, 1885-06-03
LOWER CALIFORNIA.
A LAND coNcE7NlNe WHICH LiTTLE
IS KNOWN.
The Great variety OF misunderstanding
Crop, Grown In tho Esw Fertile Places g.
a Disastrous Mining Craze


lnAeEh toI new 1oFA SUM- AL
Probably no portion of the western
hemisphere. is so little known as Lower
California, To reach It requires u dan.
gerous and difcult journey. TO sabsist
after one has arrived is still a more din
cult task. and TO explore the country Thor
oughlyi Is impossible Wild BEAST and
wilder savages infest its desert sands and
pathiess forests. and a ~stupcndous noun
tain chain throws mp an impassabie wall
from end to end along Us center. To-day
Lower California is Substantially the same
Rs when Cortcz and his hardy crew sailed
around its unknown shores-the same
trackless forests. UNEMPLOYED mountains.
and uncultivnted prairies. except where.
here and there. a solitary ranchman has
made the desert bloom by irrigation t'
Lack of water Is the bane OF the PENN
sula. hut whenever irrigation Is possible
the strong virgin soil yields most luxuri.
nnuy, The few Insignificant rivers that
como tumbling down from the mountains
are oil short. shallow streams. which are
dry through the long. hot summers, but
become exceedingly dangerous torrents
during the annual season Of rains. There
are several copious springs in the interior.
but invariably the streams flow along a
rocky course and are lost in subterrnnean
channels. In winter the rains are terrific,
but of short duration. accompanied by
tlEultuuDu1 tQIudlDta "a MluQ witch
sweep every particle of soil from exposed
positions into the sea. leaving the luckless
ranchman the alternative of seeking pas
lures new OF plying his vocation on a bed
OF bare rock.
The -ariety of climate is great for
when at the point OF the peninsula the
thermometer stands at 20 degrees above
zero. II Is Frequently down TO freezing at
the head of the gulf For about eighty
ia .--sl - A-.. A. 4 -. 81 - T.
always mild. tempered by gentle breezes
from the sea; from that point northward
the heat is excessive. especially at La A az
aud Loreto. but conler at Mnlege md to
ward the liue Of The United States. On
the Pacific side the temperature Is uni
formly delightful, never falling below 90
degrees nor rising above 20 degrees The
sky Is like that Of Naples the Beautiful
q deep. cloudless blue, except when gor-
geous sunsets flush the west with ruby.
violet and gold. TIfl arTTndH HnrrluuU
In tho few fertile places amazing crops
are grown of corn, sugar cane. wheat.
orchil.a. manioc. all manner Of esculent
roots. excellent grapes. from which wine
is made similar TO that of the Canaries;
beside oranges lemons. %citruns, dates.
olives. pineapples and all other tropical
fruits d on several ranches horses. mules,
pigs. and black cattle are reared. and the
ioOillla ltCu n lew Win h0ttD anu kOutH-
The mountain wall which divides the
peninsula from end To end, rises TO an
average height OF 1000 feet, its culminat-
ing peak. the hill Of the Giantess having
an altitude OF 5000 feet The range has
two extinct volcanoes aud numberless
springs OF hot water and bitumen Earth.
quake shocks are frequent, and among
the unknown heights nature seems to
have located her secret laboratory.
The foothills are sprinkled with sage
brush and ~chaparfaig and in the burning
deserts at their base cactus grows to an
e l~traordinary height Coal has been
found at Saitiago and some petroleum
on the tnoific slope There are gold
plhcers at Santa Cruz. Rosario. San Rafael
and the lately.discoyered field cof Santa
~ ertrudas. Il is believed thatitho noun
tuins are rich in precious metal. For the
purpose of making a thorough survey of
its long neglected territory the Me, lean
government has recently sent out a COM
mission Of expert engineers 10 report Il on
The RESOURCES of the lfeninsula ior. s1frlI
For centuries, gold. silver pearls. and
precious stones have been the alluring
phantons which have beckoned fortune
hunters to these coasts A few years ago
reports were hcrahled 10 the world Of
some, wonderful placer mines said to have
been discovered in this remote district OF
Mnlegc. II was asserted that shining mug
gets lay all around upon the surface, wait
Ing only TO BE- picked up. Mulege lies
southwest from Guyamas. and eau only
be reached by io%urneyiDg across the gulf
in one of the poorly provisioned craft that
ply those stormy wnier. 4 crowd Of eager
adventurous poured down from Arizona.
Sonora. chihuahua, and even from olo-
RADIO aud evada. Their sufferings were
intense before they reached the eastern
coast of the peninsula. where they found
a dfeary desert s~tretehing out before
.ntiem.
half dead from hunger and thirst they
plodded IN with the gold fever burning
In their veins, till the impossible mount
aims cut oil further progress And then it
came out that the story of placer mining
WINS a delusion and a snare. gotten up by
certain ~shopkeepers OF Guynmas with a
view TO reducing the goods on their over
stocked shelves by getting up a boom In
immigration. The scheme succeeded to
the extent that Guyamas gained a con.
siderable Increase of population-but not
OF a character 10 benefit the Town. for the
immigrants who returned in rags and
poverty from AIulege proceeded To the
prisons aud almshouses, and have mostly
remained there.
Poor as Lover California is, and with a
total population OF less than 80, 600, she
supports eighty primary schools, a normal
school, a female seminary the Peninsular
college, and the Academy-of La PAz. The
administration Of he territory is under
the immediate supervision OF the federal
government. the chief executive being a
Jele politico. who is appointed by the
president La ~. tho capital and only
city within its limits. consists OF about
$500 Inhabitants The wonder Is not
that the reputation is small. but that any
should have remained in this dreary Place.
Government lind sells for 3 cents IN acre.
buf ufcimsers are like angels vislts=fewi
and far bctwcenu Oh - f.f 1.