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Imperial Valley Press.
VOL. VII
PREDICTS BIG CROPS
IN IMPERIAL VALLEY
Ed. Fletcher Returns From Trip m Back
Country With Good Reports.
Ed. Fletcher has returned from Im
perial valley where he has been look
ing after his Interests. He Is Interest
ed, with others, In a 320-acre ranch
and reports crops as being heavy and
the price of grain and hay very satis
factory. •
■v While there. Mr. Fletcher rode In a
gasoMne motor car, built by the Fair
banks, Morse Co., and , now in opera
tion on the S. P. branch from El Cen
tro to Holtville, known as the Holt
ville Inter Urban.
i- "This car has many new and Inter
esting features," said Mr. Fletcher,
and is. now In successful operation.
It has a seating capacity of about 20 to
2S, tut during the campaign over the
- county seat, the gasoline motor car
was run from El Centro to Brawley
: » one evening, and carried 56 . passen
gers, a' distance of 18 miles in 33
minutes. The great feature of this
car Is Its simplicity. -
• "The regular run from El Centro to
.Holtville, a disatnee of 11, miles, Is
easily covered Including stops, in 25
minutes. The day before Mr. Fletch
er arrived In Imperial; the car brought
over 1 1-2 tons of cream and 25 pas
sengers from Holtville to El Centro in
■ Jess than. 3o minutes. Including several
"Istops. This car, In Mr Fletcher's
opinion, will certainly take the place of
the steam engine for suburban traffic.
y The cost of operation for the round
trip to Holtville, 24 miles Is less than
33. Mr. Holt says the cost of oper
ation by steam Is $12 to $1 4 for the
same trip. This does not include the
. difference In saving of ware and tear
of the tracks, or machinery, which Is
a very material point. The cost, of
malntalnance of the track Is much
The new Abstract Company
El Centro Is to be congratulated
upon the establishment of the Imperial
Valley Abstract Title and Trust Com-
pany, whose advertisement appears
upon another page. They announce
to the public that they are now ready
to Issue certificates of titles and ab
stracts to all sections or parcels of
land and town lots forming v a part of
the new county.
' Dan E. Shaffer, who for three year
has been connected with the Abstract
Title and Trust Company, of San
.Diego, is manager for the new firm.
He Is a son of the late E. E. Shaffer,
for so long county auditor of San
Diego county. Thus Mr, Shaffer Is
a man eminently fitted to conduct such
•a business and those wishing any title
business done would do well to con
.sult him. t
The company's office Is located (In
Beach & Dool's El Centro offices at
.present.
Imperial Co. Gets First Court Case.
A motion was filed In the superior
court yfestefday for the transfer of
cause of action to the superior court
of Imperial county. The cause In
question Is No. 3469, In the matter of
the estate of Grey Bussell, a minor. .
Buy a town lot, a few choice ones
left, get In before the raise. Call and
talk It over with Jauman. El Centro
.Land Qo. ; 20tf
EL CENTRO. CALIFORNIA. SATURDAY. AUGUST,24. 1907
lighter, owning to the exteme weight
weight of the engine and train as
compared with the gasoline motor
car, its total weight being 8000
"Mr. Holt is considering the pur
chase of another car and states that
later on. providing the S. D. & A.
road does not run through Sllsbee, that
an entrance, will be made from £1
Centra to Silsbee and the same ser
vice will be given as Holtville is now
receiving.
••The Ice and cold storage plant at
El Centra is certainly a credit to the
town and Mr. Holt has just entered
Into a contract with the Southern Pa
cific railroad for many thousands of
tons of Ice for Icing purposes, He is
now doubling the. original size of the
plant.
'•Last year nearly a thousand car
loads of cantaloups and melons were
raised in Imperial valley, and it is ex
pected next year the quantity will be
doubled. Barley is worth from $1 to
$1:10 there and even at that price a
great many of the farmers are feed-
Ing barley to the hogs for fattening
purposes, rather than sell the. 'grain
Hundreds of carloads of hogs are be
ing shipped out of the valley *nd that
Industry alone Is bringing tens of
thousands of dollars to the settlers.
•'Each year thousands of acres of
fruit trees and grape vineyards are
being planted and the fruit industry
will in time, be the largest industry in
the valley, in my opinion. The new
railroad cannot be • built into the
valley any to soon, and I am sure rev
enue from the Imperial valley alone,
will be sufficient to warrant building
the road." — San Diego Union ......
