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New York Womans' Press Club:
Miss M. V. Lewis. Miss Lewis joined the party in San Francisco and accompanied
it on the three days' trip to Del Monte and San Jose.
Chicago German Pre.ss Club:
Emil Hoechster and wife.
Cleveland Wo.men's Pr
mim
JliBli . ^ i ^\fk fiiJMO S MJiliiiiJilM, -
Tin-: (iMAiiA "hee" lu ilium;.
Rosewater. The building in which we were entertained is claimed
to cover more square feet of surface than any other newspaper
edifice in the world, and it certainly is a splendid as well as a
spacious establishment. It is built of granite, and is eight stories
high, enclosing a large square court covered over with glass, thus
insuring light to every apartment. From its lofty roof an extended
view was obtained of the city, which impressed all who inspected it
from that point as being the home of a remarkably enterprising and
energetic people. Broad, well paved streets were lined with rows of
magnificent structures, and traversed in all directions with cable and
electric railroads. On every side were bustle and business activity.
The welcoming addresses having been appropriately responded to by
the travelers, the entire party were rapidly raised by elevator to
the Press Club rooms on the upper floor of the building, where an
hour was charmingly spent in conversation. A tidy lunch was served,
to which ample justice was done, and the punch that washed it down
is still fondly talked of by the New York delegates. At four o'clock
we re-embarked and were under way again towards the Pacific. That
evening on the train was marked by one of the characteristic incidents
of the trip, a feature that probably had never before had its counter-
l)art. After dinner Mr. J. C. Yager, of the Wagner Company, had
the waiters remove all the tables from the dining ear and replace them
with camp chairs, produced from some place of storage whose location
was one of the many i)ermanent mysteries of the journey. Everybody
thereupon repaired to that car and spent the evening in a most enjoy-
able manner, listening to addresses and recitations by Mr. J. Seaver
Page, Foster Coates, Marshall P. Wilder, Mr. Willie Wilde, and to
some excellent vocalization, of which our musical leader, Pearsall,
with the stentorian lungs, was the manager and conductor.
What the visiting party did not learn concerning the City
of Denver, the Queen City of the Plains, is not likely to be
27
acquired by newspaper writers of the present generation. By the
admirable arrangements of the Committee of Reception an
opportunity was afforded the Eastern travelers to do up that city
in exhaustive style, or as nearly so as was practicable within the
compass of a single day and evening. The train arrived at the
Denver depot at 10.35 a. m. on Saturday, January gth, and the
excursionists were welcomed by representatives of the local
newspapers, the Chamber of Commerce, the Real Estate Exchange,
and the railroad companies that center at that important city.
The strong bond of interest existing between the manipulators of
rates and traffics, pools, and short and long hauls, was shown by
the warm interest taken in the excursionists by the railroad men.
Among those who greeted the newcomers were General Ticket
Agent Ady, of the Union Pacific ; S. K. Hooper, General
Passenger Agent of the Rio Grande ; Assistant Passenger Agent
Wadleigh, of the same line ; C. G. Burkhardt, of the North-
western ; City Passenger Agent Erbb, of the Union Pacific ;
Commodore Trufant, Superintendent of the Union Depot ; J. P.
Flynn, C. H. Titus, Editor Arkins and others. Members of the
Chamber of Commerce and the Denver Real Estate Exchangfe
were: S. M. Allen, Biddle Reeves, R E. Gurley, B. L. Sholtz,
John Crawford and L. M. Townsend, of the Interior Land and
Improvement Company, an old newspaper man of New York.
The Reception Committee had everything arranged on a broad
scale for tiie visitors' entertainment. Carriages in ai)undance were
in waiting at the depot and the guests were driven rapidly to the
elegant Metropole Hotel. Two or three hours were given to the
ladies to rest in the sumptuous apartments of that establishment,
while their male escorts visited the newspaper offices and took
in the sights generally, after which, fortified with a hearty lunch,
the carriages were resumed and the procession wound its way
28
rilJ HOltL MEir ILIE — IkWlK
through the long, level, unpaved, but smooth, well shaded and
watered streets of Denver, and past all the noteworth}^ buildings,
public and private, of that wonderful city, located in 1858 as a
mining camp in a desolate prairie
region just this side of the shadows
of the Rocky Mountains, which loom
up about fourteen miles to the West-
ward. Some of the enormous smelting
works on the outskirts of the city were
also visited, and an insight was gained
of the subtle processes by which rough
ores are transmuted into precious metals.
Dinner followed, after which the entire
party visited the two theatres then in
operation in the city, one at the
Metropole Hotel and the other the
splendid Tabor Grand Opera House,
and at the termination of the performances they were transported
back to their train, and at i a. m. were again speeding Westward,
now on the tracks of the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad.
Leaving Denver about i a. m., the train three hours later
reached Colorado Springs, where, however, it stopped for only a
few moments. It had been the expectation of the Pike's Peak
Press Club and the Chamber of Commerce that the visitors
would be permitted to remain there for a short time to be shown
the sights of the locality, but the delay could not be afforded.
However, copies of the morning papers were left on the train,
and before the breakfast hour was over all the passengers were
aware that they had passed through "the Sanitarium City of the
West." A similar fact was impressed upon their minds at several
other places they visited during the trip.
29
The ride from Denver was refreshing to exhausted humanity.
Sight-seeing was ahxady beginning to pall upon the senses. When
the party awoke on the morning of Sunday, January loth, they
found themselves plunging into the very heart of the Rocky Mount-
ains. At seven o'clock they were all routed out from their
comfortable berths to inspect the wonderful jiathwav nature had
riven through the rocky barrier that forms the continent's liack-
bone, the Grand Canyon of the Arkansas, better known to tourists
as the "Royal Gorge." Here, between majestic walls two
thousand feet in height, wonderful engineering skill had contrived
a roadwa\' that seemed to be carved for the special purpose through
the solid rock. Gazing ujjwards to the opening in the rift, far
overhead, that seemed to touch the heavens, one felt like
exclaiming with the Psalmist: "Lift up your heads, O ye gates;
and be ve lifted up, ve everlasting doors ; and the King of glory
shall come in." At a point where the Arkansas I^iver is spanned
i)y a bridge suspended by iron braces from the overhanging cliffs
on either side, the train was halted, and the passengers were
invited to step out into the freezing cold to be photographed
l)V an artist whom Passenger Agent Jerome had enticed for that
purpose from Denver. Their pictures being instantlv frozen fast
tt) the negative, the i)art\' held a brief Service of Song, under
the leadershi]) of Mr. Alfred E. Pearsall, of the New York
Press Club, "Our (_)wn," as he is familiaily known by his associates
in that organization, who, climbing to a giddy height on the rocky
wall of the canyon, sang with power and sweetness "America," in
which he was joined with vigorous earnestness by the entire
party. Probai)ly that was the first Sabbath service ever held in
that remote and hardly accessible chasm. Under way again, the
train labored up a steep grade, seeking the crest of the Rocky
Mountains. It found it, too, for at three in the afternoon
3°
THE PRESS CLUll I'ARTV STllI'l'lM', lO BE I'UOTOGKAl'UICl I IN THE
HE CANYON UK THE ARKANSAS, SUNDAY, JANUARY lOTH.
Leadville was rt-achcd, at an elevation of ten thousand, two
hundred feet above the level of the sea, a fact which speedily
made itself apparent to lunys with weak pumping power attach-
ments. The visitors having heard much of that famous mining
camp were deeph' interested in such portion of it as was not
hidden from their view bv the deep snow. Several of the towns-
people being at the depot with sleighs, an impromptu invitation
was extended to the visitors to take a short ride, which was par-
ticipated in with hilarious satisfaction. After leaving Leadville and
GI.ENWllcin SPKINCS, col.o., WIIERK TIIF. I'RKSS I.KAllUF. I'ARTY ISATIIF.D IN A SM IW STORM,
JAMARV lOTH, 1S92.
surmounting the Rockv Mountains at Tennessee Pass, at an eleva-
tion of ten thousand, four hundred and eighteen feet, the train
resumed its rapid jjace on the down grade, and the run that
afternoon through tiie sublime canvon of the (irand River was a
most enjovable experience. Shortly after dark the train stopped at
TUK CANYON OK THE liRAMJ, COLOKADo.
Glen\V()t)d Spring;s. A blinding snowstorm i)revailed, through
which tiif party was conveyed in sleighs alwut a quarter of a mile
to a luxurious hotel, resplendent with electric lights, and furnished
in the most approved style of modern artistic decoration. Here
was enjoyed one of the most remarkable experiences of the
entire journey. The hotel stands on the edge of a pool of
steaming hot water sup]jlied from a mineral spring whose
temperature is one hundred and twenty degrees, and its outpour
two thousand gallons per minute. In the bathing pool at the
house the temperature of the water is considerably reduced, and
the gentlemen of the party, donning bathing suits, plunged in
for a warm out-of-door bath, while the ladies on an ui)per
balconv, protected bv umbrellas from the storm, threw snow-balls
at the bathers. It really was a very remarkable sight. The night
was inkv dark, the snow was falling almost in a single sheet,
and the electric lights bareh' penetrated the misty atmosphere to
reveal the heads of the men swimming in the steaming pool.
