Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1921-02-17

| not understand. 1t is torment to
me to have to listen to a singer that
goes into commissions and then you
don't know what they have said aft
en- they are through.
| Southern California is much noted
for its missions. A trip to the old
San Gebriel mission some days ago
was full of interest and instruction.
The place is aptly called the old
Spanish Settlement of the long ago.
II takes you back in mind to the year
of 1771 when the mission was found
ed-five years before the Declara-
ton of Independence was signed.
The building as 1t stands today is
over a hundred years old, and its
quaintness makes it very attractive.
! The pictures on the walls were paint
ed during the sixteenth and seven
teenth centuries. l was in a side
room at the old baptismal fount
where ten thousand Indians have
been baptized Saw the first bible
that was used at the mission. 1t was
printed in Latin in the year 1883
three years before Columbus discov-
| cred America. Services are still held
regularly each Sunday. The pastor
stands in the same pulpit up on the
side OF the wall and the. old organ
with its rich melody would be well
coined in most any church of today.
The graveyard and the ruins back Of
the mission give it look of wierd-
ness. The mission holds within its
walls one of the best collections of
relics to be found in the west 1t is
built of stone and hes several bells
up in the tower, only one of which
is in working order any more, / am
told. went up on top of this build
ing and secured piece of wood from
the bell beam, as souvenir, These
old missions grow more attractive
with age and they will always be
places Of interest to the sightseer.
The oil wells of the surrounding
region are a matter of interest to the
newcomer, at least. In a recent
visit to the oil fields / note the bus
mess is being pushed to the limit
To those who have never visited in
| these places / would say as a mat
ter OF information that where they
| wish to sink a WELL huge derrick
| is erected, similar to our wooden
| windmill towers, only OF course very
| large and strong, for the drilling re-
| quires machinery OF wonderful
strength. After reaching oil-which
seems to be pretty sure thing here
the well is put in order, giant
pump is installed, same is connected
up with an engine or motor, and the
pumping begins. In the main field
we visited, the wells were numerous
and / took notice that almost every
| pump was working, which fact indi-
Gated that wells in this region were
alright and paying proposition.
was hoping to see Greeley township
ornamented with Oil derricks next
summer but / note by the Audubon
papers that the oil boom there seems
to have collapsed.
The average rainfall here is about
| ten inches and there has been about
six inches to date. The barley fields
are green and look fine at present.
The reader will understand that veg
etables and truck crops usually grow
on level land or in such places as
can be irrigated, while the barley
crop is quite often on rough land and
usually make a crop by the rainfall.
In the Imperial valley southeast of
here barley is heading out now and
alfalfa is sometimes cut during ten
/
country for hogs, too. The rainfall
there is very slight and the weather
hot during the summer-yery unlike
Long Beach, which has an equable
climate that is almost perpetual sum-
mer.
There is a writing called "Acres of
| Diamonds" but the other day while
out on a pleasure stroll we came
- tra ~
which might well be called acres of
rocks. In fact, am informed that
the entire coastline from San Fran
cisco to Mexico, has only twenty-five
miles of beach which is free from
rocks and possesses a firm sand bed.
AT the particular place | mention,
the shores are perpendicular and
very high. Then off to the northwest
OF her the shores are sloping and are
covered with cactus and bushes. 1t
is several rods from the shore 70 the
water and this space is covered with
a bed of rocks of all shapes and all
sizes, many of which are worn per
fectly smooth and rounding Oy the
| action of the water which has I'M
doubleday been washing over them
Y for hundreds of years. The ocean
rough here, for the day was a wild
one and every wave dashing against
the rocks cast a spray into the air,
which was indeed fine sight. ! was
at a lonely little cabin on the ocean
shore which was one of the snuggest
locations ] ever saw and at the same
time the lonliest. The little house
on the bank just above the water line
and surrounded by rocks, trees and
ocean, was happy contrast to the
busy city which for nearly three
months has been our home.
Since arriving here have become
somewhat acquainted with an old
whaling captain by the name of A. IL.
Folger, and have had number OF
short visits with his This fact alone
would be of no particular interest to
anyone else, but to me II meant a
good deal, for he has spent about
thirty years on whaling vessel and
his talk is full of instruction. A
whale was caught at Long Beach a
few years ago, which was "a feet
long and weighed 60 tons. The skel-
eton is now on exhibition in the Sun
Parlor on the pier. But I am inform
ed by the Captain that whales have
been captured $50 feet long and
weighing 400 tons. The whales
mouth is very large but his throat Is
so small that you could not get your
fist in it. Then how about the whale
that swallowed Jonah? That is fish
was prepared for this, is the Bible
statement, and seems to TO be the
correct solution. The Captain gave
me description of Napoleon's grave
on st. Helena. However, the body
was formerly removed from the pris.
on island. On this island is a set OF
steps or stairway that is the longest
tba ,ro,IJ oo,,.;stipo of Inn dietip ri