The Phoenix herald., 1882-05-12
l 1f 1k1ZUxz fEfTEK
what Our New sec.s rary Thinks
 of Arizona.

. lVEES: AL my departure rom d Wand you desiled me to write RBu for publication letter occasion. kIly from Arizona, and I now start to redeem the promise then made Il you. Leaving Oakland on the mor..-
 vg train on tn. Southern Pacific tRailroad, we soon found ourselves whirling along a smooth track to- wards the great San Joaq un valley which in consequence of recent ,airs wore a lovely aspect, and on 1 either hand, growing wheat fields are seen. giving promise of an abun- don't crop. On the entire :rlp until l the train got into the Colorado Des- ert. tie rains had fallen, laying tine dust and making the trip extremely pleasant. On Tuesday morning we arrived at Tucson, city in a desert, the streets narrow and the houses nearly all of adobe. This city i- thriving and busy, but does not seem well adapted for residence for per ons accustomed to moe northern | attitudes. In the neighborh0od of the city some farming is carried on by means of irrigation, and wherever water can be put on the soil it produces crops in abundance, besides fruits of excellent quality.
 There is a prodigious 2umber of Mexicans in Tucson. besides people If other countries making it rather cosmopolitan in character. 1 met G. ". Barter, formerly of East Oak land, now occupying a respectable position in the office of the Tucson St IT, paper published daily and ably edited by MT. Hughes. l did
 st see any cowboys, at least to know
 et were tod they came into town
 lsionally. I only stopped one
 kv in Tucson, and therefore can Fsay but little concerning it. Return ! ng the same night I found myself lat Il .35 o'clock at Maricopa, and al B o'clock in the morning took seal |inl the stage for Phenix, distant 35 |mhles. A half moon was shining, casting a weird light on the land scape and inaBimaie objects as we Epa<sed along at the rate of five miles tn hour. Huge cactus stood up on either hand with out>treched arms, looking ghostly and like senfineis nk the gate of Hades, at least if there Dls a Hades. 1 should think the sen .tinels could be no more fIighttu,
 nl such objects as these man.
 ecacti, which are from ten to
 feet high, and as large around
 hans body. The plain is a
 lseft, with large mountains on the lest, bleak, verdureless aud solemn. About daylight we reached the Gila rlver, where a sort of ferry boat was Inecessary Is carry across the stage
 Nes. This river is no. more
 Ar sixty feet wIde, but It
 D ford, the water rush ling al1ng at the rate of ifieen miles an hour, and six or seven feet deep. 1 lon the other side we struck the fsc4 | lands called the Gila river bottoms,
 e.. f1ss1ed. by Indians by | -t bIossohlrigation, the diiches be- Rians are pear-aUIr, f t5Hf sii
 sdiy, cOnsequ ntly they receive
 eannui.ies from UucIc Sam. They
 crooked TOOLS for blows and
 m 10 think no other kind neces-
 EY- Althoi gh these Indians are
 ustrious. they seem to be slow to
 prove their condition After
 Ewing the Gila we had long des- -ft ride nnt l when within a few niles of Phoenix we came 10 Sali -iver, which we forded. The bed of iIs river IS about one milc wifie, md live arms of the stream had to 'e fOrded before we struck the high round below town. Here our eyes Fere rested and made glad by seeing all green cottonwood trees, and eautiful green fields of rich alfalfa, on.e extensive farming being done ere by means of irrigation, tine laters of Sa rIver furnishing abun- anee for that puprose- The town Phenix is lovely place, a gar- en in d desert. Here hundreds of v eople have made pleasant homes, | nd everybody seems prosperous and c appy. The mountains around this alley in all directi. ns are rich in Il recious metals. gold and silver pre- S 'miBating. PhenIx IS a town of II srhaps 2000 inhabitants. After my r ght ride was glad to accept the of that prince of good tc lows. DeForrest Porter, one of the I. hifed States Judges for the Terri cr rY, who, together with lis estima- al z Iady, made stay of two days Ii trenely agreeable. On either 1e of the main thoroughfare is a 4 tch filled with pure limpid water n ming along clear as a spring n III cottonwoods line the streets on .4 th sides and very n uch resemble tt, ghth street ln Oakland. The peo- .,, e are pleasant and the town pros
 osperous, and it has aspirations to
 come fhe canifaI citrr nf tha 1,erri A1