davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The San Francisco call., 1896-10-18

! this class of work. They were the pick of
two nations.
''As the parties moved along on either
side they camped at every eight miles
during the course and each body at once
proceeded to define the spot through
which the line would pass. This opera
tion took from four to six weeks, neither
party approaching the other till the calcu-
lations of both were completed. Then
notes were compared and spot fixed on,
when the parties moved on another eight
miles, where the observations were re-
peated. The manner in which these OBJ
servations were carried out shows how
particular both bodies were to locate the
line accurately without any chancs of de-
Walton one way or the other.
Before any work was done tree was
cut down within four feet of the ground
and the larger instruments were securely
fixed to the stump in order to make them
perfectly stationary and under no earth
action whatever. The camps were built
in semicirce around these instruments
and the night observations were carried on
with the greatest care and attention.
camps was finally decided on, stone
Ndo p1dNSO OfCI Lulo SpOLs
'And this procedure was followed out
right to the Columb bia River, and believe
throughout the whole survey. The boun-
dary as defined at present is, l firmly be-
lieve, perfectly correct. There has never
been any evidence to shake the truth of
the survey from the day it was made until
now, and knowing as l do the status of the
men who carried it out, and the very great
care exercised with such unceasing vigi-
lance all through the expedition, it is in
credible that mistake should have been
made"
/ With two such statements as these,
Numerically opposed to one another, it
is difficult, without being able TO retrace
the survey step by step, to obtain any &c
curate knowledge of the subject. But the
weight of reasoning seems to lie with Mr..
Carey's opinions. 1t is indeed incredible,
as he states, that men who were selected
by both the British and American Gov
ernments on account of their peculiar fit
ness for the work OF running the survey
should have made such an unaccountable
mistake as has been over and over again
charged up against them.
HUGH KALYPTUs.
The San Francisco call., 1896-10-18

"All our music said Miss Mast, "is
written in straight line, regardless of the
position of the notes on the staff or whether
they are above or below the staff. sigma
lures, tempo, expression marks and all the
rest OF it proceed in an undertaking line.
The notes which make up chords follow
each other singly in due succession, and
we denote the position of the note and the
com position of chord or series of chords
by intervals. The same applies to runs in
which there are skips. Knowing the time
and the value of notes that in the aggre-
gate are found in any one measure, We
have no difficulty in locating the chords.
We have to reason, oh, yes, of course.
Now you will see that there must be a
separation of the ifferent parts-the right
hand part from the left-hand part-to
make it clear, and then, in organ music,
there is also the pedal part. Each part is
written separately and every one in per-
fectly straight line or series of straight
lines. Every grace of value is indicated.
Thus we have sisns for the whole notes,
half-notes, quarter-notes and eighth-notes,
and the smaller subdivisions are indicated
by the use of the same signs. We make
must be in the measure, which is. of course,
a fixed quantity, indicated at the begin
ming OF the movement. We have signs
for every possible expression mark and all
that Isl implied by that, ties, slurs and
so on.
1.-The intervals are indicated by an arbi-
trary understanding. Thus in the treble
the intervals read downward always.
Take the chord of G natural for familiar
illustration. IN the right-hand part the
intervals would read as follows: G, 4, 8,
g. In the left hand the intervals read up
ward, and in the same chord the reading
would be G, g. 5, s. This is the outline OF
the system, and now for the mechanical
part, the printing"
Miss Mast went to a small machine, fit
ted up with certain white and black keys,
which do not resemble the arrangement
on the keyboard of piano in any one oc-
tave, but which gave the appearance of a
keyboard in other respects. Between roll
ers she deity inserted sheet of prepared
paper, finding no difficulty in adjusting it
to nicely in the complete darkness which
enveloped her. Cheerfully she drummed
away for few seconds, sometimes using
only one key, then a com bination of two
keys, and so on, and thereby produced the
example in musical notation whichis here
reproduced. This she first made on paper,
which, being perforated, left projections
which to the delicate fingers of blind mu-
sicians mean notes, etc., at the bottom OF
the notation example being also q part OF
yankee Doodle
Next she seized thin zinc plate and in
serted it between the rollers of another
machine. which was equipped with part
The San Francisco call., 1896-10-18
Queer Lake and a Marked Indian

