The San Juan County index. (Aztec, N.M.) 1890-19??, 1899-07-28
PLEASURES OF PAGoSAI
mr. West Writes Goncornima the
Springs. their Suifiaieaeioa and
naqiatnmcfon.


Springs. Their sufliaieacioa and
Daaieianeieo.
In Camp, Pagosa Springs, Cello, July
~ 1s0o.-- Dear INDEX Editor; Your
paper reached ua laat week and was q
welcome visitor. Come again We have
been here just ten days and had our hrat
rain yesterday, and since the weather
has hssn dark and lowering, with bat g
little rain, hewovsr. Il is driEzling au
write
We are enjoying ourselves very nueh.
The health Of oar party is good. A little
eleeploannoas and q twingo OF neuralgia
are an We have encountered and these
doubtless are due to the increased elo-
vatlon.
The spring which gives the place eel
phfity ia marYel. Out Of a basin
situated on the summit Of an elevation
sons thirty OF forty feet above the level
Of the river, flows the spring. This basin
is ffty or sixty feet wide at it's widest
Point, fllod with a bubbling, seething
hot uprush Of the clearest water, bat
due doubtless to its depth, which ira
dition says Il unfsthomable-of the
deepest blue color. In the cool Of the
morning, the steam rises 10 a white
cloud over the summit Of the knoll, and
the odor iswafted over the village, much
to the discomfort Of tae inhabitants, for
the sdor, you must know, is atrocious,
there being only one thing in nature to
which it can be likened and that is
FottOn eggs.
The water i0 what is known techni-
cally as a "hOt, purgative, alkaline
water" The temperature is 165 degrees
Fahr The principal Ingredient is
Glaubsf's salt (sulphate Of sodium)
which is the purgative, and it contains
earbonates of sodium and other minerals
which give it its alkaline properties.
There is trace Of iron and Of Iithium
carbonate, making it slightly tonic and
diuretic, So here is a mineral water
that is closely, very closely, similar to
the famous Sprudel spring at Carlsbad
in Bohemia, famous for more than four
centuries in the cure Of plethora, slug
gish and aongested conditions Of the
abdominal viscera and OF the rheumatic
state which is closely related thereto.
In the central part Of the town the
people Of Pagoaa have generously fenced
Of the park, an enclosure Of two or three
acres for the accommodation Of visitors
who wish ito camp" It is near the
level Of the river, close to its bank, well
shaded with the familiar cottonwood.
AZ pilgrims from our sections, however,
Iwould advise that they shuh it as a
camping place because Of the dampness
Of the ground. Those afflicted with
rheumatism, in particular, should avoid
it.
The bath houses are situated on the
opposite bank Of the river but supplied
BY the spring four or FIVE hundred feet
away. They are very much out Of date,
equipped with wooden bath tubs and
supply pipes, in many places showing
Fottenness and decay. Pagosa Springs
needs modern, we'll built bath house
under intelligent medical supervision.
The value Of the waters to sufferers
would be enhanced intellectually thereby.
Tell oar ranchmsn to bring up some
Of their products to this market. We
have been haunting the shopksepers for
a week OF more for eggs, for butter and
for potatoes, but not an egg nor pound
Of butter or potatoes could bS Obtained
Quite a number Of our fellow. citizens
are here in Gasp, among whom we have
greeted or heard Of the following; Mr.
A. y, Graves and family Of Cedar Hill,
Mr.. Rugh and family. Mrs. Paxten and
children, Mr.. T. JOHNSON and fau4ily,
with Miss Della Martin and Mr.. Bert
Coe Of Farmington; Mr.. Jacob Allen
OF La Plata and Messrs, sizer and rarbex
Of Flora Vista.
Our orstwhile neighbora Of Flora
Vista, N. Z. Hsyden and family, are
nicely situated on ranch a mile east Of
The town.
The fishing ID not very good near the
town. jesse Bell and your humble SER
want tried it about ten or twelve miles
hocth but some lawlshs ssoundrsls had
been using dynamite recently and had
ruined the fishing I understand that
IN the Piodra twenty miles away the
trout fishing is good. We will report on
Il later.
Our vacation is shout half gone. 80
you can expect us in about ten days or
tive weeks. Yours sincerely,
4. J WEsr.