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ROUGH EXPERIENCE
Prof. H. 0. Sissen Had a Narrow
Escape
There are occasional visitors to Im
perial valley who forget that this is
yet, in large part, desert, and that
care must be taken until one becomes
acclimated and accustomed to the con
ditions here. Prof. H. O. Sissen. re
cently had an experience which should
be a warning toothers. Coming di
rect from a school room, unaccustomed
to hard physical labor and not accli
mated, he set to work about July 1 on
bis ranch, became overheated, lay
down in a ditch to cool off, drank
impure water, and while sick under
took a 100 mile drive alone, some of
the distance across the worst portion
of the desert." The Santa Ana Herald
thus tells of his experience:
•* 'A party just arrived from a trip
across the Colorado desert brings a
story of the rescue of a Santa Ana
man by the name of Sisson. Sisson,
who is said to be connected with the
Orang-e County Commercial ' college,
had been ill on the desert, and against
the advice of a physician, started
alone to cross the desert for the coast.
He managed to reach Diamond lake,
where he was compelled to abandon
the trip. He was found there by the
San Diego party, among whom was a
physician. They made a. bed for him
in their wagon and brought him in,
themselves walking in the fierce heat
as far as Jacumba. His recovery be
gan there, and he was soon able to
come on-to this city, and thence to his
Home in Sail ta Ana.'
"Prof. H. O. Sisson, principal of the
Orange County Business college of
this city, who is referred to in the
above Associated Press dispatch from
San Diego, arrived in town last night,
and confirms the story as it comes
from San Diego.
"Prof. Sisson left Santa Ana a tri
fle more than, three weeks ago to visit
his ranch at Imperial, on the Colorado
desert, starting on the trip overland
by wagon, and expecting to remain a
couple of months. He made the jour
ney there successfully in somewhat
less than five days, and at once went
to work with his ranch foreman in
cultivating portions of his property.
"Nothing went amiss until two
weeks ago, when Mr. Sisson, after a
hard day's work, and while he was
yet overheated, took a big drink of
water of poor qualitj-, with dire re
sults. An attack of sickness, affect
ing the stomach and bowels, set in
immediately and for eight days he
suffered considerably, taking almost
no nourishment.
"In view of his weak condition,
Prof. Sissou finally concluded to come
home to escape the prostrating heat of
the desert, and to recuperate his
strength. He accordingly set out a
week ago Saturday to come to Santa
Ana, via San Diego, by wagon. The
trip over the desert and Mr. Sisson 's
illness there is described in the above
dispatch, which conveys some idea of
the peril which he underwent.
"When he was joined with the other
members of the party with which he
finally reached San Diego, Prof. Sis
sou was so weak that he had to ride in
the wagon of the San Diegans for a
whole day before his strength began
to return. The party which found
him consisted of three residents of
San Diego and an Imperial rancher.
"Mr. Sisson reached San Diego at
last on Saturday afternoon, but was
so exhausted that he was compelled to
lay over there until Monday before
attempting to come home. The trip
from San Diego here was made on
Monday and Tuesday by carriage aud
without mishap.
"Mr. Sissou is still weak from his
experience, and while no further dan
IMPERIAL PRESS
ger is apprehended, he will take a good
rest before attempting any work. The
heat is especially trying to him at the
present time, and to escape it he will
go to Laguna Beach tomorrow with
his family for a brief rest and vacation
by the seaside."
The Famous Pegleg
The mining man of the Los Angeles
Times has allowed to get into his col
umn a story regarding the famous
Pegleg mine which locates it, as well
as Warner's ranch, in San Bernar
dino instead of San Diego county. As
a matter of fact, if the Pegleg mine is
more than a myth, and it probably is,
it is probabiy located on some of the
hills in San Diego county or Lower
California within sight of Imperial, to
the northwest, west, or southwest of
town, though that covers a stretch of
country of more than a hundred miles
long and fifty miles wide. Ordinarily
it would require a great deal of labor
to prospect so large a territory, but in
this case it is, or has been, practically
impossible, because of the lack of wa
ter supply. There is much of this
country within fifty miles of Imperial
regarding which practically nothing
is known, the editor of this paper
never having been able to find a per
son who has traversed it, though in
that region several lives have been
lost in past years.
