The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, August 2, 1896, Page 25

THE SAN FRANC ISCO CALL, SUNDAY, AUGUST 2, 1896. :}Sti"ar\gz Freaks of Nature That a “Gall” Man Found in Mendocino Gounty - A Botanical Gurio A curiosity of Mendocino County that cannot fail of being of great interest to | " botanists.is that of a tree growing by the | - Toadside not far from the Insane Asylum. | . In reality it is a combination of trees, and | the gombination goes to show that a dead stump is capable of furnishing noarish. ment to a thriving young sapling. There is nothing particulariy startling | ahout the appearance of this tree, as it | really looksa good deal like the willows | that are common in some partsof the | Staté. But a glance at the upper trunk | shows it to be red in color, and a close ex- . amination shows it to be a amdrone. An examination of the stump in which it is growing shows it to be a post oak as dead as a railroad tie. When the oak tree was eut down or| when the madrone came to life can only be conjectured. It is possible that the oak was cut when the road was surveyed, about. twenty-five years ago. It is cer- tainly a long time ago, as the stump 18 de- void of bark. Of course it is impossible to tell just what happened, but from the ap- pearance of the tree the heart of the oak stump must have rotted out, leaving a -hole. into- which the dust.from the road settled in the summer. Intime the seed Pod from a madrone blew into tnis hole, and the winter rain and spring sunshine brought it to life. At any rate it is there where all may see | it. The probabilities are that the heart of | the oak tree has rotted clear down to soit and the roots of the madrone have in that way managed to obtain nourishment. But 1n that case there is a strong proba- bility that the oak stump would have been cracked, which is not the case. It really looks as if the partly decayed stump of the oak has been the means of absorbing | nourishment sufficient to keep the ma- drone alive. The stump of the oak is about eight feet above ground, which can be accounted for by the grading of the road. The madrone is about twenty-five feat high and avpears to be in good condition in spite of the un- usual conditions under which it is grow- ing. Strange Natural Tunnels About three miles east of the town of Ukiah in Mendocino County can be seen one of the most unusual natural curios in the State. In a certain spot the crust of the earth is fairly honeycombed wit_h natural tunnels, and at the same time is strong enough to bear the weight of the heaviest wagon. The origin of tnis pecular geological foundation is a matter that seems to have escaped the study of the great scientists of the State, as several well-known men de- clared they had no knowledge of it. In general appearance the earth appears to be artificial. It looks almost exactly like the composition of stone and cement that is used by builders when putting in foun- dations. A close examination shows it to be a mixture of a substance similar to soapstone and various kinds of gravel. It is almost impossible to conceive of how it got into its present form unless at one time there were mud springs in the locality, There is good reason to bclieve that such is the case, as the numerous hot- water springs near by testify. There is much of this same substance in the neighborhood, and it all takes on peculiar and unusual shapes. From the appearance of the spot in question the. mixture of mud and gravel must have rolled down the canyon in a semi-liquid state, and when the springs had dried up it solidified. Thus it re- mained for years, possibly ages, with the water from the mountain streams wash- ing over it. Butthe time came when the Stream cut its way through the crust and took an underground course. As soon as the stream had one tunnel through the stratum of mud and gravel it gradually cut out others until several acres have been undermined. As the yedrs have gone by tunnels have accumu- lated until the place is a perfect labyrinth. The accompanying picture shows a view looking upstream. The plazc where the water enters the earth isabout 1000 feet away and 40 feet higher. As these tunnels gradually wash out the lower ends cave in, so that the open- ings are slowly going upstream. Thisis a faster process than one would think, as the ends of the tunnels have ascended fifty feet in the last two years. : Of course it is almost impossible to ex: plore these tunnels owing to their small size and the great danger of caving walls. Not a day passes but what several tons fall into the tunnels to ¢lose them up. Ukiah's Show Place Devil’s Den is Ukiah's showplace, and a ost untque one it is. Located about five miies from town in & rocky gorge at the end of a good road, it is easy to reach at all times of theday or night. This freak of nature is composed of that queer compound of mud and gravel so common in the locality. From the