smithclay/nortonstories huggingface dataset:
Year: 1875

The indication of petroleum in the
San Fernando mountains, in this
county, are abundant, and were known
to the first Americans who settled in
the country. During the great oil ex-
cltemenu in Pennsylvania u few of
our citizens spent considerable time
and money in the vain hope of pro-
curing oil near the city; being de-
ceived by the surface indications,
which were doubtless cepage from
the main reservoir in the range of
mountains north of US. Their failure
to procure a flowing well, together
with report Of some U. S. engineers,
and Surveyors, that there was "nO pc
troleum on the Pacific coast" threw a
damper on the enterprise and very
little was done towards developing
our oil mines until eight months ago,
when few of our citizens organized
a company to refine oil. They made
few barrels of excellent kerosene,
but having no skilled operator they
suspended work for the time. A few
days ago they had the good fortune to
get a refiner from Cincinnati, and
they are now at work again with good
prospects. AS soon as it was known
that the refining company would
furnish a market for the petroleum,
boring companies were formed to sink
or claims in the San Fernando noun
tains. One we'll is down 300 feet or
over, with increasing prospects of sue
cess, and other companies will soon be
at work. That we have rich oil terri
tory running through this, Ventura
and Santa Barbara counties, there
can be no doubt. There are perhaps
one hundred springs of oil running out
of this mountain, each of which pro-
duces from ten gallons to five barrels
per day; besides the quantity that
flows from these springs down the
caflons. Several hundred barrels per
day flow from the main reservoir un-
der this mountain into the sea. The
Pacific is coated with it for many
miles as thousands of travellers will
testify. A number Of oil experts have
said to us that, eff this territory was
in Pennsylvania it would be worth
many Millions Our reply has been,
'it is worth as much here.o The fact
is, it is really worth more here, for we
have nearly half the world for
market, without competition. The
freight on oil is more than upon any
other article of commerce, except
powder, and We have that advantage
over our neighbors in the East.
The oil interest of our county is too
far developed for its value to be over
looked any longer. Men of capital
are now paying attention to it, and
we know that the result will be the
development of vast industry here
tofore unknown on the Pacific slope.


During 1874, the U. S. Gauger in
spected $4,000 gallons of grape brandy
made in and near Los Angeles.
Year: 1875

Will Tells, Santa Monica and the
island of Santa Catalina are the sea-
side resorts for Los Angeles and her
visitors. The two former are points
on the coast respectively fourteen and
sixteen miles west of the city. AT
"Tell's Seaside Retreat" as it is CALL
ed, there is small house which is
kept as an inn by the proprietor, Will
Tell and his estimable wife. Good
fare, bed, something to stimulate
the inner man, accommodated for
hnrses. bathing, boating and sporting
facilities are all provided There is a
small lake about four miles long, with
an average width of q quarter
of a. mile, and SO protected
from the tides that it is always tram
quill, and furnishes a safe place for the
most inexperienced to ply the oar or
furl the sail. Across the lake and be-
yound ridge of sond-dunes is found a
long, gently sloping, sandy beach, upon
which q fine surf comes rolling in.
There is no better sport known than
bathing in this surf during the sunny
days of our Summer. Though some
what crude in its artificial advantages,
the place is not a whit less pleasant in
all other points than Long Branch,
Newport or other celebrated Eastern
watering places. Santa Monica lies a
little further up the coast or to the
westward of Tell's Retreat. The at
traction is fine scenery, a wooded
cai1on and good surf. During the past
season IL was the popular resort and
Year: 1875

To those seeking home in our
thriving city, particularly persons of
moderate means, we recommend the
lots of the Los Angeles City Home
stead Association, situated mile and
a half from the business center of the
city, and one square from the line of
the Main street railroad. They are
being sold at $500 each, payable in
installments of SO per month, and, as
they are in very desirable part of
the city, they offer excellent opportu.
nifty for investment as we'll as for
homesteads.
Year: 1875

The very witty and sarcastic Rev. Sgd
new Smith thus discourses on the folly of
pride in such creature as man:


