New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-12-15
TOPICS IN CALIFORNIA.
UNPRECEDENTED RAINFALL-REAL ESTATE
RooM-CHINATOWN
IN, TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE;

Co, rr.ncisco. Dec. l4.-The Unprecedented ram
- hos been the chief topic OF the wees
No,hing like the rainfall has been seen he,c siNce
20 The total rainfall for the season h,'e
,,,,.,.en inches: while the lowest Is 'hrousu '"e
San JOAQUIN Valley where the rainiaii i""se
60, 20 eight inches All through the ecn'i"i anu
Northern parts Of the State the ,"' c',orto
aS..sd;ng,v heavy Tic foods In the oacr'n'rn'o
Valley. although far less destruo'i'' - ~
', 49, roors aoo have excited more aV'en'on' VIC
- - tho number Of small farmers anu irui'-
.,.rs ,rho have developed lands along inc S"crs-
m.nto River. The levee system Voc 80
r.,fect as the best engineers couiu =. ~ 49,
20 uees' steady rain. with sho" ~ .Ae
t.ins so swelled all the s're'"'9 49,
'"'.s, LENT had breaks at many points, Ooiusa
couiu pie'en ,ho only towns that were seriously
anu Univ chose were saved by extra precau-
meIa0eu -arsnto. the capital, was never IN any
danger. ~ ..r,oors will he heavy: hut
ine ,ancb-owners, like Senator FAIR ana others'
.,,v thousands of acres to whea@ expect u
" Sond.d two years out of five. In only lew
hays buildings and bridges been carried
p''0e' - tho free of the current. The greater
~ -, .h. ranches are simply few feet under
.r..or II the weather continues dry all this vast
~. ~ water which now covers the valley Will be
r.r. within a week, and the farmers Will return
20 their homes and begin to put in another crop.
rxSsnator Fair and James Phelan have been
heavy purchasers of business property in 'front.'
navis and Drumm SITS. The completion OF the new
Goa wall has given a boom to that portion OF inc
CITY which has been greatly neglected, ana prices
80 6oubled within single year. Realestate
sneculators are now buying largely in the sandy
tract Jus, south of Black Point Military Reservil-
,;on The crosstown cable-roads, it is expected,
will lead to the building up of the district, which
i, nl.asant and accessible, but which has been cut
of from communication and exposed to the null
ssnces of swillmilk diaries and acid-works.
A new system has been adopted for ascertain
ing the available water supply OF the river basins
Of the Coast in order to select sites Tor reserVos
The streams have been divided into ciasses'
and type Of each has been selected Tor measure
ment State Engineer Hall has devised pan
for estimating the velocity of streams which plan
greatly reduces the cost of such estimates hauo
bv Professor Henry's electric wheel. The latter
method required q boat and the transportation
NJ heats in the mountains was difficult anu eX-
pensive Mr. Halls plan is to stretch WIRE
access the stream and suspend an instrument
from it, One may thus measure the velocity
of the largest stream.
American defaulteIs. Hitherto the unpardon-
.ble sin among the Monaghan business men was
10 embezzle money or TO owe any creditor at
The Chinese New Year. But all this is changed
One of their leading merchants has aDsconded
TO China with more than 1000 belonging 10
his firm, and the creditors attached ms sO0cN
of goods which was too bulky for HIM to uiKe'
Since Mr. Bonner's visit it has become the
fashion for NewYor with taste Ior , Ine
turf to run down to Senator Stan1oru Iaio A'1o
stables. look at his likely young thOfOughpreuS,
and pick up yearling with goOd feGorI,
Among the latest to Join this procession is T. l.
Coe, a wealthy Orange County horse breeder
One of the worst rookeres in Chinatown was
condemned this week unsafe; Dut the owner
proposes to contest the matter IN the courts, as
The Fire Department has pronounced the stfuct-
IRE not dangerous. This Will probably De maze
d test case If the Health Board Is defeated u
will be impossible to improve the condltlon OIL
Chinatown or to check the danger OF desuuct-
i've fire. Should the courts uphold the owners
of the rookercs, the city Will be forceu 10 Geal
with Chinatown New-York did with the feVe
Points-let in the sunlight with broad streets
1t is expected that large number of Eastern
fruit growers will attend the convention oil the
State Board of Horticulture next Ahlch, IN Los
Angeles At the same time what promises 10
be the largest citrus fair ever held IN Callfornla
will be open.
The capacity of the beet sugar factory at AL
varado across the bay from San Francesca. win
he doubled next year. The beet crop this season
was below the average, but the yleld OF sugar
was unusually large This factory has no con-
ncction with Spreckles's company.
The Sacramento Society of Pioneers has issued
an appeal TO all its societies in the state TO con
tribute 10 the fund Tor the purchase OF buffers
Fort. Eighteen thousand dollars are needed to
buy the property. 1t is the intention TO restore
the old fort without injury to Its historlcal Ieat-
ures