ap- earance of it the compound once fiiled a ulch and after hardening has been wash- m‘out by the rain ever since, As in all other cates of washing a gully was first cut through the center, but un- like clay the substance did not run out easily, possibly because there was more stone in one place than another. The re- sult has been that the earth has taken on the form of stalagmites similar to those seen in the great caves of Kentucky and den covers about four acres and the stalactites arc all of a cold gray in color. They vary in size from 5 feet to 75 feet in height. In many places the forma- tion runs off in ridges, with the stalactites cropping up at intervals. | . At any time of the day Devil’s Den is pleasing and: iuteresting to look at, but the people of Ukiah have a habit of illum- | inating it on mooalight nights that makes it like a glimpse of fairyland. A party will go out well provided with plenty of fireworks and colored fice and make an evening of it. When the pyrotechnics are burned the effect is simpiy dazzling, The eolor, of the clay makes it particu- larly sensitive to the colored fire and the Where Men California is most likely the only State in the Union where there is always an op- portunity for the workingman to earn his living. This may seem a strange statement to a great many in view of the recent indus- ‘trial depression and the hard times that | have followed, but it is made afte: investi- gation, and every word 1s true. | Of course it does not mean that every | man can remain in the town he likes best | and find plenty of work at his trade. We | all know that is not so. Nor does it mean | that the lazy and worthless tramp can get | plenty to eat and drink and give little in return. The opportunity referred to means | plenty of hard work and perhaps long | hours and, lastly, the pay is not kLigh. i But it is sure to average enough to live on, and there is an independence attached to | # unknown to the average wage-worker in the cities. Besiaes there is also the | possibility of large returns at any time. Briefly the work is gold mining with the old-fashioned cradle or sluice-box. For-| tupes nsed to be picked up this way atone | time.- Those days are passed. but there is | stilf -enough gold left in the gravel pits | :throughout the State to insure ‘‘wages” at any time for the man who works, It would be somewhat difficult for a dis- couraged man, who bas been penniless for months, to engage in this work, but by no means impossible. However, the man | who is able to take advantage of it is ! the mining country. Can Always Make at Least a Living the healthy artisan, down to his last §5, and with no prospect of work at his trade | before him. Such a man can do no better than get a couple of blankets and start for the mountains. Walking is hard, but it is no harder than walking the streets of San Francisco Icok- ing for work, and a few days are enough to reach any of the gold-bearing localities, even though the traveler did notgeta single “lift”’ from some passing farmer. Between the Tehachapi and Shasta there are thousands of ¢anyons in which a man can get enough gold to pay all of his expenses. And, what is more, hun- dreds of men are doing it, and there is room for a thousand others. At any point in the mountaing, on any of the branches of the many rivers that empty into the San Joaquin Valley, where there is a gravel bed, there gold can be found in some quantity. To be sure there is some choice in the locality, but any of them is sure to yield something. The only implements needed by the miner are a pick and shovel and a dipper; and the only material & little quicksilver, all of which can be bought for a couple of | dollars, or perhaps less. Arrived at_his destination, on Govern- | ment iand, the miner will first stake out | his claim and then make his sluice-box, | which is a very simple task for any me- chanic, as will be seen when he gets into There is no need for How Tickets Are Scalped There are no longer any ticket “‘scalp- | bhaving paid $5750 for his pas- a shelter of any kind, as the warm weather at present prevailing makes it comfortable to sleep out of doors. But should one be desired it is easy to construct from the timber in the vicinity. The miner and prospector has a right to this for the pur- poses meutioned. To show what an industrious man can do, it is only necessary to relate the expe- rience ot E. Simpson, who is at present working in a guleh known as Gold Run, docino County. Simpson is an engineer job about a year ago ‘‘for economic rea- sons.” His saviogs gradually disappeared and for several weeks he walked the while getting into debt for his room rent. Last April somebody told him of the mining business, and after borrowing a doliar from a good friend he started out. It took 15 cents to cross the bay, but before his money was gone Simpson had walked almost to Healdsburg, when he got a job from a