air, was an immense column of water that
soon overtiowed what had been the center
of valley.
Among the few to escape by running
and swimming was squaw. After they
had waited in vain for traces of their COM
panions they went to their wigwams and
told the awful fate of the tribe. Shortly
after the squaw gave birth to q pappoose
whom she named Dick. From the center
of the infants head was little patch of
gray hair, which as he grew older,
heightened to about six inches. 1t is
transparent, resembling nothing so much
as fountain OF clear, springing water.
Dick lives yet in the little town of
Groveland, an old Indian of quiet de-
meanor, with ever red handkerchief on
his head. Heis very un willing to show his
snowy lock, and will only walk swiftly away
should he be questioned concerning it.
Meanwhile Lake Eleanor's waters SWAY
gently to and fro and the dead frs point
to the blue heavens.
The San Francisco call., 1896-10-18

Lake Eleanor lies in secluded valley
on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada
Mountains in Tuolumne County. Sur
rounded by lofty trees and loftier peaks,
the clear blue plain of water, two miles
long and one mile wide, ripples and smiles
above the skeletons of lost tribe.
This lake has been known to white
settlers of California for at least forty
years, though very few have ever heard of
it and fewer still have seen it. Indians
and sheepherders are its only visitors.
To look az it would give proof of the un-
usual and would prepare the mind to
credit the story of its formation. Stand
ing out in the water more than 100 yards
from shore is group OF large fir trees,
dead but upright, with their roots in the
bed OF the lake. thirty feet below the sur
face. There they stand, monuments of
the past to prove that they were there
before the water came.
What is now Lake Eleanor was once q
large and lovely valley, on the floor of
The San Francisco call., 1896-10-18
Cofnpensations for Lost Vision

strike his left hand eight times on the tabl
then beat with one or both feet on the
floor seven times. When he can do this
let him try to combine the three move
meats, learned separately, and make them
all proceed together, giving the twenty
beats one time, the eight another and the
seven another and perform these several
acts while he is counting four with mod
crate speed. II that does not suggest it :
self to the Imagination as possessing diff
culties, let another illustration of the same
sort point the further difficulties of an en-
tire musical com position learned IN three
different sections and memorzei in sec
tions and then put together and per-
formed as whole
Perhaps the composition lasts twenty
minutes and is fugue-that is, compo-
sition in which one part repeats another
with various effects. Take two typewriters
and place them side by side and try TO
write The same series of words, perhaps a
dozen in number, on the two machines.
one word on one machine and another
word on another, in due succession, both
machines going simultaneously, and never
get a word out of place or misspell it,
while going at top speed,
The San Francisco call., 1896-10-18
Hn international Boundary Line

In several late issues of various news
papers, more particularly on the Pacific
Coast and of the National capital, there
have appeared articles during the last few
months criticizing the manner in which
the boundary line was run between the
United States and the Dominion of
Canada, and seriously questioning the an
noun cement of the British Government
that the line was perfectly correct. This
criticism has related more to the boundary
line on the extreme westerly portion of
the continent than to any other part.
The contentious of both sides are remark
ably convincing, and it is hard to tell by
reading the arguments pro and con what
the real status of the matter Is.
1t was my good fortune a few months
ago to meet a gentleman in Chilliwhack,
British Columbia, who, being present dur
ing the operations OF the Boundary Com
mission, knows a great deal about the
matter. He unhesitatingly declares that
the line has been wrong from the begin
ming and that peculiar error Of judg-
ment on the part of the leaders of both
commissions has been responsible for the
whole trouble. Mr.. Stevenson (for that is
nv informant's name) is a well-known
rancher and mine-owner in British Column
pia. He told me the following facts during
our conversations:
"In septem ber, 1860, was gold mining
on Rock Creek, when the American engl-
neers and the British engineers, then
locating the 49th parallel and putting up
the monuments, met near Boundary
Creek, the British engineers coming from
the west and the Americans from the
east. Well, as / say, the parties them
selves met, but their surveys did not. by
over 300 yards. The British line was
north. Each party kept on stubbornly at
its work, and before they ceased opera
The San Francisco call., 1896-10-18

