Sacramento daily record-union., 1889-09-28
GUAYMAS BAY AND CITY.
A BOOM" SECTION TO WHICH HADEs
IS A SUMMER RESORT.
Some of the Most Beautiful Scenery in
the World-A Portsmouth
Shot.

GUAYMAs Mex, 1889.
The magnificent bay, which gives this
region its singular name pronounced Wy
mas), is unquestionably the most beautiful
body of water of its kind in America, if
not in the world
saw it first, as most northern tourists
do, coming down by rail via a branch of
. the Southern Pacific. and, like everybody
else, was wild with delight as the glorious
prospect unlolded-obliyious of the heat
1902 in the shade, alkali polvo (dust) that
pricks the skin ikeneedles, and the danger
of leaving ones mortal remains in some
cofinless ditch, dug to receive the annual
holocaust of yellow fever victims.
Guaymas has been in direct communica-
tion with the United States for some years.
by means Of the Sonora Railway, which
joins the Southern Pacific at Benson. Ari-
zona. The train passes through Hermo
sillo, the Capital of the Mexican State of
Sonora, about 7 o'clock in the morning,
giving passengers an opportunity to break
fast there. Guaymas, 80 miles distant is
the second city, in point of population. in
the State, and the most important port on
the guilt coast of California. 1t lies about
265 miles below the boundary line of the
| United States and 353 miles from Benson.
Properly speaking, the Sonora Railway
begins at Los Nogales, only IS miles above
the Mexican frontier, that between No
gales and Benson being the Arizona and
{ New Mexico line. They are one system.
however, connecting with the Atchisop,
Topeka and Santa Fe, as well as the South
ern Pacific, and charge at the rates of 6
cents mile on through tickets, allowing
only very limited amount of luggage at
that. In fact If there is mean railway
company IN the country, with boorish ac-
commodations and piggish officials from
highest to lowest, it is this great system of
the far Southwest.
Whatever time of year you Journey this
way, except during few weeks near the
close Of the long dry season, or at the
hight of the rainy, you are sure of the
most delightful weather, leaving nothing
to be desired in the way of blue skies and
balmy airs, as one glides between the hills
and valleys clothed with the yerdure of
perpetual summer, the smiling landscape
backed on either hand by the grandeur of
mountain ranges.
As 1t approaches the sea, the road yeers
to the western side of the great interior
basin, and at last, darting suddenly into
the midst of the bordering hills, brings up
on the very brink of
GUAYMAs BAY.
So closely do rocky nights crowd in
that the train is actually compelled to put
to sea in order to make further progress.
and the track is carried on piles across a
broad arm of the bay, until it reaches a
point where footing on terra frma can
again be secured. And, when gained, the
footing" Is of the frmest, consisting of
solid rock of unknown thickness, the road
bed having been blasted out of the bases of
the hills.
AT this stage of the journey the most
blase passengers are invariably aglow with
enthusiasm. Skirting closely along the
shore for miles, the bay is sometimes COM
pletely hidden by bold promontory or by
one of the numerous high, rocky Islands:
then its broad and beautiful expanse bursts
suddenly into view again. The color of
the water Is the most intense | ever be-
held-the bluish-green peculiar to tropic
seas and never seen elsewhere in full in
tensity, and hardly to be imagined unless
once seen. On its farther side, Guavmas
Bay is separated from the Gulf of Califor
MA by low, sandy beach which rapidly
develops INTO barrier Of precipitous hills,
between which, far in the distance, one
can talntiy discern the outlet-the ap-
parently narrow gate which affords the
only entrance to this land-locked harbor.
With its irregular outlines, brilliant hues.
picturesque islands and mountainous
shores, 1t seems to one sweeping along these
borders that the wide world cannot show
a more splendid scene,
But the climax is not vet reached.
This Is only the outer bay. Separated
from it by headlands and hills, every one
OF which is an island, is the inner bav, on
whose edge the city of Guaymas is located.
Though much smaller than the outer bay,
the inner Is, if possible, the lovelier of the
two-lts calm, green waters, literally
Graded IN mountains, seeming to sleep in the
sunshine, the hilly barriers that separate
it from the sea lifting themselves even
higher than the mountains which guard
| its entrance.
In the rear of the inner bay the nights
recede little, leaving plateau, irregular
IN shape, extending several miles along
the water front. In some places it is so
narrow as scarcely to afford room for
single street, and in others it spreads out a
little, at one point uniting with a eulcb
which runs down from the mountains, here
making room for the cramped citv tn
stretch its limbs. Farther up, to the west
ward, there is another space where the
residence quarters of the town has ex-
panded somewhat, but the business nor
ton OF Guaymas must always maintain it
self as best it can along deep water. On
the narrow strip between the immeasurable
sea and the everlasting hills lies, or rather
clings, an important city, with population
variously estimated between 1000 and TO-
600. Should it ever become
A GREAT COMMERCIAL CENTER.
As prophesied, it will he necessary to
extend it ont into the bay on "rnade land''
as part of Boston is built The rail-
road company were obliged to blast away
the base of mountain to find room for its
buildings.
To the casual observer it would seem as
if this were no place for town, though so
beautiful in scenic point of view, and
one wonders what the inhabitants wonId
do should tidal wave come along, or
"boom" of magnitude.overtake it. In the
former caseit certainly would not be de-
sirable residence, for should such catas-
trophe occur, tie nearby mountains would
afford little chance for escape their pre-
cipitous sides being, for the most part.
sheer cliffs of bare rock which goat could
not climb. The well-informed citizen,
however, insists that here is am
pie room for 100000 people, and
is doing his perpetual best to get up
'boom'' on any pretext whatever. Some
say that the city might expand across the
inner bay, in various directions, thus max