The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-11-22
YUMA A BANNER TOWN.
SECOND TO NONE IN THE NATTER
OF NIGH TEMPERATURE.
Keeps the Mercury Clfmbtng-Pe0-
pie Sleep Outdoors During the
Summer and Are Careless About


Summer and Are Careless About
Their Night Gear-GarrisOn Life.
People who fee TO the mountains and sea-
| shore in summer II before a pestiience,
when what they know the heated term IS
on. can have no idea what hot weather
| really is until they have spent few days IN
| the old town Of Yuma the Colorado river
| In southwestern Arizona The people VINO
| tell agonizing tales Of their suffering in me
periods OF temperature among the ninetieS
| in the great cities ought to come out mere
| to know better what Old Sol can do in the
way OF Matchmaking when he really gets
| down 10 business. What would you say 10
| living in spot where not a blade or grass
may be seen, where there Is nothing green
but few trees shimmering in the dusty
sunshine where the earth everywhere is SO
hot that one cannot stand upon 1t with bare
! feet, and where from June l 10 carry octo-
Der the temperature Is seldom below ~ de
grees, and more generally about the Twin
degree mark-once in While running UP 70
| 1Z3 and l25 degrees What would you thlnh
| of temperature for full month not less
| than 81 degrees, OF two weeks al a tliile
varying from los TO ll5 degrees. and even
a week at a time over II. degrees In the
shade? That is what the residents or THIS
quaint old town Of Yuma have resuiar!y
each summer. So far this season the iu-
mans have had two spells OF weather When
the mercury climbed up TO III degrees IN
the shade every morning for few sue
cessiye days, and descended 10 VI ana lu
degrees in the night. From June ~ 10 ii
the daily temperature ranged from iv' TO
lis degrees From June Is 10 June Il IN
elusive the temperature on each afternoon
went as high as III degrees in the shade.
Dreaded Army Post.
Yuma has been the banner hot town OF
America for forty or fifty years. Ihat an
Client, palsied and weather-beaten story
ahou, the soldier who lived and died In the
garrison at Yuma and whose ghost came
back one night for mis- army blankets for
far and wide throughout the world teVen
Dr. Depew recently told ii to group OF
reporters who welcomed him in New YORK
from his tour Of the Pacific COAST ana mas
given a certain characteristic to the fame
of the town. In the forues and hfues the
army garrison at Yuma was Famous
among Uncle Sans soldiers the most
dreaded post on the frontier. and the letters
and diaries OF such military men as Gen
erals Albert Sidney Johnston, Edward r.
Beale and Kearny. who served their mill
tary apprenticeship there. are pientifui
with comments on the terrific hot weather
Of Fort Yuma in the summer months
All conditions seem TO unite in making
Yuma the hot summer spot II Is. 1T is 10
Gated In a low, basinl:ke locality on the
edge OF the lazy. muddy Colorado river, as
IL meanders through desert sands and
adobe soil down to the Gulf of California.
Away 10 the west across the river, ana 10
the south stretches the Colorado desert.
several thousand square miles in area. It
is so mercilesS. CHASTITY and ferce desert
waste that no one dares cross Ii by wagon
or foot in the summer months. and
never in winter or early spring unless ac-
companied by a companion or two anu
fitted out with an abundance OF drinking
water and food. Every summer there are
venturesome miners who lay down their
lives In trying TO cross those deserts be-
cause they are overtaken by n sandstone
or are weakened unto death by the dread
ful heat.
Five RainfaiIs u Year.
Rain falls in Yuma and the region round
about but four or five times In year. and
then only in the early winter months
floods here in the months OF February and
March. when the water in the Colorado
river rises and overfiows its banks because
OF The melting SNOWY away up III the noun
tains OF Colorado and northern Arizona and
tho heavy rains in southern California
When the water reCcdes Il leaves some
thousands of acres ~ rich bottom lands
along the side Of the river an area OF allu-
vial mud whore the Indians plant their
mesquite beans ana melon seeds for their
annual crops the same a. the Egyptians
make thcir annual planting along the
banks Of he Nile when the floods past
The fertility OF these bottom lands has at
t-acted attention. ana IN recent years en-
terprssing Yankees have taken uD hun
drpdS Of acres Of this soil. and are growing
to a small extent fruits and melons, which
are first in The market even in sen-tropi-
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The town Of Yuma has population OF 3.oss
Ahout half OF these are Americans from
Eastern states, and the rest are MeSfcanS.
\ large part of the buildings here are
adol,e--that is. buiit of adobe mud bricks.
They have walls from two 30 three feet
thick ard are ore story high. Al night
everyone sleeps out OF doors. Many sleep
there through ten months IN the year In
midsummer 70 one can we'll endure the
heat and closeness o. any apartment. The
sight tina, one has as he gazes from two
:.
place early IN the morning IN sum mer
across the old town would be long remem-
beYed by anyone not accustomed to Arizona
life and customs. Hundreds Of men and
women each stretched out asleep on a cor
may be seen on the roofs OF IL the .nclos-
uTes a the back OF their res pectfve houses
out on piazzas-
Sleeping I'm Natures Garb.
Many or them are sleeping in their
clothes others have A simple sheet az A
cover. while little boys and girls are sleep
ing the sleep az the lust without tho least
!nCum hrsuce OF c3othing or covering
The diet Of the people in shls land Of
adobe ana urshne i very simple, and the
average person knows nothing but ne bare
necessities 81 lifs. Melons, green corn an3
such fruits as aprcots All peaches are
very abundant ard cheap They arr eaten
~ everyone. Dried beef. venison and NUT
ton. hrough; down from the mountains are
IN every home and there are ali manner Of
Mexican dishes art soup snat everyone
even me neest resent &rrsvai from New
England eats With pleasure In these heated
days Alcoholic stirnGisHts ara 10 doubt
drunk more generally in Arizona and all
the mining localities IN TIRE southwest than
anywhere In IRE East bar he drinK~r russ
exercise prudence IN his drains in ire IA
NOUS mo- toy8s. sucS zs Yuma. Phoenix
- Needles for the intense hat has greater
rtgrcs on = person n "a siate u aicohohr
ia1&xicAAon than on anyone else. The sud
lon death - . hard 5rtnker ~ q period 81
gnususi ssat i common in this rsx.cn--
"a