Every now and then the snow and cold air combined would
induce the bathers to whollv sid)merge themselves, but their heads
would (|uicklv reappear and in a moment would be again incrusted
with snow. Ihe pro|)rietor of the establishment and the |)hysieian
resident there had given full assurances that bathing under those
incongruous conditions was cntirelv harmless. The water was
stronglv imi)regnate(l with salt and sulphur, and open air bathing
is practiced there at all times of the day and in all seasons of
the year. The participants in the batii, after resuming their
traveling attire, found the effect to be rather exhilarating than
otherwise, and none of them derived anv ill conse(|uence fiom
what would in anv other place in the world seem to be a reckless
defiance of hygiene and common sense. An hour and a half
were most agreeably passed in visiting this remarkable point and
34
exploring, in spite of tiie darkness and storm, the medicina
springs with which it is surrounded. Returning to the train the
berths were sought at an early hour, excepting by a few of the
more devoutly inclined, who sat up a while longer singing hymns.
Thus was passed the first Sunday of the journey. Glenwood, we
learned from our railroad companions, is situated in a " park "
two thousand, two hundred feet above the sea-level, protected on
every side by lofty mountains, and holding within its limits a
series of hot sulphur springs bursting out of the mountain rocks
forming lakes of large proportions, and making natural bathing
places which by artificial means have been rendered very con-
venient for the use of man. This hot sulphur water, used as a drink
or to bathe in, has been found very efficacious as a remedy in many
diseases, and the volume of water is so great that there seems to
be no limit to the extent to which it may be utilized, or to the number
of people who ma}^ partake of or be benefited by it. Above the
springs, as they rush out of the rocks, are large open caves which,
somewhere within their recesses, must have communication with
the hot sulphur water below, as they are filled with hot
sulphurous vapor or steam, which rushes out from their mouths
in dense clouds. One may enter these caves, divest one's self of
clothing, penetrate as far as the heat will allow, and partake
of a natural hot sulphur vapor bath such as can be had nowhere
else in the world, and which is claimed to be of great remedial or
curative value for many complaints that the human frame is
afflicted with. The Press League excursionists did not penetrate
the mysteries of the locality further than the pools at the hotel.
The region is said to be full of game, and the trout fishing
superb, so every delegate in the party determined in his mind
to wander out that way again, some time, at a more genial
season of the year.
35
On Monday mornino^, January iith, Salt Lake was reached
at elcyen o'clock. A delegation of officials, citizens and news-
paper men from Salt Lake Cit)- met the party at Bingham
Junction in a special train, under the charge of J. H. Bennett,
General Passenger Agent of the Rit) Grande cS: Western Railroad.
Some time preyious to the adycnt of these hospitable gentlemen
there had been placed on the train, at a point one hundred
and fifty miles east of Salt Lake City, copies of the Salt Lake
City Hcra/d of that date, and cards of welcome, on which was
recited the programme of the entertainment prepared for the
passengers during their yisit in the City of Saints. On arriying
at the deiK)t the yisitors were taken in carriages and stages and
man\- in sleighs, as the snow was (piite deep and still falling, and
were driven to the Knutsford Hotel, where a brief interyal was
allowed them for resting in some of the three huncb-ed rooms
which tliis fine hotel contains. The party was increased at this
point b\' the addition to its numbers of Mrs. N'oung, a yery
lively, Boston-looking young lad\%
who enjo)'ed the double honor .
of being the grantUdaughter of
lirigham N'oung, deceased, and the
diyoreed wife of one of that
gentleman's sons. After the dust
of travel had been remoyed, the
\isUors were
taken m earriapes
G & fTolmes >v 4
S»K,s^^^l^>
S5Sii >■'■ '■'■ "'
j„-S„-ii|,S.£[5,l:Sl!
BK iJliH
^S»SSs|
\viii:ki: \\ i. ukkk r..Mi;ki ainkh in
SALT I.AKK cnv.
throughout the city and were
shown all the attractions of the
place, alighting onh' to yisit
the Temi)le and the Tabernacle.
Owing to the incomplete condition of the former, it was not con-
sidered safe to enter it on the slipi)er\' planks that led
36
SOME OK THE BUII.DINCS AND LOCALITIES VISITED AND SEEN IN SALT LAKE CITY.
from the sidewalks. This building is, next to the magnificent
St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York, the grandest and most costly
ecclesiastical structure in the United States. Begun in 1853, it
was said to have cost nearly seven million dollars when, on April
6th, 1892, the last stone was laid, on the thirty-ninth anniversary
of the laving of the corner stone. The edifice is two hunched
feet long, a hundred feet wide and a hundred feet high, with four
towers, one at each corner, two hundred and twenty feet in height.
But figures give only an im])erfect suggestion of its great size.
The walls are ten feet thick, and the massiveness and solidity of
its construction insure its defiance of the ravages of time for ages
to come. It is built wholly of snow-white granite, and, standing
on one of the loftiest points in the cit3% it can be seen for many
miles u|) and down the valley. The Temple is not intended to
be a house of worship, but will be used wholly for conducting the
ceremonial rites of the Mormon ))riesthood. The Tabernacle in
the same square is one of the architectural curiosities of the world.
It looks like a vast terrapin-back or half of a prodigious egg-shell
cut in two lengthwise, and is built whoUv of glass, iron and
stone. It is two hundred and fifty feet long, a hundred and fifty
feet wide and a iiundred feet high in the center of the roof, which
is a single mighty arch, unsupported by pillar or post, and is said
to have but one counterpart on the globe. The walls are twelve
feet thick, and there are twenty huge double doors for entrance
and exit. In the same enclosure is still another spacious struc-
ture, in which, we were informed, were held the regular church
services of the Mormons. It is called Assembly Hall, is of white
granite, of (lothic architecture and has seats for twentv-five
hundred. The ceiling is elaborately frescoed with scenes from
Mormon history, including the delivery of the golden plates,
containing the New Revelation, to the Prophet Joseph Smith by
38
the Angel Moroni. The Hall contains a superb organ of native
woods and iiome workmanship. The visitors received these facts
on faith, as they did not enter the Hall. But the peculiar
architectural features of the Tabernacle were thoroughly exploited,
including the verification of that enormous structure's acoustic
properties. The seating capacit}' of the building is said to be four-
teen thousand. The visitors being stationed at the end furthest
from the raised |ilatform where the vast organ stands, one of the
ASS.lvMlil.\ MAI.l.. Illl, l.,l.l,U..A. I 1
.. :U'.l,.M!i.. It.Ml'LL IN bVLl I AI,I 'IIV,
local committee, enjoining silence, dropped a common pin from his
hand on a board where he was stantling. The sound of that tiny
piece of metal striking the board was distinctly heard by every
person at the distant end of the apartment. Similar experiments
were made by whispering across the room, the voice being in like
manner as distinctly audible as is the case in the world renowned
Whispering Gallery of St. Paul's Church in London. Leaving
that interesting place, the guests were driven past the Tithing
39
House, the Beehive House and the Liun House, half hidden by
the hiiih surrounding wall, the residenee of the late Brigham
Voung, and tlie residenees of eighteen uf his numerous wives;
experienee evitlentlv having shown liini that domestic felicity, when
essayed in such off-hand fashion, et)uld only be approximately
achieved by keeping his spouses in separate residences. The
ladies of the i)artv manifested a decided interest in the evidences
of the peculiar institution which has given Mormondom its
notoriety, but they were wise enough to use great discretion in
the in(|uiries they made of the gentlemen who acted as escorts on
the occasion. On one point the entire party were unanimousl)'
agreed, and that was in admiration of the beautv of Salt Lake
City, its wide streets and its pieturesipie location in the mounlain-
framed valley. The season of the year, however, was not pro-
pitious to seeing Salt Lake City at its greatest advantage, and
the guests were repeatedlv invited to come again later in the year,
when, it was said, the whole city would bear the appearance of a
luxuriant llower garden. The place is raj)idl\- i)eing transferred
into Gentile hands, from those of the ^L)rmons, who founded it
under Brigham \'oung in the summer of 1847. As is fitting to
a city built in a vast wilderness, it was laitl out on a scale of
majestic proportions, the streets being one hundretl and thirt\-two
feet in width and the blocks comprising each ten square acres, the
distance from street to street being ever\\vhere just six hundretl
and si.\t\-six and two-tliirds feet. ( )n each side of every thorough-
fare is a wide ditch of running water from the mountains — the
irrigating system, that at great cost of labor and money converted
the aiid waste on which the .Saints plantetl their settlement into
a latter da\- Paradise. Lver\- house seems to be surrounded by
a lawn and g.irdin or (jrchard. (kit il tlii.' bcLuUv ot the eit\",
its possil)ilil\, ill fact, was due to Moinioii perseverance in tlie
past, its present development is vviiolly owing to the spirit of
modern progress which has actuated it under Gentile control
within the last decade. Since 1880 the population has increased
from twenty-one thousand to nearl\' fifty-five thousand persons,
whose wealth per capita is said to he greater than that of any
other comnnniity in the United States. Think of a town on the
backbone of the continent possessing sixty-five miles of electric
street railways !