AFTER all, take some quiet, sober mo-
ment Of life, and add together the two
IDEAS of pride and of man behold him.
creature of q span high, stalking through
infinite space in all the grandeur OF little
ness. Perched on peck of the universe,
every wind of heaven strikes into his
blood the coldness of death; his soul floats
from his body like melody from the string;
day and night, as dust on the wheel, he is
rolled along the heavens, through laby-
rinth Of worlds. and all the creations of
God are flaming above and beneath. Is
this creature to make himself crown
of glory; to deny his own flesh. to mock
At his fellow, sprung from the same dust
to which both will soon return! Does
the proud man not err! Does he not suf-
fer? Does he not die? When he reasons
is be never stopped by difficulties! When
he acts. Is he never tempted by pleasure?
When he lives, is he free from pain:
When he dice, can he escape the common
grave: Pride is not tho heritage OF man
humility should dwell with frailty, and
atone for ignorance, error and imperfec-
linn
Year: 1875

When the Songs Gone Out of


Your Life.


"When the songs gone ont of your life.
you can't start another while it's q ringing
in your ears, but it's best to have bit Of
silence, and out o. that maybe a psalm'Il
come by and by."-[ Edward Garrett.
When the songs gone out of your life,
That you thought would last to the end
That first sweet song of the heart,
That no after days can lend;
The song of the birds to the trees,
The song of the wind to the flowers,
The song, that the heart sings low to itself
When it wakes in life's morning hours;
"You can start no other song"


Not even a tremulous note
Will falter forth on the empty air;
1t dies in your aching throat.
1t is all IN vain that you try,


For the spirit of song has fled
The nightingale sings no more to the rose
When the beautiful flower is dead.
So let silence softly fall


On the bruised hearts quivering strings;
Perhaps from the loss of all, you may learn
The song that the seraph sings;
A grand and glorious psalm


That will tremble and rise and thrill,
And fill your breast with its grateful rest
And its lonely yearnings still.


II Boston Transcript.
Year: 1875

CENTENNIAL LAW CONGREss.-Mr. OrviIle
Horwitz of the Baltimore bar, has written
to the Philadelphia Press an outline of a
proposition for the assemblage of a Centen-
NAL Law Congress in Philadelphia during
the month of October, 1876, said congress
to be composed of not more than three
delegates from each country of Europe, the
East, South America, and each one of the
United States. Mr.. Horwitz argues that
the happiness of the human race depcnds
IN great degree on the character Of the
laws by which each nationality is governed.
ana that it would be high and noble
mission to compare the laws of all the
nations, to extract the best reject the worst
ana generally so to amclioratc Jurisprudence
all over the world as to advance and inn.
prove mankind everywhere. To this end
ne thinks even the mollahs and pundjts of
the East can offer many suggestions on
governmental and commercial law which
could be profitably adopted. Certainly
SUCH an assemblage would make us acmlinf-
ed with laws and customs of which we arc
almost entirely ignorant, especially as TO
Their practical operations, and from which
we may learn much that will be useful.
Year: 1875

SUPPOSED MU2DER.-A dead body was
found on Sunday week by workmen on the
new light house at Mahon's river. east of
Dover, buried in the sand. DEPUTY Cats
held an inquest and rendered a verdict
that the man came to his death by blows
on the head from some instrument in tho
hands Of parties unknown.
Year: 1875

A great hush falls on the ear like a
knell, and an untold sadness settles like
a pail over the heart, for baby issick. i
it not strange that a wee little thing
should have the power to change every.
thing, making the sunshine that but yes.
terday played 80 merrily and bright in
and out of the windows seem such a
cruel mockery to-day, and changing the
Joyous tones of the elder children into
funeral notes9 But such is the spell
that baby has woven, knitting herself
into the very meshes of our hearts, in
such a quiet, subtle manner, that we
scarcely know how dear she is until the
little form lies PROSTATE.


