The Republican journal., 1906-10-18

sardonyX, chalcedony and water opal.
Now and then there is found stone OF
exquisite lighting, having in its heart
thu, CLEANS of the fire opal. Such one
when cut and set in wire gold would
deceive any but an expert. One woman
has gathered a collection of seventy
five stones OF all varieties. had them
cut in diamond shapes with facet light
ings and set i'll wire gold for necklace,
which is valued by its owner at 5000
The water opaIs and moonstones make
effective stick pins, rings and hat pm
settings. while the sea agate with Its
varied markings makes watch cham or
naments, neck laces and bracelets at but
moderate expense.
North of Redondo are the new resorts
OF Hermosa and Manhattan. Close by
j. San Pedro, more a shipping port than
pleasure resort and this is where we
take the boat to the most interesting
and popular resort of the Pacific coast,
Santa Catalina Island: but this trip |
must tell you Of another day, as 1t well
deserves an article by itself.
\ few miles east of San Pedro is
Long Beach, called the Atlantic City
of the West" which is fast becoming
worthy rival of its prototype in the
east. From dead little village five
years ago it has sprung into promi-
hence as a prosperous city OF more than
$1,000 people 1t is the most fashion
aole resort of Southern California, and
beside its permanent residents the vast
army OF summer visitors that throng
the broad beach attest to its popularity.
Here is the great double decked pleasure
pier stretching 100 feet into the sea at
the cost of 100000, with its sheltered
sun parIor at the extreme end and the
vast auditorium at the shore approach,
the largest skating rink and the largest
bath house on the Pacific coast. In the
auditorium the Royal Italian Band
gives two concerts daily. In the park
is the skeleton of a whale IS feet long
ON exhibition. Above and around all
is the soft salt-laden air and the vistas
of broad level beach stretching away
for miles as level as floor, dotted
thickly with pleasure parties under gay
beach umbrellas, and countless bathers.
During my stay at Long Beach L
donned bathing suit and yentured 1of
my first dip in the Pacific, the first in
fact for many years In any ocean since
girlhood days spent at Northport on the
coast of Maine. | confess | but poorly
suppressed a shrill scream when the
IlISL UIS UIcdhClo DGluCh anu Gig uliSo
me, but the merry fascination of jump
ing the waves while holding hands or
clinging to the rope, soon drove away
all nervousness, and now no pleasure is
so great to me as surf-bathing. After
an hour or more spent alternately in
the water and summing ourselves on the
warm glistening white sands, we wiring
out our skirts and take run up to the
bath house with its perfect equipment,
where hundreds can disport themselves
in the vast swimming pools. Here men.
women and children frolic by the hour.
The salt water is changed daily and
warmed to a most comfortable tenn
perature. There are slides, shuteS, high
dives, ETC., for the accomplished SWIM
mers, who gave us some fine exhibitions
of fancy swimming, but with the less
experienced, kept close to the edges, oc-
casionally being swept off our feet by
the sway of the water; or, venturing out
too far, coming up spouting, choking
and laughing. When Wearying of the
pools we take d fresh water shower
bath and enter our private dressing
rooms; from there we go to the com
mOdiOus sun parlOr adjoining to dry
and dress our hair. We had some gay
doings last month here on the full
moon. There was a Hottentot dance
on the beach by moonlight A crowd
of young men in bathing suits bound
masses of heavy seaweed about their
waists, made rufus that they wore
around their necks, and with seaweed
tied in their hair, and long braids of it for
tails they looked true samples of the
wild Zulu Their weapons and yells
and weird dancing on the waters edge
hrouUht shrieks of delight from the
spectators.
AS one goes eastward from Long
Beach the bluff gradually grows into
the peninsular formed by that spit of
land which the settlement of Alamitos
bay occupies. In front is the wide
ocean, with Catalina rising out of it %
miles away. At the back, separating
the peninsular from the main land, is
Alamitos bay charming body of tide
water. Through the inlet the salt sea
flows into miles and miles of water