The San Francisco call., 1907-06-09

roads," remarked rns aunt. with q
shiver. but fits most inapproprfsts
mountain material"
Gazing aIoft. I left the responsibility
81 that crossing TO my sensible. steady
horse and diverted my mind with
thoughts OF Chan Chilula- The nams -
Indian for black rock and. like huz-
zar's cap on the side Of a bald head,
saw the mass OF stone that suggested
the name. little, rakish cap IL ap-
pears on this hoary head. where the
snow fingers SO late that nothing has
time to grow.
When almost opposite this rock va
began the descent into the valley. The
creek was again audible and on It's
west bank appeared the white rock
out OF which flows the bitter waters OF
Coor1bs springs.
In the early. unwritten days an In
dian hunter tracked a deer to these
licks, tasted the water and recognized
good medicine in it's saline, sulphur
Gus and other indescribabIe favors.
When the first whites came to the
country the place was an established
watercure to which the red man carried
his sick to recover or die quickly as
the Great Spirit willed The spring
was called Dead Shot. the translated
name OF the discoverer. The principal
spring still goes by that name. and the
idea was further carried out by a ia
cetious white man who named a second
bitter spring Sure Shot and one higher
on the mountain High Shot.
Close to these are sulphur springs
and for q distance OF two miles down
the creek similar springs appear at
intervals. some lowing, others oozins
boggily through the soil TO where a
third bitter spring ends the group.
A Western Lourdes
ers this place has never been closed
to the public. and 1t seems, like the
mineral springs OF New Zealand. to be-
long to the country's sick But Coombs
springs are without luxurious appoint
ments- The old Coomb homestead, usu-
ally unoccupied while the snow lasts.
houses few or the earliest arrivals.
but most people bring tents. pitching
them close to the creek or near one OF
its many tributaries.
The springs are locally popular. con-
sidering their difficulty Of access. and
people come whether they walk. ride or
are carried in--hard working men from
the mines, greenhorns from the cities.
the pitiably sick and the enviably well;
families on vacation. couples on their
wedding tour, young people who come
merrfly over the trail to participate In
the dances and to see their camping
friends.
The climate is dry. without extreme
heat. The altitude Is about 4.500 fect.
Primitive are the bathing accommoda-
tions-three tent bath houses stand
close to the tanks into which the Dead
Shot and Sure Shot waters run Each
house contains an adj hewn bath tub.
carved, like an Indian canoe from a
single log. Between the bath houses
and the tanks Is stone fireplace sup
porting two large iron tubs. and close
tn 10 fhA
The dead wood on the mountain Is free
to all. and you help yourself IL you
are able; IL not, some kind hearted
person helps you.
On a tree shaded bench we saw some
fnvalids chatting while awaiting their
turn to battle. I asked an old man who
seemed at home there what the water
would cure and what minerals il held
"curess ne exclaimed; "it'n cure
everything, from a sore on a horses
back to a cancer can't Just mention
all that's in It, but nothing's been left
out. and what's there's been In solution
since the beginning o. time. That's
why 1t beats those bottie-me-ouick
druggists concoctlons. Analysis. Why,
what's the use? It's a sure cure
Without don't believe they could
analyze half Of the minerals In that
water: but it's all right" And then he
told me how an old mans sight had
been restored and a consumptive's lungs
healed. and named many rheumatics
who had regained the use OK their
limbs.
Thus was Coombs springs an infant
Lourdes. Nauhein or Alx-les- Bains-
only better, for here you could camp on
an unfshed trout stream, far from the
invalid crowd, and enjoy the wildness
OF tho woods as well as the magic
waters that dow at the foot % Chan
Chilula.