What care we about the order of the
work-basket when the little hands that
made such havoc therein-scattering the
buttons over the floor, pulling out the
needles, unwinding reels, and doing other
innumerable things-are lying idle, with
fever coursing through each waxen fin
CERT And does not every one in the
house share the solicitude, making the
anxiety general? Even Mary leaves her
Year: 1875

tive. In addition to such anexpericncc he
ought TO be thoroughly convcrant with
the science Of enforcing discipline. II
you can find such an individual for us,
please send him this way. II he should
luckily h,rpen to have twin brother in
holy orders we would be glad TO have him
fora resident minister. And II he should
also be blessed with an unmarried sister
only two or three years older than him
sell, she may likewise come along as lady
assistant teacher.


Our druggists, w. J. Buster and Jerry
p. Huaaker, have dissolved partner
ship, the latter having sold out to the
former. Jerry proposes TO set up drug
store OF his own, and is now making out
bill for same.


Enough for the present. Will probably
give you small dose Of practical astrono-
my next week. Yours truly, SIRIUS.
Year: 1875

TnE locust can be heard sixteenth Of
mile. An ordinary man will outweigh
fifteen thousand Of them We're his voice
proportional TO his weight, as that Of the
locust, he could make himself heard over
one thousana miles.
Year: 1875

Announcement has already been made
of the selection of Prof. De Barry, of
Strasburg, by the Royal Agricultural
Society of England to make series of
investigations into the life history of the
potato fungus, Ior the purpose of filling
up n certain blank in our knowledge of
the development of this destructive OBJ
ject. This gentleman, in carrying out
his Investigations, has lately discovered
that the disease is not propagated by de-
fectivc tubers, and that although the
mycelium was distinctly apparent in the
stalks OF plants raised directly from dis
eased tubers, yet that neither gonidia or
germs were evolved. He also expressed
the hope that he has at last discovered
the resting-places of the oospores, or
the active primary germs of the fungus.
This is the special point upon which fur
ther information is needed, and many
suggest the proper means of preventing
the continuance of tho disease in any
given locality, by warming agriculturists
against planting their potatoes in spot
where they must, at some time, newt
ably be destroyed.
Year: 1875

Some months ago young mechanic
in Newport, r. L., found himself his en-
ployers creditor for wages that had been
unpaid for some time. He was not
successful in his efforts to get the cur
rency that was acknowledged to be his
due, but persistent dunning on the part
of his iourneyman provoked the en-
ployer into declaring i'll tho presence of
third ra ties that if he didn't settle the
claim in full before certain day named
he would give his creditor his shop and
it's contents. Nothing further was said
about the uncollected balance, but when
the day arrived the rash employer went
to his shop and failed to get in. The
lock had been changed. The young man
took his employer Mt his word, and the
latter surrendered Internationally, and
made no resistance. Business goes on
ut the old stand, but there has been a
chang in the proprietorship. The
change was m lde so quietly that but few
people are aware of its existence.
Year: 1875

The NetU Zealdnd Herald has very
painful story, told i'll illustration of the
great present dearth of respectable dress
making hands i'll that colony. 1t seems
that n wei! !-to-do settler near Auckland
was lately attacked by an illness which
his medical attendant declared must ter
inmate fatally, SO severe were the symp-
toms. After lying in an apparently hope
less state for some days, he suddenly
took turr for the better, and, thanks to
n strong constitution, made u rapid re-
covery. Not long after he had returned
to business he was much startled, on
opening an account presented ut his
office, to find himself charged with n
full set of widows weeds of elaboratelv
complete description. A domestic ex-
planation naturally followed, and his
wife reminded him that he had always
made it special desire that the fact of
their having immigrated to colony
should not prevent her dressing as n
lady, "And the dressmal1ers here, you
know" she added, "have matters so en-
tirely in their own hands that they gen
orally keep you waiting for months for
anything new. So when l was told that
you could not possibly recover, II ordered
what L knew you would wish me to wear
beforehand and now the things have
only Just come home" The bill was
promptly settled. Whether the husband
was consoled for the outlay by the
thought that his provident wife had the
things ready by her is n question that is
left open to con- lecture.
Year: 1875

of horror shot through me; I looked up.
The aperture was closed!


