New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-02-10
DULNESS IN CALIFORNIA.
THE SOUTHERN COUNTIES AT A STANDSTILL
--OPIUM HABTT-NATURAL GAS.
lar TELEGRAPH TO THE TRiBUNEI

THE SOUTHERN COUNTIES AT SIANDolAl4L
--0PIUM HABIT-NATURAL GAS.
lBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TAIBUEEi
San Francisco, Feb 9.-Ever,thing is dull here.
Railroad men are complaining Of small passenger
and freight traffic, and merchants bewail the re
action which has followed the holiday excite
ment. In this city business is fairly good and
real estate is so lively that many dealers are
sanguine of a boom in the spring. The San Joaquin
valley and Northern Sacramento valley show
great increase of acreage and many new settlers.
The Southern counties, however, are az a stand
still. Money is extremely scarce, and there is
practically no sale for land at the prices demanded
All hope of reviving the boom is gone, and values
must come down if the undeveloped parts of Los
Angeles and San Bernardino counties are to be
settled. The unusually wet weather in December
has been followed by long drouth and freshly
sown Grain in most parts of the State is suffering
for rain The Sacramento and San Joaquin val
Tvs are extremely dry and serious loss will result
unless rain comes within a fortnight. This
unusual stretch of warm, dry weather
has prematurely advanced the fruit trees,
a feature which is not regarded with favor by
the horticultural people. With rain and few
weeks Of cool weather, California will have the
largest grain and fruit crops ever known here.
Captain Charles Stewart Tripler who was well
known in Army and Masonic circles here dis.
appeared last November and it was given out
that he had been drowned in the Bay. This
week he was arrested in Oregon for forging
checks and despite the efforts of his friends 70
save him. he will have to stand his trial. 1t
seems that he had been drinking heavily, and
that his fight from San Francisco was to escape
exposure of the fact of his enlightenment Of
1000 from the Masonic Building Association.
His relatives have made good his defalcation,
as well IS the amount Of the fHrgery. Tripler
comes of good family, his father having been
q surgeon in the United States Army; and he
is related to Lewis Cass, of Michigan, and to
General a. J. Hunt Governor of the National
Soldiers Home, at Washington. Drink and
gambling are responsible for Tripler's downfall
In the settlement Of the estate of Bryan o'Con-
nor, of the large dry-goods firm Of OConnor.
Mofat & Co.. it has been found that the appralsc-
ment of the stock was $4,000 less than the
goods cost, while the cash on hand was under
estimated by nearly as much. The contestants
to the will charge that these frauds were com
mitted by the widow in order to secure larger
share of the estate than she was legally entitled TO-
Two conductors on the cable roads, who have
been using the fraudulent bellpunches called the
brother-in-law." were sentenced this week to six
months each in the House Of Correction The
losses on the California-st road through this
ingenious continuance have been large, but the
detectives hsye broken up the thievlng.
Tie defeat of the bin in the State Assembly to
send John f. Swift and Stephen W. White TO
Washington to represent California in the Chae-
hang Ping case has caused much comment Inc
Chinese lobby was out in force, and succeeded in
defeating the bill by causing it to fail of con-
stitutional majority As there are $4,000 coolie
certificates which depend upon the decision in this
case, and as each certificate is worth $500. the
coolie importers have much at stake.
job L. T. Lightner, wellknown mining official
died this week. He came from New-York, was
o pioneer and for twenty-eight years served as
secretary of the Hale and Norcross Mining Com
pany.
Mr.. Moody has drawn large houses in Oak
land where he has been speaking this week. 1t
was found necessary to open the church at
o'clock every evening, because of the great crowd
that gathered at the doors.
The great increase in the number of morphine
takers in this city is the subject OF much com
mcut Sixty per cent OF all the petty offenders
arrested by the police are the victims OF opium.
while in the County Jail opium is re gulafly
dealt out to confirmed slaves Of the habit to save
them from physical collapse.
The California Athletic Club has been full of
business this week. arranging for matches between
Cardiff and Jackson, and between lesser lights OF
the prize-rng. The club has no arrangement with
The police but it adopts the shrewd policy OF using
gloves trihe over the weight that is prescribed,
and thus eyades the law
Professor Holden, of the Lick Observatory. at a
meeting of the Amateur Photographers Assocla-
ton. warmly praised the work done BIZ amateurs
Curing the recent eclipse.
MERGED County proposes TO organize colonies on
n larger scale than has ever before been attempted
in California Agents will be sent to every West
ern State to canvass for settlers. All actual
settlers viii have their railroad fare returned and
win secure land with abundant means OF lrriga-
ton for about one-thrd of what similar land costs
in Southern California. All the land along the
line of the great Seventeen-Mile Canal is suitable
for fruit and grapes, and can be easily irrigated
The report that Pittsburg expert is now on the
way TO California to develop natural gas near Los
Angeles has excited interest in the discoveries OF
Gas in Kern County made this winter This new
field is west of Bakersfield in the foothills. where
the most remarkable gas well yet found In the
State was opened while boring for oil was going on
An expert from the Pennsylvania regions has de-
clared this equal to any in his state Tor gas
and oil and a company comprising many
California capitalists has been formed this week