The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1909-10-10
President Will Resume His
Long Journey to the South
west Today, and Reach Los
Angeles Monday Morning.
Mr.. TAFT TAKES DEEP
INTEREST IN FORESTRY
Chief Magistrate EndureS Trip
Better Than His Companions
and Sets Pace That Causes
Them Much Distress.
TALKS WITH JOHN MUIR

:, :, :. :, :: :. :. :: :. = !: = :. = :. :: :.
= FL Portal, Cal, Oct. e.-After =
: having Travelled nearly 100 miles =
= by stage and on foot in and around =
= the Yosemite valley, President =
:. Taft returned here tonight, and will -
= resume his journey to the southwest =
:. tomorrow morning. He will stop =
= during the day at MERGED, Fresno ::
:: and bakersfield, and reach Los An =
= geles early Monday morning. :.
= The President was wringing wet =
= with perspiratiOD when he reached =
:. the foot of the trail today, and had ::
:. to go to bed in the Sentinel hotel =
= while his clothing was hung out in :.
= the sun to dry, Even the Presi- :
= dents outer garments were wet, =
= and as he had only the one gray =
- Norfolk jacket suit with him in the =
y park, he had no alternative than =
:. to follow in the footsteps Of the ia -
:. bled man who owned but one shirt. =
:. Mr.. Taft took luncheon with Major -
:. FOrsythe of the army. =
= :: = = = = = = = :. : . = : : = ::
Last Day at Yosemite.
The Presidents last day in the
Yosemite park was probably his most
enjoyable. He began the day by look
ing at the sunrise over the eastern
granite walls of the valley, his vantage
point being the veranda of the little
Glacier Point hotel, set right at the very
edge of a 3,OO0-foot drop into the floor
of the valley.
The surroundings were rough and Sc
cluGed, and the President appeared IN
scant attire. Having seen the sun prop
erly up and at its duty, Mr.. Taft retired
again and slept until o'clock.
The 7.400-foot altitude did not seem to
affect him in the least. In fact, tho
President has stood the long rides and
early hours Of the Yosemite trip better
than some of the other members of his
party. After fifty miles of staging yes
terday, he sat until 1920 o'clock playing
a friendly game of bridge with Govern
or Gillette of California, Representative
McKinlay and Captain A, W. Butt.
President Sets Hot Pace.
Today the President set such a pace
down the four miles of the Short trail,
which brought him from Glacier Point
to Yosemite, that he had two OF his CON
gressional escort, Representatives Nc
Kinlay and Needham, calling for help
The trip down the trail was filed with
the way from the top, the President
went to the very edge OF the cliff and
waved a handkerchief in greeting to
some mere specks of humanity who
could be seen moving about on the floor.
In a while he caught three cheers" set
up in his honor.
John Muir, the naturalist. explained
every view, every tree and flower on the
way down. and dwelt time and again
upon the glacier theory Of the formation
of the valley. The President was told
that the Short trail, down which he was
passing, was first "blazed" by an old
settler who lived in the hills. His wife
would not let him have any whisky in
the house, so he had to walk daily down
into the valley to get a drink.
In the presidential party during the
stay in the Yosemite were Governor
Gillette, Senator Flint, Representatives
Englebright, McKinlay and Needham,
John Muir and Major W. w Forsythe,
the army custodian Of the park
tietch-Hetchy Project.
The President has evinced lively in
terest in the proposition on foot in Scn
Francisco to throw a dam across the
Hetch-Hetchy valley Of the Yosemite
park and create a lake there to give
that city a supply of water. Mr.. Muir.
who has spent much Of his life in the
Yosemite and knows all the trees and
rocks by name. has declared to the
President with all of the enthusiasm of
the real lover of nature that the plan
is a sacrilege. His frankly expressed
opinions have brought about several
lively discussions among those in the
Presidents party who are inclined to
favor the project, and Mr.. Taft has
listened to many of these with amused
interest.
Once today. while coming down the
trail, Mr.. Muir become exasperated and
exclaimed: "Oh, I guess the rascals will
get It in the end" He added that the
Honffnued on Pane e.