The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, May 23, 1897, Page 29

THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, SUNDAY, MAY 23, 1897, 27 , TINA TN LLANCING ROCE | One of the most remarkable naturnl} wonders of Arizona is Boulder Park, about cighiy 1 of Pheenix and eight miles Congress station. And the most wonderiul thine in this wonaeriand ancing Rock. From a distance the formation resembles two huge eggs, one ,on the top of theother. The egg- shaped pieces are masses of solid granite, and so huge are they that a man may walk upright between them to the very t of contact. Boulder Park is usually described as be- r the famous Yarnell gold mine, thiy lies at the summit of Antelope But the trail is a rocky one that leads from the Yarnell mine into Boulder 1k, for the park begins almost at the base of Antelope Hill. Bowlders ars | strewn everywhere. At first they are comparatively small, but as one descends the trail they grow larger until they as- | sume almost the proportions of moun- ns. They are granite bowlders, and none of hem have rough corners. Some mighty mass, as heavy as a world, it would seem, has moved over what was once arange of granite hills, and ground them into separate blocks that vary in size from a cobblestone to a mountain. Nearly all | the bowlders are separate pieces, and the | manner in which they are scattered about | is a marvelous sight to behold. Many of from lyin | the sand showed that she had wandered round and round in a | not derive pleasure from the trip, for if it is taken in the proper The great desert of San Francisco. How incongruous the words seem! As if there could be a desert in San Francisco. But there is, and it is as wild a piece of land as can be found on the face of the earth. It covers several thousand acres witbin the city limits, and beyond that stretches away in solitary grandeur into the hills of San Mateo County. Most residen s of this City will know that the piece of land referred to is that just scuth of Golden Gate Park. and say that there is nothing remarkable about il—that itis just the sand- hills that have been there ali the time. These are people who have seen the little sanddunes along the ocean drive, but have no knowledge of what lies beyoud. They probably think there may be a few more dunes just like them, possibly a few thatare ever lar:er. A visit to this desert, for such it really is, will well repay the effort required. To get into the hearof it isno child’s all idea of ever doing so. to get lost and wander about for hours should a fog come up. It bardly seems credible that a person can get lost in a wilderness within a big city and suffer all the hardships that are supposed 10 belong to the outposts of civilization, but peo- ple have been lost there and in more than one instance the ex- perience has resulted fatally. It is not so long ago that a woman from the Almshouse wandered into the desert and being caught in a fog was unable to find her way back. Sbe was known 10 have left the institution at about noon and was missed at supper time. Search was made for her about the grounds, but it was not until the next day that she was found. She was lying dead close to a clump of brush, and footprints in circle until overcome by ex haustion and cold. From the way the sand was disturbed it was apparent that she had struggled along for hours before being finally overcome. Of course such a tragic ending is not likely to come to a young person in vigorous health, nevertheless it is a good 1dea to take a compass when going into the desert. Togs come up irom the sea in remarkably short order and then all landmarks play, and a person not a good walker and climber must give up | this bit of wild land is almost as curative to di-eased lungs Whoever should attempt it must | any part of Arizona, e also be careful to select a fine, clear day, s it is possible for one | has been almost mira culous in its action. | has about the most are only a short distance from civilization. The general aspect 18 that of the barren lands of Arizona. These ranches, as the people call them, are comfortable enough, but living there would seem to be like spending one’s life out of the world. A ranch owned by a man named Carr is really a prosperous look- ing place. The house is large and comfortable, but ihe sur- roundings are enough to make one die of lonesomeness, The little colony near the southwest corner of the park is, of course, well known in a general way, but many people who see it wonder why those living there ever selected such a spot letthe other people wonder, although they do not object to telling why. Go to the doors of any of the houses—or street- cars, as the case may be, for many of the houses are old street- cars pressed into service—and ask the owner why he lives there. Only one answer will you get—*Health.”” Itis really true that In fact, to some of the few living there it for a residence. And the people who live there are content to | i stretch of sand without anything to how far the oasis might extend itself is a question that will never be solved, for a peculiar phenomenon always wipes it out of existence. The phenomenon is the ever-shifting sandhill. The spots where the trees and weeds thrive for a short time are always sheltered beneath a sandbhill that eventually proves their destruction. The west wind from the sea, ever blowing, picks