Los Angeles daily herald., 1876-04-05
ANOTHER OF A. 7. HIS SCREEDS.
Something about Depot agents-Stage DRIVERS
-CoIton-San Bernardino, and other mat

AID announced my arrival at Cotton.
| found my friend Mosher the cour-
teons agent of the S. p r. r., await
Ing my arrival. Mosher is better
known as "Hank Wagner" racy
newspaper correspondent and the au-
thor of several fugitive dialect poems
w hich have been extensively copied
by the Eastern press. Whether as
railroad man or writer. whoever knows
him, knows one of the cleverest fel-
lows going.
COTTON.
The new town has made but little
pr ogress so far owing to the lack of
water. Parties are now engaged in
sinking an artesian well, or more
properly speaking perhaps, boring for
artesian water, in the event OF procur-
ing which it is believed the town will
commence growing at rapid rate. A
! firm, the name of which has escaped
me, are now putting up building 80
xS0 feet which they propose to ock
with large assortment OF general
merchandise. The depot at Cotton is
a fine structure and receives and dis
charges an immense lot of freight dali
| ly. Mr.. Mosher informs me that he
sometimes receives as much as $500
per day for freight and passage mon
ey
TOMMY PETERS.
The shades of night were falling fast
when the Los Angeles train rolled up
to the landing and about that time a
stage propelled by four spanking greys
dashed up to the depot and in a mo-
ment more a stentorian voice sang out
"All aboard for the Starke House"
and following my friend, the station
agent, l mounted to the drivers seat.
After we were we'll under way, six
teen passengers on top and nine in
the body of the coach) found out L
was riding along side of the driver who
about year ago saved Wells Fargo &
Co. IS treasure box by neglecting to halt
when certain Knights of the Road
called upon him to stop and deliver.
He refused to do so, but on the con-
trary, quite the reverse, he just whip
ped up his team and went on his way
rejoicing. In consequence and On ac-
count whereof w. F. & Co. through
your popular townsman Mr.. w. Prid-
ham presented Tommy Peters the
driver aforesaid with gold watch and
trimmings. l asked Tommy for a
sight of the relic, to which he said
"Not much. The old lady has that.
This turnip" exhibiting silver cased
time piece which he said was broug mt
to the country by Col. W., in 1874, ''is
good enough for me-" T. P. is quite a
character out here, an accomplished
driver and noted for his ability to make
more people feel comfortable in his
painted wagon than any other "whip"
or any other man in 5. L Z.
SAN BERNARDINO.
It was dark when the stage stopped
in front of Starke's, where l found
good fare and first class sleeping ac-
commOdations, not only on the night
of my arrival but during my altogeth-
erpleasant stay in the town. 70 be
pumped down in the centre ofa grow
ing town of 1000 inhabitants, said
town being situated in the centre of a
valley, after dark renders it necessary
to seek some point from which to get
view of the surroundings as soon as
one gets up in the morning. Upon in
curing where I could get good gen.
eral view of the place 1 was referred to
the cupalo of the Court House. And
| am very certain that | shall never
regret climbing the winding stairs to
| said observatory. The view from that
elevation, look which way one will, is
very charming, to say the least of it.
Surrounded by towering mountains,
many of them snow clad, and rolling
hills, diversified by grain fields, vine-
yards, orchards and comfortable farm
houses, the valley stretches out for
| five or six miles in every direction
and is a thing of beauty. Well wa
tered and we'll timbered it will bear
not only close but frequent inspection
and will not suffer by comparison
with any valley that know, not even
far famed San Gabriel, primss inter
pares as I hold it to be.
THE TOWN.
The town itself is mile squar re, the
streets laid out at right angles, and
many of them closely built up with
cosy cottages and the principal busi.
ness street adorned with number OF
handsome brick buildings. Living
streams of running water fed by arte-
sian wells, of which there are over four
hundred in the immediate vicinity,
cross and recross each other on almost
every street. Every house almost has
its garden and orchard, and the pink
of the peach bloom and the white
of the plum and apricot and
delicate blush of the apple mingle
with the brighter hues of rose and
heliotrope and verbena forming pic.
ture very fair to behold.
THE COURT HOUSE.
The San Berdinas are proud of theil
Court House. 1t has been erected
within tho no OF war at a cost 0f goo