j

 

| Page, Dnasalsdaked Alta,

AND PACIFIC COAST GUIDE.

129

 

 

up the canyon—grow small pines, cedars,
ferns, and mosses, which, in connection
with the gray walls, snow-capped moun-
tains, glistening waterfalls, pure air and
golden sun, presents a picture of rare
beauty.

Just above, on the left of the station,
away up on a projecting cliff, 1,000 feet
above the road, stands a ite column
which measures 6624 feet in height, from
the pedestal-like cliff on which it stands.
On each side of this column, and recedin
from its base, is a little grotto-park, fille
with nature’s evergreens, and surrounded
on three sides and on the top with rocks of
every size and shape.

Finding that this granite column has
had no name, we name it “Humphry’s
Peak,” in honor of the very gentlemanly
superintendent of the road.

At Wasatch we “change cars,” taking
those of about the size of an ordinary
hand-car, fitted up with seats that will com-
fortably accommodate about nine persons,
besides the knight of the whip—who chir-
rups the “ broad gauge mules.”

About a half-mile above the station we
enter the snow-sheds, which will continue
for seven miles, to the end of the track at

Avura—asmall mining town, at the head
of little Cottonwood Canyon. The end of
the track is on the side of the mountain
about 200 feet above the town of Alta, and
about 500 feet below the mouth of the cele.
brated Emma Mine, which is a little fur-
ther to the east, and opposite the Flagstaff
Mine, which is about the same height
above the road.

The town of Alta is at the bottom of the
canyon 200 feet lower than the end of the
railroad surrounded with mountain peaks,
which are covered with snow eight months
of the year, and at all times surrounded
with an eternal mantle of evergreen. It
contains about 500 population, all of
whom are engaged in mining and kindred
pursuits. There are several stores, express,
telegraph, and postoffice, besides several

| small hotels, chief of which is the Adolph.

To the north, over the mountain two

| milesis the Big Cottonwood Canyon; to

the south, three miles, is the Miller Mine,
and American Fork Canyon; Forest ord is
four miles. Three miles east by trail is
Crystal Lake, a beautiful sheet of water

—the angler’s paradise.
The principal mines near Alta are, the
Emma, Flagstaff, ey Nabob, Kate
aramie, Prince

 

of Wales, and 1,800 others, located within
five miles. The business of the railroad
is the transportation of ores and supplies
to.and from the mines. Hundreds of cars |
are loaded daily with ore that is taken to
the valley to be smelted or are sent to San
Francisco, the East, or to Sw Wales.

For novel methods of hauling ore to the
depot, see ANNEX No. 24.

The sheds over the railroad are seven
miles in length, and are made in various
styles of architecture, more for business
than beauty, the style being adopted accord-
ing tocircumstances. They are, however, in
all places constructed of heavy material,
rocks, round or sawed timber, and built in
the most substantial manner. In one place
they are in the shape of a letter A, sharp |
peaked; in other places, nearly upright on
each side, one side higher than the other,
with asloping roof. Again the lower hill-
side is built with a little slope toward the
up hill side, and long heavy timbers from
the top of these uprights slope up onto the
mountain side, resting on a solid granite
foundation leveled to a uniform grade,
for that purpose.

Where the latter plan has been adopted,
there is danger of snow-slides which are
more likely to occur, in fact, have occurred a
number of times since the sheds were von-
structed, and each time, the snow and rocks
passed over the shed into the canyon below,
without causing onecent’s worth of damage
to the road or shed.

Thelength of this road, where it is oper-
ated with mules, is seven miles long. As
before stated, the grade is 600 feet to the
mile; the curves are in places 80 degrees,
and not, as once stated in the “ Radhoay
Age,” 30 curves and 600 foot gauge. But we
suppose that Col. Bridges, when he wrote
that, was thinking about those “broad
gauge mules.”

Returning, the mule power that took us
up is no longer in demand; the knight of
the whip now mansthe brakes, and away we
go around the Age’s 30 curves, to the valley
below, “change cars” at Sandy, and are
once more headed for the south, on the
Utah Southern railroad. A short distance
south, we passthe McIntosh Sampling mill,
on the west and another on the east.

Sampling is testing such ores as are pre-
sented in quantities sufficient to enable
the sampling company to give certificates
of their value, and then the ore is sold at
the certificate rates. One mile further is
the Mingo Smelter of the Penn. Lead Co.