The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-02-09

AN EARLY CALIFORNIA WATER CART.
the fat rock, and with another fiat
rock pound the clothing with a venge.
Hnce. What is left of the days wash
is hung out on the underground to dry,
while the squaws swap neighborhood
gossip This spot is selected as laun-
dry for the neighborhood because the
water is already hot, and that is a
great item with an Indian, who is as
lazy as Mexican.
Tho Indian village of Aqua Caliente
Is as pretty a ruin as can be found in
southern California. 1t was headauar-
tiers for the aborigines who came to
the springs when wounded in bautle,
or for other bodily ailments. Their
medicine men prescribed these hot
waters for the healing of fresh wounds,
and, after a battle, this ''resort" was
crowded, but no high tariff or other
prices were charged. When the Span
iards came they burned the tule huts
of the Indians and put up adobe huts.
The Americans dispossessed the Mexi-
cans by showing that there was
clerical error" In their title, and the
place has since remained deserted
village, so far Is permanent occupancy
Is coucerned The Indians of to-day
occupy the village under squatter
sovereignty title-just as they do any
pther spot they choose to locate upon.
1t is SO far removed from communica-
ton that the Mexicans and Indians are
permitted to enjoy q Utopian life in
this almost forgotten spot of desola-
ton.
A few miles below the hot-water vii
lags is a section of country known as
FL Cajon (the box, or literally, box in
a corner). Writers on mission His
tory viii state that this is the first
dam. reservoir and irrigating ditch
constructed in California. 1t is about
as true, or rather is as incorrect as
nine-tenths of the mission yarns. 1t
Is the first works constructed by white
men, in this country, but long before the
Spaniards came, $50 years ago, the In.
aians had irrigating bitches and dams,
as numerous excavated ruins testify.
The Spaniards utilized the labor of the
indians whom they enslaved, together
with their skill in labor, and inventive
genius IN the making of cement, the
Eecret Of which has been lost to the
latter generations. The Indian ar
hsans laid these dams of concrete
masonry without the aid of surveyors
misunderstanding a straight line
by focus Of the eye. They made
water run up hill by system of
wheels, which also turned their prirni-
tive cornmills- They collected water
In these reservoirs during the wet sea-
son, predictingsth every wet year
was followed by two dry years in sue
cession. and the weather sharps of to-
day base their predictions upon these
aboriginal forecasts. Though their
medicine man prayed for rain. and
they seemed to believe IN the efficacy
of prayer, yet they made preparations
to catch all the water in sight.
Irrigation is as old as civilization,
for it began at the seat of civilization.
The ruins unearthed amid these ancient
Indian rancherias. show that they had
the same system that was in vogue in
India and in Egypt, and it is presumed
they had communal system OF dis
,tribution also. However. the conquer
ing Spaniards established the COM
munal system when they came-mak-
ing the Indian do the work, while they
seaned the -heneftS, Each natural