rancher. He worked a week, and again started on his way with §4 and a big bag of provisions given him’ by his em- ployer. In less than a week Simpson was at work in Gold Run. He found a number of other men there, and they kindly gave him pointers in the business, and also in- formed him that it was private land and that he would have to pay the owner a Peculiar Clay and Gravel about twelve miles from Redwood in Men- | and electrician by trade, but lost his last | streets without sufficient food, all the | Stalagmites, Called - dollar a week for the privilege of working on it. The first week Simpson was at work he made $3, but since that time he has aver- aged over a dollar a day. He says he never goes beiow 50 cents, and occasion- ally reaches $5. In the Russian River country dozens of men were seen last week, and all spoke in favor of the business. +Of course,” said one, ‘‘this is not what I would be doing if Icould help myself. | I used to earn $3 a day as a carpenter, but that was before we had free trade. Now I | earn from $5 to $8 a week, which peats nothing all hoilow, I cantell you. Itdon’t | cost mueh to live here. I have traps set for rabbits and small game and _ keep fish- lines out in the river all the time. 1 only have to buy a very few provisions, such as coffee and bacon. I am ingood health and have really enjoyed the experience. My family is in the City and I have sent | them $4 or $5 every week. I would like to | see them, but I guess I can’t until McKin- | ley is elected and business improves.” The locality mentioned is really one of the poorest in the State, and yet it has been proved that apy mancan make wages there who will work. On the headwaters of the San Joaquin there are dozens of men who average over $1 50 a day, and a few of them haye found big nuggets. Not long ago a man is said to have washed out one that weighed $800. Freaks of Nature, Resembling Huge whole amphitheater 1s bathed 1n a glow of liquid light. When a few skyrockets and Roman candles are discharged and the brilliant light is reflected from pin- nacle to pinnacle, bringing out the most unexpected effects of light and shade, then, indeed, is the scene a dazzling one. Just when the Devil’s Den first came into existence is not known, but it is of comparatively recent origin and on account of its ephemeral nature will undoubtedly soon be a thing of the past. Thatis, if our rainy seasons keep up. Hole in the Ground [ One of the most remarkable holes in the ground 1n all California is undoubtedly one on the Laughlin ranch in Mendocino County. Notonly is it pecaliar in itself, ! but its opening is where an explorer would never look for such a curiosity—on the top | of a hill. This freak of nature has been known to white men for many years, but only six people have had the temerity to explore it. It is said that the Mendoecino Indians knew of its existence and once threw a negro into it for beinga fraudulent prophet, from which tragic circumstance the hole is known to the countryside as *‘Nigger | hole.” It is not an easy matter to reach this place from any of the towns in the ecounty, as many miies of bad road have to be tra- versed in order to get anywhere near it. The last two miles is to the top of the hill, which rises about 800 feet above the ‘wagon road. Entrance to the Hole in the G o W ““The Devil’s Den” ) No one would suspect the hole’s exist- ence until they were close enough to look into it, as the rim is covered with a thick gfowih of trees. Ahd even having found that few would think it was anything like it is, because the opening really looks like an ordinary sink-hole in a rocky country. To descend into this hole it is necessary to be well provided with ropes and be something of a gymnast. The rim of the hole is about twenty-five feet across, but twenty feet from the surface it narrows to a hole hardly large enough to crawl tarough. The descent into this mysterious cavern is a most exciting experience. Thirty feet from the surface there is a ledge, and the explorer must hang on to his rope or he will drop off into space. The downward descent is a succession of crawling through rifts in the rocke and climbing over ledges into gulfs of dark- ness. The deepest descent into this hole was made last Saturday, when a party, includ- ing a representative of THE CALL, reached a depth of 134 feet from the surface, At this point there was a ledge of rock, over which a lantern was lowered about twenty | feet to another ledge. The hole was wider at this point than at any other, and in the dim light a third ledge could be seen and on it a skeleton, but whether of man or beast could not be ascertained. From these indications it would seem | that the hole was at least 1000 feet deep, | and possibly has an outlet near the bot- tom. At any rateitis well ventilated, as the smoke from the burning paper quickly ascended to the top. round on the Laughlin Ranch.’ 