Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-02-03

then. From the vast Humboldt plains, that
gather water enough for q sea, draw a Straight
line to the Yosemite Falls, thence down the
MERGED river through the Yosemite valley,
thence dow and through the San Joaquin to
the ocean. There are other underground rivers
that run into this main river; there are caverns,
trembling caves; air-holes. Descend into these.
These buried rivers are paved with goldl And
here Come closet Listenp' Cough, cough,
cough. Listen to mel Can any man make ten
in PARKWAY California in a lifetime? Nonsense!
nonsensei nonsense, my soni Why, there one
man gives twenty millions to a college and has
q hundred millions leftl Another builds a rail
road through a mountain of solid stone, and
has not a dollar to begin with; another is called
the silver king and"- Cough, cough,
the Buried river, and they are keeping the secret
well-keeping the secret safe and sound as
death. Because If they let it out gold would
be so abundant that it would be worthless,
and"- Cough, cough, cough.
This time the poor man could scarcely re-
cover himself. TIL attendants were called in,
and drawing the artist down close to his face
he, with great effort, managed to gasp in his
ear:
Come tomorrow and I will tell you ALL"
Very early and very eager. the artist came to
the gloomy portals of the Torlonia Palace the
next morning. He passed in and with q beat
broad and sloplng enough to admit of the
ascent of a California six-horse coach.
No one lives on the first floor of any house or
any palace In Rome, save the porter and the
horses, dogs and goats. No one lives even on
the second floor in Rome save the servants.
On the third floor the artist paused. He saw
nothing as yet, for the door leading to the
%gorgeously furnished rooms of his dying friend
was far down the extreme end of the hall. He
took two or three steps forward hastily; and
then moderating his pace, he took off his hat
and walked with barred head quite a distance.
Then slowly lifting his face ne saw that an Off
Ger of the Government was pacing to and fro
before the sealed door. He had come early;
but death had come earlier than he. From the
huge brass knocker in the center of the heavy
door of oak there hung a cloud of Grape.
1t would be bootless following John Gray
through his thousand plans and efforts to get
at the half told secret. Certain it was that the
immensely rich men of California had the key
in some way to some part of the Buried River
with its bed of silver and of gold. He spent a
year in Paris trying to get at the secret of the
matter through other men. At the end of that
time he had much less gold and not a bit more
knowledge than he began with.
. He spent half a year searching through the
archives of Spain for some possible trace or
mention of one of the trembling caves" or air
He next went to Mexico and set to work
there among the old musty tones in the great
library of Mexico City. But things there were
in such a hopeless state of confusion that at the
end OF nearly twelve months he was about to
push on to California and appeal alone to the
bosom OF the earth, for his money was well
nigh spent.
Standing one sultry noon under the colossal
statue of Baron Won Homboldt, the great, he
who first made known to the world the now
floating gardens of Mexico City and so
won the warm thanks of her people: well,
standing here In a half hopeless state and re-
volving in his mind how best to reach California
he noticed almost at the feet of the great
traveller a heap of dust and dirty parchments,
worn and torn and tumbled into a hopeless
state of confusion.
1t was the work Of a moment to ask and
obtain permission of the obliging librarian to
look this through.
Ten days toll and nothingl Nothing save the
absurd statement set down in stately and most
Spanish Of a century ago and more,
the second inland sea above the Sea of
which must have meant the Bay of San
Francisco, had a maelstrom at its furthest ex-
tremity much like the great maelstrom of the
coast of Norway.
On the fifteenth day the bottom of the musty
old records of the early Jesuits was reached.
Nothing at ALL Nothing more than some brief
mention of Mount Diablo and the manner in
which it got its name. And it may be as well to
set this down; since this savage and sullen old
Of the grizzly bear and the California
lion stands not far from where John Gray stood
when confronted by the fine California girl.
1t is a grand mountain in its ugly way, black,
smoky, ~treeless. looming sullenly above San
and all the surrounding land and sea.
There many an old Spanish family, ruined of
course, has climbed up its rugged sides and
rested under its awful frowns; but no pillow.
shares shall ever tear its mantle of vine and
house there TIL the end Of time. and the lion
and the wolf shall keep him company.
These steep and stony Businesses, with here
md there q fertile fat for pasture. here and
here q canyon, packed to the brim with dense
groves of redwood, these sleeps and trenches
n dcrags and canyons are dotted all over, even
above the clouds, with flowing springs. Where
1oes this water come from? Can this water
-QiEa ifRalf q hOva fhQ fountain hnod0 Hour ~ |
he name of science and the law of hydraulics,
AN this water climb up here to tho very high
,st point for 90 miles around and pour itself
tut here while nearly all the land. even to the
ea bank, is arid and dusty belowP
But here, in brief. Is the way the mountain
ook its name, according to the musty and
lusty papers found at the feet of the statue in
he City of Mexico. Some Spanish soldiers had
and vanquished a tribe of Indians that
lad y%entured to this natural fastness and taken
he chief captive. The record runs that the
prisoners were all released except the chief.
lie, being very wicked and rebelliouf, and hav-
ng slain with his own hand two soldiers, was
turtured and then cast into a deep natural
veil, which was found to exist in a canyon near
There the battle was fought. But to the con-
of the Jesuit father, who attended
be little Spanish army, the Indian chief arose
hat night on the surface of an influx of water
nd calmly demanded his wives and children.
Deciding that he was an evil spirit the soldiers
eized him and a second time threw him down
he well, the waters in the meantime having
ntirely receded. Fancy tLeir horror to find
be ugly black head of the savage chief again
obing serenely above the sucking lips of the
ottomless well as they next morning sat at
reakfast. This time the Spanish troop were
certified, and as the little command was already
D marching order. SO soon as breakfast was
ispatched they descended the mountain in
God haste. And the name of that place is to
day Mount del Diablo.
And here 1t is, at least not very far from this
lace, re find John Gray, artist, bending over
is meagre maps. growing gray indeed, worn
ut, very hungry, ready to become insane in
long dreary quest for the Buried river, or
ven any dim evidence of its existence; dis
uting for the possession of a rotted old hut
nth a half wild girl OF the California red
foods.
(To be continued ne1t Sunday.)