Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-06-20

kdth UP up ~ Tue Guy TUT Vim ~ view
in early morning, after the passengers are Injured
to the perils of the deep.
Beyond the sandbar, near the hotel, the ocean
trip proper begins. The water grows smoother,
and we are out on the Pacific-though in this
transparent atmosphere the mountains, whose
feet come down to the surges, are twenty, thirty
miles away, looming up in solitary grandeur like
giantsentries guarding the treasures that sleep in
thevaleys and Serias far inland. Familiar with
the Atlantic coast line from the mouth of the
Delaware to the provinces, no portion OF it comes
to mind that compares with this in solemn,
mighty, awe-inspiring magnihcence For nearly
four hundred miles south of the " Gate these
peaks 90 szvward, resting their broad, solid
bases amid the very foam of the beach, brown
| and bare, with almost no timber.growth, moth
/ ing but coarse grasses and a stnnted shrub
berry But over and around them is this lovely
amber haze, like a coronet of diamonds on some
beauteous stately queen. Sometimes, the FOG
clouds hang in huge masses below the SUBMITS,
while they rise clear and bold above them.
Again, they go creeping along the mountain
sides like huge leviathans with snaky feet. Only
few times in the four hundred miles do the
valleys divide the hills and come down TO the
waters-until we approach the country in which
We write.
The first stopping place is Santa Barbara, an
carly Spanish mission settlement, now having
about fifteen hundred inhabitants. 1t nestes
quietly in a small, slopiug low.land, some four
miles broad and ten long. In the rear glisten
the snow white walls OF the ancient mission
church, century old, built of adobe or sun
dried bricks, and surrounded by :he smaller
buildings used in connection with the church.
The village is composed, mostly, of one-story
adobes. Two Protestant steeples, and a few
wooden blocks peer over and above the mass of
lOw-rooled structures, presenting to the stranger
anovel and interesting scene. single wharf
comes out into the harbor, but not into water
deep enough to allow anchorage for vessels. As
the steamer heaves in sight the signal gun booms
and the boats and freight-lighters swiftly are at
the ships side, rowed by the dark-skinned Mex
leans, with a steady aud skillful stroke. 1t is
about four of Sabbath afternoon.
Some passengers get off here, others go ashore
to stroll the town; for about three hours are nee
essary to unload the freight. Others still fish
| over the railing to while away the time A
| few of the California "Hoodlams'' remain in the
| card-room, where they have been engaged in
playing poker, bluff, ETC., all day, spicing their
hours with gambling in small way. Remem-
| Der that our ships company is made up of "al
sorts"-many nationalities and degrees, a mot
ley ongresation-Romish Spanish priests, ply
Sicians, lawyers, merchants, miners, Cinnamon,
Mexicans, delicate women, and dandy men in
search of health and pleasure. Beacon street.
9Th avenue, ceestials, men of science, studying
the wonders and pecularities of this distant
land; these, and more crowd the ganIways and
walk the decks. Where else on this continent can
public conveyance gather so various a crowd
Yet, all is done 'decentlv and in order" Not
even any loud conversation, save the sharp
tones Of the captain giving orders TO subordi-
mates. This bland, soothing tonic air sweeping
from the CLASSY Pacific seems to subdue all
things into harmony with itself.
As the sun dips into the western sea- the
0rizaba steams out from her moorings into the
fogs of the coming night, and the following
morning by daylight, we are at our anchorage
at San Pedro, small port where we are trans
lerred to the small tug belonging to the Los
| Angeles and San Pedro railroad company, that
| conveys us up to the wharf where cars are in
waiting for this, our destination, twenty-five
miles from the landing. Between the two points
there are only few dwellings here and there at
long distances. The soil is the richest of fine
dark looms Of inexhaustible fertility. Thepan
is prairie valley thirty miles in width between
the ocean and the foot hills. Its length is sixty
miles.
Within five miles of the town the road winds
through extensive vineyards, long lines of
orange groves, vegetable gardens, bordered by
rows of willows, that serve as wind and cattle
| fence.
The scene is semi-tropical. Interspersed
among the gardens are large English walnut
trees, resembling in appearance our horse chest
nut, fg, almond, pomegramate, sweet and sour
lemon, and apricot trees. In the flower gardens
around the dwellings bloom the largest roses
fragrant verbenas and heliotropes seeming tht
air with delicious odors. Since ! was here two
| years since, great changes have been made in
the city and surroundings. Large and elegant
blocks of buildings have gone up in place of the
| bhS oiOIg uuOoto3 tiS@duI uMtiiln2S uOt lllC ouu
urbs, and the groves and gardens keep reaching
out over the sun-browned plain.
| Its population counts some ten thousand, an(
| among the new corners is a much larger pro
| portion of the New England element that makes
its mark wherever it goes. 1t is Transforming
this ancient, dismal mud-briek settlement into
| place whose chief business street is not unlik,
Fitchburg. lis trade is largely with Arizona
Here most of the supplies are bought anC
shipped by mule teams three or four hundred
miles TO the mining camps of the interior
Here start the stages for the bloody haunts o
the scalping thieving Apaches-via San Der
nadno-the last settlement in California on thu
| border of Arizona.
| There is feeling of relief and in tense salts
faction at the late action of the administ ration
in sending General Howard on his mission o
peace and justice to this boodthirsty. villain
GUS tribe. Quaker guns and palaver are useless
with them. Ample experience has shown tina
the peace policy will answer for some redskins
but not for these Here one can talk with mer
who have spent months and years among them
amid the utmost peril to life and property, ant
know whereof they speak, and not with mere
theorists who never saw dozen Indians.
In this vicinity are fields of barley, rye, wheat
corn, varying in extent from ten acres to five
hundred. Hundred acre fields are quite com
mon. Land can be purchased tor from
$3.50 TO $50 per acre, according to loca
ton, aud whether il has water upon it
either springs or river, for irrigation. The
quality of the soil varies but little. Here are
thousands of acres, used now only for grazing
sheep, where the rich black loan is twenty and
thirty feet deep, waiting only for the plough tc
tickle it 10 produce the most abundant harvests
BY and by may give some details as to crops
For the present l close by saying that a.
these lines are penned come the new
from Philadelphia that the convention ha
hoisted the names of Grant and Wilson as tn
regular ticket. The intelligence meets tn
hearty appreciation of most republicans, am
the democracy seems blue and inclined to "g,
round the corner" This evening one hundret
guns are to celebrate the event, and in this re
mote corner Of the Union they will wake tn
echoes of contest that will carry the ticket t.