up the sand on the upper slopes and causes it to roll down the eastern side of the hill. Uonsequently the hill is always moving like a monster billow. As the sand rolls on to the oasis it first covers the weeds and grasses and the lower parts of the trees. Higher and higher it climbs, at the same time rolling eastward. Boon half of the trees are coyered, and frequently only the upper branches of a tree can be seen pro truding from a smooth indicate where the roots might be. Btill the sand rolls along, higher and higher until the last trace of the oasis is blotted from sight. Wuile this is going 6n in one place the dead branches of treas will be coming “*Cotonel”’ Daly, who extensive establish- ment in the region, was literally saved from the jaws of death, He was brok- endown with numer- ous affections and was scarcely able to walk. He was told by his physician to RO to various places, but in some way made up his mind that the western edge of the San Fran- cisco Desert had about as much 1n its favor as any other locality. He moved irstantly disappear. The feeling when surrounded by the in- tangible vapor is a most unpleasunt one and really is like bein confined in a dungeon. There are the walls on all sides only few feet away. But approach them and they at once recede. There is no way to get your bearings. What you think is north may be south, and if you walk in that dircction you may be facing the east or west in a very few minutes. The tendency to travel in a circle at once asserts itself. You cannot look back over your own trail for more than a few feet, as the fog ob- scures it. And so you will go round and round until the fog lifts, or vou accidentally strike some landmark that will guide you in the right direction. - However, as has been stated, there is much of interest in the San Francisco desert, and if a clear day is selected there is practically no danger of gettinz lost. Should all go well, few indeed are the nature-lovets who will way every moment some new beauty will be revealed and the them are balanced, one upon anather, apperently in such a manner that a very bt jar would cause & big crash. i Boulder Park is clearly the handiwork | of the glacial period. Worlds of ice have | moved over thisregion of the earth and | left their pathway as one now beholds it. The most curious and symmetrical work | of the glaciers is shown in the illustra- | tion, which represents Balancing Rock. Both of these bowlders are quite smooth in contour, and the summit of the upper one is fully 200 feet from the base of the lower. The upper rock is almost of & per- | fect egg shape, while the lower one is a | projecting butte or bulb like end of a very long, round slab of granite. The two are entirely separate pieces, though the wind of long ages Las swept in sey- eral tons of earth all around at the point | connection, until mow there seems to | connecting shaft between them. remarkable convuision of natare 11d have tossed high this mountainous x of the Jower rock not even the earned of geoiogists who have vis- the ot dare hazard a guess. But t rested thro he ages, and b travelers who have seen it consider of nature’s greatest and most inex- ylicable marvels. LUKE NORTH. | into nothingness. mysterious voices of the wilderness will sing new songs. The most victuresque and interesting route to get 1into this desert is by following the driveway that comes out of the park near the pumping plant. About 500 feet out of the park the road takes 8 sudden turn to the west, rising over a rather bar. ren looking knoll. On the other side lies the desert with its mountains of sand stretching to the sea, The road winds in and out among a few shanties and then endsin a sandhill. It does not really end, it simply blends off At this point the park is in plain sight and the surroundings do not look entirely unfamiliar, but the work of getting into the desert has just commenced. Keep on over the ridge and you will soon be cut of the world. It is hard walking. The sand gives way bereath the foot, and a few hundred yards are enouch to put most people out of breath. There are several Ligh places to be crossed, but the walking gets essier with each step. This is due to the fact that the sand is packed barder in some places than others by the action of the wind. Over one hill and down another. Sizhts and sounds of civilization eradually disappear until at last the traveler is alone. Ii he has never been alone before he will know what it means nOW. Standing on some of the highest sanahiils it is possib’e to look over a large area, and it is seldom that a human footprint can be seen. In the very center of this region it is safe to say that not ten people venture from year's end to vear’s end. there something over |a year ago and im- ]DYOV(‘m{‘nl at once | set in. To-day he is | as well asany man ot | nis age. | The other people | living on the desert | have about the same story to tell. The sirange thing is that the people, even after they bave recovered, show no desire to move back to civili- zation. They have caught the fascina- tion of the desert and like the howl- ing of tae wind, the weird sunshine and the lonesomeness, for even this place so near the park is lone- some the greater vart of the year. During the winter nobody ventures near and in the summer most of the people pass without stopping. But it is that portion of the desert far