New-York tribune., 1896-05-31
TOPICS IN CALIFORNIA.
LOOKING AFTER SAN FRANCISCO'S
LTH-REMARKABLE WEATHER.
JOAQUIN MILLER LECTURING.
rpY TELEGRAPH TO TIE rRIBuNE.l

JOAQUIN MILLER LECTURING.
IBY TELEGRAPH TO THE rRIBUNE.l
San Francisco. May 30.-The Board of Health
and various committees of citizens held note
worthy meeting this week to discuss plans for
more careful inspection OF food products. San
Franciscos death rate is only IS to the thousand,
against 2Sik in New-York 81 in Paris and 30 in
Berlin. but this fine showing is due mainly TO
cool ocean winds. which drive OFF malaria. ana 10
the topography Of the city. which gives naturai
means Of cleaning the sewers. Only recently mas
any active and well-organized work been done
10 check aduteration Of food and drink and 10
prevent the sale of unwholesome fruit. Since the
ordinance requiring dealers 10 sell pure milk was
passed the mortality among young children mas
been reduced one-half What is needed is the
same careful inspection of all food products, ana
insure this the Board of Health demands in
creased appropriations 1t seems scarcely cred
ible but II costs San Francisco much TO have
Its City Hall swept as it does to maintain the
Board OF Health.
The extraordinary weather of last week contn-
ues The first three days Of this week broke the
hot-weather record for May in California, the
mercury going up to 80 degrees in this city and
to 1O2 degrees in Los Angeles The same high
temperature prevailed over nearly all the state
1t was followed by a severe thunderstorm. which
is a great novelty in San Francisco.
Careful inquiry in the wine valleys of Napa
and Sonoma shows that the reports Of damage by
frost have been exaggerated The second crop OF
grapes will be fairly good. and unless the season
should be very short they VIII mature In time to
make good wine.
No crime that has occurred in California since
the Durant murders has aroused the people so
hr,,to al hnfph by Ta mo
Durham. near San Jose, of his wife and six
other persons. Durham fed. and. though officers
are hot ,on his trail in the canyon of Mount Ham
ilton, the fugitive may yet escape. The muir
derer Is described by those who know him well
as of ungovernabe temper and he had
had violent quarrels with his wife. The family
was also rent by religious dissensons as Dunham
was a strong Catholic. while his wife and her
father equally strong members Of the Amer
lean Protective Association. If Dunham is capt.
ured alive ii will be impossible to save him from
lynchng. except by taking him to some other
place than San Jose
Two students at the University of California,
George Payzant and Webster Parkhurst. this
week dropped their books, secured leaves Of alb
sence and announced that they would devote all
their time to getting ready for the millennium,
which they think is near at hand They both
come of good families, but their parents appear
TO have no influence over them. Their new zeal
is due to revival prea aching. Parkhurst has been
a noted athlete, but he has abandoned the base
ball field and the cinder path. and he says all
athletics are ungodly.
The Toxic Marine Insurance Company will
probably have office in this city soon. Mr..
Newell manager Of the company. sailed this week
for Japan to arrange for the purchase of the
franchise Of the California Insurance Company,
which has been offered to the foreign corporation.
In
be the new Japanese steamship line from Yoko
hama to Frisco. touching at Honolulu. The new
line counts upon getting all cotton shipments
from here to Japan and the return freight Will
be composed largely of tea and silk
The DAILY company has done a good business at
the Baldwin this week with midsummer Nights
Dream" and Love on Clutches" The acting Of
Ada Rehan. James Lewis and the others has been
warmly appreciated after the variety perform
ances that have filled most of the playhouses for
months.
Joaquin Miller, whose new book Of poems en-
titled Songs Of the Soul has been received with
great favor here. is delivering a lecture, Les
sons Not in Books 1t is a plea for sympathetic
study of Nature as means Of escaping the ma
terialistic spirit OF the day.
To The Overland Monthly" for June w H.
Mills. land agent OF the Southern Pacific Com
pany contributes an elaborate article, showing
that this country has nothing to fear from Jap
anese competition In manufactures Mr. Millss
facts have been gathered at first hand. and ne
makes strong argument in favor Of American
skill ana ingenuity against the cneap labor or the
Orient
The oil industry at Los Angeles appears to be
seriously menaced by salt water. which has been
struck in two deep wells, and has spread TO
neghboring wells. The two wells were deepened
from 700 to 900 feet when salt water appeared
and completely stopped the flow Of OIL AS all
the wells tap the same strata, 1t looks az though
the productive capacity of the district will soon
be greatly reduced Crude petroleum has ad-
vanced to 81 % a barrel. The average daily
yield of the 300 producing wells is $500 barrels
and the reserve is 10000 barrels but this re-
serve will soon be encroached upon unless new
wells are developed
The Italian-Swiss agricultural colony which
has q fine, productive vineyard OF 800 acres at
Asti. Sonona County. this week purchased GAO
acres Of the Madeira Vineyard Company, near
the town of Madeira, in the San Joaquin Valley
About one-half Of the tract is filled with grapes
and the remainder will be planted. These lands
are well adapted to sweet wines. while the So
noma colony produces dry wines. The colony Is
cooperative. and has been successful. 1t demon
strates that wne-growing and wine making pay
we'll In California. provided skill and experience
direct them.
HORSE AND CARRIAGE TRADE NOTES.
Mr.. Childwachter. OF Park-ave and One-hundred-