The Denison review., 1898-08-09


cept to tell you that our camp life is
much the same as it would be at Spirit
Lake.
Our tents have board floors and each
man has mattress to sleep upon. We
are allowed much liberty and the boys
spend nearly all the time they are off
duty in the city.
There are many points of interest to
the eastern man in San Francisco
among them the Golden Gate park;
work began in the park in 1874 and was
finished in 1897 at cost of $25O,0O0.
1t is three miles long and half mile
wide and is stocked with plants from
I all parts of the world and many orch
ard and tropical plants. There are 20
miles of beautiful walks, 2S miles of
beautiful drives and miles ct bicycle
paths.
The park is also full of buildings.
Some are-Casino, children's house and
play grounds, merry-go-round, beach
chalet, boat house, park lodge, Japan
ese tea houses, gymnasium, many stat
ues, a splendid art gallery and collec-
tions; the museum containing about 49,
600 articles, also a library and music
pavilion aud band of As pieces to fur
nish music. There is also large
aviary containing about 1900 valuable
birds; deer glen, and Buffalo park.
Strawberry hill, welcome shelter
Il ivlo ho
overlooked. Here one can get a splen-
did view of the city, park, Golden Gate
and the grand Pacific ocean.
| A pretty lake covering six miles sur
rounds the hill. 1t has rowing sweep
of 1900 feet, with waterfall and cas-
cade OF 20 feet from the reservoirs
above.
In all, the Golden Gate park is the
most interesting place and the boys
spend many spare hours looking at it's
wonders. The Cliff house and seal
rocks are also much visited. This
house is new one; the old historic
structure was burned. From the
Cliff house you get splendid view of
the seal rocks and many hundreds of
the seals are ito be seen sporting in the
water or lying on the rocks summing
themselves. Sutro's ocean baths are
near the Cliff house also. This is the
largest natatorium in the world and
contains six swimming tanks, the
largest being 150x2S5 feet and varying
in depth from 3 to s feet. There are
500 dressing rooms, 8 club rooms, Turk
ish baths, fountains, musiums, picture
gallery, theater, hotel and restaurant
all in the same building.
Chinatown also is place OF interest;
it covers about - blocks which was
once an important business center of
the city. 1t is said there 35 600 China
men i'll that small place, and when one
goes through and comes out alive he is
ready to swear there are twice as many.
| Mob hill, the 5th Avenue of San
Francisco, is on high ground on Ca!ifor-
mia street and affords fine view of
the city. Here are nearly all of the
millionairs' palaces and it is not an un-
usual sight to see one of Uncle Sans
$l5.6O soldiers up there looking around
what for, no one knows"
San Francisco has many fine build
ings among Which the city hall would
come first. 1t is 700 feet on McAllister
ST., $50 feet on Park Ave, and ll40
feet on L;rkin st. The dome is $50
feet, the highest in the United States,
surmounted 10y statue of liberty hold
ing aloft a torch costing lO,OOO,OOO.
But as have been telling you of
what is in the city | must not overlook
the city itself. San Francisco covers
an area of 4S square miles and has
population OF about 100000; it is very
hilly but altogether beautiful place
and its people are as good and generous
as the city is beautiful.
There is but one railroad, the South
ern Pacific, running into the city, but
hundreds of ships and small crafts
made daily trips to different points
The climate of San Francisco is no
climate at all but a daily mixture OF
the four seasons. 1t is cold and foggy
all the time and the winds are harsh
and penetrating and strangers are SUBJ
ject to colds. We wear heavier cloth
ing the year around than we do in
Iowa during the winter. 1t would
seem that whoever called California
the 'Italy of America was a total
stranger to this city.
AS everything points to homeward
journey soon, will close and relate the
rest when we get there.
Your friend,
DEE JAMES.
Quartermaster Sergeant. Co. c, 5lst La.
Sacietx af A.,.asic... s-l