] RANS- PON TINENTAL THURSDAY MORNING, JUNE 30. OLD AND NEW. Few things are more striking than the contrast of feeling which one experi- ences in traveling the continents of Eu- rope and America, On the former, the mind looks out through the eye upon objects of the present, but instinctively turns to contemplations of the past. This is almost as true of scenesin nature as amid the wonderful memorials of ancient art. The Alps of Switzerland, the Plains of Lombardy, and the Bay of Naples—who thinks of any new and altered future for them, or who does not naturally run in his mind from what they are to what they have been? So of all the treasures of art, in painting and sculpture and whatever else bears the impress of immortal genius, We may look upon them with our eyes, and handle them with our touch, but not one of them leads us tothe contempla- tion of a future when they shall be sur- passed in beauty or perfection, or when the cities which contain them shall be famous for new creations which shall equal them. Indeed, these relics of the past have ever prolonged the fame, perhaps the very existence of the places where they are treasured. Not so with our country. The outlook from our present is always to the future. The magnificent scenes of natural beauty and grandeur through which we have passed, not only com- mand admiration now, but they all lead directly to the contemplation of that future which is sure to render them far more celebrated in fame and develop- ment. Whether we look at the thrift of Chicago and Detroit, of Omaha and San Francisco, with the long catalogue of embryo cities which lie between them, orat the magnificent fertility of lowa and Nebraska, the great plains which lie beyond them, the mineral wealth of Wyoming, Colorado and Nevada, or at the marvelous fruitfulness and wealth of California, the gratification and sur- prise of the present leaps forward into a future of transcending superiority. Population without numbers rise up be- fore us; wealth beyond computation flows from the mines, the farms and the commerce of these States. The treasur- ies of art multiply, the intelligence of the people shines through the manifold forms of a high civilization, and the world confesses, without fear, that upon this virgin soil has been developed the most advanced and the freest govern- cc RR tennant ment that has ever been the heritage of man. The trans-continental rai:roads have literally blended all the States into one nation. Thank God that we have a Massachusetts, a Maine, and a Califor- nia, and for all the noble Common- wealths of the sisterhood of States; but thank Him more than all, that our State pride is lost in the admiration and love which we bear to our country at large. We will rejoice in all that is noble and bountiful in the present; and it shall not be our fault if the glorious promise of the future in fame and in progress be not fulfilled. eS — Work is steadily progressing on the railway bridge across the Missouri river, which is intended to connect Omaha, Nebraska, with Council Bluffs, Iowa. Iron cylinders are being sunk in sec- tions, at regular distances in the river, and form coffer-dams, inside of which the masonry work for piers is being sub- stantially constructed, and hopes are en- tertained that, if no floods interrupt the work, trains may be able to cross before December next. ee lt — The Bloomer costume, which was partially adopted by many of our ladies while on their trip to the Yo-Semite Valley, received its name from Mrs. Amelia Bloomer, of Council Bluffs. ig — The new chorus adapted to the air of Vive la Compagnie, and sung with great eclat on our train, runs as follows: Hurrah for a ride without Jostle or jar, Hurrah for a life on the Iron bar; Hurrah fora ride ina Pullman car; Vive la Compagnie ! ——-—- — One of the stations passed yesterday onthe B. and M. R. Railroad, bore the euphonious cognomen of Vilisca, while a beautiful valley rejoiced in that of Nish-a-bot-nay, an Indiantitle; another station on the line is called Che-can-qua, which is the Indian title of a celebrated essence peddlar, well-known all over the country. ———___—_-—49>----__. —Since our last issue, nearly every station we have passed has been crowd- ed with people anxious to greet us, and view our celebrated Pullman excursion train. ee — Our excursion to California has been a good lesson in geography and travel- ing to all the children of our party. a — Crops throughout Iowa promise a large freighting business to railways the coming season, i ie nN nt nn nnn Our Route through Iowa. Our train left Council Bluffs, Iowa, just before sundown, by the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad, drawn by two powerful locomotives, and preceded by a pilot engine, kept five miles in ad- vance of us, in which rode J. R. Woods, Train Master. We were accompanied on our train by W. H. Whitla, General Western Agent; S.H. Mallory, Assistant, Superintendent; E. A. Touzalin, Gene- ral Ticket Agent; C.S. Yates, Train Dis- patcher; W. Beckwith, General Road Master; and Geo. Chalender, Master Mechanie on the engines. We were run ata high rate of speed and a brakeman was furnished for each of our eleven cars. A Special Time Card for the Boston Excursion Train, was neatly printed and handed to each of our party. Beside the list ofstations, dis- tances and running time, it contained remarks explanatory of the road, and was entirely in keeping with the many other excellent and thoughtful arrange- ments made by the managers of this enterprising railroad. Men were sta- tioned along the road at every mile to keep off cattle and see that the track was in perfect order; also, flag-men were placed at every switch, and a tele- graph instrument and operator was on board our train to open instant com- munication by telegraph over the wires along the road at a moment’s notice. The main line of this railway route is through Iowa, 291 miles, with a branch from Red Oak to Nebraska City, nearly completed, which will be open for traffic in about fifteen days. This road is a portion of the Chicago, Burlington and Missouri River Railroad line, running from Omaha to Chicago, and as such one of the competitors for the great trans- continental business which is now so steadily increasing, and must soon as- sume gigantic proportions, —____-~~e» — The convenient and roomy baggage cars of the Union Pacific R. R. struck us as far superior to any others we have ob- served, and we certainly congratulate the officers of that road on the skill and taste displayed in their construction. The Union Pacific R.R.is now in first class order. It appears to be exceeding- ly well and economically managed, and is deservedly popular along its line. eee — We return our most cordial thanks for the many and constant favorsshown this office by the Western Union Tele- graph Co.’s officers and agents, through- out our entire trip across the continent. ——___~