). When we consider the speed the express train travels at, the constant draught, dust, and Adoration the must have had to put up with, to say nothing of the Limestreet ' tunnel (not over agreeale to pass j thi'ough under the best of circumstances), we cannot but admire the remarkable spirit exhibited. If the train had gone much futher without stopping, the poor boy could not possibly have held on, as his limbs were quite numb when he was discovered.