Returning to the hospitable Knutsford Hotel, a fine lunch was
partaken of, after which the visitors passed the time in looking
around on their own account. The newspaper offices, the TrihiDie
and the Herald, were visited in force. Many of the ladies
repaired to their apartments to rest. Quite a number of the
travelers, however, acce]ited an invitation from the Union Pacific
Railroad to make a trij) in a special train to Garfield 15each to
get a near-by view of .Salt Lake. I^ater in the day an excursion
was also made to the recently discovered natural gas wells some
miles out of the citv. It was so late in the day that it was dark
when the wells were reached. The spectacle, however, was the
more brilliant on that account, the Gas Company having run out
a line of j)ipe from one of the wells, so that there were ilambeaux
at various points along the path leading from the cars, the
flames in some cases reaching to a height of fully fifty feet. The
Pittsburgh visitors had an opportunity at this point of displaying
their familiarity with natural gas, and had there been any Chicago
representatives in the i)arty, they, too, might have enjoyed a
similar i)rivilege. It was 7.45 v. m. when the excursion train of
six cars returned to the city, and the passengers made a bee line
from the depot to the Tabernacle, where a grand concert hatl
been announced to be given for their special benefit. The Choral
Society of Salt Lake City and the choir of the Tabernacle,
41
numl)crini; juinth' five hundred voices, officiated under the direction
of Conductor Stephens. Prof. Radcliffe performed on the magnifi-
cent organ, said to have cost $100,000 and to he the second
largest in the world. It is fifty-eight feet high and contains two
thousand six iiundred and forty-eight jjipes. A delightful
programme was performed 1)\' the monster combination of local
talent, and the visitors likewise took a hantl in the entertainment
by pressing Mr. Pearsall into giving one of his excellent
recitations, which was followed by Marshall P. Wilder, who
amused the audience with a scries of droll anecdotes. 'this
circumstance is the more significant from the fact that it was tiie
first time that the Tabernacle had been lent to such purely
secular uses as those represented bv the two gentlemen trom
New York, and it was understood afterward that n'c had just
anticipated the date when, by an edict of tiie rulers of the
church, the edifice could never again be similarh' used.
Messrs. Wilder and Pearsall were accordingly congratulated
ujjon being personally concerned in an epoch in the ecclesiastical
history of Mormondom. The wliole affair was exceedingl\- enjoy-
able, outside of its qualified historic significance. Returning to the
hotel, after an agreeable collation, a l)rillicUil reception was given
to the visitors, which was participated in i)\- most ol the promi-
nent citizens — Gentile and Mormon— of the place. The guests
were gathered in a s])acious dining hall ol the hotel, and Judge
O. W. Powers, of Illinois, who occupied the chair for the e\'en-
ing, delivered a charming welcoming address. lie was followed
by Gov. Thomas, after whom followed brief and telling addresses
by the President of the League, Mi'. T. j. Keeiian ; Judge
Goodwin, in behalf of the "Rocky Mountain i'ress"; Kate Field,
in behalf of " Woman as a Business Man": the lion, (icorge O.
Cannon, the distinguished Mormon leader, who, as a pioneer
42
printer, spoke for the "Hand-Cart Brigade"; Mr. Keeler, of
Boston, in response to tiic toast, "The Salt Lake of the East";
the Hon. W. H. King, for "One of Utah's Best Crops";
Ex-Go V. West, as speeding
the departing guests; Mr.
Coates, of New York, on
behalf of Press Clubs gen-
erally, and Fred. Simon, on
behalf of Utah in the con-
MlbS KAJK FIELD, CJF W ASI 1 1 M, I i iN, 1)
.MRS. FRANK LESLIE.
Crete and abstract. In addition to
the speeches of the evening, some
charming vocalism was rendered by
Miss Lillie Snyder; Mrs. Frank
Leslie repeated a stirring poem on
the onward progress of "Columbus";
a recitation was given by Miss Elita Proctor Otis, of New York,
and a series of laughable stories were told by Marshall P. Wilder,
who, with the recollection still strong on him of his performance
43
at the Temple, was in cheerful vein, and was repeatedly recalled to
the frunt. The evening passed quickly in that delightful manner,
and it was one o'clock in the morning when the party again found
themselves on their train, speeding yet further westward towards
the Pacific.
Brief glimpses were obtained at intervals of the Great Salt
Lake as the train swept along its southern shore, and at 3 a. m.
on January 12th our hospitable hosts of the Rio Grande &
Western Railroad were bidden a reluctant farewell as we were
switched on to the Southern Pacific Railroad, in whose charge we
were to remain for the following twelve days. The entire day
was passed in overcoming the Sierra Nevadas, ami when evening
arrived and we were being whirled through the canyons and the
snow-sheds of that majestic range of mountains, the whole party
were assembled in the dining car to listen to the reading of a
"newspaper," the several contributions to which were prepared
daring the day by some of the more enterprising of the delegates,
under the editorial supervision of Mr. Foster Coates. It was the
first evening paper ever brought out in that section of the conti-
nent, and i)rt)bably nowhere else on the continent has a new
journalistic enterprise ever made sucii rai)id headwa\'. The next
morning fuund us in Auljurn, California.
Chapter II.
Convention Days.
JANUARY 13-20, 1892.
'p AUBURN we were suddenly introduced to
California, and to say that our introduction was
a revelation to the entire party would be far from
exaggeration. Placer County, in which we now
were, is called the "Gateway" to the Golden State.
With the snowdrifts in full view around us and
the Arctic cold of the Sierra Nevadas still fiesh in our
memories, we seemed, on that warm, sunshiny morning,
to have passed through the gateway that leads directly from
perpetual winter to everlasting summer. Here, indeed, was the
complete realization of the poet's ideal Auburn,
"Where smiling spring its earliest visit paid.
And parting summer's lingering blooms dela^'ed."
The train passing through an immense arch of oranges and flowers
drew up at a depot resplendent with floral decorations. Among
a variety of devices the word "Welcome" greeted us above the
platform, framed with golden oranges. The decorative possibilities
of the orange were visible at nearly every house in the place. A
committee of citizens was on hand with carriages, and the party
was conveyed to two hotels, the Putnam and the Freeman House,
where excellent breakfasts were discussed, which, as we had arisen
from our Wagner couches at an unusually early hour, were
particularly welcome. The champagne cocktails of native vintage
45
that were set before us as a preliminary to tlie meal might, under
such circumstances, have prompted a responsive thrill in the heart
of the most unmitigated apostle of Prohibition. But the magnificent
flowers and the decorations of fruit with which the tables and
apartments overflowed, were, next to the charming ladies
who gave the grace of their presence to welcome us to
California, the most
striking features of that
l)rilliant and memor-
able morning. Break-
fast finished, and two
or three short greet-
ings having been inter-
changed b\' the orators
on both sides, to car-
riage again, to visit the
Citrus Fair in "The
Pavilion," a newly erec-
ted theatre, where the
reality of that land of
sun and flowers, in
which the fruit harvest
reaches from January
to December, was dis-
played in a manner none of the visitors had ever dreamed of.
Besides apples, pears and plums, in great abundance and variety,
oranges, lemons, grapes, figs, dates, olives, almonds and other tropical
fruits and products were massed about the luiilding in tasteful
shapes and in vast quantities, the growth of that section of Northern
California comprising ten counties which a few years ago were
hardly known of as agriculturally capable. Thirty-six varieties of
46
SA< I;\MlMoS okvMjL AKLil Al ALBUKN, CAL.
oranges, and six of lemons, all large, highl\r colored and well
rounded fruit, constituted two only of the host of displays on
exhibition there, that gladdened all the senses. Among the v^aried
devices, a conspicuous one was a monster horn of plenty, made
entirely of oranges, and pouring from its capacious mouth a
stream of luscious fruits, the exhibit of Sutter County.
OJK.NUCwl'IA \' the (ioverning Board before we left Xew York.
It is no spirit of vanity that impels the assertion that we i)resented
a splendid ajijiearance as we rode through and around San Francisco
that morning, for it is only a surmise on the writer's part, based
upon the attention the procession evervwhere attracted. Some
were in coaches, some in commodious stages and some contented
themselves on the top of a tally-ho, whose four spirited horses were
"tooled" by no less a personage than our host, "Lucky Baldwin,"
to whom the turnout belonged. After climbing some of the seven
hills on which San Francisco, like Rome, is founded, we were driven
56
AUciLl'll SL'TRl).
