Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-05-19
SENSATION AT The SEASIDE
GalifOrnia'S CraWning Curiosity.
A Wonderful Scientific Ex-
pertinent.
Astonishing English Tourists and
German SaYants.
MARKING MARINE MONSTERS

Astonishing English Tourists and
German SaVants.
MARKING MARINE MONSTERS.
The GraphoscoptIcon = Its Marvellous
POssibillties-sainted Seals.
We have had such charming weather of
late that everybody and his wife is going to
the Clif. The atmosphere is just sufficiently
| humid to serve as sort of emolliept for
cntlcles trayed by our summer winds, and
the life-giving rays Of the sun permeate space
like benison from the Giver of all Good.
Late lingering tourists have found a climatic
bonanza, and we know of several Englishmen
| at our leading hotels, who, on this account,
are 10th to leave us for the pea-soup fogs,
the wintry sleet and pelting rains CT their
tight little island. Our wealthy British
cousins whose only object in life is enjoyment,
| are to be commended for this, for remaining
where the atmospheric condition is so per.
| feet as it is at present on the peninsula of
| San Francisco. They are making the most
Of it. Two of these much-to-be-envied indi-
viduals had an unexpected adventure the
| other day, which it is well enough to relate
in detail. We call our friends Burroughs
and Brown, sons of Manchester wealthy men
who had chummed for tour of the world,
and, with youth, health and unlimited money,
they were pattern globe trotters." Dawdling
| over breakfast at the Palace one morning,
Burroughs throwing down the Call, said,
with sudden earnestness, as if he had dis
covered new sensation.
"Clif today"
"Why the Cliff ~ returned Brown, delib-
erately cracking the end of his third egg (your
Englishman always eats his egg direct from
the shelly. "Why go to the Cliff L? We are
asked to go down to somebody's place at
Menlo, you know. I believe they call it
Menlo."
Aw. yes !; | remember; but we can turn
that up for the present, if you like. I've
been reading in this paper that the Cliff is
delightful just now, and that the seals, taking
advantage Of the warm weather, are sWarming
over the rocks to bask in the sun. We've
never had good look at the beggars, and l
would like to do so before we leave. Let's go
to-day, and we'll catch 'em all out"
oh, l don't mind" assented Brown.
"Pm agreed. Here, waiter, have q team
brought rouLd from the nearest livery, and
fetch US go of brandy in the meantime"
They discussed the cognac lsisurely. and
| just as Burroughs was remarking on the ex-
cellent quality of the tipple the blasted Amer
leans furnish, the waiter reported.
Horses all ready, sir"
"Aw send to Nos. 46 and As for our over
coats and driving gloves. Look sharp about
it, for want to get there before the crowd
comes. ate crowd. 'Ere's your tip
| Then the two BIS sauntered out into the
patio, the slender, light-brown Vilars they
had lighted tracking their way with perfume.
| They admired the horses, as only Englishmen
can. Clean.limbed, supple-iointed. velvety-
skinned animals they were, tossing their
L haadu y,ror,dlxy and he f,o,b - q
| quiveripg nostrils as a connoisseur inhaies the
faint bouquet of fine wine.
All readyp asked Burroughs, when the
needed garments were brought. "Ill take
the ribbons"
Right you are" raid Brown; "but hold
'em ard, old man. They look skittish."
The drive to the Cliff was an exhilaration.
Brown had his wish in not finding the place
crowded. It was too early for the rush. Eos.
