New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-09-13

have not found any portion Of the country which
seems to have been cleared. Among the cedars.
and indeed all over the mesa. the grama grass Is
now growing not thiekly. but luxuripntly. fur
nlshng rich and abundant feed for all kinds OF
stock.
New-Mexico is the home of the tree cactus as well
az of the cedar and in our ride to the Canon del
Aqua. we passed through thousands and thousands
of acres Of 1t. The trees of all sizes mp to
eight OF ten feet high. with wide-spIeading
branches but nowhere stood thickly together
as to form n chaparal. or to interfere with the graz
ing of cattle Both domestic ana wild animals in
thus country avoid the cactus; it would be almost
impossible to drive horse against one of them
The present is the season when the tree cactus Il
in bloom and the brilliant scarlet flowers on the
ends of its stalks compensated by their rich beauty
for awkward forms of the plant that bears them.
The entire country between Santa 70 and the
Galsteo River seems to be continuous prairie
dog village As we rode along. we could see the
sly little fellows scurrying away to their holes and
when we passed of their houses by the road
side they would thrust up their neads to get
glimpse Of us and then draw them back almost As
quick as lightning. 1t requires very quick move
ments to shoot one of them. Frontlersmcn some
times assert that the prairie-dog owl. and rattle
snake live together like happy family in the same
men. but have frequently owl sitting upon
tie mound above prairie dogs hole, and, the other
day, when we discovered large rattlesnake lying
in the grass near prairie-dogs house and attacked
him. he retreated into the hole and escaped Rat
tesnakes are very plenty in New-Mexico. but the
people have little fear of them. Ii any one Is
bitten, he drinks whiskey and gunpowder. which
is supposed to be "A certain antidote for the poison
A Kentucky doctor who out in this country
few years ago, explained the whisky cure for
snake bites in this way: You see. the bite of the
snake is pizen; whiskey is pizen too. Now, the
whiskey being the stronger Dizen eats up the plzen
of the snake bite and then he took drink.
THE DEARTH OF WATER IN NEW MEXICO.
Il New-Mexico is in need of one thing moro than
another that one thing is water, Arunning stream
is n curiosity in this country, and living spring
Of pure water something to be priced more hl2nIy
than gold mine After leaving Santa Fe we did
not see a drop of water-nOt "a brook. nor even q
hor.e-pond-until we reached San Marco Springs,
eighteen miles from the city. | supposed. from the
frequency with which had heard these springs
mentioned. and the advice we received to camp
there and eat our dinner. we would find no other
place that we should find there an abundance of
clear cold water The spring turned out 10 be
about two feet in diameter and shallow that il
of water without rng it. y few feet below a
small basin had been scooped ont Of tine sand 10
allow horses to drink. and the overflow frC m this
soon sank out of sight IN the loose sand AMI gravel
The water of this spring has the reputation OF be
Ing very good, but the addition of a few DROPS of
lne-iuice caused an cieryescence that plainly IN
dicated the presence of alka | think the MeXi-
cans must have copper-lined stomachs. for they
drink with apparent impunI ~ water which. when
evaporated, leaves n thin crust of alkall on the
sand.
The Galisteo River Is fair sample Of all the
streams | have seen in this Territory except the
Rio Grande When full Of water it would be almost
as large a. the Harlem River ut the point where
the Now Haven Railroad crosses IL, although IN
many places It spreads ont to a much geater width
When we crossed IT, little stream foot or two
wide AMI three or four inches deep wound about
over its grayelly bed. sometimes disappearing alto
yether beneath the sand At any point IN the bed
of the river abundant water could be- found at a
depth OF one foot and OF the entire mass of
gravel from that level to the bed rock, twenty or
thirty feet below, saturated by the water o.
the sub-surface river.
As We came down from the mesa TO the Gal-teo
River. IL. country broke OH very abruptly. expos
ing the rel and gray sandstone formation which had
been carved into al soIts of fantastic shapes. some
what similar &c those iu the Garden of the Gots at
Manitou. Colorado. 10y erosion. in one Of the
rlvnes through which the road passes found
large fragment of the trunk of petriied tree the
silica of which il was composed being highly crys-
taline and very compact in structure.
After crossing the Galisteo River we entered
the Ortiz Nine grant and went over a pass Of the
Placer Mountains into the valley Of Tuerto Creek.
put as expect to write a separate letter about mA
visit TO that tract of country. | shall attempt no
description OF il now The valley of the Tucrto Is
four or five miles wide. and. at this season of the
year with its smooth carpet Of bright green grass
and clumps of cedar and pinon trees, presents the
appearance of a beautiful and well-kept park. VIC
saw no game in it except a few iackass rabbits,
who were careful t. keep at such a distance away
from Us that they could afford to sit upon their
launches and laugh at our efforts to shoot them
with our revOlyers.
THE RUINS OF 4 DESERTED MILL.
At the point where the road comes down TO the
Tucrto Creek there is little Mexican village
called the Real de San Francisco. just above 1t
on the mountain Is a small gold niue The ore from
which Is sacked and brought down 10 the creek and
ground up i'll u small arastra propelled by little
stcam-enginc. The stream furnishes barely enough
water TO supply the boiler and run through the
arastra-a little rI about large X mans
finger Near by stood the ruins of a stamp mill
which apparently went out of Use years ago. The
adobe building in which it was housed las tumDied
down. and the machinery Is scattered and broken.
Somebody. ! suppose. following the example ~
often set in the mining regions of the West hauled
this mil out here across the plains with oxen. and
at an enormous expense, and after he had set it up
discovered that ne had no ore 10 reduce IN it. 1t
was simply another OF attempting to cook the
hare before he was caught
The road from the Real de san Francisco to Col
onel Gillette's camp lead, no steep arroyo after
rounding the point of the mountains the distance
being about four miles. At many places along the
road after going up upon the mesa. We the pits