GOLDEN (;ATE KROM THE TERRACE AT
SUTRO HEIGHTS.
through the beautiful Golden Gate Park, where our hosts
informed us "there are no keep-off-the-grass signs, and where the
whole population has room to breathe. In June or December,
winter or summer, there are acres of
flowers and all out of doors. The
deer have a valley to themselves, the
buffalo have a whole hillside. One
part of the Park is for the children
alone. There are hills and meadows,
thick woods and beautiful lawns,
miles of glorious drives and shady
walks. The Park extends to the
ocean beach, where the billows of the great Pacific ceaselessly break
and roar." All this we verified, and enjoyed immensely. An hour
was spent inspecting the manifold beauties of the Conservatory,
where a dav would have been too short a time for making a perfect
examination, and, finally, down a steep hill and up a steeper one,
and we entered the beautiful grounds belonging to Adolph Sutro, of
Nevada silver mining and Comstock tunnel fame. Just before
arriving, we were met bv Mr. Sutro himself, mounted on a spirited
thoroughbred, which he rode with
dignified grace, who escorted us
around the winding roads, amid
groves and flower beds and statuary,
to the Cliff House. There we found
ourselves face to face with the
Golden Gate, with the Pacific Ocean
spreading its vast expanse before us,
shimmering almost without a ripple
in the brilliant sunshine. Near at hand were the famous Seal Rocks,
covered with hundreds of those curious phocids, with the bland
SEAL ROCKS SEEN FROM SITRO HEIGHTS.
57
countenances of statesmen and the slippery habits of poHticians,
sunning themselves in affectionate groups as they harked their
welcome to the visitors. A detailed inspection was made of the
princely domain, which Mr. Sutro has transformed from a sand-
hill into a Golden State Eden by the exercise of the same
Californian magic as that with which he had raised himself from
poverty to cons|)icuous wealth, after which lunch was served on
LUNCiltDN ON IIIK I'llKllI nV iilK sUTKu RliSIUli.NCH, JAMAUY I4III, IO92.
the porch of the Sutro residence, where two long tables were laid,
whose onlv shelter was an awning for protection from the sun.
This e,\([uisite repast, partaken of amid ripening fi'uits and
blooming llowers itn the shore of the Pacific ( )ccan in the open
air in januarw was the forerunner of man\' contrasts with home
experiences which the \isitors were alxiLU to lia\'e brought to
their attention. Xo subse(|LuiU occasion on the enlin' journe\'
58
weakened the deep impression of that elegant entertainment or in
any degree conflicted with the agreeable remembrances that were
imparted by the brilliant spectacle of a winter out-door festivity,
where all the attributes of wealth, hospitality, beauty, intellect
and nature's most charming aspects were so skilfully and so
harmoniously blended.
Fully two hours were occupied in discussing the lunch, the
menu being contrived of dishes peculiar to the California region,
seasoned with wines and fruits of native growth. A few short
speeches succeeded the repast, Mr. Sutro leading in words of
cordial greetino;, followed bv Messrs. Berri, Welshons and Paee.
At three o'clock the party broke up and the visitors were driven
back to San Francisco, past the Golden Gate and through the
entire breadth of the beautiful military
reservation of the Presidio. Late in
the afternoon the opening session of
the Convention was held in the Press
Club rooms in Pine Street, and in the
evening a brilliant reception was held
at the same place, which was graced
by the presence of the leading repre-
sentatives of San Francisco's social
worth and feminine beauty. The handsome clulj rooms were
charmingly arrayed for the occasion, the walls being hung with paint-
ings and decorated with tasteful adornments. \"ases of palms and
ferns were artisticalh' disposed, the deep green of their spreading
leaves making a reposeful background to the brilliant kaleidoscopic
effects of color that gleamed and fluttered on the floors in
constantly changing combinations.
The effect was in everv wav charming' to the senses. During
the evening an excellent musical programme by several prominent
59
MR. SUTRO S AQ'uARIL'M .\NI) HATHS
AT THIi CLIFF HOUSF.
artists was rendered. The visitors in whose honor the entertain-
ment was given were overwhelmed with attentions, their hosts leaving
nothing undone that graceful hospitality, coupled with considerate
forethought and controlled bv cultured taste, could devise for their
gratification. It was on this evening that the Eastern party arrived
at the unanimous conclusion, which was reiterated daily during their
stay in California, that the immediate occasion, whenever and wher-
ever it occurred, was the most delightful e.\])erience of the whole
journey. When enjoyment is thus steadily and progressively aug-
mented, how inadequately weak words are to give it proportionate
expression. It is, of course, impracticable within the scope of the
present narrative to enter into minute details of what was done
and who did it, or what was said and who said it, or what was
seen and who provided it, at all the enjoyable gatherings which
greeted the travelers along their route. Something must be left to
the reader's imagination, and even that flexible facultv may be
vigorously strained and 3'et not stretch to the full gauge of the
subject. The San Francisco Press Club reccjition, however,
possessed a special interest, as, excepting the committee who had
received us at Auburn, it was the first time that we had been
brought collectively into personal communication with the
gentlemen of whose hospitalities we were partaking. To the
visitors, at least, the relationship thus set on foot was most
ajTreeable. The entertainment had an additional attractiveness in
the introduction it afforded us to a brilliant element of San
Francisco society. The bar, the bench, the pulpit and the armv
were all conspicuously represented, besides the leading lights of
the city's literary and artistic circles, and as to the ladies there
present, suffice it to say that thev were in everv respect charming
and attractive. Press Club entertainments of that order are not
often witnessed in anv citv.
60
The morning of Friday, January 15th, was ushered in by
rosy-fingered Aurora with the brilliancy of its predecessor for the
special delectation of the Eastern visitors. The Pacific newspaper
men must have made some special arrangement with the weather
bureau, for although according to the almanac the rainy season
was at its height, the rains ceased to fall on the day before the
Wagner train arrived at Auburn, and sunshine prevailed constantly
while the party remained in California. This second day was spent
on the water, visiting by special steamer, the " Relief," the points of
interest that skirt the beautiful Bay of San Francisco. A number
of ladies and gentlemen from the city accompanied the party, and a
fine brass band lent its melody to the every way delightful trip.
The Union Iron Works, on Mare Island, where, under the conduct
of Mr. Irving M. Scott, several Gov-
ernment war vessels, including the
"Monterey" and the "California,"
were in process of construction, were
thoroughly inspected, and the excur-
sionists were then taken around Fort
Point and through the Golden Gate
to the Seal Rocks, which they had
viewed on the previous day from the
beautiful terraces of the Sutro domain. The progress of the tug
through the harbor was greeted by the dipping of flags and firing
of guns by the vessels it passed. Thence the boat steamed to lovely
Sausalito, where the voyagers were regaled with a sparkling luncheon
at the quarters of the Pacific Yacht Club. This repast, apart from
its own intrinsic merits, was noteworthy as being the one and only
one public meal partaken of by the travelers during the month of
January, 1892, at which no speeches were permitted. The orators
of the party bore their deprivation with reasonably good grace,
61
THE GOLDEN GA I K Al Fc.iRT POINT.
and the listening element did not seem to have their appetites
seriously affected by the omission. About three o'clock the
return trip began and the steamer visited San Pablo Bay and
passed through Roccoon Straits, heading about for home on
arrivmg at Red Rock. It was five o'clock when the lines were
made fast to the Clay street pier. Some of the party hastened
to the Palace Hotel, where a reception was being given to the
Eastern ladies under the auspices of the Pacific Women's Press Club.
The guests were cordially received and most handsomeh' enter-
tained in exquisitely decorated apartments by a committee of ladies,
conspicuous among whom were Mrs. de Young, Mrs. Hugh Hume,
Mrs. Townsend, Mrs. Frona E. Wait, Mrs. Christien and Mrs.
Black. By the delegates the remainder of the day until late
dinner time was devoted to the affairs of the Convention. As this
narrative, however, relates exclusively to the business activities that
marked the journey, no note is taken of the occasional hours of
relaxation enjoyed in Convention diversions. Those agreeable
episodes are duly recorded in Secretar}' Price's Report, where, also,
are described, with official elegance, various fascinating accompani-
ments of the Convention, including the first half of the "Open
Session" that was held that evening at the Powell Street Opera House,
the unrecorded second part being a midnight inspection of " China-
town " by the visitors, who explored that unsavory celestial colony
in the heart of San Francisco in several detachments, each under
the guidance of a detective officer. It is not essential to go into
detail regarding what was seen and smelled that night. The list
would comprise highbinders, joss houses, fruit venders, theatres, tea
stores, opium joints, lodging houses and subterranean dives, ranging
in elegance from the pretentious temples, with their gilded and
carved ornaments, to the underground places of abode whose
chief advertisement was an all-pervading, insinuating, soul-crushing
62
A GROUP OF DELEGATES FROM EAST AND WEST.
M. P. iMuRrHY, Julius Miehle,
P. C. Boyle,
Dr. Fkiederich, J. P. Damjman,
Julius Schmal,
T. Henry Martin.
and utterly indescribable stencii. If the two and seventy several
and well-defined stenches which Coleridge analyzed in the city of
Cologne could be combined and concentrated into one vaporous
fusion, the result would be a savory suggestion of Araby the Blest
in comparison with the fetid effluvium in which the home life of
San Francisco Chinatown is perpetuallv immersed. With the
understanding imparted by the guides that there were yet lower
degrees of filthiness in the Chinese section than had been
exhibited, the satiated visitors, with unanimous impulse, determined
to return to the hotel. The record of that evening would be
incomplete without mention of the entertainment given by the
German Press Clul) to the Fatherland's contingent of the League
delegation. The affair was informal and jolly — " Ganz famos"
as one of the party declared the next day. Speeches were made,
songs were sung, reminiscences were exchanged, and beer — and
that onlv — was drunk, and the hour iiand was reaching out
vigorously toward the time for another day to dawn when, with
cordial "Adc: An/ WicderschcnJ' and earnest handshakes, the
party broke up.