1) Another Madrone Tree Growing Out of the Stump of an Oak . A Black Scene in the Gity The JiRd’ f Paitarty That Tends to- Grime “It is not from the homes of the poor and humble that the most touching sfories of want and deprivation come,”” said Editor Millsaps of the War Cry, yesterday, recalling experiences in the work of the Salvation Army. “The casés fraught . with direst pain and distress are’ those discovered among people who are dragged down by misfortune from positions of .. wealth and whose pride, impels them to " - withhold from friends who nlight relieve’ their condition the truth concerning their woeful state. Your City is full of such in- stances, [ might say. B “Not long ago a relief ¢orps was led u into the garret of a certain Market-street - building to find there a widowed mothér, : aged, and so feeble that she could hardly . move across the room, praying at.the side of her son, who, half crazed with a‘burn- ing fever, lay gasping for breath-onabed * of rags. ) - X ““The son had been a messenger boy and * his sickness had deprived the twain of */ their only means of subsistence. Nickel _ by nickel the small savings went for medi- . cine and bread, and when the Salvationists found the helpless couple there was nota ° sign of food in the house and the son at- terward declare¢ that such had been the case for several days. 0 “‘Indeed, so weak had the mother -be- - Real Sea Serpent They prefer to be known as ticket- | The rokers, gnd under that title all the up-to- date pasteboard manipulators now trans- act .quasi-legitimate business. Ticket- | broking is a iar different business from the | Id-time scalping. To be a broker re- | quizes- capital and the establishment of | sesponsible connections in nearly all of the | principal cities of the United States. | During a recent season of disturbance | tetween Kansas City and New Orleans Ottinger of~this. City invested about $20,- 000.in tickets of the Kansas City,” Fort Scott and Memphis road. These were purchased at the rate of $11 each. When | the trouble was adjusted between the war- ring roads rlites went back to the old fig- ures of $21 50. It is generally the custom for rpads to redeem all cut-rate tickets after disagreements have been arranged, but in this instance, for some unexplained redson, the Kansas City, Fort Scott and Memphis rodd has refused to take up the | Ottinger holdings, and he is compelled to | get rid of them as best he can. But even during times of profound peace the broker who has established himself with good connegctions has little difficulty in' msking a comfortable in- come, and this will continue to be the case 80 long as return tickets are issued at reduced rates, and local charges are much higher in’ proportion than through rates. A few instances will illustrate how the hrokers can under these conditions, with some slight risk, it is true, contrive to get the best of the railroads. ".. First-class return tickets are sold be- tween hers and Chicago for §110. A first- class limited ticket either way costs $62 50, gnd an unhmited passage $7250. The broker finds an intending passenger who is about to buy a limited ticket for $62 50. ‘A rate of $5750 is quoted by the broker. The customer accepts the offer and the broker sends to the office of tue Southern Pacific to buy a return ticket for $110. The passenger proceeds to Chicago aiter Strange Geological Formations Near Ukiah, Showing Where ‘the Earth Is Honeycombed With Natural Tunnels sage and having thereby saved $5. return portion of the ticket, which now costs the broker but $52 50, 18 by prearrange- ment turned over to the San Francisco broker’s correspondent in Chicago. This entitles the holder to a first-class un- limited trip to S8an Francisco, and itsnom- inal value is §7250. It is probably sold for $62 50, which saves the passenger $10 and gives the broker a profit of ap equal amount. Thus the return ticket, which cost the brokers $110, is disposed of for $120, leaving each $5 as his share of the profit, while the saving to the two passen- gers has been $15, Another favorite proposition is that which offers in the purchase of a through ticket to Indianapolis via Chicago. This costs $54. The regular fare to Chicago is $5250. The local fare between Chicago and Indianapolis is $5 50. Thisdeal, there- fore, leaves $4 to be divided between the broker and the passenger. A better field still is that opened by the purchase of a ticket from San Francisco to Joplin via Denver and Kansas City. This costs $40 55. The rate to Denver direct is $35, and to Kansas City $40. The local | rate between Denver and Kansas City is $17, and between Kansas City and Joplin $4 30. Thus, by the proper manipulation of such a ticket there 1s a margin of $15 75 to apportion between the passengers and the brokers. Tickets from San Franeisco to Monte gomery, Ala., via St. Louis, also offera good 1nvestment for the brokers. The rate to Montgomery is $51 