The irrigation of a portion of the
desert is bringing water nearer to the
unknown land, and undoubtedly Impe
rial will in time become an important
outfitting station for prospectors, but
any work done in that region must be
between October 1 and May 1, as dur
ing the heated term it would be prac
tically impossible to maintain a water
suppl3', so great would be the demand
and so long the hauls.
On the various ranges of hills and
mountains which dot the desert or
form its western boundary, from
Mount San Bernardino to a point far
down in Lower California, and which
make up the wonderful western pano
rama in view from Imperial, it is
more than a matter of speculation to
say that gold exists in good quantities.
Disturbing Gates
Some person is in a fair way to get
a term in the pen if he doesn't quit
interfering" with the gates in the lat
erals. The second serious offense of
this kind was perpetrated Saturday
evening, when some one went along
the town ditch pulling out gates until
he came to Dahlia lateral, where he
put in all the boards and nailed them
in. The result was the flooding of a
large tract of land, the town only es
caping a thorough drenching by the
early discovery of the condition of the
ditch. This is a species of depreda
tion for which the law makes ample
provision, and in case of detection
there is no doubt that a perpetrator of
such an act would be given several
weeks in the county jail to reflect on
the rights of others.
Arizona Gets Rain
Rain has fallen very generally
through Arizona, greatly to the bene
fit of stockmen. The territory has
suffered greatly of late from drought,
and at the time rain came hundreds of
cattle were dying on the ranges. The
summer rains will start grass to grow
ing and will furnish the cattle with
water to drink, the latter being the
most pressing need. A large number
of cattle have been shipped out of the
territory during the last few months.
Dandelion Lateral
Edgar Brothers begau work Monday
morning on Dandelion lateral, which
will parallel the main canal on the
east side beginning at the south quar
ter corner of section 13, 15-14, and ex
tending two and a half miles north.
WILL HOLD SOCIAL
People of Imperial Valley Asked to
Assemble
Miss Margaret Clark took the initia
tive in calling a meeting' at the hotel
Tuesday evening to arrange for a wa
ter melon and ice cream social, with a
view to getting 1 all the people of the
valley better acquainted with each
other. Two dozen people were in at
tendance, and it was decided that such
asocial be held on the second floor of
the brick block, probably on the even
ing of Saturday, August 16. The so
cial will be free and a general public
invitation is extended to everyone in
the valley to attend.
Miss Clark was authorized to act as
an executive committee and appoint
assistants. The following sub-com
mittees have been appointed:
Reception Committee: -
H. C. Oakley, E. F. Howe, Dr. Car
rier, Miss Mitchell and Miss Meade.
Program Committee:
H. E. Allat, R. H. Clark and L. F.
Farnsworth.
Decoration Committee:
Mrs. W. A. Edgar, Mrs. T. P. Ban
ta, R. D. McPherin, H. J. Wilson and
H. C. Reed.
Refreshments Committee:
T. P. Bauta, Archie Priest, Mrs.
Chas. Lathrop and Mrs. H. White.
Finance Committee:
W. D. Montgomery, Ray Edgar, M.
D.Davis and A. W. Patton.
Some Freight Rates
The Southern Pacific railroad is
gradually adjusting its freight rates
in suitable recognition of the fact that
Los Angeles is growing into an im
portant commercial center. It is but
a little over a year since a reduction of
freight rates from Los Angeles north
ward moved the frontier of the com
mercial influence of that "city from
Bakersfield to Visalia, and the Los
Angeles Herald now gives this infor
mation:
"The cut in freight rates of the
Southern Pacific to Bisbee and Naco,
Arizona, has been greater than was
expected. It was stated that the cut
would be from 15 to 30 per cent,
thereby putting Los Angeles mer
chants on an equality with the eastern
shippers to Arizona points. Eastern
houses had an advantage over the
coast wholesalers of from IS to 30 per
cent, and the cut at the proposed fig
ures would have equalized matters.
