New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-12-06
TOPICS IN CALIFORNIA.
THE RAINY SEASON-PRACTICAL CHARITY
RESTORING SUFFERS FORT
[nY rELEGnAPm no rNE TRIpuNE.l

RESTORING Suffers FORT
.,t fBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUEEI
San Francisco, Dec. 5.-To all Califormans,
whether at home or abroad the most noteworthy
incident of the week in this State is the rst heavy
rains of the season, which extended from Shasta to
Los Angeles The Importance of the coming OF
this rain cannot be appreciated in the land OF fire.
uuent showers Here it means the starting OF
poughs on every wheat ranch and fruit farm the
seeding of an enormous TO grain, the planting
of thousands of trees and vines and great stimu-
lus to all trade The month which has just ehueu
was one of the driest in the annals OF the o'a'c'
the heaviest rainfall in any part OF the state oeinS
six-tenths of an inch. This lack OF ram naturaiS
excited some fears of a dry winter which IN Oan-
fornis means half crop of grain In most oi 'iie
valleys and none whatever on the dry upiaiiu Vi
foothills. Now the coming OF TINS wiuespiea"
storm with prospects of more rain III snor' ',i'0
has relieved all apprehension for the tine. anu mas
mt new life into all business The rainfall for TINS
.,o,,o mn IN Friday night has averaged onc-hali
inch with excess in places that are generally dry
snob as the upper San Joaquin valley. Al StocK-
tan IL was ninety One-hundredths; at Modesto
eighty one-hundredths. and at MERGED for'y-three
one-hundredths of an inch. Los Angeles received
fortv-four ope-hundredtbs. IL is doubtful whether
any season for years has opened with such gooo
prospects for California as this Her frult crop
was the largest on record. and SOLD well; her
raisins have entered new markets; and her dried
and canned fruits have found ready sale IL Is
impossible vet 70 estimate the acreage that
will he planted to fruit but it is safe TO say 1t will
he larger than ever before. Every crop was far
larger this year than last year, except wine which
has fallen of by about 100000 gallons.
George KEENAN, finished successful course OF
Lectures here this week, and has sailed for New
York by way of Panama. He was gratihed by
the public interest shown here in the cause of the
political exiles. The Press Club gave Mr.. KEENAN,
a reception on the night of his last lecture. Mr.
KEENAN, though much worn by his long lecture
course and by excessive work in the revision OF
his book recuperated somewhat during the last few
DAYS of his stay here. The voyage by way of the
Isthmus' at this season of the year ought 10 invig
crate him and bring him home with new strength
Great preparations are being made here for the
meeting of the International League of Press Clubs
next month Newspaper delegates may be sure
of a hearty reception and they Will see the State
at its best.
The Associated Charities here have opened
wood yard where work is given to unemployed men
for meal tickets. Although no one is allowed TO
work more than two hours daily, the place Is
crowded. and the supply far exceeds the capacity Of
followed the collapse of the booms at Seattle and
Tacoma are responsible for many of these idle men,
while Others have floclled TO this city from various
parts of the State, after the harvest was ended.
More coal arrived at this port last month than for
any other month i'll the history of the city. The
arrivals from Europe and Australia were especially
heavy, while the receipts from British Columbia
and Washington were on a liberal scale. Altogether
Ia6 500 TONS vere rpceiypl which Is nearly double
the amount that came in during the same month
last year.
Although Keene is an old Californian actor, who
first gained reputation in this city, still the pub
lie here is not blind his faults tragedian, and
the critics treated him rather severely, saying
plainly that he ranted. Shakespearean plays must
be given unusually well here or they fail to draw
paying houses. Keenes company is only mediocre,
while lie himself gives nothing which he has not
played repeatedly in this city.
The Mono County Grand Jury this week pre-
sented long report against the peace officers of
the town of Bridgeport. who allowed Chinaman,
acquitted Of the murder of an Indian, to be
dragged from the court room by Walker River
FLUTES and savagely hacked to pieces The evil
den0e that white men allotted the Indians IN this
atr0city is plain, and the Sheriff with ordinary
precautions could have prevented the butohery,
as only half dozen of the Indians were armed.
for the murdered Monaghan as the case is
clear that unprejudced court could fail to find
against the State.
The appeal TO the President for communication
Of the death sentence of the three Yuma Indians
who murdered their medicine man will probably
he granted, The Indians merely obeyed tribal
law, which DEGREES that when medicine man
loses three patients he shall he stranged. This
law literally carried into effect by the three
condemned men, but there is good evidence that
they ordered 10 commit the crime by their
chief and that they regarded it as a religious rite
The people of Monterey have saved from de-
struction Old Cotton Hall, in which the first
Constitutional Convention was held.
The work Of restoring Suffers Fort at Sacra-
mento is going on rapidly The original cannons
that defended II to be restored. In eXcavatng
for new foundations the workmen this week UNI
earthed u skeleton under the east wall. Any
where about the building pan of dirt washed
out will show good color of gold. a foundation
OF concrete has been laid under the old adobe
fort, the walls have been restored, and nearly
all the roof tiled Next spring the restoration
of outer walls and bastiOns will begin The
purpose is to make the place look as 1t did before
the Conquest