On Saturday, January i6th, everybody was routed out at an
uncomfortably earlv hour, considering that none had retired until
lonir after one in the morning. But our hosts were inexorable.
Indications were beginning to manifest themselves on the part of
the visitors of a disposition to settle permanently in San I-'rancisco,
and it was indispensable that they shouUl be remo\'ed from the
place before the complaint became chronic. Accordingly, at eight
o'clock a special train furnished by the Southern Pacific Railroad
Company steamed out from San Francisco with two hundred
passengers on board, bound for a three days' excursion to
Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Jose. The writer of these pages
was especially gratified by the companionship on this excursion
64
of an esteemed friend, Mr. Arpad Haraszthy, the well known
viticulturist, whose extensive wine cellars are prominent objects of
interest in San Francisco, and to whom he was indebted for
repeated courtesies during his stay in that city. It was a
charming day as the train rattled along the shore of the beautiful
Bay and afterward through the fertile Santa Clara Valley, whose
abundant vegetation, already far progressed towards rij)ening,
made the frozen fields of the East, so lately traversed, seem
immeasurably distant. The first stop was at Menlo Park and
the Palo Alto stock farm of Senator Leland Stanford, where the
party disembarked and were shown the equine treasures of the
farm, including the famous stallion, Palo Alto, the champion
trotter of the world, of fabulous value, but fated to die from
pneumonia a few months later. After visiting the training track
and witnessing how the young animals are broken to their gait,
carriages were taken to the Leland Stanford, Jr., University, the
grandest monument to paternal affection in existence, and destined
to become one of the leading educational institutions in the world.
President Jordan received the party with a hearty welcome and
escorted them through the grounds and buildings. This institution
was founded bv Senator Stanford, of California, in memory of
his only son, Leland Stanford, Jr., who died a few years ago
while pursuing his education abroad. The total present endow-
ment is estimated at $20,000,000, which includes twenty thousand
acres of the land surrounding it. The preliminary buildings had
recently been completed at the time of our visit and the
universitv opened with over four hundred students on its rolls.
The set of buildings wiiich we saw in use are in the form of a
large quadrangle, surrounded by one-story structures of dove-
colored stone, which, on the inner side facing the quadrangle have
cloistered porches, extending all around and broken by handsome
65
arches that serve for entrances to the inner court. The buildings
aheady erected form the nucleus for a city of schools which it is
expected will extend for several miles. Already there were in
'T'>MMV ' EVANS, THE VHUNGEST IIELEGATE IN THE I'AK 1 V.
them a large number of regular departments of the university,
laboratories, lecture rooms, lil)raries, workshops, etc., in full
operation.
Again we were speeding in the cars past farms and vineyards,
00
THh: HOTEL DEL MoNTK AND ITS SUKKOUMJINllS.
through the smiHng Santa Chira \'alley, until at one o'clock
the train arrived at Monterey, and, after passing through a
handsome park-like grove, the magnificent Hotel Del Monte, encom-
passed by one hundred and thirty acres of forest and garden,
opened its hospitable doors, and the realm of fairyland was
entered. Here, in mid-January, in a wilderness of flowers and
verdure, surrounded by a vast wooded park, in which are embodied
all the exquisite possibilities of skillful landscape gardening, near
the shores of a bay as blue as that of Naples, stood a palace, a
masterwork of artistic taste, the culmination of refinement and
luxury. The whole scene was like a realization of a delightful
vision of the imagination. The soft, reposeful charm of Monterey
Bay has received expression in the following lines published in
the Calif o)-iiia Magazine :
On sea-washed rocks a dainty lichen grows ;
Back from the shore are lofty cypress trees ;
And in the waves the frail anemones
Softly their purple fringes ope and close.
A lonely gull on slow wing seaward goes ;
A shallop drifts before the freshening breeze ;
P'ull are the lingering hours of calm and ease ;
Full is the soul, world-weary, of repose.
The wind is singing to the monotone
Of the deep tides; and singing in the pines.
Through whose soft waving foliage lightly shines
The sun on silver beaches as it shone
Twelve decades past, when from the branches swung
The Mission bells that Junipero hung.
Monterey is one of the quaintest and most interesting places
in California. Located by its Si)anish discoverer, \'izcalno, in
1602, it was here that nearly two centuries later the old Mission
08
Fathers first established themselves, and their little cluster of adobe
houses, and the churches in which they ministered to their savage
flocks, still stand on the shore of the bay, facing the Pacific
Ocean, dreamy reminders of the days of Junipero Serra, when
the king of Spain yet claimed that region as ])art of his domain.
A granite statue marks the spot where Padre Junipero landed in
1770, and not far distant, in strange historic contrast, are the ruins
of Fremont's Fort, where, in 1847, the "Pathfinder" first raised
the bear-emblazoned flag, when the golden State was wrested
from Mexico. The experiences of that afternoon will never be
forgotten. The delightful ride of eighteen miles to wave-dashed
Cypress Point, along broad, smooth avenues, now skirting the
very water's edge, now passing through dense pine and live oak
forests, or traversing the California Chautauqua, Pacific Grove,
or through quaint settlements of Chinese fishermen, then bringing
up by the sea shore at an abrupt point, beyontl whicli are ledges
of rocks covered with seals, is, beyond any question, one of the
grandest drives in the world. At one point it passes through
a grove of singular trees, found only in one other place on earth.
They are cedars of Lebanon, the original slips of which were said
to have been brought from the Holy Land by the Jesuit Fathers.
Apparently twisted and wrenched by time and tempest, they
present a curious appearance, with their short, gnarled trunks,
surmounted by spreading masses of dark green foliage so flattened
down as to be impervious to sunshine or rain. {3nly in Dore's
pictures are such trees elsewhere seen. After the drive, the
welcome banquet, and then a restful interval, followed bv a lively
ball, the first magical suggestion of which dispelled the weariness
with which, down to that moment, the feminine element of the
party had been nearly overcome. And that lovely evening! Mid-
winter though it was, the air was soft and balmy, and redolent
O9
with the delicious odors of a myriad beds of flowers. A mild
zephyr from the Pacific imparted a tremulous motion to the
everywhere overhanging foliage, through which the rays of the
moon quivered and flickered in fitful Hashes to the earth. Nature's
repose is her most inviting aspect. The temptation for a mid-
night stroll was irresistible, and, too, the lights in the Club House
near by beamed with such hospitable suggestion !
Early on Sunday morning we reluctantly left Monterey,
feeling, as we felt at departing from each place we visited, that
the glory of the journey was over, and that the future had little
to offer in comparison with past enjoyments — a feeling, by the
wav, which evaporated with corresponding regularity within thirty
minutes after each place had passed from sight. Arriving in two
hours at Santa Cruz, we were driven out to what some called the
Natural I3ridge, where we found
a seaside observatory on a rocky
point at the end of a cable road, ^^ _
and where we were regaled with
grapes and wine, besides which
some enthusiasts claimed to have
had a momentary sight of a
veritable Pacific Ocean whale,
"spouting" in the sea. (Jn our
return to the town we were
transferred to a narrow gauge
i)rancb of the Southern Pacific
Railroad, and in the course of
half an hour's climb up the
Santa Cruz Mountains wc were
at "Big Tree Station," inspecting with great satisfaction a grove
of colossal redwood forest monarchs. These are not the famous
IISRKVAI I'HV Al i:lE NAUKAL liKlDCU'.,
SANTA CRIV..
7°
'• big trees " of Calaveras and Mariposa, but they are plenty big
enough to justify the name they bear and to be entitled to fame
on their own account, one specimen having a diameter of twenty
feet and an alleged height of over three hundred. As Emerson
says, "they have a monstrous talent for being tall." They belong
to the species sequoia scvipcrvire)is, and, like their larger cousins,
the sequoia gigantea, of the Sierra Nevadas, they are regarded
by scientific know-alls as sur\'ivals of a period of the world's
history when, with the prevalence of a more humid atmosphere
than now obtains, they were widely distributed, the fossil remains
of some of them having been found as far north as the frozen
soil of Greenland. The name Sequoia was that of an ingenious
Cherokee Indian, who invented the Cherokee alphaljet, and it was
bestowed upon the- Californian redwood liy a German botanist,
Endlicher, in 1847, about five years before the Calaveras grove
was discovered. But the redwood is a favorite tree in California,
being admirably adapted for cabinet work and general building
purposes, and these majestic relics of an uncertain antiquity are
rapidly disappearing before a foe more promptly destructive than
the diminishing humidity of the atmosphere. The big redwood
grove near Santa Cruz is justly regarded as one of the most
interesting features of that picturesque coast range region. One
veteran, whose trunk near the earth has been hollowed out bv
fire, would give comfortable standing room to fully thirty persons
in its charred interior, and there are others in the grove yet
larger. Having bestowed due admiration upon the big trees^
we speeded on to San Jose, the capital of Santa Clara County,
where we were received with enthusiastic welcome by a committee
of citizens, who escorted us in fine style to most agreeable quarters
in the handsome hostelrv, the Hotel \'endome, which was
gorgeously decorated with liowers in our honor, Luncheon was
7i
succeeded bv^ a processional drive tiirough the city and its suburbs,
which we found resplendent with Queen Anne cottages and other
tasteful residences, surrounded with fine lawns and well tended
^3
/-^- *'-■ ' . --W lilt. , . .1
Till-. I.ICK OHSKRVATiiRY UN Miil'M HAMII.KIN, NICAU SAN JOSE, CAL.
