Los Angeles daily herald., 1886-10-26
SANTA BARBARA.
About u Charming
Place-Ets Old Rlission-The
Dibblee House n ld-Suraf fBa q h
ss. a No.

ing from steamers to railway cars and from
the latter into stage coaches, contained al
account OF very agreeable experiences In
San Luis Obi>po county. In Santa Maris
we struck the Hrst settlement In Santa Bar
bara, and very bright and busting town
we found 1t to be. En- route to IL we trav
ersed fertile val ey. cropped in the beans
and cereals. and passed the Nipoma ranch
a valuable property of near thirth thousand
acres, which is owned by the fourteen
brothers Dana. These gentle men are rela
tives of the famous New York editor, and II
is generally understood that they originally
came out here for the benefit of their health
A family which can point to a roster like
that is 10 he envied and 1t ought to be cele.
brated. We were obliged TO Ietrace our
steps by the Pacific Coast Steamship Com
pany's Railway to San Luis Obispo In order
to take steamer for Santa Barbara We
were fortunate enough to find anchored In
Port Hartford the Los Angeles. Won Helm
commander. This gentleman is a genuine
heart of oak from Schleswig- Holstein, and
those who are lucky enough to travel with
him get, besides good treatment and skillfu
" luuu Vi new lucas Oh many
subjects. / have no recollection of ever
having seen weather so exquisitely lovely
as that which we enjoyed on the short trip
down from Port Hartford to Santa Barbara
The sea was an unruffied mirror and. under
"the chaste bea ms of the watery moon" 1t
shone like FURNISHED metal. There was no
suggestion of a-sickness to the most IS
tidIous stomach. The company's larder
must have suffered heavily in consequence
SANTA BARBARA.
While the writer has several times of late
years visited this charming place, he had
not remained long enough to make a mi
mute inspection of the changes which have
taken place since he last passed number
of days there in 1876. The Improvements
are great and manifold. Nun erous bust
ness editices, which would do honor to an,
city, grace its leading thoroughfares. The
private residences are character zed by ele.
gance and good taste, aud the genial sun
and rich soil admit of the creatinn-and the
privilege has been largely avail ed Of-ol
gardens that would bear a comparison with
the floating bowers OF Bagdad, or the rose
parterres of Cashmere which ha @ been so
prettily described by Moore. Santa Bar
hara has taken on all the airs of an Eastern
city with the graft of autumn and winter
comliness which a SUI kissed land renders
inevi able. To oounteract this impre Ssion.
which casual visitor would receive, how
ever, the beautiful Mission church and cloi.
ster CLEAN rom their comm tnding emf
days of the indomitable conquisiadores aud
of the se.f-sacrificfng mones who peoplel
and held this fair land of lifornia in ''the
brave days of Old"-never more emphatic.
ally the brave days of old" than when
these men-soldiers secular and spiritual
of earth and hesyen-ventured into remote
regions peopled only by the unsubd ed saw
age. No Las Casas has been obliged to use
his eloquent pen lamenting the bloody ex
cesses of either the so diers OF the crrss or
the bearers of the sword in California. The
native inhabitants of the country here at
least were treated with humanity, aud the
Mission Fathers have left behind then q
record which deserves to be written in let
ters of gold. The Santa Barbara MI sion
has been preserved and improved upon
even, aud looking from the.end OF Stearnss
wharf the visitor takes III with delight IT.
pleasing contour On approaching IL he is
gratidei to find that 1t loses nothing Ia pic
turvsqueness. Take it Tor all in ali, it Is
fitting and crowniDg ornament to u wi ey
which Is remarkable for its unique beauty.
