The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-05-18
AROUND THE CORRIDORS.

zone OF the most noticeable and striking
features of Australia Is its system OF parks,
! which are found not only in The CITY, but in the
! country districts" said A. p. Hyatt, who is
| con neeted with big map-publishlng house in
| New York and has spent much Time in the
! country mentioned. The peculiar evenness Of
! the temperature there renders the care and
! cultivation OF these parks less difficult than in
| countries less favored iG This particular. Such
! a thing as severe frost or snow is never known
! there. Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and
! Brisbane are almost equally noted for the
beauties of their parks, the arrangement OF tue
| grounds and the variety of trees and plants
there cultivated. One OF the largest Of the city
| parks is that at Sydney New South wales,
| which was established in cOmmemOratiOn OF
! The one hundredth anniversary OF The founding
! of the city, which AZ the beginning was penal
colony of England. A feature Of the park is the
! large number of reproductions offamous statues
| erected IN other portions OF the world 10 marx
! some epoch in history or TO perpetuate the
/ memory Of some great individual A pleasing
! feature 10 Americans is the presence, near the
! entrance, OF huge marble statue of Abraham
! Lincoln, which is a fac-simile OF the one in
Union square, New York Another IS an heroic
! figure of Garfield, which faces that OF England's
! most noted statesman, Gladstone. Ii Is, as L
have said. not only in the cities but IN the cOun-
! try as well that these public pleasure grounds
! are sustained. All the colonies, besides these
local parks, have national grounds set apart
! similar TO our Yellowstone and Yosemite reser-
vations. There are in these, however, no evil
dences Of the work OF vandals such as have so
badly married the beauties OF the first named
OF our national parks in particular"
"Whlle nearly every reader OF the daily
papers is familiar with the great engineering
| feat now about completed at Niagara Falls in
| the construction OF an electrical power plant,
! bat few ale aware that on the Pacific Coast
| similar work is under way which rivals Tie one
mentioned in point OF magnitude" said l.. b.
| Bailey, civil engineer Of Minneapolis al the
! Occidental yesterday. at Is that OF the Gen
eral Electric Company of Portland, Or, and is
being erected IN the falls of the Willamette
River, twelve miles from the city named, where
fall OF forty feet Is obtained with very large
and unusually constant volume Of water. The
pOwer-hOuse, now nearly completed. is OF stone
and brick with a steel truss roof and Is APO
feet long and n feet from the lower water
level 20 the caves. The hydraulic aud
electrical machinery is divided into twenty
different sections, Independent Of each other,
in each of which is installed AZ inch
and 6O-inch Victor turbine wheel. The
smaller wheels constitute the ordinary and the
larger the emergency plant. The load Will
ordinarily be raised by the hrst-named turbine,
which runs at a speed OF 200 revolutions
minute. The 60-inch turbines are intended for
use only during periods of extremely high
water. when The smaller ones viii be too deeply
submerged In the baekwater 10 give efficient
service. The aggregate electrical equipment
has generating capacity Of about 900 horse
power. The purpose OF the plant is TO convey
the power generated to the city of Portland for
use for general purposes"
l4a.ba,r ,,rovtro ,,.o,,
the same kind. companonable gentleman as
was his predecessor, General Tracy" said a
Mare Island official at the Palace last night
lana the degree of interest he maniiests In bis
subOTdinates is winning for him many words
of praise. IL Is his expressed hone that lie
may be able 10 leave upon the department
mark Of his individuality which will meet with
popular approval and | have no doubt that he
Will be successful. l notice among other
changes for which he is In part responsible.
that OF proposed complete change in the uni
forms worn by the navy. He mas recently APP
proved a report made by a board OF officers
recommending this innovation, which, how
ever will not entail much additional expense
in the purchase OF new clothing, as the
changes ale 10 be made gradually. and
the officers viii thus not be compelled 10 pur-
chase complete outfits at once. The present
navy uniform is rightly regarded as one of the
nandsomest in che world, but the changes
which are ordered are said 10 be demanded by
convenience and comfort. The present heavy
overcoat will lose tie belt around the waist and
the hood al the bae, is 10 be fixed so that IL can
be detached, and need be worn only In ex-
tremey cold weather. The present while helmet
for hot climates is TO be abolished and a white
cover, used over the regular service cap, Is TO
take its place. Two years from aOw the spe-
cial full dress is TO undergo many alterations,
which, ii is believed, Will improve It greatly"
THE desert wastes OF New Mexico ana
Arizona may yet be broad fields of pasturage
covered with herds OF fattening cattle if the
hopes Of the men who are deeply interested in
certain experiments are realized" said J. F.
wilcox, large ranch-Owner in the Panhandle
country Of Texas yesterday. "The expeeta-
tions OF these men are based upon The wonder
full vitality OF alfalfa or Mexican clover, the
growth of which Is astoniShingly rapid and
field of which will yield several crops I'm sea
son. Its roots said TO go far down In Sc arch
OF moisture, sometimes TO depth OF eighteen 10
twenty feet, aud its nutritious properties and
the avidity with which stock eat il
are well = known. The large land ana
live stock investment companies which
are now operating In New Mexico and
Arizona have, as an essential part of their
schemes Of utilizing the desert lands, the grow
ing OF large tracts of alfalfa with which 10 feed
ranch alone the La CucOa, in Mora County,
New Mexico, 1000 head of range cattle are
now being fed and faItened for market on al.
falfa. The Mexican clover is grown by aid OF
modern irrigation, and the lands laid down 10 il
tend TO improve in fertility. Slockmen down
in that country have lost all faith In the PROV
ess Of modern rainmakers and their schemes,
and they are turning their efforts into more
| practicable channels"
j. Stanley Brown, who was the late Presi-
/ dent Garfeld's private secretary and later
! secretary TO the American Commission IN the
! seal-fshing arbitration in Paris, arrived from
| Washington yesterday and is stopping At the
/ Occidental MIR. Brown now represents the
| North American Commercial Company aud is
/ en- route TO the Pribyloff islands TO superintend
! the company's operations there during the COM
/ ing season. His wife Is daughter Of The late
/ President Garfield and both are qHte proni
! nent In Washington society circles.
| PEOPLE TALKED ABOUT.
| Captain Cornelius Nye, pensioner OF the
I War OF 1912, has Just celebrated his ninety