Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-03-03
NEWS ITEMS.


They fire tramps cut of Lodi
Trout So cents per pound in Salt Lake.
Paradise is to have new SO, 600 school
house.
The Eurekans eat 800 pounds of shrimps
per week.
The Commercial Weekly Record, Stock
ton, has been enlarged and otherwise i'm
proved.
The measles are raging at Phoenix, Ore
gon. The district school is closed in con-
sequence.
Garroters are becoming so numerous in
Bodie that the local papers call for Vigi-
lance Committee.
The Mountain Echo is the title of a new
and neat weekly paper published at Rock
lin by B. F. Frank.
Recent cold weather has killed great
many lambs in Mendocino county, says
the Ukiah Dispatch.
The snow that fell in the Winnemucca
valley few days ago to the depth of sew
eral inches has nearly all disappeared.
The Santa Rosa Republican says the early
sown wheat is looking well. Every team
seems to be busy employed in plowiDg and
seeding
Around Santa Rita the farmers fear too
much rain, and say they have enough now
to insure an excellent crop, but that
little more would not hurt.
A petition asking the Legislature to pass
law to prohibit the sale of Intoxicating
drinks, and to close all saloons on Sunday,
is in circulation in Oakland.
Says the Yreka UnjoR. Last year the
spring clip of wool brought into this county
about $4,000. This year the income from
that source viii be hut nominal
Salt Lake is well supplied with clubs
and societies, there being about twenty
five with several wards to hear from.
They all appear to be fiourishing.
Merced is about the happiest town in
this State now. Virtue and industry are
rejoicing over the prospect of the biggest
and best crop ever raised in the county.
Says the Nevada City (Cal. Transcript
1t is reported here that several quartz in
corporations in the county are gradually
replacing the Cinnamon in their employ
with white men, and that the change will
be made as quietly and quickly as possible.
1t is also stated that unless the Mongoli-
ans are all discharged after a reasonable
time has elapsed, complaints against the
derelict companies will be filed in the Su-
perior Court by prominent Workingmen,
who are now engaged in investigating the
matter in every direction.
A representative Of the Silrey State has
Dolby John and other reliable
Piutes relative to the wild sugar which the
Department of Agriculture is inquiring
about. The Indians say that a species OF
cane, resembling corn in appearance, grows
along the Humboldt river, and was abund-
ant some years ago near the Sink, where it
grew luxuriantly A sweet gum, of the
consistency of cold molasses, exuded from
the stalks, and became hardened and 2rys-
tallized iii the sun, forming Jumps of sugar.
The cane and the sugar are known among
the Piutes as pehd0vee. Dolby John says
the Indians sometimes crushed the stalks
between two stones, and, by twisting them
like rope, squeezed out the Juice. which
they caught in baskets. The juice was
then allowed to remain exposed in the open
air until it thichened, after which it was
put away to be used when required. As
the evaporation i'll this climate in the sum-
mer season is greater perhaps, than in any
other part of the country except Arizona,
the paste hardened in few days and could
be packed away like dried venison.
The Truckee Republican gives the fol-
lowing account of a wonderful horse The
loose snow drifts deeply between Truckee
and Sierraville. The mail is carried tri-
weekly, hence the road has to be travelled
one way each day. During the heavy
winter weather the sleigh which carries
the mail is drawn by three horses driven
tandem. By this means single broad
path is beaten in the middle of the road
When the storms are raging it is necessary
to carry the mail on horseback. Its aver
age weight is from 100 to $50 pounds each
trip. The mail-bags are strapped on two
horses which are led by the driver, Sol
Rosseau, who rides third horse. A fourth
horse, with only halter on, is turned
loose to break the snow. This horse is
kept for this sole purpose and is called
" the snow. breaker" For six winters this
animal has Travelled the Sierra valley road.
Turned loose at either Truckee or Sierra
vile, he will set out on his dreary journey.
The winds obliterate every trace of the
narrow path, but with marvelo is instinct
the horse follows its every turn and
winding. Sometimes the huge drifts
bewilder him for moment, and missing
the hard beaten path he sinks out of sight
in the loose snow. Out of sight is u-ed
quite literally, for it frequently occurs that
his body is completely covered, and his
head alone is above the surface. II he
knows on which side the trail lies he will
plunge and struggle to regain his foothold-
If, as son etimes occurs, he is confused as
to the proper direction, he possesses the
wonderful instinct of keeping perfectly
quiet until the driver dismounts from his
horse and comes forward to point out the
road. By means of long stick the driver
finds the trail, and beating a path for few
feet in front of the diecomfted snow
breaker, speaks an encouraging word to
the poor animal. Every nerve and muscle
is Immediately strained to regain the lost
path, and the horse again resumes his task
as guide. This snow breaker seems to POS
sess an almost human intelligence. Neither
darkness nor storms ever daunt BIN o.
cause him to be misled more than a few
feet When in doubt he will take little
short steps, scarcely six inches in length,
and each foot feels for the hard Beaten ledge
which forms the path.