The city of Santa Barbara IL not only
comely but progressive. II has good water
system. deriving its supply of the precious
fluid from the Mission Creek. Many of the
streets are sprinkied daily. thus assuring
comfort both to the pedestrian aud to those
who drive in tn. ir carriages. A handsome
court house and good theater beir wit .ess
to the public spirit of the people The
place is particularly we'll equipped in hotels,
the Arlington rankttg in elegance and in
facilities Tor the comfort of its oocup ,nts
with anything of the kind In the United
States, In the person of Mr. Cowles this re
sort has host who cannot be surpassed
anywhere for polite attention to his guests,
He Is Travelled and acc cnmplished gentle
man, circumstance which the numerou>
tourists who stop there learn to treir great
solacement. was part cularly pleased to
find as principal clerk of the Arlington my
old San Diego and Los Angeles friend, CapI.
Gordon. Angelehos will remember the
No. xsn,,, Law NJ ha n
Charles hotel In their city, while San DIE
gans will recall him as the Deus er Machtnn
of the Horton House for number OF years.
PoErIcAL HOME.
As good luck wonld have ii encountered
in Santa Barbara that enterprisng Angelo
no. M. Charles McNely, wno kindly con
sented TO drive me around his old home
Through his kindly Offices as cicsrORt saw
much oil Santa Barbra which probably
would otherwise have esca ed me, and al
OF which was charming. OF course, in
hurried letter, can only devote my atten-
tiun to salient features OF the place. but i
cannot refrain from describing the most
exquisite homestead have encountered iu
California. anude to the place OF Thomas
b. Dibblee, Esq, which is perched upon the
brow OF the commanding hill which
assures to 6inta Barbara her placidity
of temperature and her unrivaled
sunsets. l. was with great degree OF sur
prise that was compelled to realize that In
The Dibbee mansi III l was looking upon
The very handsomest residence in Ca'ifor'
mia. While its site is commanding 1t does
not at first gla ce from the sea approaches
TO Santa Barbara impress one with Its gen
uine majesty. When you have actually
reached the crown OF the hill you are IN
minute details beside which the lately
erected brown stone house of j. G. Flood on
Mob Hill in San Franci SEQ would seem COM
mon-place. The Dibnlee building, admtra-
- font in. ffa inn
and 6uis h, commands view of IN compare
bic excellence. The whole spread of the Pa
cihc ocean is one OF its features. There Is
here that blending OF mountain ard ocean
the union Of land and water-which make
the perfection of landscape. was pleased
on being informed by nv conductcr that
the mistress of this delightful homo was n
representative of one of the Oldest and most
distingui he'd Spanish families of Califor
mia. the De la Guerras.
DIVINE CLIaATE-A MID OCTOBER PLUNGE
IN OLD OCEAN.
There Is something delightful beyond
measure in the october climtte of Sanla
Barbara. II is q perennial bath and II is
highly rejuven4ting even to live IN that
exbilerating atmosphere. 1 have alluded
to the Santa Barbara sunsets. They are
something unspeakably beautiful. But
there Is about the moonlight nights witch
cry which is long in leaving the imag ins.
tiOn of am one who is sensitive to the thrall
OF nature III her penslVe OF splenuIu lnoouS :
shall not soon forget the the coruscant
beauty of the midOi tober moonl ght night
OF the day on which arrived there. II the
scene could have been reproduced by the
scenic artist OF theater as set for
piece OF the romantic school 1t would make
q decided hit The softuess of the air its
genuine balm--was absolutely indeseriba
BILE Luna showed resplendant over dis
tant mountain top and the delicate tracery
OF the foliage and tho silver gleam II the
waters formed scene never to be forgot
ten.
Your correspondent aud his companions
took advantage of Santa Barbara's mil.
October climate to take a plunge In old
ocean. We fonnd an excellent beach aud q
gentle surf. l remained in the "briny"
half an hour by the watch. a 4 CT whioh OF
itself speaks volumes for the temperature
OF this enchanting place. emerged from
my swim an ardent and enduring admirer
OF santa Barbara, refreshed tn body and
strengthened In mind. My whole being
was nervafIed with the elixOr which now