Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 41, Number 92, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 August 1909 — Gus Phillips Writes of His Trip to San Francisco. [ARTICLE]

Gus Phillips Writes of His Trip to San Francisco.

Gus Phillips, who recently left for his theatrical labors in San Francisco, Cal., has written the following letter to his father, Simon Phillips: San Francisco, Sunday, Aug. 1, 1909. I arrived Wednesday evening at 7:30. I had a delightful trip across the country. It was hot Monday but got cool in the evening, but Tuesday and Wednesday were fine. It was a glorious trip; as I had never seen the country, it was grand to me. The crops in Nebraska were great. In Wyoming the hill and sage brush and the sheep ranches were all new to me. The railroad is built right across the great Salt Lake in Utah, 14 miles of stone grade and 16 miles df tressel work, some of it 180 feet deep. Trains pass each other out in the middle of the lake. It cost thirteen millions of dollars to build. Early Wednesday morning we saw the snow capped mountains. After we crossed Salt Lake we rode for miles across what was once the bottom of the Lake; it is snow white, 90 per cent salt. A man told me he had driven 250 miles north on it and it was still going on and it reaches way down in Arizona. We rode all night over grease wood and sand through Nevada. Got to Reno, Nevada, at 8 in the morning. After we left there we commenced to ascend the Sierra Nevada mountains. We went up 14 miles before we got to the top of the range with snow on all sides of us. Then we traveled on top of the “hog backs,” as they call them, through 47 miles of snow sheds, thousands of feet above snow level. It was a grand sight. There is a big lake up in the mountains, .700 feet deep and fish can be seen nearly at the bottoin, the water is so clear. It was the grandest sight I ever saw. Immense pine forests through it all. When we got through the snow sheds we commenced to go down the mountains over 200 miles to Frisco and all down hill. The Tucker river runs 'around the mountains and through them at the foot hills you could see the trout leaping out of the water. In some places they have dams and they told me on the train that the trout have jumped 12 feet out of the water and over these dams. The bottom land of Nevada is irrigated by this river. I saw lots of fields flooded with it. It was a great sight. When we got into the foot hills we came to the fruit country. All kinds of fruit .peaches,pears, apples and figs was sold by boys at the stations at 10 cents a dozen. It don’t taste like our fruit at home. Then we came into the Sacremento Valley, 350 miles long. This is the finest farming land In California, with thousands of cattle and sheep. It was very hot until about 50 miles of Frisco, then we had to put on our coats and close the windows. At Sacremento they run the train on a ferry boat and took us over the Sacremento river. At 11 we were in Oakland. Took the ferry and crossed over to Frisco, over the bay. It was so cold we had to put our overcoats on and stay inside. I never saw such w'eather. I have not seen a cloud in the sky since Wednesday morning. It is continual sunshine. This is their cold season now. I wear an overcoat every night and sleep under blankets. There will be no more rain until November. The city is great, nearly entirely built up, all fine buildings. It is very hilly. My legs are so sore from climbing the hills T can hardly walk. The weather is too nice to ride. lamat a fine hotel and situated very good, 5 blocks from the theatre. I open the 9th of August In the “Squaw Man.” It is mighty lonesome for me out here, but I will be O. K. when I get to work. I guess I have to rehearse so that will kill the time some. I have been trying to find Homer Dobbins, , but have not succeeded yet. I will run across him some of these days, I suppose. I am going out to the beach some day this week. Went to the ball game this afternoon.

GUSS.