60, and to St. Louis $4750. The local charge between these two points is $1460. The skiliful manipulation, therefore, of & through ticket would leave $1050 to be shared be- tween the travelers and the brokers. It is almost the constant theme of thought among passenger agents to thwart the operations of the scalpers, and the courts are frequently resorted to in the endeavor to force them outof business. J i I fl)hm‘ur i il 2 ‘flam i el 1} i i}lnm\Mlilhfilwimmh : gl o - The coquettish handling of a fan has| given birth to volumes of semi-humorous writing. The tilt of a hat on Beauty’s head, skillfully contrived to enhance the charms of female loveliness in the eyes of men, has also an acknowledged place. “Setting her cap at him” is almost a proverb. But no man or woman writer ‘has heretofore attempted to do justice to the possibilities of the caps of the natty apprentices who “sail the ocean blue” on British merchant vessels between this port ‘and “the tight Jittle island.” The wearers are in that charming age, inter- esting to all spectators, which is just be- tween the boy and man—the debatable ground of adolescénce. ¢They are manly and boyish and appeal to the ladies by their dashy manner and handsome, smooth faces, Then above a pair of hon- est blue eyes and a smooth forehead and trumnly kept hair place a visored blue cloth cap. It has on the front of it, midway be- tween the visor and the top of the crown, a bunch of coquettishly arranged gold lace with some sort of an emblem, which the ladies will wonder over and admire. The cap is just large enough to be safely poised at any one of bhalf a dozen 1 1} Jack Jar's Fetching Ga; positions and still rerain its position securely in a “‘piping breeze.” Each po- sition tilts the visor in a different direc- tion, reshapes the contour of the sailor- boy face, imparts a new expression, rakish, romaftic, sentimental, dare-devil, biuff, pure English, nautical, and always leav an appearance of bonhommie. There isa strap that goes over the top of the cap, that trails to one side, that frames the face tnat serves as many variations as the visor in the ceneral effect and make-up. S8ix young American girls gazed at four Eng- lish apprentic s at the ferry wharf. The boys puffed smoke out of good cigars like a congress of young locomotives, and dashed their *1arry toplights’’ or did some- thing else equally nautical. ‘‘Aren’t they cute?” asked the girls. They were truly, deucedly clever, but without those caps the bloom of their flowering yourg mane- hood would have been less glossy and cap- tivating, —————— M. Vigne has suggested to the French Chamber of Deputies a tax of one centime on every published book. The Govern- ment, for instance, would have received $200 from M. Zola’s “‘Rome’’ alone, Three Hundred Feet on the Atlantic Goast The sea serpent is coming up from southern waters, trayeling slowly along the Atlantic Coast, ogcasionally raising his head to correct any deviation in his cours2 or to make mental note of his advance toward & cooler clime. At least such is the statement vouched for by Captain Voss of the Belgian steamer Sagamore to the Philadelphia Inquirer. “When we were off Cape Hatteras Monday afternoon,” said Captain Voss, ‘‘the looke out saw a floating object that looked like a long, black line, far to windward. Thinking it might be a black-painted spar or other wreckage I leveled the glass on the object, and at first sight was so astonished that the glass | nearly dropped from my hand. That it wasno mast or floating spar I became speedily con- | vinced, because, instead of being ngidly straight, it was full of curves, which seemed to adapt themselves to the rolling motion of the waves. Never having seen the so-called sea serpent, and being skeptical of the existence of such things, I bad my curtosity whetted to learn more of this strange specimen, and con- sequently had the course of the ship aitered so as to bear down upon it. “We wefe going ata good 11-knot gait, and as nearlyas I counld judge the serpent was making betweea ten and eleven knots an hour, and heading almost in the same direction as we were going. At the distance we were apart I calculated that night would shut in before the Sagamore could overtake the mon- ster, and this calculation was made on the as- sumption that his snakeship was then swim- ming at about the top of his speed. Word was passed down 1o the engineer not to spare the coal, and inside of fiiteen minutes we were gaining rapidly upon him. “Everybody on deck was straining his eyes tosee if we were gaining enough on the mon- ster to epable us to get a close view before darkness set in. “All the old opera and spy glasses that had been idle for months were got out and the supply, though limited, added to the excite- ment. For a time, to the intense satisfaction of all, the serpent seemed to show signs of fatigue, and instead of going straight ahead began to circle around, as