| ter, mine host, was there radiant in manner
and iovial as usual. Otherwise, bald, blar-
of the locus si0iilum-the Place Of the Seal,
as Charley Webb once facetiously called the
Cliff House. The scene was health giving,
| life.inspiring. Away to the west old Ocean
stretched as smooth as lake, and the white
winged ships were slipping down the horizon's
verge, bearing the products of California to
every quarter of the globe. Old Pacifcus
was as smiling as if it had never been guilty
of treacherous act, never stranded ship
nor drowned o sailor. Burroughs, who af-
fected poetry, and dquoted Byron occasionally,
was moved from his insular possivity at the
sight, and broke out into verse Of the Childe's
Apostrophe:
"And have loved thee, Ocean and my Joy
OF youthful sports was on thy breast to be
Borne, like thy bubbles, onward from boy
wantoned with thy breakers they to me
Were delight; and II the freshening sea
Made them terror twas pleasing fear,
For was, as it were, child Of thee
And trusted to thy billows far and near
And laid my hand upon thy name, as do here. Z"
"Oh, come, 1 say, stop that" growled
Brown "hand me your glass. / want TO
take good long look at the sea lions. Eh |!
there's a rousing lot of 'em."
1t was splendid morning for the phoc9
They were out in force; and like magnifed
leeches, wrigsled mp the creviced cliffs in
every direction. Huge fellows, come OF them,
that might weigh half ton and over, and
cubs that you could carry away in the pocket
of an ulster. Every glass on the balcony was
| directed toward the interesting sight. Sud
denly gigantic specimen emerged from the
ocean and fiippered himself up to o rocky
bench.
"'Pears to me-" lisped a young lady-the
same who had raped applause with her para
sol at Burroughs recitation" pears to me
that one is different from the others. Seems
to be marked"
"God bless my soul" exclaimed an elderly
gentleman, her father, after vigorously rub
bing and carefully readjusting the lenses Of
his glass, "i if did not know it was impossi-
BILE, should say that seal had letters marked
on his pelt." There were half-suppressed ex-
clamations from the few present.
Brown was silent. But he was looking
earnestly at the animal. Finally he handed
the binocular to Burroughs with the remark.
"Tell me what you think of 1t. I'm beat. /"
Burroughs, in his turn, riveted his gaze on
the huge body Of the sea lion, as he turned
himself in the sun.
"By Jove, but it's curious. you know. I
swear / can make out an and J-and, let
me look ,aagain--yes. and an o. There's
another fellow coming up out OF the water-a
big fellow-and he seems to be marked or
lsttered, too. think my eyes are all right,
and the glass Is A One-Dolland's Of Lon.
don, you know. / can't be deceived. But
must say it's strange"
Lets go and see the landlord" suggested
Brown.
After a glass Of I" Bitter" Brown said 10
Foster, Landlord, what's the matter with
the seals over yonder: Have you been brand
ing them?"
EbDicu DottIy ,
They're old bulls, suppose, torn in fight.
They get horribly chawed up, sometimes"
"Oh, Is that It ~ said Brown, drawing a
deep breath. " must be the victim Of an
optical illusion. Let's go back to the balcony
and have arother look"
Meanwhile, an animated debate was in
progress on the outside. A positive.minded
German, vino held glass of more than
average power in his hand, and who could
not be reasoned from the evidences Of his
senses, insisted that he had readily made out
the letters on the bodies OF both the seals,
and they read nothing more nor less than
"St. Jacobs OIL" The rest of the company
were laughing at and pooh-poohing him; hut
Brown said quietly to Burroughs, :" 1 made
/ out the same words, you know, but hang me,
| il / liked to say 30. / didn't care to be
! laughed at, although could well afford to,
because st. Jacobs Oil cured my rheumatism
contracted during our buffalo hunt in Wyo.
ming last season"
| Just then q serious, honest-looking man
approached our English tourists, and re.
marked: Gentlemen, think / can explain
this apparent mystery. Yesterday morning,
I quite early, when | was out here enjoying
| the fresh air quietly, q party Of three persons
! arrived from the city, and after making a
reconnaissance and finding the coast clear,
| they took an oddly.formed instrument from
their buggy, which they sat up in that corner
and adjusted with good deal Of care. 1t
was shaped somewhat like a photographer
camera, but with more complicated machin-
| cry. They seemed jealous OF observation, 50
| did not intrude myself on them at first, and
only noted their operations from distance.
They were evidently testing their queer ma
chine by series Of experiments, with more or
less success. / observed that when they
directed the projecting tubes Of the apparatus