The herald., 1895-02-24
TWO PALMS
THAT ARE OLDER THAN
MEMORY RUNNETH
A Young Couple, Representatives
of Old Spanish Houses, Took
Poison Underneath Their
Spreading Branches.
Haunt of Stage
Robbers

Two famous palm trees which ante date
the arrival of Junipero Sierra on the Pa
cific Coast, life their tops skyward in the
southern portion OF the city.
Just how old the trees are no one ap-
pears to know but judging from the gauge
fixed on many trees set out in lawns and
parks, these beauties OF the tropics must
be at least one hundred years old for tits
stated the fan palm grows a foot year.
These trees stand like sentinels and sem
tinels they have been, or rather 10 say
watchers. History has been made under
the shadow of these famous palms.
The earliest Alcaldes talked of conces-
sion under them, and one night about
fifteen years ago young couple took poi
son and laid down to die under them. 1t
was u repetition of the old story of Mon
tagues and apulets--family vsndetta
and carrying the hatred into all branches
of the families.
Leon De Cara and Miss Speranza
plghted their troth when they knew that
their respective families would never
sanction union between them. They
hoped against hope. So it now appears
and when matters cvme to such pass
that they could not longer conceal their
conduct, the young man went ilo his rel
atives and told the story OF their love and
desire and the young girl did Likewise. 1t
was of no avail.
81 would sooner see you dead than the
wife of De CARA was the answer the
girl received from her parents when she
had told the story of her love.
-, Il Ln@
consolation from his parents and under
the ancient and unwritten Castillian code
the couple had but one recourse. That
was death.
By appointment they met one evening,
and under the lowering palms drank of a
death dealing draught This was not the
only tragedy, by any MEANS that the
palms witnessed. A few years later two
young men stood in front OF each other,
and in a forest clearing where now a
street runs, fenced with each other until
death wiped out real or fancied wrong.
The duel was the result OF two men low
ing the same senorita. Their names mat
ter not now.
The archives of the old Spanish regime
tell of many crimes enacted within a
stones throw of the palms.
Stage coaches that in the ages agone
carried people where the railroads now
take them, were held up by highwaymen.
Old residents will tell you many strange
stories OF events that occurred where those
ancient trees are now standing and in
danger OF the woodman's ak.
1t is fully 100 feet from the ground be-
fore the first palm spreads itself, and the
trunks of the trees are incrusted by age.
1t has been suggested of late years that
these famous giants of the Southern forest
be moved to one of the city parks and
given places of honor. The history of the
trees should also be written. Somewhere
out in South Africa, may be, could be found
the counter parts of the two grand palms,
but nowhere else. Even in the South Sea
Islands. where under the torrid sun the
palm hourishes at it's best, nothing to equal
the gigantic stature of these trees can
be found, and the claim that they should
be enshrlned in Los Angeles history is well
taken. 1t would necessitate considerable
outlay of money and there would be dan
ger of injuring them, but the attempt is
worth the cost. Westlake Park would be
a good place to enshrine them.
At the Calais (France) electric lighting
station, which is being run by two eight
horse power Mel gas engines, with Two
cylinders each, the engines work so salts
factorily that full loads can, it is said, be
suddenly taken off each without the en-
gine running away; and the engineer has
been ingenious enough to make the
engines practically self.starting, by get
ting one piston to stop in the position of
compression, the other in that of ex-
plosion. Both cylinders are filled with
the gas mixture; then the explosion in
one cylinder gives rise to compression OF
gas in the other and causes ignition at
the tube, so that the cycle of operations
begins.