RAILROAD BOYS
TO LIVE MERE
Will Make Calexico Their Homes as
Soon as the New Schedule is Ar-,
ranged
Calexico will be glad to get
the news that as soon as the new
schedule for valley service is ar
ranged most of the railroad men
and their families now living at
Old Beach will remove to Calex
ico. The change will take place
near the first of September. The
new schedule is now being made
up, but is not ready for an
nouncement. The runs will be
arranged for better accommoda
tion of the valley people both
for those who wish to visit the
city, and for valley travel.
The S. P. company recently
wrote the Calexico chamber of
commerce that the service would
be improved just as soon as pos
sible and they are keeping their
word. Much complaint is made
because of the inconvenience of
the present schedule: — Calexico
Chronicle.
Optra House
Regular services at the opera house
next Sunday, Preaching at II a. m.
and 7:30 p. m. by J. F. Tout. All
are welcome.
AFFAIRS AT THE
COUNTY SEAT
Supervisors and Comty Officers are
Ready to Qualify. Waiting
for the Judge.
The wheels of the new county gov
ernment have hardly begun to turn as
yet. There has been considerable de
lay on account of the absence of any
person qualified to administer the oaths
of office to the various county officials.
Judge Cole, the newly elected Super
ior judge, has been awaiting his com
mission from the government of the
state. He has been In Los Angeles
and San Diego and the rest of the of
ficers have been awaiting his return as
he will be qualified to install them In
their offices In shape to transact Im
perial county business. •
The bonds have nearly all been pre
pared and everything is in readiness' to
commence business as soon as Judge
Cole returns: He will return from
Los Angeles possibly Friday.
Supervisors Meet
The board of supervisors met Thurs
day unofficially and discussed a few
matters that will receive official con
sideration as soon as things are in
working order.
Among other things that ..will have
to be settled will be temporary quart
ers :'. for the county officials. The
judge's chambers and court room ,wlll
probably be the Masonic lodge room
in the opera house block and. the vari
ous officers installed in the off.cc
rooms upstairs In the same block. Re
corder J. B. Baker will probably be
Installed In the brick building built for
a restaurant opposite the bank. The
treasurer may be found later in the
rear room of the bank and he may be
given the use of the bank vault for
temporary accommodation.
Suggested Building •.
It has been suggested that the coun
ty erect a brick business block of pos
sibly 50x100 feet to be used for two
or three years. by county* officials and
when the county court house Is com
pleted to be sold. and occupied by a
mercantile business and offices. Such
a plan seems to meet with the appro
bation of all who have heard of it and
seems to be a good way out of the tem
porary office difficulty. The building
would probably cost $10,000 or $12,
000.and would save the county rent
for the interim.
The matter of jail accommodation
Is one that will have to receive Imme
diate consideration. It will be neces
sary to take care of prisoners in some
way. The plan to Immediately secure
a set of steel ribbed cells that could be
set up in a short Mmc seems to be the
best yet suggested. These cells could
be set up any place and a shed built
over them for protection from the
weather. The jail Itself could be built
up around the cells. Such expedi
ences are all to be considered by the
board.
The first few weeks the board of su
pervisors will have to be In almost con
stant session for that body Is the busi
ness manager of the county and all
business questions of ai most every na
ture have to be passed np to them.
Everyone Is anxious for all officers
to be qualified as soon as possible, in
cluding notaries public and justices.
No Local Government
Since the filing of the resolution
forming Imperial county with the sec
retary of state tn Sacramento all jus
tices of the peace have been out of
commission; no notary has had author
ity to sign his name as a. notary or
take any kind of an acknowledgement.
There are dozens of papers awaiting
the qualification of a notary public,
The county ordinances, a whole vol
ume of them, went out of effect as far
as Imperial county was concerned with
the filing of the same resolution. The
supervisors will have to pass ordinan
ces and have them published fifteen
days before they are effective. This
means that for at least twenty days
yet there will be no county law. State
laws are effective, of course. Public
sentiment and local leagues will, no
doubt, be able to keep things In oraer
with the law of persuasion.
EL CENTRO TO BE
PRINCIPAL CITY
Justice or reace or INew County Uptim
iftic Over Final Outcome.
Felix G. Havens of El Centra, form
er.y United States commissioner, and
who Is now a justice of the peace in
the Imperial valley, is in the city.
