Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1913-04-24
Pattons Write More Of Their
Travels Through Sunny California


that would almost stall the engine
BY the time we would give the en-
CINE a little more gas the wind would
be blowing Just as hard from the
back. causing the engine 20 run away
with itself. don't believe It blew
from one direction over a minute al
time and less than the rate o. so
miles an hour. II was like that the
three miles up the canyon. That is
why 1t is called the Devils canyon.
We left the canyon and Travelled
up one OF the finest grades on our
trip. When we reached the summit
we could look back and get birds
eye view of the Imperial valley, q
good bit the same as one sees up
Mt. Lowe in looking over Pasadena,
Los Angel,s and vicinity. We pass
ed through Jacumba Campo, Potrero,
Dulzura, Jamul, Helix, Lemon Grove,
Eleanto. On in to San Diego. While
here we visited Geo. Stewards who
used to live at Talmage. They have
beautiful home In one of the fin
est residence, districts of the city.
was very favorably impressed with
San Diego until got to running
around. In fact / believe ! would
have had an entirely different opin-
ion of California If we had left the
car at home. San Diego has a nat
ural land-locked harbor, San Diego
bay, having an area of twenty square
miles with anchorage for the largest
warships and merchant vessels.
While in San Diego we visited the
Colorado, one of the large war YES
sells anchored in the bay. suppose
the fleet consisting of several war
ships, flotilla, submarine and the
like wanted to be handy to Old Mex
leo If needed.
Balboa park, a 400 acre park, is
to be the site for the Panama expo
sition to be held in 1915. The ad-
ministration building is completed.
Fort Rosecrans, a military post of
two companies of coast artillery, is
on Point Iona, a peninsula forming
the west boundary of the bay. The
Theosophical headquarters for the
world Is also on Point Iona. San
Diego has 20 graded schools, one
high school, state normal and a poly
technic school. is now being con-
structed. San Diego county is build
ing 400 miles Of boulevards. But
the town of San Diego has the poor
est streets as whole, of any town
l have every been in. They are dab
bling around on every street and
alley In the city limits but finishing
none. The U. s. Grant hotel in the
heart of the city is fine hotel, cost
ing over a million. Spreckles thea
ter is the finest on the coast. Spreck-
les has his nose in everything that
makes money in San Diego. Spreck-
les is in San Diego what the Rabbit
Bros. are in Arizona. They own
wholesale and retail establishments,
cattle, hogs, goats, sheep, houses
and land, garages, etc.
We went over to Coronado. It
was there we first got our feet wet
in the ocean. OF course we had to
take in Tia Juana, Old Mexico, and
visit the bull pen which they could
not keep up If it wasn't for the
civilized CD Americans. Tia Jua1aI
is about like Detroit, only the build
ings are ramshscel affairs. 1t is half
restaurants were you can buy Span
ish dinners, and half curio shops
where you can buy souvenirs. You
are allowed to bring out a dollars
worth of goods without paying duty
on them. We saw the Mexican fort
with the Mexican sentries on duty.
A bunch of capitalists have closed
a lease with the Mexican govern
ment to establish one of the great
est gambling places of the world.
They expect to build fine race
track, also put in gambling tables
where no one will be allowed to-
play except in evening or dress suit,
and for large stakes. suppose the
Mexican government needed little
extra money and thought that would
be an easy way to get it. We also
visited Old Town and, saw the old
palms. There used to be three that
stood in bunch. One was cut down
and sent to Chicago to the worlds
fair. One blew down and the other
is still standing. We visited Romona's
marriage place, the old mission
and heard the bells ring. They are