of u key board like the first, having also a
pedal. With this combination she speed
lily reproduced the musical perforatlons in
zinc which had before been only in the
paper. With this plate she could print,
on prepared and moistened paper. any de-
sired mum ber of sheets Of the same music.
Thus it is that it has been com paratively
easy matter TO accumulate not only musi-
cal library for one persons use. but also
to produce duplicates indefinitely.
'Let not the blind lead the blind lest
both fall into the ditch" runs a revered
and time-honored saying. But when
Gussie Mast prints exercises, eludes,
sonatas, ETC.. she not only leads blind
musicians without leading them into the
ditch, but successfully guides them
through musical intricacies which might
well puzzle persons who have unimpaired
vision.
1t will naturally suggest itself to all
musicians and to those having only the
most superficial contact with 10 usic, theo-
retically or practically as executants that
having all the treble written by itself. line
after line, and the bass also written in the
same way, especially where there is pedal
part for the organ added, here is 8
The San Francisco call., 1896-10-18

The agent of the English proprietors of
the concession granted by the Mexican
Republic for monopoly of pearl-hshing G
in the Gulf of California recently arrived
in San Francisco and gave some interest
ing details of the present methods en-
ployed in their industry, which has con-
tinued ever since the occupation of the
country in the time of CorteZ.
The whole coast of the Gulf of Califor-
MIA abounds in pearls, and the conces-
sions control the entire territory. Until
within the last few years native divers
were employed, and the depth to which
they could descend did not exceed thirty
five feet. With the introduction of diving
apparatus the limit OF depth was increased
to thirty fathoms. The best divers could
formerly remain under water not to ex-
ceed two minutes. a modern diver thinks
nothing of a two-hour stop in water a
hundred feet in depth, though at greater
depths the stay is necessarily shortened
on account of the enormous pressure OF
the superincumbent water. A diver,
when upon the floor of the ocean, looks
about for the oyster which he tears from
the object to which it is attached, and
places it in small bag hanging to a rope
which is hauled into the boat on a given
The San Francisco call., 1896-10-18

signal. Sometimes the mum Der OF oysters
secured is large, at other times only few
are caught. The diver does not confine
himself to the pearl oyster alone, but if
he sees a rare specimen of coral or a
new species of shell he places them in his
bag and sends them to the surface, where
they become the property of the conces-
sion and one source of it's large income
Last year the value of the pearls har-
vested in Lower California was alone
1886, 900. In addition 5000 tons of shells
were exported, which were valued at
81, $50, 600 more. Pearl-6shing is the entire
occupation OF the natives, and La Paz, the
Headquarters. city of the peninsula, with
about 1000 inhabitants, is solely dependent
upon the industry. The business is one
of chance, and the pursuit is fascinating
one to the natives, who are all born
gamblers.
Every oyster does not contain it's pearl
and only at intervals, and rare ones at
that, is a really valuable pearl discovered
The largest one ever found was about
three-quarters of an inch in diameter and
was sold in Paris to the Emperor of
Austria for $4,000. Many black pearls
are found in Lower California and are
valued higher than the pure white. The
The San Francisco call., 1896-10-18

difficulty which no musician with eyes is
compelled to face. On the contrary, music
calculated for seeing is written all to-
gether, the bass under the treble, and the
skilled reader of music takes in both
staffs, or three, If there be three, simul-
taneously. This leads to perhaps the
most remarkable part of this musical
romance of the blind.
Naturally, the blind musician must
memorize every com position for perform
ance. AS she cannot learn the treble and
bass at once, it follows that she encounters
a problem much more complex than is
presented to the musician with eyes, es-
pecialiy when modern music of the lighter
class is considered. This can be explained
SO that it viii be easily as ineligible to
the unmusical as to the musical. Take
one measure, for instance. Possibly the
treble may consist of four groups of five
notes each and the bass consists OF eight
notes of equal length and the pedal part
moves III different way, perhaps four
notes of equal length or three notes of
equal length and tour notes which to-
gether equal in time value one of the others.
Let the reader attempt first to strike his
right hand twenty times On the table, then
The San Francisco call., 1896-10-18