Mr. Havens says that El Centra is not
only to be the metropolis of the Im
perial country, but that it is already.
It is a well known fact that Mr. Hav
ens could have accepted a nomination
of clerk of the new county, but that he
did not allow the use of his name, the
understanding being that El Centra
should not introduce any candidates
Into the campaign.
. "There are," says Mr. Havens,
"many questions related to the forma
tion of the new county which much
time will be required In settling.
Some of them will have to , be settled
In courts. However, we are not
Banqueted Him
District Attorney Eshleman returned
Saturday from Berkeley; where he
finished in his business affairs in
order to take up his new work as legal
adviser and prosecuting attorney for
Imperial county. He Is now in El
Centro where he and his wife will live.
.His colleagues and friends about
the bay gave -Jack'! a genuine ova
tion upon his departure, judging from
the Berkeley papers. A fine banquet
was spread at which Mr. Eshleman's
law partner presided. A large gather-
Ing of prominent citizens bade him
Cod speed in his new home.
The papers say that Mr. Eshleman,
was to have been the next state sen
ator from Alameda county and that
since his : removal there have been
thirty or forty candidates for his place
In the assembly.
The district attorney has a hard
row to hoe. Nearly all. the officers
of the new county are entirely without
experience In the conduct of . their
offices and all must be guided by tne
district attorney as to legal points.
Having served as deputy In the same
office In Alameda county Mr. Eshle
man will turn off his work with ac
curacy and celerity — Calexico Chron
icle.
A High Compliment
The San Diego News of last
week speaks in its editorial col
umns of Supervisor Webster in
the following highly complimen
tary manner:
Supervisor Webster was one
of the ablest men on the Board
and commanded the respect
of his colleagues and everybody
with whom he came in contact.
While we sincerely regret the
departure of the supervisor from
the San Diego Board, we feel
that he of all others should take
a leading jmrtjn the future
affairs of the new county.
San Diego county will not re
apportion its territory for new
supervisoral districts until the
meeting of the board of super
visors August 28th.
If you want a ranch anywhere in the
Imperial Valley call In andjt over with
laurnan. I can use several 40 and 80
acre pieces Improved or partly so. if
your price Is right, your money Is
ready. 20tf
bothering ourselves about them.
They will all be settled and settled
right. We expect to make a fine
showing over therein the, next fey
Mr. Havens is Interested in collect
ing claims of Imperial valley property
holders for damages resulting from the
overflow of the Colorado river. He
has already filed at Washington
against the government of Mexico
more than a million dollars of dam
age claims, and • he Is still adding to
the number. The Mexican govern
ment-Is to be held accountable, al
though considerable time may be Oc
cupied in securing a settlement.
Mr. Havens thinks there will be
few sufferers In San Diego from the
land frauds. , y.
W. H. BUCK TO BE
DEPUTY SHERIFF
Mobley Meadows Selects a Good Man
to Assist Him in Office
W. H. Buck, of Fort Yuma, has
been selected by Mobley Meadows as
his chief deputy to assist him In . the
sheriff's office of the new county.: Mr..
Buck Is the proprietor of the Fort Yu
ma general merchandise store and the
stage line to Laguna.;: He nominated
Mr. Meadows In the convention at
Imperial and has been a factor In the
river political situation.
Anticipating his selection to the of
fice Mr. Buck has secured valuable
options on property at El Centro. It
Is reported that he will open a general
store at the county seat—- Calexico
Chronicle. '
COUNTY CLERK
ELDER TO RESIGN
Business Affairs in Idaho Make it
Impossible to Take Ip His
New Duties.
D! S. Elder, elected county clerk,
will resign his . office as soon as he
qualifies. He has business interests'
in Idaho that demand his attention and
it will' be impossible for him to be In
the valley for several months. In
order to expedite the business of the
new county Mr. Eider has decided to
place his resignation with the board of
supervisors as soon as he qualifies for
Then It will be up to the board to
appoint his successor This will prob
ably be done at the first meeting.
It Is with much regret that the val
ley loses the services of so capable a
man as Mr. Elder. He is thoroly
qualified for the duties of the office
and it will be hard to 'find a man who
would so successfully fill the place.
— Calexico Chronicle. •.
The Southern Pacific is run
ning three extra trains each day
to Brawley from Old Beach in
order to give the railroad men
there a chance to eat. Hotel
Harriinan has been closed down
and the "Harriinan Special" has
NO. 20
