 |
| Saguaro cacti. |
The McGrawville Sentinel, Thursday, May 26, 1887.
GREAT AMERICAN DESERT.
TRAVEL THROUGH THIS WILD WASTE BY RAIL.
An Interesting Letter From California Concerning the South-West By Ke. S. Warner.
Through the kindness of N. H. Osborne we are permitted to print the following interesting letter from his daughter who is making a tour of the west. Some time ago an ocean voyage letter from her appeared in the SENTINEL, and as her descriptive faculty combined with her personal interest in the one written, to make her letters very entertaining, we are pleased to present this one to our readers:
LOS ANGELES, Cal., May 15.
Dear Father:—We arrived here this morning instead of last night as we expected when we left home. We have now a very different idea of what is meant by the Great American desert. We left St. Louis Tuesday night. Wednesday we spent in crossing Arkansas, going from the north-east to the southwest corner. This is the rainy season and much of the land is under water. Our remembrance of Arkansas will be of passing through a wooded, level country with the bottom of the trees under water, and a light drizzly rain over head. Thursday we were crossing the great plains of Texas. Seeing many cattle and plenty of cow boys in the eastern and central portions, but in the western part little but sand and prairie dogs. We spent the greater part of Friday in El Paso, driving across the Rio Grande del Norte into old Mexico, visiting the old cathedral with wonder, the clay huts, (built of a kind of clay called adobe, without windows or openings except the doors which sometimes had a little pane of glass,) and staring at the natives, who returned the gaze with interest. It is very hot there and the dust and sand is almost unendurable. But at El Paso they are having a great boom, cutting up the barren sandy desert into village lots and selling them at fabulous prices. I suppose it is a good thing that some people like this pioneer life, and I know that by irrigation much can be done to make even this desert blossom as the rose, but I am devoutly thankful that my lot is cast in pleasanter places.
We breakfasted yesterday morning in Tucson, and they told us we still had the worst before us, and so it proved, for in passing through the little edge of New Mexico and Arizona we were in an almost trackless desert. Nothing could grow but the sage bush and cactus, of which there are many varieties just now in bloom, and did something to enliven the scenery. One variety grows very tall and straight and look like sentinels some thirty, forty or even fifty feet in height. We scarcely saw a living thing all day, not even a bird, except now and then a buzzard, not even a drop of water. Almost night as we were nearing Yuma a burst of joy went through the car as we got our first glimpse of water; the little river Gila which flows into the Colorado at Yuma. We have had charming moonlight nights and it enabled us last night to see the most weird and desolate part of all; a plain which lies nearly three hundred feet below sea level, and which is so extensive we were several hours in crossing it. The surface here is not sand, but more like hard baked clay, and not a living thing was there, absolute desolation. We lay in our berths watching it until after midnight. You can imagine what a charming change it was when we awoke this morning to see beautiful fields of grass and grain, groves of orange trees and roses and other flowers in profusion while above all was the beautiful snow-capped mountains.
The climate here seems perfect. I am writing by an open window. It is neither too warm nor too cold, and there seems a wonderful exhilaration in the air. After this hard week's travel I find that I am feeling better than when I left home. We have quite a large company of pleasant people. Many of the young men in our car are fine singers and the time has passed pleasantly.
KE. S. WARNER.
Delaware's Whipping-Post.
WILMINGTON, Del., May 24—Public whippings at Newcastle Saturday attracted a large crowd of spectators. Eight culprits were stripped of their clothing and lashed to the whipping-post, while the sheriff administered the cat. Two men, for the theft of a chicken, were punished with as many blows as a thief who stole nearly $300 worth of platinum, while a professional sneak thief, who robbed a jewelry store of a tray of rings and locked the proprietor in to prevent pursuit, received only five lashes, just half the number given to the chicken thieves.
PAGE TWO—EDITORIALS.
A Change in Management.
Last Thursday the co-partnership of Berggren Bros., proprietors of the SENTINEL, was dissolved by mutual agreement, the senior member of the firm, F. S. Berggren, succeeding in the business. It pleases us to state that the change was not necessitated from any cause relating to our business, such as heretofore had been the case, but we can boast of remarkable success during the past two years. In February 1885, we came here and the first week's issue was sent to scarcely 300 subscribers. In two years and three months we have added 1,300 new standing names to our list, thus making the SENTINEL'S circulation 1,600 each week. Is there another paper in the vicinity that can show such a record? Not alone has our subscription list increased but our job printing and advertising patronage have also taken equal strides forward. For our success we feel grateful to our subscribers and correspondents. We have no disposition to feel arrogant in county journalism, for our brother editors deserve much praise for having [improved] their respective papers of late. The SENTINEL'S aim shall be to stay in the field as a poor man's paper, a rich man's paper, an honest man's paper and newspaper—at $1 a year.
 |
| John L. Sullivan. |
◘ SULLIVAN was to exhibit in Rochester and Syracuse last week but at the former place the mayor claimed the theatres had no license and therefore did not let him "show;" and at Syracuse the mayor also bade him pass on. His reason was "because the Rochester mayor wouldn't let him exhibit there." That's right: let the mayors "knock him out" and he will "take a drop" by and bye.
