Letter from James Murdock to John Muir, 1904 Oct 18.

• Main Author: Murdock, James
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: Scholarly Commons 1904
• Subjects: Environmentalist; naturalist; travel; conservation; national parks; John Muir; history; correspondence; letters; Glacier Bay; Traveller; glacier; Alaska
• Online Access: https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/muir-correspondence/2889; https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/context/muir-correspondence/article/3888/viewcontent/muir14_0616_let.pdf

[letterhead]New York, 18th Octr 1904My Dear Mr. MuirI got back to Philadelphia the other day & came on here with my wife today to go on board the "Oceanic" tomorrow. The weather was somewhat broken after leaving San Francisco but I had not much to complain of on that score. After joining the C.P.R. however my comfort as a Railway traveller in this great continent was gone. The carriages were filthy and crowded - so much so that I was glad to get a seat in a su[illegible]king room of a second class carriage one day from 2 a.m - till 5 p.m. I survived it all however & am here none the worse. The scenery about Glacier and Bauff was really very fine but I am with you in thinking that the mountains & rocks of the Yosemite cannot be beaten by anything I have since seen. The train going east was about 8 hours late when I joined it at Bauff and the one going west was 10 hours late on the same day at the same place. It began to snow at dusk03459 & continued, snowing hearty when I entered the train at 2 a.m. By daylight I daresay there were 6 or 8 inches of snow on the prairie but during the forenoon it eased off & we soon left the snow behind as - By the time that Verdun was reached I cannot tell how much the train was late, but so much that I was only able to spend one day with my Edinburgh friend there in stead of two. Then a day was lost at Winnipeg but being Sunday I went to St. Andrews Church there & heard the author of the "Ma[illegible] Gl[illegible]" & "The sky Pilot" preach. Sometime after leaving Winnipeg another delay of 9 hours took place in a narrow deep cutting owing to a fall of rock which looked at one time very bad. We got thro however & I am hopeful now of a good passage across the pond. My wife & I came on here today & I lost no time in calling on Mr Johnson of the "Century" from whom I have received the Century Magazines for June 1895 (the discovery of Glacier Bay) & Augt. 1897( the Alaska trip) Sept. 1897 (Adventure with a[illegible] Glacier). Then I went ...