orchards. Altogether, San jose gave the impression of a suc-
cessful little citv, in which modern ideas of thrift and architecture
are rapidl\- replacing the crudeness of earlier days. The broad
72
streets are traversed by electric railways and are made attractive
to the sight by the frequent occurrence of open squares abounding
in ornamental palms. After a view of the old Mission Church
and a visit to the rooms of the Board of Trade and other
prominent places of interest, we returned at dusk to the Vendome
to prepare for the evening's banquet, which proved to be a
genuinely elegant affair. The entertainment wound up with a con-
cert in the music hall of the hotel, and al)out midnight the travelers
eagerly sought their apartments, thoroughly worn out with the
labors of that busily occupied Sabbath. The day had been spent
in verdant forests and amid blooming flowers. Just one week
previous we had been sleighing at Leadville and bathing in a
blinding snowstorm in the hot pool at Glenwood, Colorado. It
was difficult to bring one's mind to a realizing sense of the
striking experiences we had passed through in that short interval
of time.
The next morning showed the Eastern party to be somewhat
divided in i)urpose. They were universally agreed, however, that
it was necessary to wire their home offices at once for a fresh
supply of adjectives expressive of admiration, the stock with
which they started having been completely exhausted. A large
number set out at seven o'clock in carriages for a mountain
climb of twenty-eight miles, to visit the Lick Observatory, on
Mount Hamilton, escorted by the Mayor and a special committee.
The others, contenting themselves with a distant sight of the
Observatory, where
■' On yon peak against the cloudless sky,
" The guarding eye of science reads the deep,"
in full view from the city, saved themselves the labor of the
mountain ascent, and returned to San Francisco in the early
73
forenoon. The party who made the Mount Hamilton trip had
a glorious ride. The atmosphere was transparently clear, and
the beauties of the Santa Clara X'alley were unfolded in all their
glory of verdant undulation, as the spirited, four-horse teams
speeded along the winding road that connects the low land with
the clouds. Mayor Rucker, of San Jose, the indefatigable Charles
Shortridge, editor of the San Jose Mercury, and their associate
committeemen, in collusion with the \'endome Hotel management,
had sent a corps of waiters in advance with the material for a
roluist lunch, which was attacked and successfully overcome at
Smith's Creek, a few miles below the summit of the mountain.
About one o'clock, at an altitude of 4,400 feet, the great Observatory
was reached, and the travelers at once laid aside all concern
for earthlv matters. Peering through a twelve-inch telescope, a
twinkling light was indicated to them as the star Vega, many
million miles more distant from them than the sun ; so far away,
indeed, that it requires sixteen years for a wave of its light to be
transmitted to the earth. The contemplation of this mysteriously
remote orb giving rise to uneomft)rtable suggestions as to the
distance that intervened between them and heaven, they turned for
comfort to the great instrument sixty feet long, with a thirty-six
inch lens, that showed them Venus, which their educated minds
recop-nized as i)einu in much closer proximity. The wonderful
mechanism of the Observatory's great dome was greatly admired,
its one hundred tons of weight being so delicately poised on wheels
as to revolve readily under the impetus of a moderate shove of
the shoulders. The huge telescope, also, is so accurately adjusted,
that it can l)e moved with the pressure of one's hand. Ever\'
imaginable contrivance of mechanical ingenuity requisite for carrying
into effect the purposes of the institution's founder appears to have
been provided foi that little colony of star-gazers, whose thirty or
74
THREE OF THE FOUNDERS OF THE INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE OF PRESS CLUBS.
Fc'sTEK CoATES, Thomas H. Keenan, Jr., Lvnn R. Meekins.
forty members are supplied with food from San Jose, twenty-eight
miles away, and who, when snow obstructs the mountain roads, are
wholly cut off from intercourse with the outside world. The
descent of the mountain was accomplished with exhilarating rapidity,
and at half-past six o'clock the party were in San Francisco with
time to dine and rest before preparing for the entertainment of
the evening.
That night marked an epoch in the life of every member of
the party. The men were the guests of the San Francisco Press
Club at a banquet in the Palace Hotel, and the ladies were given
a reception by the Pacific Coast Women's Press Association at the
Pleasanton Hotel. Both were memorable events. The steady
succession of agreeable surprises that had marked the entertainments
during the week had inspired the Eastern party with a profound
admiration for the capacity for hospitality possessed by their San
Francisco Press Club hosts. The Palace Hotel farewell banquet
was a fitting culmination of the series, though in some respects it
seemed calculated to result in retarding the parting guests rather
than to speed them on their way. At the main table Mr. Hugh
Hume, President of the San Francisco Press Club, presided, with
(jen. W. H. L. Barnes at his right as toast-master. Next to the
last named gentleman was General Ruger, the popular commander
of the Military Department of the Pacific; and interspersed among
the guests at the table, and at the five others that extended from
it at right angles, were many local celelirities, representing the bar,
the press and the municipal government. The unique mom card
deserves to be perpetuated. It comprised several pages in imitation
of "copy" prepared for printing, fastened together at the upper
end with a cord. On the first page was depicted a bear, holding
in one paw a bottle of ink taken from an open box labeled "The
Press Club of San Francisco." In the background, in letters of
76
gold, was the inscription, " International League of Press Clubs,"
while underneath the whole were the words, " Report of the
Committee on Banquet tendered to the visiting delegates of the
International League of Press Clubs, San Francisco, January i8th,
1892." The vienu was as follows:
To the President and Board of Managers, San Francisco Press
Club :
Gentlemen'. — The committee appointed by you in the matter of the
banquet for the visiting delegates report as follows ;
After a certain amount of highly respectable discussion, it was decided
to hold the banquet at the Palace Hotel. There are, of course, many finer
and more pretentious hostelries than this in our city and vicinity, but
this strikes a fair average and will give our visitors something of an idea
how the San Francisco newspaper man lives during 365 days in the year.
^ ^%\\t Cjdursics — • • •
Which is the most elegant Anglo-Saxon we could extract from M-E-N-U,
we are happy to say, have been determined upon without serious collision
between any of the committeemen, but you will never know the amount
of gray matter expended in the elaboration of the M-E-N-U. (Your next
banquet committee will learn of it through sad experience.) We have
decided to commence with
(fPaUf OKUllt (DysteVS. — This will put our guests at home immediately and
will give them an opportunity of remarking how
superior our bivalve is to that of the effete East.
After this succulent product of our native heath
(?) comes
(Hcuxsomine {Royal) — This is as near as we could come to straight Eng-
lish, as there appeared to be a lack of euphony
about "royal soup."
77
Stovs p'OcUUCCS {Assorted) — There was considerable silence regarding this
item. Only one member appeared familiar with the
subject, and even he admitted that there was some
doubt in his mind as to whether wliat he had once
partaken of was luus d'ocuvres or ])ors dc comhat.
^enncbCC Jilllnton [HoI/and Sam-e), Potatoes Parisian. — "What's the matter
with Sacramento River Salmon ? " was the query
immediately propounded by an obstreperous mem-
ber, but it availed liim nothing, as the committee
were totallv unfamiliar with the rights of minorities.
J>mectbVCUds (-SV. Cloud). — Anent this there was hot discussion, chiefly
regarding the pronunciation of the qualifying
adjunct. When it was learned how the majority
pronounced it, the member hailing from Boston
retired from active duty with the committee.
^KOileil ^iHnshVOOmS. — Unanimously decided upon. Even the doubting
Thomas, who feared the possibility of getting
something not the agaricus campestiis, was carried
away by the popular enthusiasm. After this little
divertisement comes
^ilct Cif i^iCCf {Richelieu), French Peas. — After which comes the piece of
resistance (?) of the evening. (We were told it
was absolutely necessary to use this expression
about something or the banquet would not be
complete. The ordnance editor did the translating.)
©aitUaS'-bacli ^XlClV, Celery Sauce. — There was some discussion as to
whether the ducks should be served with or without
the canvas, but on motion, duly seconded, the mat-
ter was referred back to the head cook, with power
to act. After this, in rapid succession will come
ffioffcc. iJuiucxivs.
78.
^ \
SOME OF THE GUESTS OF THE PRESS CLUB LEAGUE.
Mrs. Dr. Hlntek, Mks. J. H. Yagek, Miss Mattison,
Miss A. Kellogg, Mks. Lv.nn R. Meekins, Mks. T. H, Martin.