if uncertain of his bearings. All sorts of plans were suggested for his capture. “We were still about two miles to the Iee- ward of the monster, but every movement was shortening the distance. The sérpent, after circling around several times, disappeared from view, only to rise again at @ point further 10 the eastward. Just then I discovered alot of black-looking objects, which I took to be porpoises, and concluded that the serpent had suddenly run into a schcol of these fish agd nad stopped to feed upon them. “Just then the ses-serpent reared its gigan- tic head ebout ten feet above the surface and displayed the most flerce and ugly-leoking features Iever beheld. The creature, in thus raising its head, gave us the first view of its actual size, which, as near as I can judge, was about as large as a flour barrel, with a neck tapering down to about half that diameter, In length it appeared 1o be about 300 feet. “The serpent seemed to have an almost human look, and its face closely resembled thatot an ape. The great jaws were bearded by & heavy growth of what might have been hair, but really looked like a mass of seaweed or black tangled roves as thick as one’s little finger. The black bsard or mane must have been over ten feet long, for it stfll hung in the water as the sirange creature swam twice in a great ecircle about the place. No more porpoises could be seen, aud, doubtless well ted, if not tired, the serpent stretched himsell out and lay floating on the water, apparently fast asleep,” v 4 come that she was unable to, descend the . stairs. Thescene that was witnessed by the ° soldiers as they entered’ the door of that garret 8ent a thrill through them.. The boy had clasped one of his mother's bony hands between his own and was rubbing and slapping it, the while he cried in a voice of agony: ‘Great God! mother, and must you starve? You look like death! Your hand feels icy! Ob, you shall not perish here! I will get food—I swear'I will. Ihavea pistol and I'll get money * and bread if 1 hang for it.’ £ “‘Peace, my son; my ‘darling, peace, said the mother faintly; ‘rather let us pray.’ 5 “The ‘relief corps brought, succor and aid. It was then learned that the woman * and the boy were the widow andorphan of @ once prominent San Francisco stocks broker who had died in poorcircumstan- ces, leaving his small family, which had been accustomed to comfort, if hot lux- ury, to battle with fortune as best they - might. One misfortune followed on the heels of another, and mother and son . were reduced to trying straits. Finally the boy secured a place in the messenger - by slow degrees, then managed to exist in a bare garret on a pittancea day. Sick- . ness smote the boy; and when mother i+ and son were at the very'door of deathin * their hard struggle, we accidentally found | and relieved them. The boy told meafter-. ward that be used to sneerat the Salva- tionists. See that tall, straight, good-look- ing fellow over there—not ashamed to wear a red shirt? Sameboy! His mother, lives in better quarters and has enough to eat now. “We bave some highly educated mean in . the ranks here—an Oxford and an Eton graduate among them, so you see our re- cruits don’t always come from the poor and ignorant, as many affect to believe. Let me tell you another little instance g that illustrates many more. e “A family consisting of a husband, wife : . and three daughters, came out. here from Vermont about a year ago. In this City the husband deserted them and sailed to Australia. The mother and daughters. were refined looking and their speech gave evidence of culture. The girls were pre- possessing in appearance and all were dressed stylishly. They tried in vain to . procure employment in stores and wore the soles off theéir shoes in futile tramping about in quest of work. They could get nothing to do. They could not descend to beggary or worses and so for days they lived on breaderusts and water. They had suicide in contemplation. The youngest - daughter had the look of death in her eyes and the mother’s pride was conquered at last. One night she appeared at the barracks and in & weak voice, sobbing now and then, unfolded her story. Sad plight, of course, but there are many like it. People who have seen better times suffer most intensely the pangs of deprivation. The mother and daughters I spoke of needad only a little assistance, for the girls happily found remunerative work to do shortly after their meeting face to face with the grim ghost of starvatioa.” Of the long list of philanthrovists who have eiven $1,000,000 or more to the cause of higher education in this country only one himself was a college graduate. The single exception is Seth Low. Girard, Peabody, Cornell, Coover, Rockefeller, Rich, Packer, Hopkins, Clark, Drexel, Vanderbilt, De Pauw, Lick, Stanford and the others had not the advantages of cole lege education, 5 service, and the pair of them, forced down .