Graham guardian., 1899-03-03
DRIFrWOoD FROM SAN JOSE.
written for the GUARDIAN by J. H. Vaughn,

'N'hS WI y IuiS uSu Nhilc CD
l. responding for the Clifton Clario
9 | noted the fact that County. Su,
veyor Brown was surveying
ditch, the water to be taken fror
the river at the point now covere,
: by the Enterprise canal, I remark
!, cd at its being feasible, and ad
| vised Clifton people, who wanted
to acquire land, to help. By Sc
doing brought down upon my
head the roar of the then editor O
} the Valley Bulletin, who by voic,
and through his organ, piled ~
the difficulties TO be encountered
a tunnel, he said, would have to be
run, then not much good land, and
no spare water, and my Clifton
friends twitted me not a little at the
roasting ! got.
Now, years ago, in 1868, l think,
Lieut.. Lockwood, an ensigne officer
in the army of the United States,
| guided by a Mexican named Sala
gar, saw this very point and made
il report on it, the gist of which, /
remember, was that the country
was not good for the location of
government post but was a fine
spot for citizen settlement. As
years went on, in Tucson, Mr..
Tcole, then Sutler at Camp Lovell,
Inspired by this very same report
assisted a mau named Booker to
locate at tins point. He came hero
about the time work had been com
menced on the Montezuma and be
fore any work had been done on
the San Jose canal. The ruins Of
the old ditch at the present Enter
prise camp are his work. He had
bad luck, lost his oxen, his partner
fell sick, abandoned his work,
went on TO the Membres river, and
from his report came with here the
men who built the present San
Jose canal.
All these facts l knew and re
membered and noted them, and |
also noted then, as | do now, that
IN all these yeals the country
around San Jose has not Improved.
The class of settlers, you say. But
Americans have come here, people
from the states who were born to
the prlvations and endless toni OF
farm life,and who came to try to
build homes and make a heretage,
they all lctt-the land was good,
YOU ask-yes, splendid-water
plenty? well, yes for some-Some
lncumbus seemed restoring on the
country they all said-they could
make no Roadway, American set
tiers did not seem to be desired, 1
the ditch seemed a close corpora.
tion, anyhow they all left. Maybe
that had something to do with tue
Valley Bulletin mans temper at (
be time l. wrote, (the incumbus |
nean.)
Bul now AT the thresholds Of {
lew century change has come
lew men--new methods are here |
he best part Of the valley is to re
'eive HeW aspirations and a new I
iie Is to be built upon the ruins
u Il lost race. Take your stand !
bis bright March day by the riy {
y, at MOntrjas ranch, watch the /
warm, white clouds and the fields :
green with their winter grain, un. \
Ter your feet lie the ruins OF. "A /
IuItcc City. 1t is a singular feel
ng that creeps over you as you /
1t down and look at these same {
uirs. lfit is sad to do anything for I
he last time, how much more 80 S
, stand where there must have I
,eon so much activity for. the last ,
nae. Here are the streets laid Out i
q, rder, where our feet seem to /
.,lude, the walls which weary of d
heir weight have fallen, the brok
q olIlas and bones which are the +,
Kcletons OF past leasls;-this may
,e was the place called home
here the place Of sport and BE- {
yond the place of worship. s
1t is Pompeli over again with
is pavemcnts and houses, its walls
with dwellings, theatres and tenn.
pies; it is easy to trace away out
over the sand dones, the old wat
or courses and the lines of the
cultivated fields. But now all is
desolation aud only the crows
sail away before you and shou,
their inhospltabIe complaints.
But all this must have happen
ed long agO-and no trace Of the
personality of its people remains.
Even the leaf retain the masks OF |
its fibres along which poured the
ude Of life long after it is dead
Does not ihe print OF the face re
main on the walls OF the theatre
II llercuDaneum though the actor
passed away when the fiery de
.nAe surprised and drowned him;
but the people OF the olden times,
low llved they, what loved they
We know not, |
Come with me to the next fela;
. nttle cottage is standing beside
The road; l always sigh as l enter
one OF the half ruined novels If
these pornecrs, strange and sin
,ular people and their history