Carson daily appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1873-1877, 1873-08-23
EDITORIAL CORRESPONDENCE
San BUExAvENrCRA, Cal, I
Aug. IL, 1878.

here and now before changing custom
obIiterates it or it escapes my memory:
This is the cheapest country to travel IN
that l know of, anywhere-unless 1t be
in the rural districts of New England or
the more remote States OF the northwest.
Certainly for comforts and convenlences
and attractions combined with cheap
ness. have no knowledge Of any region
that compares with this Here are some
items: 1 and my family were driven out
in a comfortable vehicle to see the big
grape vine, the Old Mission. the town
in general, Packard's garden and all the
principal lions of Santa Barbara, and
were gone pretty nearly all day, and 1t
cost me lust five dollars. A day or two
afterwards 1 go. a buggy and took my
responsibilities to ride along the beach
and elsewhere, had the team for three
hours or more, and only had to disburse
50 so. We staid a week-just seven
davs-a. Monsieur Ratfour's Occidental
Hotel 1t Santa Barbara-a house scarcely
less fine and attractive than the AUZerais
House at San Jose-had two handsome
rooms on the first floor and excellent
attention. and all at a cost, for the whole
outfit and Unfit OF but SO Ut would
have eos, NE nearer so IN any hrst-ciasS
hotel in San Francisco or Sacramento
The day we went from here to Hueneme
We had a two two-horse double seated
spriur wagon, a very handsome affair,
and were cone from 10 A. NJ. to 6 o'clock
N, and the charge demanded by the
stabIe-keeper was five dollars 1t is
cheaper to travel and ride here than it
is to stay at home and foot 1t . L give
these vulgar fractions of expense In or
der that the health-seeker may know
how economically he may make the trlp
that and my wife and my six-year-oid
boy are making.
must make my promised description
of San Buenaventura as brief as possible,
for L find my store of items crowding
me very closely; and at this rate l neve,
shall get within reach of any sheep OF
find any time or place for description
of the great variety of men and manners
and multitudes of queer old things which
press about me on all sides.
/ described, in a former letter, the
general features of Santa Barbara Bay
This town lies Just below the southern
extremity of that bay. l use the terms
north and south the better to convey my
idea of the relative locality of places,
knowing full well that in SO doing l am
boxing the compass in a free and unau.
thorized manner of my own.) At the
mouth of San Buenaventura river con
siderable sand bar is pushed into the
sea; but by giving the same sufficiently
wide berth, the landing is made at 9
capacious wharf in an abundant depth
of water. Anacapa Island is several
miles distant opposite the rivers mouth
but to be honest about it this Is scarcely
less than an open roadstead. However,
this fact is hardly to be taken into seri
Gus account, for the Pacific is rarely
ruffied except during the rainy season
by ANYTHING but the gentlest of breeZes
and there are rarely more than ten days
in the whole year when steamers or othel
water craft may not safely and easily bt
moored at the wharf and discharge and
receive their freights. Still it Is due tt
the already large and rapidly growing
interests of this part of California tha
the general government should speedily
e1pend the money needed to protec
these sea ports from the constant swell
and surge of the ocean. Look at the
matter: There are owned and fed anc
sheared in the districts of country which
come to Santa Barbara, San Buenaven
tura and Hueneme fer transportation
and a market not less than one million
Of sheen. These will each yield yearly
fleece averaging at least five pounds OF
wool. Here are five million pounds OF
this precious textile which must go to
market by sea, and all that our Uncle
Sam has done about the matter Is to
erect here and there hghthouse-and
some of these are lUdicrously flliputlan
in their dimensions. (The light in Santa
Barbara is stuck mp on the ridge pole OF
awee bit of frame shanty down by the
beach. and is made to cast its refulsent
beams into the eyes OF the tempest-tossed
son of Neptune out of a lantern OF about
the size of those which are commonly
employed to direct the steps of the IN
wary into the shoals and quicksands OF
q Barbary Coast dead-fall-) And this
wool interest is only one of the many
frst-class interests which are nourlshed
in this part of California. l strenuously
maintain that the Congress should be
iostled and stirred to action until IN JUS