◘ The Saturday half holiday law recently enacted at Albany does not create a compulsory half day of rest. The banks and public offices throughout the state will close on Saturday at noon. The presumption is that all establishments employing any considerable number of hands will observe the half holiday, but there is nothing in the law to prevent the employers from deducting a half day's wages from persons in their service who insist on observing the custom.
EDITOR'S EASY CHAIR.
—Will Thompson has commenced a clerkship in F. G. McElheny's bakery.
—Mr. and Mrs. William Talbot of Hunt's Corners are in town visiting friends.
—Mr. and Mrs. A. P. McGraw are at present visiting her parents in Vermont.
—Samuel Hawley of Vermont is visiting his many relatives and friends in town.
—Jennie Warren, who has been stopping in Weedsport for two months past, is at present visiting friends in this place.
—Our citizens will be treated to some music by the band from the pagoda Saturday evening, providing the weather is permissible.
—The boys complain that the spring freshets removed or filled up all their swimming holes, and they are obliged to go to the river now for a bath.
—A Sunday school convention under the auspices of the Cortland county Baptist association will be held with the Freetown Corners church Wednesday, June 1.
—New advertisements appear in the SENTINEL this week for the highly commendable firms of Garrison & Young, grocers, Cortland, and Burgess & Bingham, clothiers, Cortland.
—Examinations for admission to Amherst college will be held in the rooms of the Young Men's Christian association in Binghamton, beginning at 9 A. M. Thursday, June 23, and continuing two days.
—Rev. E. H. Dickenson will deliver a sermon next Sunday evening to the G. A. R. and soldiers of the late war. Soldiers are requested to meet at the Post rooms at 7 o'clock to attend services in a body.
—Rev. W. A. Huntington and wife are visiting their parents in this place this week. Mr. Huntington has finished his pastorate in Euclid and expects soon to settle elsewhere. He preaches in Jordan Sunday.
—A game of ball will be played Decoration day in the forenoon by the Athletes and a picked nine under the management of Will Gross. It will be played on its merits to decide whether the best nine is the organized one or not.
—An invitation is given to contractors to bid for a school house in District 11 Cuyler. The building committee are L. S. Barber, W. B. Phillips and Jacob Garner. Specifications may be seen at the residence of L. S. Barber, South Cuyler.
—M. C. Bingham quotes some prices in an advertisement this week that will astonish many of our readers. By reading advertisements as they appear from week to week in the SENTINEL one can many times during a year save the price of a year's subscription to the paper.
—The McGrawville Athletes play the Cortland ball nine on the grounds in this place Friday afternoon of this week. The Cortlands are a strong team this year and our boys will do their best to beat them, consequently an interesting game may be expected. Game will be called at 2:30.
—Rev. W. H. Latimer of East Syracuse preached in the M. E. church last Sunday morning. His sermon was instructive and earnest, and was listened to with marked attention. Mr. Latimer is a rising young man and is destined to make himself felt wherever he goes.
—Mr. and Mrs. Fred J. Berggren and Fred Graves started for Syracuse yesterday morning. They will make it their home hereafter. As a token of esteem and in return for services as organist in the Presbyterian church Mrs. Berggren received a handsome donation from the members of the society Tuesday. Fred Graves was also remembered by the donors.
—Farmers should read the advertisement for J. B. Lamont in the SENTINEL this week. He is agent for the Model Buckeye mower and tells us that it has been so much remodeled the past year that it is practically a new machine. He keeps machines and extras in stock, and intending purchasers will do well to examine this standard machine before purchasing elsewhere.
—There are a few persons in this vicinity who maliciously pluck flowers from the graves in our village cemetery. Such action is a misdemeanor and is punishable by law. Flowers are fitting tributes to our lost friends and are tokens of remembrance and love, and visitors in the cemetery should be very careful not to destroy the beautiful plants lest they thus heap a dislike on themselves.
No comments:
Post a Comment