The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1869-01-29
IN LOWER CALIFORNIA.

usually ON three sides of the square a
single story building is erected, and the
fourth side, running parallel with the
front, is enclosed by stone wall as high
as the other sides. Some buildings sur
round the square on four Sides Thus
there is formed within, q square, or
sometimes parallelogram, and is term
ed Plaza. This Plaza is appropriated 20
various uses. The more wealthy class
take much pride in adjoining it with
shrubs, flowers and various works of
art. Some cultivate herbs and fruits in
it, while others use it as a corral for
feeding and harboring their beasts. The
walls are almost universally built of
adobes, which are simply sun-dried
brick about four inches thick and four
teen or sixteen inches square. (These
are sometimes burned in kilns the same
as brick. When the awsIlss, y I'm 14e
usually twenty-eight or thirtytwo inch
Is thick, are laid up the proper hight for
the ceiling, the trunks of palm six or
eight inches in diameter, which are fire.
quently as straight as die, are used
for joists. They are placed on the wall
parallel with each other, and an inter-
val between center and center of four
adobes are then laid across, making the
the joint in the center of the joists; on
top of this are layers of cement, gravel,
ETC., to render the roof water and fire
proof. Some houses however are rooted
with tiles. The earth is then leveled
for the floor and layer of adobes is
firmly imbedded in mortar, the cracks
filed with sand, and the surface smooth
ed by rasping it with large stone slab.
Among the weather. classes many of
the floors consist of acknowledged
flag-stones of various colors, while the
poor and those living in the rural dis
tricts are content with a ground floor.
These adobe floors are very cool and
pleasant in this climate. The walls be-
ing thick the windows are quite deep,
and on the outer edge are strong iron
bars. perpendicular and parallel to each
other, and firmly imbedded at top and
bottom in the masonry or wall. The
doors are also very strong and massive.
The reason 1 presume is to afford pro-
lection from the banditti, who infest
many parts of Mexico. Mexico is pre-
eminently a land of robbers and insur-
rectionists, hence every domicil of ne
cessity is fortress. In the towns along
the gulf we remember of seeing only
three or four houses of two stories
the violent storms and occasional earth
quakes render high buildings imprac-
ticable. Most Mexican houses are well
plastered inside, and on the outside re-
ceiVe several coats of cement, which
during the rains, and never being sub
ject to frost they resist the ravages of
time and stand several centuries.
During the dry season all vegetation
is sustained by irrigation, consequently
there is very little shrubbery in the i'm
mediate vicinity of the dwellings.
At the town of San Jose, about thir-
ty miles from Cape st. Lucas, there is a
small lake on the north of the town,
from which there is an aqueduct lead
ing through the town to the sea on the
south-it runs parallel with the main
street, OH the east side of it, just few
rods in the rear of the buildings. The
surface slopes gently to the east, and all
the gardens and groves are thus flooded
at pleasure. This stream is about ten
feet wide by three or four feet deep, and
is as clear as crystal; and on both sides
are rows of orange, lemon, pOmegran-
ate and fig trees. When the sombre
shades of night are thrown over the
face of nature the fair sex resort hither
to battle and enjoy the refreshing effects
of the Iimpid stream.
There are but two seasons in the Pen'a
the wet, and the dry. The rains begin
about the first of June, and continue
until the first of October-the remain
ing eight months are dry. During the
dry season the sky is quite clear, clouds
are seldom seen except in the morning
| q few hours, when there is a fog occa-
sionalIy. The air seems to be very pure
and exceedingly invigorating, and the
nights cool enough to sleep with COM
fort, good blanket being sufficient COW
| OE L1lC COl0CSt DAA4h6 tAO "O'
season the sky is perfectly clear in the
morning until about ten O'Clock, when q
heavy cloud with threat'ning aspect rises
suddenly in the southwest, as it were
out of the sea, and in few minutes the
sky is overcast, the lightnings fash, and
the thunders seem to roll along the very
brow of the hills, the rain descends in
torrents, frequently accompanied by flu
rious gales. This recurs daily at the
same hour for several weeks, while al
night it seldom rains drop. The storm
usually continues from three to four
hours, when it clears off and is exceed.
ingly hot for few hours. Since the
country is mountainous and narrow,
the streams are short, and the water
comes rushing from the nights in great
floods and in a fearful manner, carrying
huge boulders with it in its mad career
to the low lands. Although it is dan.
gerous to attempt crossing one of these
| streams soon after 8 storm, they ruT
down in six or eight hours SO that :
man can wade across without filling hi
boots.
1t is quite warm for an hour or two
after sunrise, when the sea breez.
springs up and prevails throughout thu
day. Although the tallest objects cas-
no shadow in the middle of June ye
the heat is not near SO oppressive as j
is in some of the Middle States
The climate is very healthy, since
is not subject to those changes of tenn
tperature so common in higher ATTITUDES
4 - - - A.. ,-aS..u,.AS. .An~ksr,,. N.