"The change as finally carried out,
however, shows that the coast mer
chants will have the advantage, for
the cut was from 30 to 60 per cent, be
ing practically the old rates to Benson.
The new class rates will take effect in
July. They are as follows:
"First class, $1.90; second class,
$1.63; third class, $1.46; fourth class,
$1.34; class A, $1.17; class B, 88;^ cents;
class C, 79>2 cents; class E, 60 cents."
It is to be hoped that this last change
is in recognition of the fact that
through Southern California, Arizona
and New Mexico there is a great sec
tion of country which is struggling
upward, and whose destiny must in
great part be governed by the rates
charged for freight from Los Angeles.
So long as this was entirely a desert
country, the freight rates had little
concern for anybody. But now that it
is developing into a rich agricultural
country the people naturally expect
reasonable freight rates, and the rail
road can scarcely help realizing that
its own prosperity depends on making
rates which will make possible the de
velopment of the resources traversed.
Keep your eye on Imperial this fall,
when the railroad is completed.
Withdrawn from Settlement
The Government has withdrawn
from settlement two tiers of townships
from twenty miles south of Needles
down the California side of the Colo
rado river to the international line.
The idea undoubtedly is to put an cud
to private irrigation enterprises along
the river until the Government is able
to determine what it wishes to do in
that section. The laud withdrawn
is in part between the Imperial sec
tion and the river, the Imperial irri
gation system not being' afi'ected.
Are Coming In
A few days since the Press published
an article on the proper time for coin
ing into the valley, but that was
hardly in type before it became evi
dent that the immigration of the year
had already begun, though that was
before the last of July. Now that
August is here, it is becoming evident
that this is to be an early season, so far
as immigration is concerned, probably
fifty farmers having thus far come to
the valley either to begin work on
their land or to take up work- where
they left off a few weeks ago to take
an outing on the coast.
And if July and August are to
bring those results, what shall we ex
pect of September and October? Are
we approaching- a time when the val
ley will suddenly take on population
from river to river and from the Mex
ican line thirty miles" northward?
That is wh t at it looks like. That is
what we have all been working for.
That is what the country is. v well pre
pared for.
Important Land Decision
San Diego, July 25. — Judge Conklin
of the Superior Court today decided
the case of the People vs. Smith Nor
ris in favor of the State. The decisr
ion is important because it concerns
the title to a large amount of land in
the Imperial country. A number of
persons who took up school land in
1888 failed to make more than the first
payment; the property reverting to
the State by process of foreclosure,
and it has been . acquired by others
than the original takers. Since then
the land has increased in value and
the originaT'owners are now trying . to
hav«* the judgement- in favor of the
State set aside on'the ground that- the
complaints did not 'state a sufficient
cause of 'action. .The motion to set
aside and vacate the judgement was
denied, -and twenty days given defen
dant to file exceptions.
Contracts Let
Contracts have been let by Imperial
Water Co. No. 1, as follows:
To Edgar Brothers— Date lateral
No. 6, a mile south of Imperial, a half
mile east from Date, a half mile north
and a half mile east to the center of
section 21, 15-14.
To A. W. Pa tton— Dogwood lateral
No. 5, from the southeast corner of
section 21, a half-mile north and a
half mile east to the center of section
22, 15-14.
To A. W. Patton — A lateral, a mile
east to the center of section 18, 14-14.
To W. A. Young— Extension or El
der lateral and Elder No. 1, two and a
half miles to the southeast corner of
section 31, 15-13.
There remain about fifty miles of
ditches to be dug to complete the sys
tem of Imperial Water Company No. 1.
Work on Structures
S. E. Bragg, to whom was awarded
the contract of putting in fifty .struc
tures fur Imperial Water Company
No. 1, began work Monday morning'
with two gangs of Indians to makQ
excavations.
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