The Adair County news. [volume], December 22, 1915, Page 2, Image 2

About The Adair County news. [volume] (Columbia, Ky.) 1897-1987

Image provided by: University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY

                
X.
v
THE ADAIR COUNTY NEWS
HISTORICAL PAPER.
A Trip to California and Other Interest
ing Places.
(CONTINUED from
..dff
And now comes the excite
ment. What is it to do? You say
the blowing up of a warship out
in California Bay. Just here I
had better tell you what was ex
pected and looked for. It was a
sham battle between the land
forces at the Barracks and the
naval soldiers with a part of the
land forces helpingr'the blue jack
ets out. I never saw anything
carried out more minutely. To
start this fun and show they
blew up a warship. You know
the soldiers were called out and
were hurriedly drilled and the
ditches on the battlefield were
quickly filled. At this time there
comes in sight six boats of sol
diers just to fight. The land
batteries opened fire. Soon I
heard bombs higher. I was
watching the battle out just be
fore my eyes. Then j was there
came a great bomb from the
skies. About this time I saw at
a distance something coming,
Looked black. It was a rapid
fire gun coming around the race
track.
It is hard for me to keep very
well connected and to give you
all of it just as would be expect
ed. About the time half over
and in the midst of the fun, I
saw four big mules in a wagon
coming as fast as they could run.
They made a small circle and
was driven up to the gate.
There they stood in a tremble,
but did not have long to wait. I
saw "two men running with a
stretcher in their hand. Saw
them loading up something. They
came out with a man, and load
ed him into the wagon. They
hurried back again, bringing out
the wounded and also the slain.
The wagon is now loaded and the
battle is really on, the blue jack
ets jumped the fence and the
ambulance is gone.
Now, about this sham battle.
There will be much said about
Ahe blowing up of a ship and the
-carrying away of the dead. Now
there is one thing I must say be
fore it is too late. I saw three
warships go out at the Golden
Gate. The sight will be long re
membered. Just why, I don't
know, They went out very quiet
ly. May be gone to Mexico.
Those incidents occurred so fast
I could not get them all, and
while watching the ships, I heard
the bugle call. So the events of
this day are past, all but the sol
.dier, forever will its memory last.
I feel sure they will. My soldier
boy! my soldier boy! listen, to
your command, lay all political
differences down and for your
country stand. Be honest sol
dier boy, always faithful and
true; the day will soon come
when we will have use for you.
So good night soldier boy, to
- morrow I go away. I am de
lighted with yqa, wish, I could
last week)-
longer stay, So this ends! a re
markable day, many things about
it I could say, but time will not
admit, so I will soon have to quit.
Just a word about our Iron dads
they went out slowly, were not
mad, but you know just as well
as I, they will correct something
or try. I do not know their des
tination, but they are represen
tatives of our nation, in them I
take a good deal of pride, but on
them I don't want to ride. They
are gone now to parts unknown,
may turn up at some zone. Now
I hope you will be very quiet,
for I am going in for the night.
This is Sunday morning, and I
think it best to stay in and take
a much needed rest. Mr. Rob
ertson and myself have a very
delightful day. After the noon
hour, we, in company with Mr.
Bruner and Mr. Springgate took
a long walk out through the sol
diers' camp and home. They
seemed to be having a jolly good
time. A guide went with us to
show us through. Many are liv
ing in tents while a good many
are living in houses. We saw
cannon balls by the thousands.
We covered a good deal of ground
They have sixteen hundred acres
in their grounds. No other mat
ters for the day. Jennie and
Katie left this morning, for Los
Angeles. I will leave here to
morrow for New Mexico.
As this is TVIonday, Aug. the
16th, and the day we leave the
city, we have several things to do
and see about, as well as a sick
man to look after one of our
party, Mr. Willie Simmons, is
sick, and we are anxious that he
gets well enough to go back as
we do. As before stated, sever
al things to see to, I did not go
to the Fair to-day. In the after
noon I made a trip out in town.
Went out on the heights, Like
ly some of you don't know that
San Francisco is on a hill. Well
this is true, at least a good part
of it is up on a tableland, so I as
cended to the top, walked quite
a distance viewing the city and
then came back to the top of the
incline, and here, no doubt, I
viewed the lake and ships for
my last time. San Francisco is
a large city. Its population is
about four hundred and thirty
six thousand, and while observ
ing the city as I did, I could not
help being impressed with the
different furnishings of the
houses, not only the material
used, but the mechanical finish
ings all kinds of material used,
and put up in all-kinds of shapes
no modern plan used. I am
told they have in this city two
thousand and eight churches.
'Their steep streets are graded or
layed with rock, from the sea
shore and have the appearance
of a crazy quilt. Now! stop for
upper;" After the jheal we get
busy collecting t)ur belongings
and getting ready for our return
trip. Just here we are told au
tos arewaiting, then a hustle for
our baggage, and we are gone.
Made a whirl wind run to the
SantaFe railroad depot, had our
tickets valuated, boarded a
transport and we are now cross
ing the bay. A very nice trip
this ttas, and at 9 o'clock p. m.,
our boat blew for the landing,
and as we drew up we gathered
our grips, hurried out and found
our same steel pullman car wait
ing for us. Good night.
This is Tuesday, August the
17th. I am up early this morn
ing, and find that we are in one
of the finest farming countries I
ever saw. You will remember
now that we are on the SantaFe
or Southern route. We passed