away from the edge, where floming can be seen but sand and sky, that is the most interest- ing. In many parts of the desert there are acres and acres with- out the least sign of vegetation. Just the smooth rolling sana that shows light against the dark biue sky, and has almost the appearance of snow. The gener:l color scheme isof alignt yellowish gray. Where vegetation does exist it is so covered with sand as to be scarcely distinguishable amid the general monotonous tone. The places where there i3 any vegetation to speak of are in holiows between the sandhills, and for some reason it grows quite rapidly, although it is a mystery how it ever gets staried. It would seem as if the winter rains soaked in deenly and =o furnishea the recessary water for the warm days of summer. Occasionally a patch a few hundred square feet in area can be There is nothing to bring them there. Along the edges of the desert, which isabout half a mile from the park, there area | few homes owned by people living there for their health. ! From the appearance of these places 1t is hard to believe they | | found that is a perfect oasis. Grass grows long and luxuriant, willows and a few other trees attain & fair growth and weeds seem to thrive. There is always a tiny puddie oi water to be fand near these places. How large the treos miznt grow or to light ih another place. As the sand piles up on the eastern side of the hill it naturally fo lows that it must zo down at some point further tothe west. The dead trees that are thus flourished twenty years ago. And so it goes on year after year. The wind builds one hill by tearing down another and obliter- ates one oasis that another may come into existence. The veg- etation that exists on the sheltered slopes is much the same as can be found in the Mojave Desert. It is allof the same nature. The desert sage is plentirul and seems to have the faculty of keeping on top of the sandhill no matter how high it grows. Sometimes there will be a stretch of several acres of sand as smooth as a floor with only a tiny bunch of gray creeper in the center. Of birds and animals few can be seen. Occas‘onally a rabbit strays from somewhere to starve to death. Oncein a long while a seagull can be seen flying eastward ata great height, as if on its way to the bay. But it might be said that the desert is devoid of animal life, There is no more desolate spot on earth than the heart of this region. Sand mountain after sand mountain rise on all sides and stretch away in the distance until they melt in a soft haze of pearly gray. The silence is almost absolute, except for A VERITABLE DESERT IN THE CITY OF SAN FRANCISCO the muffed beating of the surf that comes monotonously ove the dreary dunes. In the desolate golitude it seems like a voice from another world. And how tirelessly the wind blows from the sea, ever build ing and tearing down the great sandhills. In its breath there is a moan of madness as it rushes over the wastes carrying myriads of pariicles that are dropped for a moment in a certain spot, and then whirled on again until at last they find a resting place where they must remain for ages. Hour after hour, day after day, vear after year, century alter century, the wind sings its weird song in the desert. The lonesomeness cf many parts of this stretch of country 13 appalling. There is nothing for the mind to grasp. On all sides only anexpanse of sand and above the 1mpermeable, limitless skv. Only afew weeds with the wind whistling through them relieve the eye, and then the mind becomes oppressed with jonging. There seems to be everything in the desert and there seems to be nothing. There is everything, because there is brought to light are the remains of an oasis that may have | nothing to quicken the desires. Sometbing is surely lacking, CARR’S RANCH, ON THE EDGE OF THE SAN FRANCISCO DESERT. that might puzzle a person when he experienced the lone- someness of the desert for the first time, but an old hunter will tell you that ii is the ‘*want of companionshin.” In spite of all its desolation there is much in the desert to please an artist and enough material for bundreds of victures. ‘What tender sunrises and what precions sunsets! What poet- ical moonlights. In fact every moment of the day is beautiful, | and to many the night will appear mors beautirul. | In one sense the desert is at present a useless waste, but it is not destined to remain 8o very long. The march of improve- ment is going that way and soon it will be cut up into building lots. This knowledge may cause the nature lover, as he turns his back upon the desert, a feeling of regret, which can only be compensated by the knowledge that the innovation will mean the greatest good to the greatest number. Oa returning to civilization the feeling is an odd one. It seems as though one had been to a far-away ccuntry for many days. There appears to have been a greal change in the peo- ple on the street, and the clang of the streetcar beil has a queer tone. Tne mind seems crowded with ideas, and yet the day was spent in looking at only sand, weeds and sky. THE MOST PICTURES The Viga canal, one of the most beautiful sights of Mexico, is never shown to visito! world, by the natives. would ev the new bri L1 Viga have evidently was there when Cortez came, and f Certainly Montezuma has traveled ewise before his time. ma; But it is the Viga canal of the present