Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-08-28
THE MAINE G. A. r. PARTY.
How the Members Enjoyed Themselves
in. San Francisco.

(SreciaD-The Merrck party has spent
five delightful days in this great, wloe,
windy. city. The sun shines out warm
a few hours in the middle Of the day,
but a chilly wind is blowing nearly all
the time. Many men are seen wearing
oyercoats and women wearing furs.
They tell us that the weather IS excep-
tionally fine during our stay here, fog
not as heavy as usual. This is truly a
magnificent city and like the queen of
Sheba in the olden time can say
"The half has not been told me-" Mon
day we took a carriage drive out to
Golden Gate Park, an example of what
mind, muscle and money can do. The
mark comprises fifteen hundred acres of
land. that was once ali sand hills, now
IT is filed with the most beautiful trees,
shrubs and flowers. In one place there
is the most wonderful display of flow
ering plants in beds OF all sorts of de-
signs that the ingenuity of man could
devise. Seen from our carriage these
beds looked more like huge, velvety
rugs, spread down on the green grass
plot. Here are seen many kinds of trees
not found in our own State. The et-
calyptus or blue gum trees. with their
long, shining, blush green leaves, the
immense live oaks, the graceful foliaged
pepper trees, and many, many other
kinds of trees and shrubbery. AT one
point our driver stopped and we ali
alighted to walk a short distance
through the wood to place called the
Children's Playground. A beautiful
shaded spot, where there are all KINDS
of things for the amusement OF cnll-
dren, swings, rocking horses, talking
birds and many other things all free to
the children of the rich and poor alike.
From this wonderful park We are
driven to the far-famed Cliff House,
built on a very high cliff jutting out
into the mighty Pacific, which ocean,
by the way, appears anything but what
its name suggests, as it's waters are in a
continual dash and foam, rough and
turbulent. Seal rocks, that we all have
read and heard of, are little way out
in the heavy, green, white-capped
waste of waters. Three very large.
whitish rocks. and on them in the
crevices or on the fiat surface, can he
plainly seen several large seals. They
are all of brown color, though some
are much darker than others. great,
unwieldy, loathsome looking animals
they are, wriggling and lifting then
heavy, sleek bodies about on the rocks
continually. From the balcony of the
Cliff House one has q fine view of the
ocean and the surrounding country
Proceeding up the cliff we come to q
building and entering and descending
ever so many steps, we did not count
them, come to The Baths. Here are
people swimming in great tanks, shoot
ing from an incline down into the
water and evidently enjoying it d:
great sport. AS We pass on UP the
hill there is an Italian by the side o.
the road exhibiting some trained birds
One could hardly believe that these lit
tie creatures possessed intelligence
enough to perform the tricks they do
Up we go to place called Sutr'
Heights, a most beautiful place. !
park or grounds made by man Wh'
had accumulated vast wealth and tool
pleasure in expanding it in this way
On our return drive we all visited thu
old Mission, called Dolores, meanin!
the Mother of Sorrows. A fine looklns
lady, one Of the mother superiors, ex
planned some of the paintings and gave
us SOI1lc Uilcl CSllliS lttNIo N'iiSNA ~ -
the old building which was erected il
the latter part of the eighteenth cen
fury and occupied by the Francisco
monks. The Catholics are row work
ing to restore the interior to sometime
of it's former condition. Some parts o
the woodwork had decayed and cruln
bled away so that they had not uset
the place to worship in for about thirt!
years. l think she told us the old bel
rang a week ago last Sabbath for tn
first time in thirty-six years.
The DAYS have passed on Hghtnin;
wings, all brimful of sightseeing, at
tending meetings, receptions concerts
and last evening large party OF u
went through Chinatown, as it Wout
never do to say no when our friends a
home ask us, did you see Chinatown
But oh, the sights and sounds ant
smells. This strange race of peopl
really seem more apimal than human
Our guide, who is one of the polio
force, Informed us that there are abou
fifteen thousand of these filthy being
living in this city. One must visi
their quarters to get any idea of thei
mode of living. Their joss houses
their opium dens, their gambling den
and their queer customs in every thin
are beyond my powers of description
On Friday, an invitation was eXtende
to all the Maine visitors by the Stat
of Maine Association, Comrade VIM. II
Wharf, secretary, to take boat rid
to Oakland, where q banquet wa
served on the shore of Lake Merritt
after which our Maine party Visite
Mr. and Mrs. Wharf at their beautiful
home at Berkeley, where they dis
pensed the most bountiful hospitalit
to us, and we were loath to leave then
They are a most excellent couple an
we hope to have an opportunity to en-
tertain them in our Maine homes mex
year as they intend to take Il trip Eas
at that time. The members of on
party assembled in the spacious an
elegant parlor of the Manhattan o
Tuesday evening and Past. Dept. Con
Wainwright Gushing of Foxcroft. Me
in a neat little speech interspersed wit
wit and humor, presented Captain Mer
rick with a handsome and costly al
tankard the gift of the entire party i
appreciation of his efforts for the com
f,rt apd yyelfara Of the members of hi