Pleasantville weekly press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1890-1911, 1898-02-02
LETTER FROM CALIFORNIA.

LIZ Il EN- 4 lNOuA OAAA V1e4N = -
Los ANGELES, CAL, Jan. IL, 1893.
To the Editor of the Pleasantville Press
In this fair land of sunshine, and whil'
| Jerseymen are toasting by good Goa
| fires-with no thought of injury tt
truck or orchard, people here worried
| for fear the rains would not come. After
the rains, came frost and the most
tender trees and vegetables were injured
Then tor two days the wind blew (which
was Unusually and in some localities
many oranges felI-some reports say
half q crop. So it seems thereis no spot,
or occupation but what has its 8ffic-
ticns. Los Angeles follows in line, and
like her big sister San Francisco has q
Chinatown. 1t is located in the old
part of the city. The old Mission church.
The Plaza, and the few blocks in China
town. divide Sonoratown (the old Los
Angeles. built of adobe one. story, from
the new and progressive Los Angeles.
The old is Conglomeration ofSpanish,
Mexican, and Indians Babel oftongues.
Friday, the 21st was Chinamen's New
Year, which by them is celebrated much
like ours. Their firecrackers, which are
much superior to ours for noise, are
burned by the bushel. Our holidays
commence a week before New Years
while theirs continue week after. Sat
urday evening we accompanied party
OF 16 from one house to study the
habits of the Mongolian celestials. We
passed through their principal streets
and by-ways TOR it seemed if half of
Los Angeles had turned out to scrutinize
Chinatowp). The streets were packed
with visitors, the Joss-house was
jammed, and stores restaurants and
all places of business had to be closed
against the rush of Caucassians. On the
street there were perhaps 80 visitors to
one Chinaman, A large percent OF the
visitors were from the Eastern States
all orderly but bent on investigation.
Whatever may be said of the race John
never imbibes in strong drink. He Obeys
the laws Ito all appearances) seldom
giving the authorities any trouble. Sun
day | visited Agricultural Park where
each Sunday the Coursing Club hold forth
with hound and hare. Inside OF mile
track is a rabbit tight fence which
encloses about 25 acres of level land. In
this fence are several escape holes, and at
one end of the enclosure a tight pen
holds the rabbits. Three men on horse
back, one the Judge, stand off in the
field. Two grey hounds, eager for the
fray, are held side by side with slip
ropes by the starter. A Jack rabbit is
let out of the pen and starts out with
brisk skip. When he has gone two or
three hundred yards, the restless hounds,
who are almost pulling their keepers
over, are let loose. Bunny's keen in
stinct soon tells him his danger and
away he flies. The silent hounds eradu-
ally close the distance between, with
the horsemen galloping in the rear.
Sometimes the rabbit is over-taken be-
fore he gets across the field, then he
lodges quickly, changing his course,
which usually gives him little start of
the hounds, but be is soon overtaken
and killed. One went twice around the
enclosure, full mile and q hall, without
being overtaken, and then escaped
through the escape holes in the ten
races saw. One dollar is charged for
entering hound, and purses for the
best dogs are paid,-kiliing q rabbit
co1nts one point, the swiftest dog
another, and the nearest dog to the
rabbit when he dodges counts point.
There are other considerations for
counts, the winning dog having other
chances ahead of new entries &c. Pool
selling and betting 'sgoes" the same as
in horse racing. All enjoyed it save
poor Bunny. 1t is cruel sport, and
when Bunny escaped we were glad.
None butsgrey hounds were used.
One most remarkable place in South
ern California is San Felipe siDk,
depression in the earth 2e5 feet below
sea-level, one hundred and forty miles
long, and forty miles wide. It lies be-
tween Yuma and San Gorgonio Pass.
The Southern Pacific railroad runs
through its center. It is commonly called
Conchilla valley from the many conch
shells scattered over it's surface. Ii is
to have once been the head
of the gulf Of California cut Oft by some
prank Of the Colorado River carrying it's
detritus in the gulf, or from volcanic
actioE-then gradually drying up, there
being no water courses flowing into it.
At Salton railroad station is the
deepest depression. Here, for ten miles
square, the surface is covered with salt
one foot thick, gradually thinning
towards the edges. Large mills are
erected where it is ground for house use
and several hundred tons are shipped
monthly to markets. There is nothing
to Indicate to a person travelling
through this valley such depression.
1t was discovered by Southern Pacific
engineers when surveying for that route.
On the north side of the mountain is q
well defined line where the surf once
washed. Along the mountain side is a
grove of date palms some of them Is
feet high. A peculiar feature of this
valley is the hot mud springs or volcano
8, tuated near Salton, the ground in the
Immediate vacinity being too hot for
close inspection. At the station Indio,
so feet below sea-level, artesian wells
afford water for irrigation. Fruits and
vegetables grow all the year. There is
seldom rain. The air is very dry and
are said to rapidly i'm
prove at Indio where provisions are
made for their comfort. The deepest
depression yet known in the earth's sur
face is OF the river Jordan near the Daad
Sea. 1t is 1900 feet below sea-level,
The Caspian Sea is IS feet below, and
Lake Assal, East OF Abyssinia, nearly 500
feet below sea-leyel, it's waters being ex-
tremely salt. A sink in the Libyan
Desert, 900 miles west of Cairo, is 100
feet below sea-level and is very fertile and
extensively cultivated. There are many
other depressions in various parts of
the earth, but this one we have seen,
A. LAKE.