Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1905-07-06
additional Locals.
From San Diego to Tia Juana.

From San Diego to Tia Juana.
Every tourist that comes to San Die
60 devotes one day of his sojovrn in
this sunny cline to trip to Tia Juana
which in spanish signifies Aunt jane
Not that there is anything worth see
ing in the little town that makes it
such mecca for tourists; simply the
fact that 1t is situated across the line
on Mexican soil. We left home at 8 80
o'clock one bright. beautiful morning
aAd at niue o'clock we boarded the
tram bound for Mexico and Tia Juana.
The trip on the cars takes about two
hours. First we came to the town
of National City, one of the suburbs Of
San Diego lying as it does just out side
the city limits on San Diego Bay. We
then passed through the sweet water
valley where the Cinnamon have i'm
mense vegetable gardens planted. Next
we came to the little town Of Chula
Vista which is right In the midst Of
acres and acres of orange orchards.
This little town is built on low hills
and over looks the head Of the bay.
We passed through several small set
Elements hardly large enough to be
called towns and at last came to the
terminus of the road, as the company
have not permission to build further
than the Mexican boundary line. At
ter leaving the cara all the passengers
got into two stages each drawn by four
horses and rode across the valley to Tia
Juana. Generally the river runs peace
fully down the valley, up side down,
and bothers no one, but owing to the
heavy rains this winter we were obliged
to cross two deep streams; the week
previous passengers had been ferried
across in boats, but we made the jour-
ney safely In the stage although the
water came up almost to the bed. The
little town of Tia Juana consists Of but
one street with few houses scattered
at intervals along each eide; the build
ipgs consist of three Curio stores where
all kinds of Mexican curios are sold to
tourists, custom house Office, postof-
fice and as many saloons az there are
other buildings. In the distance about
half mile from the town is the Mexl-
can school house; Mexican scholars al
ways study their lessons aloud and can
be heard quite ways off buzzing like
a hive of bees. After an hours visit in
this queer little town all the passengers
got into the stages and were driven a
short ways from the town to the bull
fight pen. Nearly every month a bull
fight takes place at Tia Juana many
people drive down from San Diego to
witness the fight out of curiosity; few
ever go the second time. The fights
are under the patronage of the Mexi.
can government and the governor
guarantees boni fde fight or else the
management is compelled to return
the money; toredors or fighters come
up from the city of Mexico. We drove
back across the valley to the waiting
train. l with others walked up the
hill to see the boundary monument.
After we were seated the custom house
officers went through the train and ex
amined all the purchased mexican cur.
ia in order to discover contrcband
goods. Nobody was searched. but if
they had been, some Of the men would
have been caught smuggling in Mexican
cigars. We arrived at National City
at o'clock got off the train and walk.
ed up to the San Miguel hotel for DIN
ner.
TRIP TO SwEETw AFTER
DAM.
After dinner at the San Miguel ho-
tel IN National City while we were
waiting for our train We visited the CT.
ric acid works where lemon extract and
maade are made. Malade is an ex-
tract of lemon and grape fruit; they
gave us a glass Of punch made of ma
lade. We then went into a packing
house and watched the girls pack
oranges; they gave US some very large
ones to eat. Our train soon came along
and we started up the Sweetwater Val.
ley; every thing looked fresh and green
and all the orange and lemon orchards
looked fine on account of having been
washed by recent rains. After a ride
of about fifty minutes we came to the
end of our journey; alighting from the
car we had to walk over high hill and
down the other side to the famous
Sweetwater Dam. This dam, one of
the largest III the world, is built across
narrow ravine and was the first to be
built in a concaye direction; all like
structures previously built, were built
straight across. This dam is part Of