Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-02-14

would you think Of q temperature Tor a
full month not less than W aegrsess;o e o. ~.
over 's I'll III degrees in the shade? That =,
what the residents OF . THIS q ach .,, %I
mer. So far this season the Ylimi. ,,s
have had two spells of weather when inc
mercury climbed w 70 ~ "fS .w s,; ~ m
sive days. and descended to ~ ana ~ de
grees in the night. From June 10 y -
iiiS degrees. From June Is to June q IN
elusive The temperature on each aftcS-
noon went as high as III degrees IN inc
| shade.
America for forty or nifty years. Ina;
ancient palsied and wea Their beaten s5ory
about the soldier. who lived ard died N
came back one night for his army bian-
kets for use down In chilly. frosty neil.
has gone far and wide throughout inc
group Of reporters who welcomed nm
home in New York from his tour OF tn.
Pacific coasO and has given certain
In the forties and ffties the army garrf-
son ut Yuma was famous among Uncle
Sans soldiers as the most dreaded post
res Of such military men as Generals
Albert Sidney Johnston. Edward r.
Benle and Kearny. who served their mil
itary apprenticeship there; are plentiful;
with comments on the terrific hot wealth.
er OF Fort Yuma In the summer months
while they served there.
| AL conditions seem to unite in making
| Yuma the hot summer spot IL Is. II is To-
| Gated IN II low basinlikc locality on the
edge of the lazy. muddy Colorado river.
as II meanders through desert sands and
| adobe soil down to the Gulf OF Califor-
MIA. Away to the west, across the river,
| and to the south stretches the Colorado
desert several thousand square miles in
| area. 1T Is so mcrciess. CHASTITY and
| fierce II desert waste that no one dares
| cross it by wagon or on foot in the sum
| lncr months. and never III winter or early
| spring, unless accompanied by COM
| yauio,i or two. and fitted out with an
abundance of drinking water and food.
Every summer there are venturcsomc
| miners who lay down their lives In trying
| To cross thosc deserts because they are
uvertakcn b.: q sand@torm. or are weak
cned unto death by the dreadful heat.
| Rain fails In Luna and the region
roundabout but four or five times in Il
! year. and then only In The carly winter
months. There are. however. some very
heavy floods here In the months OF Feb
r,iary and March. when the water in the
t'uiora.l" river rises and orcriiows it,
banks because of the melting SHOWS away
Northern Arizona and the heavy rains III
| Southern california. When the water
rccc'les II leaves some thousands Of acres
nf rich bottom lands along the SIDES of
lii" river. an AREA of allnVial mud, where
| the Indians plant their mesquite beam
and melon seeds for their annual crops
-tnnuaI planting along the banks Of the
Nile when the floods are past. The fer .
.ility Of th"s" bottom lands has attracted
attention. ana In recent Years entcrpris-
ing Yankees have taken UP hundreds OF
acres of this soil. and are growing TO Il
small extent fruits and melons. which are
first in the marke, even in semt-tropicai
Southern California and Los Angeles.
| The town OF Yuma has Il population or
three thousand. About half of these are
Americans from eastern states. and the
lest arc Mcxicans.
| a large part of the buildings here arc
adobe that is. built OF adobe mud bricks
thick. and are one story high. Al night
every one sleeps out OF. doors. Many
sleep there through ten months I'm the
year. In midsummer no one can well en-
dure the heat and closcness Of any apart
Inent. The sight that one has as he gaZc-
from 4 two-story building or some emil
ntncc in the place early in the morning
In summer across the old town would be
long remembered by any one not accus-
toned to Arizona life and customs. Hun
tdrcds Of men and women. each stretched
out asleep ON n cot. may be- seen On the
| roofs or In the Enclosures at the back OF
their respective houses out on piazzas.
clothes. Others have. simple sheet as
cover. while little boys and girls; are
sleeping me sleep of the just without the
Ing. When e O'CLOCK comes eiu: and on ' Sol
! rises SO high that sleep is longer out of
| the question, even for the old-timers OF
! TIE There II ~ Seucidt IIipNtUieItt
on every roof-top and in every yard and
piazza of the interior of the domicile for
raiment and for morning additions Al
| the railroad hotels all the beds are made
| up every day in summer on the piazzas.
| The diet OF the people in this land OF
| adobe and sunshine is very simple. and
! the average person knows nothing but
the bare necessities of life. Melons, green
corn. and such fruits as apricots AMI
peaches are very abundant and cheap.
They are eaten by every one. Dried beef.
venison and mutton. brought down from
| the mountains, are in every home. and
there are all manner OF Mexican dishes
| and soups that every one, even the most
recent arrival from New England. eats
with pleasure in these heated days. Al
! coholic stimulants are no doubt drunk
more generally In Arizona and all the
anywhere in the east. but the drinker
must exercise prudence in his drains III
the famous hot towns. such as Yuma,
Phoenix or Needles. for the intense heat
has greater effect on a person i'm IA
state Of alcoholic intoXication than OH
any one else. The sudden death Of a hard
drinkcr in n period Of unusual heat Is
| common in this region.