Heaven! was it closed by mortal hand
Had Rimmer, in his panic flight blindly
thrown down the trap-door, which now
remembered to have seen open when |
descendedl or had some fearful being
from the cabin-that demon who sprung
toward me p


l started back in terror.


But could not wait here; / must go :;
L must escape from the den of horrors.
sprang up the ladder, and tried to raise
the door. 1t resisted my efforts; put
my helmeted head against it, and tried
to raise it; the rung of the ladder broke
beneath me, but the door was not raised
my tube came down through it and kept
it partly open, for it was strong tube
and kept strongly expanded by close
wound wire.


1 seized bar of iron, and tried to pry
it up; raised it slightly, but there was
no way to get it up further. 1 looked
around, and found some blocks; with
these l raised the heavy door, little by
little, placinga block in, to keep what L
had gained. But the work was slow,
and laborious, and had worked long
while before L had it raised four inches


The sea rolled more and more. The
submerged vessel felt its power, and
rocked. Suddenly it wheeled over, and
lay upon its side.


ran around to get on the deck above,
to try and lift up the door. But when 1
came to the other outlet, I knew it was
impossible; for the tube would not per-
NIT me to go so far, and then would
rather have died thousand deaths than
1,ax II


L returned to the fallen door; 1 sat
down i'll despair and waited for death. 1
saw no hope of escape. This, then, was
to be my end.


But the steamer gave sudden lurch
again acted upon by the power of the
waves, She had been balanced upon a
rock, in such a way that slight action
of the water was sufficient to tip her
over.


She creaked, and groaned, and labored,
and then turned upon her side.


rose; clung to the ladder; Ipressed
the trap-door open, while the steamer
lay with her deck perpendicular to the
ground. l sprang out, and touched the
bottom of the sea. 1t was in good time
for moment after, the mass went over
back again.


Then, with last effort, twisted the
iron fastening of the weight which kept
me down; L jerked it. 1t was loosed,
it broke, it fell. In n moment L began
to ascend, and in few minutes l was
floating ON the water-for the air which
is pressed down for the divers consump-
tlon constitutes buoyant mass, which
raises him up from the sea.


Thanks to heaven There was the
strong boat, with my bold, brave men
They felt me raising; they saw me, and
came and saved me.


Rimmer had fled from the horrid
scene when 1 entered the cabin, but re-
mained in the boat to lend his aid. He
never went down again, but became a
sea captain. AS for me, still go down,
but only to vessels whose crews have
been saved.
Year: 1875

A PARLOR FLOOR TO LET-CONSISTING OF FOUR
IA will let together separate would be pleasant
for mall genteel family single gentlemen with bath
and gas Reference required los East Thrtieth street
Fourth
Year: 1875

CLEAN THE STREETS AND BACK YARps.-Now tha, warm and dry weather is upon us it becomes matter of urgent necessity that the streets and back yards should be cleaned up. and the debris removed beyond the limits of the town firstly, as sanitary precautlon; secondly, as prevent i've against fre and thirdly "f for the looks of the thing" If the city fathers will employ man with team to clean up the streets, alleys and va- cant lo,s it will stimulate private parties to dress up their premiese so that VIC can all be proud of the appearance of the town.
Year: 1875

A GROCER in . certain town keeps little brown jug near his cider barrel, and when he wants to do the fair thing by . customer, he mingles some of the contents of the atore- said jug with the cider. He made . mingle the other day for an old farmer, but got in a good deal of benzine and . very little cider. About sn hour after drinking. the farmer was observed leaning against fence, and was heard to soliloquize: "It's toe early for sunstroke, and too late to freeze to death. and guess it's touch of the shakip' sger."
Year: 1875

A SWISS boatman recently pulled would be suicide out of Lake Geneva. An hour or two after the boatmsn discovered the same man hanging by the neck to s tree, but did not interfere this time. The magistrate sum- moned him to answer why he did not pre-. vent the suicide, and he replied that he supposed the gentleman had only hung him. self up to dry.
Year: 1875

