Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-09-09
San Francisco, Cal, Aug. %.

noticeable not so mucn III the BUSINESS
center but rising on every side from
it like huge terraces, one sees block
on block, one above another, at an an
gle of As degrees. AS | watched the
cable cars climbing these steep streets
they looked for all the world like flies
crawling up a window pane. San
Francisco claims the first cable line
in America.
Its Golden Gate.
The city is picturesquely situated.
l have been interested most in its
golden gate, and have had quite lit
tie fun inquiring of native residents
whether it was true that the gate it.
self had been stolen, and that could
only see the hinges. This sounds like
joke but they tell me at The st.
Francis, where we are stopping that
woman recently inquired on dull,
rainy day whether the gate would be
visible through the fog.
It was In order to get better view
of this famous gateway to the Pacific,
or the hinges, if you will, that we
went today to the Preside, the mill
tary headquarters Of the department
Of California The Gibraltar of Amer
lea they call the golden gate at this
narrow pass which at it's. narrowest
place is hardly more than mile wide,
Fort Winfield Scott, north of the res
ervation, Is very interesting and we
encountered some dashing soldier
lads, for there are several batteries of
artillery, troops Of cavalry and COM
panies of infantry stationed here. The
reservation is 1900 acres in extent,
prettily laid out, but maybe it was
local pride that induced us to declare
that the grounds Of our Government
Island are more beautiful.
But the view out beyond the Golden
Gate to the Pacific ocean from Port
Point is one always to remember. Just
across the arm of water is outlined
the citadel of Fort Mason, also Point
Bonita and Lime Point, with Angel
and Goat Islands in the near distance,
and Alcatiaz Island, which contains
the military prison. While out and
beyond rolls the majestic Pacific.
Old Fort Point.
We watched great ships entering
this harbor, like picture out of story
land. We rounded Fort Point, where
the view was awe inspiring, while we
shifted gratefully the salt breeze watt
ed from the ocean by the foamy break
ers on the incoming tide.
Fort Point is the old fertilization,
now largely dismantled and garri-
soned by only small number of sol
diers. 1t dates back. from the Mexi-
can war and is grim and forbidding in
aspect like the ancient fort, such as
we see today depicted on the stage
It's wide galleries are unique and we
peeped from port holes that once held
death dealing guns Here we had the
good fortune to meet member of the
hospital corps who had mutual friends
In Rock Island and who kindly showed
US points of interest.
Up in Lighthouse.
One of the most delightful memo
ries that shall treasure of San Fran
cisco is that of visit to the light
house that rises from the parapet of
old Fort Point. We climbed the wind
ing stair into the perfectly appointed
office of the keeper and then up an
iron lader to the light ITSELF where
we were shown how it revolved and
its powerful discs or lenses sent their
welcome glow of light in alternate red
and flame out fourteen miles at sea-
The great light is furnished by a
plain oil lamp, the strong lenses mag
nifying it's power and piercing the
mantle of fog and night. The second
assistant keeper, N. w. Pooley, took
us through, explaining everything in
a most interesting manner. We wo-
men admired greatly the immaculate
ness of everything pertaining to the
lighthouse; the brasses fairly shone
and glittered as they gave us back our
own reflections. There was some
thing wonderfully impressive as
stood close to this great light and
tried to realize how many vessels
freighted with precious lives it must
have carried safely into port, past it's
own Golden Gates. We crept out
from the light platform to parapet,
surrounded by rail of iron and stood
here again to admire in awe the ever
changing beauty of the waterscape.
Here in San Francisco the sun sell
dom appears until noon on account of
the heavy fogs, so much of this SPLEEN
did panorama was hidden until we
were almost ready to go, when we saw
the pink of the sunlight illumine the
bills. while the waves, snow capped
dashed against the beach in shades of
blues and vivid greens.
We saw too the mechanism which
runs the fog horn signal to warn yes
sells at sea Of the danger of the rocks.
Fine Roads.
The walks and drives in the Pre-
sidio are very beautiful, but all the
foliage here is heavy with dust this
being the dry season of the year.
must tell you of one little cottage in
the reservation whose porch was
shaded by an immense fuchia plant
loaded with blossoms, that reached to
It's very roof.
city's Romantic Past.
San Francisco is quaint, city with
romantic past, and one can't help
but see a wonderful future 1t is veri-
ly city built upon the sands. in it's
literal sense, for its site was once lit
f1a else than a waste nf sand dupor