day that we are interested in, end, indeed, many parts of it look now exactly as they p It is different from any other canal in the w the city brings one to this quaint waterway. particuiarly interesting. the bs the journey will ba full of interest. It must be conceded to be one of tue oddest canals in the certainly the most picturesque on the American continent, and yet a per- son might live in the Mexican capital for months and not a single hotel proprietor ink of directing attention to it. k railroad depot, “like they have in the States,” but the quaint beauties of grown to be considered commonplace. The date of the building of the Viga canal has been lost In the mist of ages. The v of the famed artificial waterways of modern coastruction. | From the plaza of the City of Mexico a short walk through the poorer quarters of | The buildings that line the banks sre cheap and dirty and | altogether forbidding in appearance, but embark in one of the many boats Iyingalong | and take a trip up to the neadwaters at Lake Xochimilico and every foot of = They all will gladly point the way to rom all that can be learned it is of Aztec on it and maybe countless generations did resumably did several hundred years ago. orld and in point of picturesquenessrivals ; The first sight of it at thispomnt is not | UE CANAL IN NORTH AMERICA| 1 lying around—there is not room enough in the boat—so they have only one suit, and e ] wear it all the time. The amount of money that these men earn is infinitesimally small—not over $100 a year—but most of them are absoluiely happy, which after | that they add to the picturesqueness of the Viga canal. and bhardship are unknown to them. are said to be very old and they certainly look it. But they fit But why should not they be happy? They have all they can eat and drink and all they wish to wear. They work just enough to obtain the necessa- ries of life and the rest of their time they spend enjoying themselves in their own way. A charming feature of the canal is the many bridges that span it. Some of these are of wood and some of stone, but ali are picturesque in the extreme. “The stone ones all may be the reason Fatigue into the landscape of ,«,:/ 4 BurFAL0 BiLL e WawYori. One of the most picturesque tigures amorg the many that congregate about the corridors of the New York hotels at These boats are peculiar to the Viga. nevertheless capable of being propelled with a pole 1n_the hands of an Indian ata good rate. They are of ali grades, from the rough, unpainted box-like affair, used for | carrying sand, to the elaborately decorated barge, capable of holding several people. But the motive power in all is the same—an Indian and a pole—and the prices of pas- sage range from 5 cents to half a dollar, according to the distance travelel and the Flat-bottomed and unwieldy, they are | | | BRIDGE OVER VIGA CANAL. style of boat used. Some boatmen will charge half a dollar an hour, !m_t for that they To be siire tHe life is not what wonld be called Jaxurions, in the civilized paint the boat freshly and fill it with rugs of many colors until it looks like a | genge of the word, but the bast-owher certainly enjoys himself the greater part of the tian gondola. “ . |time. All is not work in Mexico, you know; and besides they have a great deal of re is very little currentin the Viga canal, as its source, Lake Xochimilico, is regard for “‘to-morrow,” which is most effective in preventing fatigue. only four feet above its termination, the two points being nine miles apart. As a the expert Indian can “*pole” the light boat almost as fast up stream as of the canal that passes through the city becomes more interesting as the suburbs grow nearer. Picturesque buildings come close to the water’s edge and many q mys looking structures. Color is everywhere. As the boat is poled along, stirring up ripples that reflect the bright trees and flowers that the bank, the sensation is one of dazzling brilitancy. Other boats flit by and their brizht colors only add to the | indescribable confusion of reflections. The | tairways, covered with soft green moss, wind upward among the most l In the summer time the boat-owner leads a jolly life. He does but little work— possibly an hour or two in the forenoon. Then he cooks himself a light meal, rolls a cigarette and goes to sleep in the bottom of his boat. What cares he how the sun | | beats down or how the flies buzz. For him the heat is simply the warmth of paradise i’ | ana the buzzing of insects perhaps the singinz of some celestial choir. All through the long afternoon he snores and dreams and when evening comes | prepares to attend a “baille” or dance. This is not much work, as his toilet is very | simple. Many of the boat-owners only have to shake themscives and put on their | | sombreros to be dressed up. These men dislike to have any superfluous clothing | 1 1 the preseut time is, perhaps, that of the famous scout and warrior, the handsome Brigadier-Goneral William F. Cody. He was, and is, a hero. When only & ' boy, a mere lad, he was one of the first riders of the pony express that was estab- | lished to carry letters across the plains. That was in 1860, and, when in 1863 he en- listed in the Seventh Kansas Cavalry, he gained distinction and promotion for his daring and fearless deeds. He served in the !ate civil war until peace was de- clared. Aprovos, the sobriquet of *‘Buffalo Bill'" was earned by General Cody when in 1867 he entered into a contract with the Kansas Pacific Railway Company in Western Kansas whereby he was to furnish all the wild buffalo meat necessary as food for the In eigh- sunshine is clear and br ght and the blue | sky over all is most sug-e=tive of the Med- iterranean. Surely, one thinks, this can~ not be in America and only a turee days’ journey from San Francisco! As there is a little current in the Viga the water is remarkably clear for a canal. | It it were not that the mud on the bottom is consian tirred up by the boatmen it would be like erystal. Out in the country the canal is a little wmaller than in the city and its banks are <imply the mud dredged from the bottom piled on thesides. Butthemud is covered with a growth of grass and flowers, and trees grow on both sides of the stream. 1n one place the canal passes through an avenue of palms as beautiful as anything L0 ve seen on top of the earth. The bright | n, fronded trees throw a most refresh- s shade over the water and are reflected like emeralds on the clear, limpid surface. About two miles above the town there < what is known asthe “‘resting place,” «wlthough why it should have been seiected preference to many others is not quite pperent, [Itis here that the boatmen tie and take their siesta, which is some- mes all day and sometimes many days in succession, or as long as the beans and tortillas last. To see these boats lying [ peacefally on the water one would not think there was a living person near. But 0ok over the gunwale, and there on the bottom, with the hot sun beating down on Lis uptarned face, will be tne owner, sleeping the most contented sieep possible. Of course a few of these boat-owners have Jittie adobe bomes located not too far irom the canal, but the greater number of them live in their boats from year's end to VIGA CANAL IN THE CITY OF MEXICO. Bl ES TR RESTING - PLACE BENEATH THE PALMS. this land of dreams and give the most delightiul color accents. No two of these bridges are ahke, although some of them indicate that they were designed by an architect. A few of the older ones show a trace of gothic in their general design. Winding in and out and between other boats and unaer the low hedges your Indian poles you along toward the lake, past little islands that look hardiy large enough to stand upon, and yet are vegetable gardens that supply edibles to the big city a few milesaway. The gardens are light in color as it s possible for a luxuriant vegetation to make them, and the owners are as happy as can be. They live in their boats and have no more care than a babe asleep in the sun. The Viga canal, in its course, passes many interesting and historical spots—Santa Anita, Ixtalapalps, Mexicalinga and the Hiil of tke Star, where Montezuma met Cortez. At the lake the banks are covered with the huts of the people who make their living from the canal. Hera they lead listless but easy and contented lives. During the heat of the day tuere is Jittle life on the canal, but when the sun goes down the fun begins. But it isonly a repetition of what goes on zll over Mexico each evening. The people are the happiest on the face of the earth, and love music, singing and dancing. They spend their evening that way and next day take a siesta. To be sure, there are people who say that the life of the boatmen of the Viga is ta—and to a casual observer it appears as if they are right. But when these men do work they attend to their business. ‘Whoever takes a trip over the Viga canal will store in his memory some of the brightest scenes this world affords, and when he has returned to civilization can turn back to them and get glimpses of beauty inconceivable to those engaged in the mere speculation of business. ‘WILL SPARKS. hundreds of laborers emploved. teen months the record showed 4280 buf- faloes killed by Cody. From that time on he was known as “*Buffalo Bill.” General Cody isin New York now be- cause his Wild West show is open at the Madison-square Garden. As I Jooked into General Cody’s ruddy, healtby face the other afternoon, I tried to find some trace in the clearcut features that would tell in some way the history of tne frightful In- dian massacres he had seen, or the tale of his hand-to-hand conflict with ttie notori- ous Cheyenne chief, Yellow Hand, whom he killed in the Sioux war of 1876 but not a sign remains. There is not one cruel line in his face, and his splendid clear eyes reveai no shadows of unhapoy mem- ories. TreLLA Forrz TOLAND. New York, May 18, 1897. .- The President’s Home. In some respects it would be better to build a home for the President entirely distinct from the executive offices. Then the privacy of h's home life could be pro- tected and he could feel that at some bours of the day or night he could escape entirely from contact with office-seekers, sightseers and curiosity-hunters. Orif a combination of official and private resi- aence be preferred, there might be an addition to the present White House which would not mar its symmetry and would give the enlarged accommodations needed. The American people are not disposed to be niggardly in these matters, and they would be glad to see the Presis dent properly housed in a manner befit« ting the dignity and importance of his high office.—Syracuse Post. —— e - ‘Wooden sleepers on railways last about fifteen years.