Gilpin observer., 1913-12-11

Ddn I'LL Cne Lulu 1lcRdSna
man Is too warm to prance
between the shafts, and goes
along with you at jog trot.
When that degree of heat arrives you
wouldn't change places with him for
rubber mine. Adelaide. the capital
Of South Australia, has a breathless.
white, staring summer heat that lasts
for weeks at time. 1t hurts the eye
sight, as successive teams of English
crtcketers have found out to their
cost, but is otherwise not unhealthy.
One Of the most uncomfortable
places In the world on a really hot
day is Melbourne. The sun blazes
with an intolerable glare, and the
"brickfielder" Ia scorching north
wind sweeps along the city's wide
streets thick with dust and the smoke
of. the distant bush fires it has
brought down from the country,
whence it whirled with the velocity OF
hurricane that morning. The smoke
gets into your eyes and makes them
smart. and the dust and other refuse
make your clothes filthy and get
down your throat, into your ears,
your nostrils. everywhere.
AS to London Heat.
London heat, writes Arthur ]. Rees
in the London Evening Standard, re-
sembles the heat OF Auckland. New
Zealand's most northern city. 1t is
humid. close. sticky, oppressive and,
above all. dense. But Auckland has
what London hasn't-a beautiful har-
Dor that makes you cool to look at
it. The Maoris call the Auckland har-
bor- Wai-te-mata, which means gilt
tering waters" and the sparkling blue
of that volcano guarded bay holds you
its lover while you are in Auckland
and eyer afterward. It is the color of
forget-me-not, and you never do for
get IT. You see the harbor from all
parts of the city-from some spots
the whole dazzling sheet of forget
me-not blue spreads out before you
violet glancing shyly up at you as
you turn the corner OF one of Auck-
lands winding streets.
Sydney harbor is beautiful-you
will not praise Auckland harbor to
Sydney people II you are a wise trav-
eler-but 1t lacks the enhancing blue
and the lights and shades of the Har-
Dor of Glittering Waters. And Auck-
lands harbor is still natures own
50-mile gulf whose cliffs and head
lands are wrapped In grand and
gracious solitude.
The subject OF heat brings us nat
urally to the subject OF bathing. The
Australians. particularly those living
near the coast. are bathing people.
The children take to the water early
and stay in late. An Australian bov
will pass the whole of long summer
day In the baths, with alternate
smashing and sand sprawling spells.
All the state schools have swimming
clubs for boys and girls. from the
Youngest classes up. where the chill
dren are taught to swim by good
teachers.
The schools have a series OF inter
club swimming matches during the
summer. when rivalry is keen and ex-
cellent swimming results. AS nat
ral consequence OF this splendid svs-
tenn most OF the Australian boys and
girls in the large cities can swim well
and drowning fatalities are rapidly
declining
Sea Baths AROUND Melbourne.
They have plenty OF sea baths
around Melbourne, but no surf bath
ing such as SYDNEY people revel in.
Melbourne's great bay. Port Phillip,
is landlocked. so there are no break
ers worth mentioning. There is also
a further obstacle In the shape of Pc
riodical invasions OF large sharks.
which have a calming effect on the
enthusiasm of those who advocate the
charms of bathing In the open. Three
or four miles from Melbourne is the
fashionable suburb OF st. Kilda. which
has the finest swimming baths in Aus.
tralia-half dozen OF them.
Bathing by night under the electric
light is favorite amusement OF the
Melbourne people. For those harder
souls who prefer the embrace OF "the
great sweet mother" untrammeled by
the restrictions OF picket fence
even though the fence is sharkproof
there is Sandringham beach and
Half Moon bay. n few miles farther
along the coast Here people have
their bathing boxes and bathe in the
open with wary eye open for the
appearance OF the dorsal fin OF a
shark in the offing. man who was
fond Of bathing of Sandringham as
sured me once, when asked him II
ne wasn't frightened OF sharks. that a