Morning journal and courier., 1889-01-15
To soUrHERr CAL1FoxNIA.
Notes of an ocean Trip 10 the Health
 Resort ana Country of Real Estate


 Resort and Country of Real Estate Rooms, Flowers and Fruits.
 The following letter, written home by Dr. Carl F. Linquist, eldest son of Dr. M. F. Linquist of this city, will interest many. | The writer when the letter WAS penned was making voyage to Southern California as | health trip, and with the purpose of perma- nentIy locating in Southern California in the | practice of his chosen profession. He gradu- | ated at Yale Medical school in 1882 and l further prepared for his profession l in the celebrated institution at Vienna, Aus 1 tria. He resided for some time in Germany, also in Sweden, acquiring knowledge of l both the German and Swedish language, be- | ing able to write and converse fuently in these tongues. On his return he practiced medicine in Portland, Conn.,, where he was building up fine practice when his health failed and he made another trip to Germany, where his health greatly improved. He came back and located in Worcester Mass, and was meeting with much success there when again his health failed. He made 8 trip to the South with benefit and now has gone to Southern California, where he hopes his health may be finally regained, to estab fish lucrative practice. One of his pleas- antest experiences in Germany, was sojourn
  regions of the Tyringa mountains in Bavaria.
 We left New York on the steamer San Bias, and after delightful passage along the coast made our first landings at Colon and Aspin- wall Everyone had letters to send to their many friends at home from these points, and, although the voyage had been very pleasant, the sensation of being once more upon the solid earth was peculiarly agreeable. We had some time to visit the many places of interest in these cities.
 I must say that my impressions of Aspin- wall were by no means hattering to the town. A more dirty, filthy hot place, Inever was in, and never wish to be again. We arrived on Sunday and Immediately went ashore The only objects of real interest are the en- trance to the Panama canal and De Lesseps' mammoth house on the point, before which is huge statue of Columbus caressipg voluptuousIy formed female native. I don't know what connection there is between Co., iumbas and De Lesseps, except that the lat / ter, perhaps, being especially Frenchman, has like propensity for caressing pretty natives.
 Our train for Panama did not leave until 3 o'clock in the afternoon. And such trip across the Isthmusi One who had never been over that wild country would be enraptured by the strange variety and tropical contrasts of men and scenery. The vegetation is of the most luxariously rank tropical character and dresses the face of nature with the fairest and highest colors of the immagination. We fitted through numbers of native villages, stopping in the larger ones, and being enriched at every halt by swarms of the peculiar race of this most picturesque land. These people wear the scantiest of garments, something like one sees in old New England only upon the styl- ish-like forms that fit over the stage of opera or burlesque. The women wear 8 small garment resembling skirt. Their ap- parel is usually without sleeves and so low in the neck that the fairest of society bellies at the North would fain blush at the beauti- full exposure. The children dress in natures own garments, and even the fig leaf is vainly sought for in it's traditional place. Such is the charming simplicity of this garden of Eden where the forbidden fruit has not as yet been desecrated
 We skipped quickly from one side of the great canal to the other and witnessed the gigantic manoevers of the system in all it's entirety. It is an enormous venture and it seems as though it would never be navigable. No, it will never be 8 success, but the Mica rauga canal surely will be.
 After & two hours' ride we arrived in Pan- steam launch. The San Bias lay at her an- chorage four miles off and when we reached her 8 lively scramble for staterooms and seats at the big table ensued. I was fairly favor- ed in both. My room was on the port side. This is warmer than the starboard, for the prevailing winds gre northeast. Here we lay at anchor for two days. During this time I went ashore in a rowboat with two young men who making the voyage with us. We saw Panama from one end to the other. It is the same old town it was fifty years ago, and will probably not progress a bit in fifty years more. The price of everything is high and even a native scorns to pay less than dollar for anything. We visited place where Panama hats were sold. We picked out fairly fine one and asked the price. ''Sixty dollars" said the merchant. 70, that's too much" exclaimed ffty-ninea" 70, si senor," the little mer- chant replied, and handed us one for fifty dollars This, of course, didn't suit us and we made him show so many that he finally became nearly frantic and refused to have anything further to do with us.
 We started back for the San Bias and when almost half way there were caught in @ ter rife thunder storm. We were wet to the skin and the result was took thePanams lever and more forlorn man for a few days after would have been hard to find. To ag- gravate my illness I was attacked by conges- tion of the lungs and lay partially uncon- scious for whole day, but rapidly recovered under the excellent care that was receiving. They know just how to handle these fevers here.
 A few days after leaving Panama we reached Corinto, a pretty little tropi-
 
 out in swarms and surrounded our ship with their unique dug outs loaded with parrots, monkeys and fruit of all kinds, which they were extremely eager to sell for but a trifle. All this time the thermometer ranged from S5 to 100 degrees and precipitation sprung out, it almost seemed, in floods all over our bodies.
 After days stay in picturesque little Co., rinto we weighed anchor and proceeded to La Liberstad, wharf used almost solely by ceffee planters. At Acajulta where we next cast anchor, we were the fortunate witnesses of grand volcanic eruption. We lay in the roadstead at night and to the right arose the volcano of Gzalco (pronounced Isalco.) It has been active for 118 years. All of sudden 1t burst forth and & column of hot lava, smoke and fire was upheld from two to three hundred feet in the air for over fifteen minutes. The spectacle was one of the most sublime things I ever beneld. The molten lava flowed over the crater like an overpow- ering flood, and for few minutes the whole mountain seemed like cone of red hot coal. At every eruption a dreadful rumbling noise was heard and the thunder of thou sand esnnons burst the trembling air. We were thirty miles from the crater, and of course safe from all danger. Earthquakes also are frequent in these parts and the na- tives spend their lives in continual endeavor to protect themselves from the powerful forces of nature.
 Our next stop was at San Jose de Gaute- mala, where we lost several passengers, whose destination this was. Next day we entered the harbor of Acapulco, 8 most pic- turesque village. We went ashore, wandered through the many streets and had much amusement with the natives in the market places. We returned loaded with fruits and sailed late that night for Manzaurillo, where we stayed a day. The next day we reached San Bias, and there took aboard crowd of Mexicans, among whom were several bull fighters who were going to Mazattan for the Christmas festivities. This place is the second largest city in Mexico. We wandered all over the town, saw all the many interesting sights and took dinner also. While here had the pleasure of walking on $45, ,000 worth of sil- yer bars. This is great silver country.
 This was the last stop and thence sail of six days brought us over the bar and through the Golden Gate. Then the great city of