Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1907-12-27
From the Far West.
San Diego. Cal. De.

| Dan DlegO, Cal., lee. 10, W.
Inotice in a late copy of the Register.
that you say, weather reports are now
in order. Can you realize that while
you are having snow and ice, that we in
San Diego, CAL, are having what you
would call summer weather. 1t is warm
and pleasant, we sit out doors. l recent
ly took trip up into Riverside county,
to Helmet. Hemet Valley is very pretty
and fertile valley. After two hours
run from Los Angeles on the Santa Fe
railroad, you reach the foot of the Box
Springs Canyon and ascend several hun
dred feet through panorama of lovely
green valley and mountain scenery to
San Jacento valley, of which Hemet val
ley is part.
Helmet is an up todate town with mod
ern improvements. 1t has a fine hotel
and fine newspaper, the Helmet News.
1t is about 100 feet above sea-level, and
is quite resort for invalids. The eli
mate is dry and hot in the summer sea-
son, and in the winter season it is pleas
ant. A few miles drive brings us to the
famous Relief Springs and Mud Baths
The soil is fertile and oranges and decid-
uous fruits, as well as alfalfa hay, grain
ETC., and cattle and hogs are raised here.
The water system, from the large Hemet
dam and Lake Hemet, supplies the val
ley with water through its miles of irri-
eating bitches
| presume few of your readers ever
saw peanuts growing. They grow in
the ground like potatoes, and the vines
are similar to sweet potatoes, and when
the vines are pulled up they resemble an
open parasol with the peanuts hanging
underneath the ribs of the parasol which
are then picked or shook off and are ready
for market.
After drive of five or six miles from
Hemet, you come to Valley Vista. east
of Hemet and near the head of the val
ley 1t is watered by the Fairview Land
and Water Co. Here are beautiful
orange groves as we'll as peaches. olives
prunes, plums, etc. There are several
apiaries and several carloads are shipped
from here yearly.
The scenery from here is magnificent
with the mountains in the distance,
which, owing to the clearness of the at
mosphere, seem but a short distance
away. In the bay at San Diego are an
chored the U. S. battleships Charleston
and Chicago and the torpedo boat, The
Destroyer There were three or four
others which have gone away. The
Charleston was open to visitors Sunday
One takes small steamer which sails
back and forth from the wharf to the
Charleston carrying passengers. The
Charleston is the largest ship, l think
and its size is immense. She carries
guns that will shoot ball two miles.
The Destroyer is anchored at one of the
wharfs at Coronado. Her guns will
shoot a torpedo 500 yards, 2400 feet,
under the water and do effective work
at that distance. 1t is a wonderful in
vention. The Atlantic fleet is expected
here in the near future.
Tourists have had no difficulty in get
ting their drafts cashed here at any time
at the banks; and unless you particularly
ask for paper money, will hand you out
gold. The fasteners as a general thing
prefer paper money to gold, as it is east
est carried, and they are not accustomed
to handling gold.
There are good many tourists here
now. as one can see better by going to
the postoffice and seeing the long lines
of people at the general delivery, stamp,
register and money order windows. The
accommodations are not large enough,
although they have been recently en-
larged and they have not got help enough
to handle the increasing volume of bus
mess. The receipts of the office are one
third larger than last year.
4. III. COPELAND.