While the foregoing affair is being served, it is proposed that the
assembled guests antl occasional hosts partake of
Nock (Napa Valley Wine Company).
Haut Sauterne (Charles A. Wetmore).
Portola Vineyard Claret (E. F. Preston).
riargaux, Souvenir (Charles A. Wetmore).
rioet & Chandon, Brut imperial.
G. H. Mumm, Extra Dry.
By way of parenthesis, we wish to state that it has been your
committee's sole and constant aim to please those who want the earth.
Providence alone knows how near we have come to it.
A trifle weary and travel-stained, and with sincere sympathy for the
concocters of the next banquet, we beg to submit ourselves, your obedient
servants.
The Committee.
The parenthetical allusion to those who wanted "the earth"
was, of course, intended for home application exclusively. The
Eastern delegates on that evening would have been contented to
take San Francisco as their modest share. The speeches that
followed the discussion of the repast have been officially recorded
in the annual report of the League, and it only remains to state
here that throughout the night and until the small hours of the
morrow the reason of the diners was copiously feasted while their
souls overflowed with the inspiring influences of good fellowship
and good cheer.
The Ladies' Reception given by the Women's Press Association,
of California, at the Hotel Pleasanton, was an equally brilliant and
successful affair. There were some outspoken denunciations of the
exclusiveness of the men's banquet, whereby was enforced a
separation of the sexes wholly out of harmony with the professed
principles of the League, but on the whole the ladies proved equal
to the emergency and made a night of it on their own account, of
80
which they will long treasure the remembrance. The guests were
received by a commiltee of the Club in the handsomely decorated
parlors of the hotel, and as very few declinations had been received
to the seven hundred and fifty invitations sent out, the committee
had a tolerably ijusy time. The formal exercises that followed the
introduction of the visitors were begun by Miss Kate Field, who
spoke in warm terms of the useful functions exercised by Press
Clubs in the United States, drawing a line, however, at the point
where men go off to feast by themselves to the utter exclusion of
their professional sisters. But the speakers who followed Miss
Field were so eloquent in their eulogiums of women, and of
journalistic women in particular, that the audience forgot the slight
the men had offered them in rapturous contemplation of their own
transcendent excellences. The reception terminated at midnight,
and was voted by all the participants as having been one of the
most delightful assemblages imaginable.
The ladies to whom the visitors were indebted for their
agreeable entertainment comprised with others the following
committees :
Progranin^e Con^mittee:
Mrs. Ji'LiETTE Mathis, Mrs. Lvi>ia Prescott,
E. O. Smith, " Ai.ict Ki.nc;sbury Coolf.v,
L. .1. WaIKINS, " M. P. JciHNSON,
Miss Makv Lamukki.
Reception :
Mrs. Lii.i.ian Punkkit, Mrs. Frances B. Edcertcin,
Jlta.na AcuLiiY Neal, " Leila Ei.lis,
Juliette Mathis, " Mary Lvnde Hijfe.nlv.n,
LolTSE Hf,\HTIREY SmI I H, " SaRAII B. Cnol'ER,
Miss Minna V. Lewis.
Entertti ii 1 ti lent :
Mrs. Bariiara Knell, .Mrs. I". W. D'Evel\n,
Florence Percy Maiiieson, " Lillian PuNKEir,
Alice Gary Waierman, " Jiliette Mathis.
8i
Tuesday, January 19th, was devoted to concluding the business
of the Convention, and after the adjournment of that body the
visitors dispersed themselves over the city seeing the sights,
inspecting the palaces on Noli Ilill and in other localities dedicated
to wealth anil fashion, and in searching for mementos of the visit
to cany hack to their homes. For this was to be their last day in
San Francisco, antl despite the multifarious excitements of the
preceding week it seemed to the Faslern i)art\ as though they had
enjoyed too little t)pportunity for ac(|uainting themselves with the
characteristics of the Occidental city, wlmse open gates had invited
them to cross the continent and of whose broad-gauged people
they were always thereafter to carry so agreeable a rememlirance.
Accordingly, that was a busily occupied afternoon, winding uj) with
a fine banquet at the hotel, tendered by their host of a week, Mr.
Baldwin. The entire first fioor of the hotel was decorated with
palms, ferns, green trees, smila.x and potted firs, so that the dining
room was entered through a gorgeous bower.
In the evening the clima.x of entertainment was reached in a
reception given in honor of the xisiting delegates b\' Mr. and Mrs.
M. 11. de Voung in their handsome residence on Califoinia street.
There was a cheery informalit\' about that last evening of the .San
Francisco visit, which was especially charming, and the entertainment
throughout was so cordially genial as to avert from it the slightest
tinge of soml)reness that might be predicated of a concerted leave-
taking. This effect was further sustained by the fact thai the host
and hostess were pledged to accompany the travelers throughout
the remainder of their journey in California, an arrangement that
had been greeted with umiualitied satisfaction. There were o\er
four hundred members of San brancisco's choicest society gathered
in the de \'oung mansion, and the evening slijjped merrih' awa\'.
The supper down stairs in the extensive Chinese room drew fortii
82
exclamations of amazement from those who had not previously
seen that wonderful apartment, with its wealth of gorgeous and
grotesque splendor, cunning carvings, rare mosaics and other
curiosities innumerable. Great, however, as was the admiration
elicited by the varied display of Celestial skill, one, after all, could
not avoid feeling a certain triimiphant sense of personal superiority
while sipping Ruinart and Fommery Sec, and discussing the
RECEI'TION ROOM IN M. II. ii VOUiM;^ KliSl Dli.M. K, SAN I'K ANIISCO.
elaborate menu at a talile on which possibly Confucius had written
the " Five Canonical Books " that for the past fourteen centuries
have served as the basis of Chinese literature. Whatever the
anachronism involved, the nineteenth century certainly had the best
of it that evening. But midnight had long since passed, and an
early start must be made on the morrow. Trunks were meanwhile
to be packed and other arrangements to be perfected for the
83
homeward journey. So with lingering grasps of the hands of our
newlv made friends, and mutual expressions of hopes of again
meeting, the last farewells were spoken and the final entertainment
in San Francisco of the Eastern delegates was ended.
It would he out of place, if, indeed, it were practicable, to
refer by name to every person to whom the visitors had l)een
indebted for courtesies and hospitalities during their visit to San
Francisco. To the Press Club Reception Committee, however,
the writer desires to record, for himself and on behalf of his
associates and traveling companions, some faint sense of the
unqualified gratification which the unwearying attentions of that
committee afforded, and to repeat here the wish, that had a
thousand utterances before the party broke up at the journey's
end, that it may be their pleasure and happiness some day to
act in their turn as the hosts and entertainers of those noblemen
of the Pacific Slope. The committee in question comprised
Gen. John F. Sheehan, Chairman ; Hugh Hume, President of the
San Francisco Press Club; O. Black, Secretary; M. H. de Young,
Local Delegate to the League of Press Clubs ; T. T. Williams,
Ross Jackson, John McComb, H. H. Egbert, E. A. Phillips, John
Finlay, Harry Mann, Judge Hunt, T. F. Bonnet, Harry M. Tod,
O. |. Stillwell, E. F. Moran, Samuel Tawing, Samuel Davis, T. J.
Murphy, Jeremiah Lynch, C. M. Palmer, John Lord Love,
George R. Sanderson, James O. Denny, Nat J. Brittan and E. W.
Townsend.
The San Francisco Press Club had, as already shown, welcomed
us on our arrival in glowing words of tempting invitation. Their
farewell dirge was equally characteristic :
" The newspaper men of San Francisco say good-bye to their
visiting brethren of the East with reluctance. The association
has done us good ; and, if we were able, we would hold you
84
here for a fortnight longer. We are heartily glad to know
you, and there is enough testimony in to warrant the belief that
the occasion has not been wholly devoid of interest to yourselves.
" But the fiat of the autocratic body known as the Committee
of Arrangements has gone forth, and you must leave us. May
your homeward journey be safe, and may you carry with you a
pleasant recollection of California and her people. Though you
have seen a deal of California and Californians since your entrance
nito the State, there is still in store for you much which has
never, up to date, failed to attract and hold the interest of the
Eastern visitor. That semi-tropical wonderland of the South, the
land of golden fruits and blossoming flowers and singing birds, the
Italy of America, remains to be explored. At Fresno, where you
are programmed for a day's stay, you will be shown the world's
largest and finest raisin vineyards, and gain an idea of the nature
of our interior midwinter climate.
"For one hundred and fifty miles from Fresno your route lies
through the great San Joaquin Valley, and then, crossing Tehachapi,
some of the difficulties which beset the Southern Pacific Company
will be noted. Then comes the Mojave desert ; it is a novelty,
but we are not proud of it.
" Then comes Los Angeles, the metropolis of the Southern
citrus belt. Here is the earliest home (in California) of the
orange, the lemon, the fig and the vine ; the bananas and pineapples
are now on the list.
" Then come Riverside, San Bernardino and San Diego, all
replete with glories due to Nature's bounteous blessing of soil and
climate.
"Then there is a climl) over the mountains, another desert to
cross and the thing is done. You have left California and are
on your way home.
"Good-by! Come again.
