New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-10-09
IN THE MIsTs OF THE PACIFIC.

THE REDWOOD FOREST OF SAN MATEo AND
SANTA CRUZ-ALONG THE SHORE OF SAN
FRANCISCO BAY-THE CANADA DE SAN AN
| DREAs-BEARs, WOLVES, AND DEER WITHIN
| TWENTY MILES OF SAN FRANCIsC0-THB
CRYSTAL SPRINGS OF SAN MATEO.
| SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 9.-The peninsula Of
San Francisco is at the northern end of long range OF
mountains, stretching with only slight breaks at long
intervals from Cape St. Lucas the southern point OF
the Peninsula Of lower California TO the Mission Dolores
in this city, almost at the Golden Gate These
bear different at different points, but generally
spoken as the Coast Range" Some miles south OF
San Francisco they rise into majestic Sierra known
the Sierra Morena. Further south they form the Santa
Cruz Mountains and afterward take the name Of the
Gavilan, or Gabian Range. Along this range In
| San Mateo and Santa Cruz Counties Is one Of the
largest II not the largest OF the redwood forests Of Cal
fornia This forest belt is miles width from
east to west and from 30 miles IN length from north
20 SOUTH and contains timber enough to build twenty
| San Franciscos The redwoods nowhere come down 10
the Pacific coast and the traveller the San Francisco
and San Jose Railroad catches few glimpses Of them
that he would never dream Of the existence OF such
forest while from the decks Of passing steamers
only small patches Of them in the cations miles back
In the interior The giant redwoodto which family the
big trees of Tuolumne Calaveras, and Marposa Coun
ties belong-fourshes best at high elevation and In
warm, moist atmosphere This great forest like that OF
Mendocno. the mountains with tropical uxuIi
ance and Is watered by the mists which, rising for
considerable part Of the year from the bosom Of the
Pacific are driven inland by the trade winds and
densed the mountain slopes keeping the rank yegeta
ton which clothes them almost perpetually dripping
The redwoods themselves rise hight OF 100 to 500 feet
or more and attain immense size. Beneath their shade
springs up an underground Of towering shrubs and
treesCaornia lilac teaoak pine, ceonotus, laurel or
the fragrant bay, buckeye, manZante poisonoak the
giant California honeysuckle which, half bush half vne
rises to hight of 10 to 20 feet and from its thousands OF
shaped flowers tinted like the crab apple bios
som, loads the atmosphere with delicious perfume and
last but least the Madroa queen Of the forest and
farest all the of earth These woods for the
most part In native state Here and there the and
saw-mll have made sad havoc but in the more noun
famous and least accessible localities the forest
stretches unbroken for miles and miles, and Ell
lence regns supreme Horse trails are few,
and the dense underground and the ruggedness
of the country make almost impossible. Here the
grizzly bear hides In security and from his mountain fast
saes forth intervals to forage the ocks and
herds orchards and gardens that dot the lowands Here
the California on wolf fox mink raccoon, wildcat lynx
deer eagle and great vuture, abound, within hearing
of the whistle OF the locomotive which sweeps through
the Valley Of Santa Clara and almost within reach Of the
echoes OF the guns Acaraz and the bells OF the Golden
City. 1t still terra tncogitd, and for years 10 come
will be verable hunters paradise Quail doves. pigeons
rabbits squirrels hare, and other game found every
beautiful spotted trout OF California.
What lies beyond this great forest and between IL and
the Pacific Oceani To enable me to answer this question,
last week mounted my good Caballa aud on sunny
afternoon rode away to the southwark my little son ac'
companyng his pet horse for the first part OF the
trip. For an outfit took toothbrush, pocketcomb
Jack knife, and revolver with plenty OF ammunition.
THE RIDE To CRYSTAL SPRING.
Leaving san Francisco, rode out by the Mission
Dolores aud along the San Bruno road The Bay OF San
Francisco dotted with sails and with the shores OF Con-
ira Costa and Alameda and their high hills overlooked
by the bold peak OF Mount Diablo in the background
was picture in itself; and every turn of the road dis
closed some new beauty in the evershfting panorama
AT one point a landlocked basin. in which .
dozen Italian ishermens boats lay rocking idly, and at
another we paused TO watch party OF Dagos," who
were wading in the bay up TO their necks, haulinga
sene while their feuccargged craft rode at anchor as
t might have done in the Levant or tie Grecian Aren't
peago Cut out that section OF the blue bay with the
feucca and its crew of redcapped fishermen, put it into
a frame, aud you have a matohless "Scene In the
by one of the very oldest of the masters Great
white pelicans winged their way in silence over the
waters, and hocks Of gus shangs and crooked-biled
curlew rose as galloped along Long streamers OK
snowy vapor hung out like flags of truce from
the SUBMITS OF the mountains on the west,
and looking back 10 the north We saw tho mist
driving in from the Golden Gate and seudding across
the bay - -.
VALLEY OF SAN ANDREAs.
At San Bruno Is miles from San Francisco we turned
westward and crossed into the beautiful Canada de
san Andreas lovely little valley lying in the bosom OF
the hills under the shadow Of the Sierra Morena
The Spring Valley Water Company, which derives lie
water supply San Francisco from the head OF the
Plarctos Creek in the RedwOods, some 40 miles SOUTH
of the city, and has beautiful lake for reservoir IN the
mountains building another reservoir when IS 10
heat everything the continent. dam 20 feet high
fO
the valley and the waters OF the San Andreas thus
thrown back form lake two miles and half long, ana
containing one thousand million gallons This Is to be
held as reserve supply for dry seasons Johh emma
| man did the work. with white men as superintendent
and as ia his custom did it WELL lie is now at work IN
! the same quiet methodical way making Dicks
for the barriers OF the oodgates. Along the Bay the
hills az this season are and brown but here fresh
green chaparra and tall fuloaged trees setch out on
| every side and We ride down road empowered WIN
shrubbery aud dark with the cool SHADOWS " cNenps'
Coyeys of tufted quail rise and whrr away as we op
on and rabbits creep into the bushes at ~ inc
| road AT the entrance Of canon stands cottage
hded nv broad spreadipg oaks and fragrant bay trees
and NV the door book IN hand sits fair young daughter
of California with great eyes as beautiful as those
| Of a sea.on-I can think of no more complimentary
sme she tells us S 19"f dr the hunters after the
| inst when the prohibition on shooting Is 10,
moved hinge grizzly TOOK the hoSse some Weeks
SINCE and stayed there undisturbed Tor ornig Ong
leaving when the wild clover upon wnieh ne e few
iSuri9te failed Deer seen almost daily ana ic"
aays AGO lynx or wild cat. or California on me wE
In Gould NOT tell which, came down 10 the co,take III
hrnaS daylight caught fowl and sat down by the door
to eat it lady threw her shoe at the sTGatu soen
dinner with him. Taking leave OF our fair hostess, zen
her that start for Mexico and long PaSe I'd h ,
nd "a we ride away she bows gravely ana IN inc soi,
casuan tongue not her native language Das ne as
the custom of the people, Adios amigo! addns ,he
neace OF God be with youw Say what you VIII ol u'y
noble saxon tongue and race that better thah Ia 'a'
/" good day" or even good by.
CRYSTAL SPRINGS. a., ,.a~.
a,yep,v r,iles from san Francisco Is the beautrn