Barton County democrat., 1913-10-10

ing under irrigation. A curious sight
was the wheat fields on the foothills.
Hfllsides almost twice as steep as
the grade from Bissel's Point south
northeast Of Great Bend) we're IN
Fheat, or had been. lSThey plow the
soil, drill the seed and cut the crop
with one horse and machinery made
especially for hill farming. They told
US that the hill horses were becom-
Ing lopsided-the legs on the down.
hin side being about six inches long
er than those ON the uphill side Of
the animals. Anyway, a Barton coun-
ty wheat farmer would be put to
guessing a lot If he was sat down
there and told to put in a crop, and
would have another guess coming at
harvest time.
Going through the mountain range
dividing the Sacramento Valley from
the Pacific Slope proper, we passed
through about hundred tunnels,
some of them over two miles long,
and the scenery was grand. After
getting through and approaching San
Francisco we met the ocean breezes,
and then we've more comfortable.
Reaching the coast at Oakland, we
crossed the Bay ON a large ferry,
and landed in Frisco in time for
supper.
After a good nights rest at the
hotel We were ready TO do the
greatest city on the Pacific coast.
We started sightseeing by engaging
seats In one Cf the numerous sight
seeing cars-an auto car, with seas
built up high, and carrying from %
70 30 passengers, with a guide to
point out the places of interest and
recite fairy tales about California,
but the seats cost a dollar a head.
The impression We got of San
Francisco is that it is populated and
promoted by as live a bunch of Am.
enican citizens as can be found any
where in the whole world. One can
hardly realize when passing through
the streets between miles and miles
OF skyScrapers that but few short
years ago almost the entire city was
! wrecked by earthquake and fire,
Only here and there could lie seen
evidences of the great fire." The
natives never speak of the earth
quake" which was the real disas-
ter, but call it "the great fire" An.
other thing: The true FTisccan nev-
er fails to tell about the wonderful
big stunts to be pulled eff there in
1915, at the World s Fair. Many ci
the Fair buildings are now under
course of erection, the streets grad
ed, lagoons and canals laid out, ETC.
In the city the hotels, restaurants,
buffets and cafaterias, rooming hOus.
es and apartments are more numer,
ous-Some-than the saloons. did
not like the residence parts ol
Frisco. There are many fine, pala
tial homes, but they are crowded
one against the other, with few lawns
or decorated grounds. Some of the
parks are commodious and elegantly
embellished with valuable statuary
lakes, drives, flowers and semi-trop
ical verdure. But the business dis
trict is not oyer-clean. One might W
took a trip through the so-callet
China Town. While this trip was in
teresting in the extreme, the sight
and conditions were very tame n
comparison with what We expected
to see, and what We are told they
We're before the earthquake. We Wen
. with a party of twenty, but nigh
just as safely have gone alone. Tht
Chinese underworld has been expung
ed, or else hid entirely from out
siders.
After seeing all We cared to o.
Frisco We again boarded the var
Dished cars, taking the great South
ern Pacific this time, the road whica
they say owns the legislature an,
employs hall the common nero =
and headed south along the Pacifi
coast SS4 miles to Los Angeles, tn,
second largest city in California. VI
followed the ocean shore and wen
in sight of the breakers most Of tn
way. The salt breeze, with eucalip
tus flavoring, was fine and invigoraf
ing, and the S. P. accommodation
very comfortable.
About Frisco we saw the palm
and pepper trees i'm profusion, am
they were in evidence all the tim
along the coast.
Our objective point being Pasad'
| ma, We did not stop in Los Angele