Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1878-06-06
THE TOWN OF THE ANGELS.
Something About thHt Cartons Old
Oity, with Its Wonderful Groves
aud Vineyards.

HVtueNntUE AO0Ut inst CuTlOuq Old
Clty, win IT'S Wonderful Groves
Syracuse Courier.l
SAN FRANCIsco, May 12.-The
distance trayersed by rail to reach
Los Angeles is about 450 miles. In
going aud returning you take in
even more than the usual diversity
Of soil and climate in California;
you are constantly moving through
luxurious pastures or enormous
wheat fields extending on either
side of the road, far beyond the
power of human vision, or in the
canyons" or on mountain sides, or
over apparently endless deserts, like
the Great Mojaye, with its inter-
minable sage brush and dry alkali
clay or sand, or prairie, with
enough of vegetation to pasture
sheep, which roam over these re-
gious in flocks of a thousand or
more, usually attended by one
shepherd, sometimes on foot and
sometimes mounted, and always ac.
rompanied by one or more dogs.
In passing the range of noun.
tains on the line Of the road, engi-
neering difficulties present them
selves, which hardly have a parallel
even in the Rocky Mountains. The
elevation is so high that to over
come 1t George Clay, once chief
engineer Of the New York Central
road, constructed what is termed
"The Loup." The mountain tops
are bound with iron, much after
the modern fashion of crayat,
around the neck, including the
bow. Standing on the rear plat
form, in full view of the sinuosities
OF the tie, you are tempted to re-
peat the negro song Of i
Sich getting upstairs l never did see
q. Butthe continuance is complete
as it works admirably in
practice. A single locomotive is
able to run up at a fair speed with
an ordinary passenger train. In
something less than tweuty-four
hours we reached the old Mexican
town of Los Angeles.
The old adobe houses have given
place to elegant brick or wooden
edi6ces, or been shut up and aban-
doned. Almost all brick structures
are externally plastered, giving
them exactly the appearance Of
light-colered stone, and this plaster
ing never cracks or sloughs off,
But the feature of the valley is its
thrifty and beautiful vine
yards and orange groves. There
are several in the immediate neigh
borhood Of the city, but the most
elegant, highly cultivated and val
liable of these estates begin at "SanI
Gabriel Mission" about twelyel
miles to tho northeast, This mis-
sion, including queer looking and
old brick church, was
Just about q century
ago; and it Is said all the tropical
and semi.trOpical fruits now grown
here were cultivated by the Jesuits.
At some three miles from the mis-.
sion we approached the mansion
house of Mr., D. i Rose, a gentle
man OF German extraction, who Is
laid to have the mont extensive.
best cultivated, and most valuable
estate in the valley. 1t is difficult
10 convey any adequate idea of the
,oWbiaad ahRrms Of his establish.
pent XoI enter the grove and
vineyard by a splendid road q mile
rom the mansion. On either side
lre rows Of orange trpes, thqso
growing nearest the road almost
Iorming q bower, protesting yor
from the sunshine. -
Beyond these irees you get a
view of the California vineyards.
or not they are 81 ar
ranged for effect, the impression is