IF ANY ONE doubts the progressive tendency of Prescott, let him go down to Moeller's corner and see the new boot black stand started there. The gentleman who runs the machine appears to be very polite and obliging, and is coiuing money "h hand over fist"
Year: 1875

A AREPEATKR.-Gen Crook told us an anecdote one day illustrative of the extravagant ideas people get of those who have gained a reputation in any par ticular field. To the Generals other accomplish meuts he had added great proficiency iu hunting game, and his fame in that line was second only to that which attached to him on account of his consummae skill in fighting Indians. Indeed so succesaful was he in bringing in deer and turkey that some of the professional hunters began to grow jealous and to attribute his good fortune more to the superiority of his equipments than to his own skill in hunting. Many extravagant stories were aaoat as to the kind of gun he used, each pretended to know more about it than his companions, until finally, countryman knocked at the Generals office door, and being invited in took seat and began by coming directly to the point and asking to have look at the gun with which so many deer and turkeys had been slain. The General brought out his double barrelled rife and shotgun and submitted to the examina- tion of his visitor, but he was not satisfied.

 "l want to see that air repeater" he said.

 My Winchester gun?"

 "No, that one that throws the repeatin' cart ridge"

 "I have no such weapou," said the General.

 "Well then you're devlishly lied on if you bain't, for its generally believed out our way that you'v got a gun that throws repeatin cartridge, and if it don't hit the first time it'ill follow deer or an Ingun all day and keep on explodin till hit fetches him"
Year: 1875

FOOTBALL is sll the rage here just now. Every body is after 1t and it promises 10 become as great au epidemic as spelling in California and the East. One friend of ours made a miss-kiek and nearly put his own eyes out with the gravel he kicked up.
Year: 1875

GOVERNOR SAFFoRD called upon us yesterday and we had quite chat over old times. We used to know the Governor years ago, before he was a Governor. The boys called him "Saff" then. for short; but he is just the same, so far as we can see, now that he was then, upright, fair and square on every proposition, pursuing the right with uncompromising energy and determination and eschewing even the appearance of wrong. Arizona is proud of her Governor, against whom no word of reproach has ever been uttered. He will visit the public school to-day and we ac- knowledge an invitation to accompany him. will have more to say about it in out next. The interest the Governor has taken in organizing and rerfecting the school system in the Territory is one of the chief glories of his administration and the one in which he takes especial pride.
Year: 1875

Chicago Tribune.l


The 0phir mining stock was the OBJ
jective point for the possession of which
the rival kings of the Bonanza were
struggling. Flood & O'Brien wanted
Ophir as one Of the most important
links in chain Of mines which they are
determined to have. To get Ophir they
must first make Ralston let 90 of it, and
to make him or the Bank of California
let 90 they must tighten up the money
market; in other words, put Ralston's
hands into wise and squeeze them
until he was compelled to drop the
stocks he was clutching so desperately.
They brought every trick and stratagem
known to the unScrupulous and cunning
capitalists to bear upon this process to
make the bank crowd unload Ophir.
Having bank Of their own with large
capital, they used this as the principal
battering-ram against the Bank of Cali.
fornia. They loaned money less freely
They flooded the market with other
mining stocks, running the prices down
so low that every one could invest
Then they made their FIRST serious as.
Sault upon the Bank of California by
Withdrawing nearly $2,0OOOOO in coin
deposited in it and locking it up on
special deposit elsewhere. Thus Flood
d 0 'Brien kept on until they had sue
ceeded in locking up 100000 in their
own vaults, $3,000,000 more in the saw
ings bank, and several millions more in
the country. When this ten millions
was securely locked up Flood & O'Brien
had triumphed. 0phir went to the ham,
mer at ruinous rates, and fell into the
hands of the enemy. Then came the
whispered suspicion that the Bank of
California was not able to- redeem its
deposits. Then one, ten. hundred de-
positors checked out their money. The
rush of excited and alarmed depositors
then began. Thousands rushed for their
boards. The bank could not get the
gold to meet all these demands on sight,
because Flood & 0'Brien had locked the
gold up securely. The other banks
could not help, because in the frightened
money market they must save them
selvaa