at was built by the devil, senor," said
old Rodrigo Otero. in answer to oues-
ton concerning the age of dilapidated
adobe house that stands on the banks OF
Alameda Greek not far from Niles.
And old Rodrigo may be right for all
anybody living knows. The house re-
ferred to is used as sort of storeroom for
a nursery, but none of the work of storing
is done by the Mexicans or Indians living
near by. They would almost as soon think
of cutting off their right hands as going
inside the accursed structure.
There is no record known to exist that
tells who built the place. 1t Is said to
have been there when the mission back
on the hill was built.
The present owner says it was on the
lpnd when he bought it, many years ago.
1t did not take him long to find out that it
was haunted" In his estimation it may
be only the imagination of the natives,
but if the stories they tell are true the
place ought to be the abode of spirits.
Nobody knows more about that bad
The San Francisco call., 1896-10-18

which grew gigantic oaks, from which the
Indians gathered acorns in the fall to
make -four for winter. There, too, were
pines bearing nuts, and up the slopes were
hazelnuts and balsams.
At the time of the sinking of the valley
large band of Indians were camped
there, on the banks of a tiny creek, which
ran in and out of the Tuolumne River
Acorns and nuts were plentiful. and they
had gathered enough to store their winter
wigwams in the foothills. They were lin
gering, almost ready to depart, when they
heard a rumbling and quaking Of tho
earth beneath them. Paralyzed with fear,
they nesitated moment, when second
and heavier shock threw them down.
With mighty effort the tribe tried to
escape, crawling and running, but they
were doomed, all but three or four being
entombed.
There came roar louder than cannon,
and the floor of the valley dropped, while
from the center, springing many feet in
The San Francisco call., 1896-10-18
Il Hut That Was Built by Satan

house than do, senor," continued old
Rodrigo, after he had rolled cigarette.
"My father he was killed in there and we
never found the murderer. OF course not.
It was the devil.
"But have seen my father since, senior,
and he tell me to keep away from the old
house. He come out of his grave one
night to tell me. On, but l was fright
ened. l was going to run, but he raised
his hand and l stop. l don't know what
words he say, but I don't go near the
house any more.
.'And. senor, have seen terrible things
at the old house. One night I got lost in
the fog and came very close before know.
Then / hear terrible screams and see
flames rolling all around. The ground
shake and the air turn green. Next morn
ing we find two dead men near the door.
my little grandson he no tell lie, and
he see crowds of people, all bones, dancing
around the house. He run home quick,
and next morning we find one e ad man.
Every man who go inside get killed by
The San Francisco call., 1896-10-18
Canadian Border
Surveys That
Failed to Meet

Colum bia. Mr.. Carey claims to have a
perfect knowledge of all the circumstances
surrounding the work of the Boundary
line Commission, and be takes Issue en-
phatically with Mr.. Stevenson. Mr.. Ca
rey's statements should have great deal
OF weight, as he himself was one of the
junior officials of the American side OF the
co m mission and has perfect recollection
of its work. After informing him of Mr..
Stevenson's statements and asking for an
expression of opinion for publication, he
said:
In the first place, Mr.. Stevenson is
wrong in his dates. In the year 1858 the
American Boundary Com mission arrived
at Point Roberts in charge of Commander
Campbell. The commander was accom-
panied by Captain Parke, graduate of
West Point, who was acting as chief as
tronomer, and Clint Garner of Washing
ton, d. G. The latter had just returned
from the South, where he had been the
head of a party surveying the Mexican
boundary. He was second astronomer to
the American Boundary Commission.
Under these gentlemen was corps OF ex-
cellent qualified surveyors, each man being
thoroughly trained in his duty.
"1he body stayed at Point Roberts for q
year and during the whole of that time
they worked at getting the central point
of the survey. At the end of the year the
British party arrived at Point Roberts,
accompanied by body of royal engineers.
The party was headed by Colonel Hawkins,
Captain Haigh (chief astronomerl Cap
tain Darragh, Lieutenant (now General)
Plummer and Lieutenant Wilson (now
Sir Charles Wilson of Soudan fame).
II will tell you how the line was estab-
lished. The astronomical observations by
which the American party, while waiting
for the Britishers, had established the
initial point were proved by Colonel
Hawkins to be correct, and then the
two parties started east from Point
Roberts.
1.-THE American surveyors had the finest
instruments in the world. They were i'm
ported from Austria at great cost. and no
expense was spared in picking out the
best and most accurate. They were timed
to under half a second. The British sur
yeyors had also magnificent instruments,
and in addition to this the men of both
parties were probably the most intelligent
and capable in the world for carrying out
The San Francisco call., 1896-10-18
How a Blind
Girl Printed a
Library Of Music

