Mesa free press., 1898-09-09

dena farm has thirty-eight birds pair
ed off, and tnany more young birds in
the great corral. This industry bids
fair to be source of wealth in time
to Southern California.
The poor horse is having a hard time
of it these days. Not only have cleo
tricity and the bicycle crowded him out
of employment and made him despised
and deprecated in value, but the high
price of hay and grain makes 1t hard
for him to get enough to eat. In San
Diego, the president of the humane So
ciety reports an average Of five COM
plants day of cruelty to animals, and
explains the frequency OF the COM
plants by the scarcity OF feed and the
cheapness Of horses.
The work on the emplacement for
the ten-inch disappearing rifles at Bal
last Point, San Diego, will be under
taken Immediately notwithstanding
the shortage of water, which was
thought might delay the construction
until after the rains set in. There are
now $4,000 barrels of cement on hand,
and the water supply will be hauled
to the point. This fourth emplacement
will cost 100000, and 1t will require at
least four months to build
The excellent condition of Orange
county roads Is a striking illustration
of the wisdom of electing thorough
business men to the Board of Super
visors. During the past year horse
whims and tanks have been placed
along the various roads through the
county which supply abundant water
for sprinkling purposes, the result be-
ing that much of the wear and tear
occasioned by continuous and heavy
traffic is prevented and the county is
thus saved no inconsiderable expense,
while these thoroughfares are source
of pleasure as driyeWays.
The editor OF an Ell Paso paper pick
ed up his rifle one day recently and
started down the street to have the
gunsmith repair it. The delinquent
Subscribers, however, got it into their
heads that he was on the warpath and
every one he met insisted on paying
what they were owing him. One of
them wiped out debt of ten years
standing. On his return to the Office
he found a load of hay, fifteen bushels
of potatoes, ten bushels of corn, a
bushel Of Mission grapes, a load of
wood and barrel of turnips that had
been brought in by delinquents.
A lady remarking the fact that she
was at Catalina twenty-five years ago,
at the Barracks, but not at Avalon
| there was no Avalon then-recalls two
| interesting facts. One is that the Bar
Tc41 II 13<1,<
/ in civil war times, to prevent Confed-
crates taking possession of the island
and raiding thence on the Panama
steamers, which then carried immense
amounts of treasure. The other is that
the word Avalon is of comparatively
recent origin, as applied to Catalina
having been given by one of the late
owners. In earlier times it was call
ed Johnson's Landing.
The dairymen in this section are
VERY much wrought up over the action
of the management of the Soldiers
Home at Santa Monica in contracting
| for oleomargarine for table use, ex-
| cept for the officers. The contract calls
| for $1,000 pounds at Ia cents, whereas
! the lowest bid on butter was % cents.
There is no oleomargarine made or
used in this state, in fact the laws well
night prohibits the use of it, as it must
be used in original color, be plainly
must put up placard stating that
! they use it when they do. No state in
stitution is allowed to use it. OF
course the Home is not state in
stitution, so there is really no re-
course. The matter has been taken
up with the Secretary of Agriculture
and there is a hope that the govern
ment will be shamed out of this parsi-
monious act and that the contract will
will be cancelled and pure butter fur
nished instead of an imitation All the
dairymen ask is that butter be used,
and they will take the chances in the
matter along with eastern competit-
ors.
| On July "a, when the steamship Rio
de Janeiro was four days from Homo
lulu, a private soldier was buried at
sea. OF the ceremony, so seldom wit
messed by landsmen, Brig.-Gen. H G.
| Otis, under date of July 27, has thus
written: We had our first burial at
sea this morning. Private jerks of
luG 4 lTSI OOulu OdhOJd regiment ul6Q
at 10 o'clock last night and was buried
today with military honors. An i'm
pressive religious ceremony was held
over the remains conducted by the reg
mental chaplain. There was sacred
music. vocal and instrumental; the
tship was stopped during the ceremony,
flags were half-masted, officers and
men were assembled on the upper deck
(port side aft), the body, encased in
canvas covering with weights attached,
lay draped with the American flag, and
at a signal was committed to the deep.
All was over, the band playing solemn
airs during the progress of the cere-
mony. Every possible mark of respect
was shown the dead soldier under the
circumstances, being at sea and it be-
ing impracticable and unsafe to keep
the body until we made port at Homo
lulu, four days off,"
The finding of the skeleton of man