through Fresno and other nice
places. We are now in Kearn i
county. In this county we saw
more hogs than we have seen
since leaving nome. beverai
corrals of horses, lots of cattle
and some very nice mules We
are certainly delighted with this
part of. the county. Since laying
our pencil down we have gone
through some very fine wheat
land as we suppose it to be from
the amount of wheat and straw
I saw scattered along the road.
On two occasions I saw wagons
loaded with wheat and drawn by
ten big mules. The amount of
wheat on a wag an, I have "no
way of telling, but would think
several hundred bushels. Here we
stopped for breakfast, I picked
up a paper and see an account of
the kidnapping of Leo M. Franks,
and after the meal we moved on,
passed new settler camping in
tents, women and childrenin front
of the tents and the men holding
horses to graze. I was made to
imagine what hardships and pri
vations some people are still un
dergoing, even in the southwest.
While many have grown rich and
others doing well, there are
many who are driving and drift
ing fromv point to point, and
their very appearance would in
dicate to you what privations
they are undergoing." We then
ran into Barstow. Here we
have a short wait-over for the
Southern train from Los Angeles,
which has part of our Kentucky
crowd in the person of Katie,
Jennie, Mrs. Minnie Sweets, Miss
Osborn Bell Rhodes, Mr. Bruner
and Mr. Stuart- We now reach
, the mountains again and find a
new railroad being built, at least
the grading being done, steam
shovels and scrapers being used.
Sand was being loaded on cars
with this shovel, and mules "were
being worked in a breast to
scrapers. We saw six of those
teams grading at one place, and
to a fellow on a train it looked
like they meant business. And
again I am reminded what a
wonderful country this is. This
place we stop is called Callycut.
Our porter informed me- that in
Spanish it meant warm. Well, I
had already pulled my coat, so I
take it he is right. We had
passed some mountain ranges
and struck, a very hot valley, and
while complaining of the hot sun
we go info tunnell number one
$4.00
One Year
Courier Journal
Daily By Mail
(Not Sunday)
AND
Farm and Family
A Great Monthly Magazine
During January
AND
February Only
Special ftate Period Limited to These Two
Months.
Splendid Combination at a Little Over HaIf
the Regular Price.
Subscription orders at this rate will be accepted
only when sent through regular Courier-Journal Agent
in this district.
JOHW W. FLOWERS,
Columbia, Kentucky.
COTRIER-JOURNAL
lit
just as hot as blazes, I want you
to know, but on through we had
to go, and now this is tunnel
number two just so thankful
when we got through, and this
is tunnel number three the
longest one yet, it seemed to me.
Now we enter tunnel number
four. I am made to wonder if
there is more, and as sure as you
are alive we now com to tunnell
number five. At this time I get
in a fix. The porter says: "Here
is tunnell number six," and of
course I knew the next was sev
en, and besides, he says there
are eleven. Now it will be plain
ly seen that in all there were
just eighteen. It is simply won
derful going through those hills
and mountains, but we are now
crossing the great California
Desert. If you want me to de
scribe it, I'll do the bet I can.
You look as far as your eyes will
let you and there is nothing but
sand. You look on ahead of you
thinking that you see a lake, but
when you get there you find that
it is all a fake. On and on we go
up or across this sandy desert.
I suppose you have heard of the
hot winds of the West? We are
now finding out something about
them, and while writing -and
looking I saw a lonely man driv
ing two small horses to a wagon
with trunk, cupboard and some
chairs in it. He looked so hot
and weary worn, and if there
was any place within one hun
dred miles for him to stop I
failed to see it. and I undertook
to see every thing in sight that
was worth seeing.
We were now nearing the Ar
izona line, here we crossed the
Colorado river and night drove
me in, and I have no more to say
for the present. So, I was up be
fore daylight Wednesday morn
ing, August the 18th, having
gone through a good part of Ar-
izona while asleep.. Was up before
$2.00
Six Months
Co., Louisville, Ky.
it was light to see the country,
instead of it still being hot, we
were in a different atmosphere
altogether. The first thing we
tell you about are the beautiful
cedarj and pines, cedars orna
mental, and the pines large and
plentiful. Grass and oat fields
were looking green here. At
daylight I saw wolves or ante
lopes, or something of the kiod
running out across the fields.
There were many attractions
along the railroad. I also saw
two bunches of wild horses graz
ing at a distance. I saw several
mill sets where pine lumber had
been sawed. Then we came to a
mining camp, many of the min
ors living in car boxes near the
road. And then we came to a
very fine body of pine trees and
at the edge of the woods
I counted twenty carloads of logs
all ready loaded to be pulled into
the mill which I saw just down
the railroad a bit, and where
I saw more lumber sawed out,
than I ever saw before in one
place. There was certainly many
million feet. Then we came to
a nice, new town named Flag
staff. This was the most invit
ing little place I have yet seen.
Just thought if I had time I
would like to stop off awhile and
investigate, but the train moved
on and I was too late. We then
ran up to Winslow and took
breakfast. We were told that six
miles south, there were petrified
forest trees that had fallen one
hundred years ago, lay as they
fell, a petrified rock..
We found more unoccupied ter
ritory in Arizona than any other
place outside the Great Desert.
There is so much rock near the
surface. However, we have seen
several herds of cattle today.'
We also saw numbers and num
bers of goats being- herded the
same as cattle and sheep. We.
saw cow boys going and coming.
I (To bcontintwd next week.)
V
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