81 print my own music" said blind
girl. 81 have large library which have
printed. See, here is Mendelssohn's
Sonata in C. Here are twenty of John
Sebastian Bach's Inventions and here is
the Sonata Pathetique, by Beethoven !
organ music, too, and songs"
Was the sightless face patheticP No, on
the contrary, the speaker was jolly, sun
shiny, radiant, triumphant. She sang q
song about moonlight Splendor," and
her voice scared and sang like a skylark,
with never a suggestion of regret in it
that the moonlight splendor could not
dawn on her except through her imagine
ton.
What does the printing of music in
Volve? Two staffs or three, according to
whether it is written for the piano or the
organ, must be covered with notes, rests,
expression marks, phrasing, signatures,
accidentals and so on. There must be let
ters to indicate the use of pedals and
stops, and the hand to be used in playing
one part or the other. Where there are
eyes an etude must have figures to indi-
cate the proper lingering. Then there are
, the diminuedo and dec1escendo angles to
be constructed, the staccato dots, the
slurs, ties, the movements, the accel-
erando and the reverse, the tempo, the
qualifying conditions, all to be indicated.
Take the music of the modern school,
particularly Weber, Wagner, Mendels-
sohn and so on, and the accidentals neces-
sary for their harmonic purposes are scat
tered along the pages "thick as autumnal
leaves that strew the brooks of Vallom-
oI1
transitions in tempo and key puzzle the
skilled musician, who, with full sight,
wrinkles his or her brow and studies over
their unexpected complications.
Sum ii all up and it shall be truly said,
as of common knowledge and belief, and
absolutely correct, that 10 transcribe the
modern symphony, concerto or fugue is
as far above the copying of ordinary read
ing matter as the work of the learned
Champollion at the Pyramids exceeds that
OF the schoolboy who awkwardly copies
mother Goose" tale for practice in PEN
manship.
How, then, shall the totally blind learn
to MAKE copies of great musical compost
tions which embrace hundreds of
thousands Of notes, scores and scores OF
expression marks, the most unusual and
remarkable harmonic combinations, and
never make mistake?
This question was suggested by the
statement of the blind girl that she could
write her own music and that she already
has a library of it which she has created.
The speaker was Miss Gussie Mast of
Berkeley. Questions led to the unroling
OF what may be termed modern musical
romance, having the added charm of
strict truth.
The San Francisco call., 1896-10-18

tions the two lines had lapsed fully thirty
miles. At first it was presumed that the
Americans were in error, and some of
Uncle Sans citizens built stores close up
to the northern or British line at Bound
ary Creek and called the place American
Town. At present no trace exists of the
place except the remains of some stone
chimneys These storekeepers bought
their goods at Portland and The Dalles;
they would pay no duty to our customs,
and Judge Cox, then British Commits
sioner for the district, could not enforce
the payment. That winter a Commits
sioner was appointed by each Govern
ment, and these officials met near Osoyoos
Lake some time in April, 1861. / was at
that time custom house officer on the lake,
having received the appointment from
Governor Sir James Douglas earlier in the
year. I rode over frequently to see the
Commissioners. Their work to me seemed
to be done principally at night. Each
party had one astronomer. At the end of
six weeks their labor was completed, and
the decision then made was that the
Americans were right to foot The Brit
ish then commenced to pull down their
stone monuments, but they could not put
up the trees that were cut down for hun
dred feet in width along the survey line,
and to this day any one may see two ave-
nues cut through the forest, each 100 feet
wide, running parallel, and over 800 yards
apart.
"The whole thing was kept very quiet,
and there are few living to-day who know
anything of the mistake. During these
last thirty-fve years l have never once
seen it mentioned in newspaper, but,
nevertheless, it is true. As soon as the
boundary line was settled the merchants
OF American Town found themselves in
trouble, for the miners who had bought