"The Press Club of San Francisco."
If any point of this narrative sustains the inference that while
in California the visitors had been afforded the privilege of resting,
the writer has failed to express himself as lucidly as he had
desired. Such a concession by the San Francisco Press Club
85
would ha\e been a clear violation of contract on the part of that
organization. At a dinner at the Marlhorough Hotel, in New
York, given the previous November bv members of the New
York Press Club to the visiting: officers of the Leagfue, Mr. de
Young, in inviting the delegates to visit the Pacific Slope, distinct Iv
stated that he was instructed i)y the San Francisco Press Club to
promise the visitors during their stay a full supplv of evervthing,
excepting sleep. That promise, with its limitation, was kept to
the letter. They evidently thought it would be superfluous for
the visitors to lie in bed, when opportunities were so abundant
elsewhere. The only other luxury, besides that of sleep, which
was at all sparingly offered was drinking water. But, in fairness
to San Francisco, it should be borne in mind that the visit was
made during the "rainy season," when no special provision of that
element would seem to l)e required. flowever, if the visitors
suffered any particular inconvenience from the deprivation, they
were politely careful not to allude to it in the face of the masterly
example of abstinence set them by their hosts.
Wednesday, January 20th, marked a new epoch in the journey.
Invitations had been received from several cities in the southern
part of the State, through the municipal authorities and boards of
trade and citizens' committees, for the Eastern delegates to visit
them on their homeward journey, and the Southern Pacific
Railroad, which had captured us at Ogden, insisted upon holding
us in its grasp until we should arrive at Los Angeles. Accord-
ingly, after parting with some of our San Francisco hosts at the
hotel, and being escorted across the ferry to Oakland by others,
we started from the depot in the latter place at 10 o'clock on
Wednesday morning, having first arrived in that city on the
afternoon of the Wednesday previous. At 2 r. m. we reached
Sacramento in the custody of Messrs. Houghton, Davis, Sheehan,
86
Schmidt, Laikin and Drury, a committee of representatives of that
capital, who had joined the train at Davisville. The delegates
were presented with printed programmes descriptive of the city.
iVlayor Comstock, with other committeemen, received us at the
depot, and we were speedily driven to the rooms of the Sutter
Club, where a bevy of particularly handsome lasses were waiting
to assist us to an elegant luncheon, after presenting the men of
the party with boutonnieres of violets and the ladies with corsage
bouquets. Several brief addresses followed on both sides, Mr. S.
Prentiss Smith and Mayor Comstock speaking in behalf of
Sacramento, and Messrs. de Young, Berri and Worrall for the
League. Mr. de Young's eloquent acknowledgment of Sacra-
mento's splendid reception of the delegates was vigorously indorsed
by the latter body, and, after a most agreeable entertainment, the
party re-entered their carriages and were conveyed to the State
Capitol building, where Secretary Johnson did the honors in the
absence of Governor Markham, who was detained at home by an
attack of the grip. After inspecting the Capitol, under the escort
of a joint committee of citizens and pretty girls, a reception was
held in the Assembly Chamber. Attorney-General Hart greeted
the visitors in words of warm welcome, to which President de
Young responded in felicitous phrases. Ex-Vice-President Lynn
R. Meekins, of Baltimore, followed with a masterly speech that
was roundly applauded, and Messrs. Page and Berri, of New York,
also spoke with effect. From the Capitol the guests were given
an opportunity to examine the paintings in the million dollar
Crocker Art Gallery, and were subsequently taken to Sutter's Fort
and through the principal streets of the city. A conspicuous
feature of the entertainment in Sacramento, one over which the
young unmarried men of the party were agitated for days after-
wards, and which, strange to say, even the ladies of the parly
87
cordiallv conceded, was the presence among the entertainers of a
number of especially pretty and lovable young ladies. Sacramento,
on account of such a revelation of loveliness, will always have a
warm place in the remembrance of that ILastern party. It was
with unfeigned reluctance that the train was taken at 7 in the
evening, for it seemed that it would have been pleasant to spend
a week in Sacramento rather than to hurry through the place in
the brief hours of a midwinter afternoon.
ChAPTHR 111.
SouTHERX California.
JANUARY 21-24, 1892.
Til the early morning of January 21st began
the party's delightful experience of Southern
California, the Italy of America. It lasted
hut four short days, but it implanted pleasant
memories to endure through the lifetime of
all who shared it. Waking at Fresno on
Thursday the dav was devoted to visitinsj and
inspecting the vineyards, including Col. William
Forsvth's raisin vineyards and the wine cellars,
that abound in the vicinity of that enterprising
and go-ahead community. Friday was devoted
to Pasadena and Los Aneeles, driving through and arountl the
former, and at the latter, where some of the party were entertained
by Mr. D. Freeman, a friend of Mr. de Young, with a unique
Spanish breakfast, the delegates dined in royal style in the open
air under the sliadow of orange and pepper trees on the spacious
lawns of Judge Silent's residence, ending the day with a formal
banquet at the Redondo Beach Hotel, where it was decided by
unanimous vote that more comfort and satisfaction were procurable
to the square inch than at any watering place on the Atlantic
coast. Saturda}' the orange groves of Redlands were visited, where
the roads traversed miles and miles of orchards fairly groaning
89
beneath their yoklen burden of luscicms fruit, the overladen
branches i)einij; sustained by jtoles to jjrevent their breaking. At
San BernanHiio luncli was partalilitv. Los Angeles is said to owe much
of its attractiveness to its agreeable surroundings. Certainly the
afternoon and evening spent at Rodondo Beach tended to verify
that assertion. Among the profusion of tlowurs at the hotel,
which the visitors were graciouslv invited to help themselves to,
were some of the most splendid roses seen on the entire trip.
The view from the hotel porch of the sun setting on the Pacific
horizon was a fitting termination to a day that had been replete
with itrilHant and picturesiiue inciilent. Los Angeles is situated
nearh' in the center of one of the richest valleys on this continent.
All the citius family llourisiies there to the highest pertection, and
horticulture and agricidture are sustained to a degree unsurpassed
anvwhere. Between five and si.\ thousand carloads of oranyes, we
were informed, are annualh' exported thence to lutstern markets,
and an equal amount of transportation is recjuired for carr)ing the
crops of dried fruits, raisins, walnuts, wines and potatoes. In
96
addition to its agricultural capability, the region abounds in other
resources, and it is claimed that within thirty miles of Los Angeles
there are exhaustless reservoirs of coal oil, immense petroleum and
asphalt beds, rich mines of gold and silver, extensive tin deposits
and a wide range of valuable metals. With all those natural
WATCHING THE SUN SET IN THE I'ACIKIC OCEAN AT REDONDO BEACH.
endowments, it might compete for the championship with "The
Happy \^alley " which the imagination of Di. Johnson created for
the admiration of the youth of several generations ago, before the
advent of Horatio Alger, Jr., or the evolution of the dime novel.
97
The day at Redlands was one of California's perfect winter
days, too warm for wraps, hut thoroughh- dehg-htful. iVs the
visitors were driven through the stretches of orange groves they
were profuse in their expressions of dehght, but when Canyon
Crest was reached, and the entire valley spread before the vision
for miles and miles, the snow-covered tops of Old Baldy, Grayback
and San Jacinto glistening in the warm sunlight, thev began to
realize the full force of California's wondrous scenerv and climate,
and were silent in their admiration. When the carriages returned
to the depot they were laden with flowers and oranges, and
Redlands was pronounced the choicest section of California that
the party had seen, that, of course, being the regular verdict
passed upon each successive town they visited. Arriving at San
Bernardino— ■' San Berdoo," as the inhabitants call it—the Eastern
guests were gi\'en a drive over the city, and were afterward
entertained with a banquet at the Stewart hotel, at which 150
persons sat down. After the solids had disappeared, judge George
E. Otis welcometl the party in a brief speech, and introduced
Judge Willis, who responded to the toast "The Press." lie was
followed by W. A. Harris, in a neat and short address, and Judge
Rowell, who gave some statistics regarding the county. Marshall
P. Wilder told a story or two, and Mrs. Frank Leslie recited a
poem. The ban(|uet was hurried, but successful. The tiain left
San Bernardint» at 2.^,0 v. >r. for Riverside. In the San Bernardino
range of mountains in this region, on the summit of the Grayback,
is an aeti\e glacier of dimensions little inferior to some of the
minor glaciers of the Ali)s and the Andes. The existence of this
stupendous marvel of moving ice, after having been mainlained
but not generall\- beliex'ed for half a century, was, in June, 1892,
verified b\- an expedition of scientists from Los Angeles, who
discovered at a height of over 10,000 feet a frozen river a mile
98
long and twenty-two feet in depth that is crushing down towards
the valley at the rate of about forty-seven feet yeaily. The day was
wound up at Riverside, a town then of about 6,000 inhabitants,
and possibly by the time of this writing having twice that number,
so rapidly do California communities grow when they once take a
start. The tovvn owes its existence and prosperity wholly to
irrisfation, the water of the Santa Ana River having been
distributed ov'er an area of about fifty-two square miles, converting
an arid desert into an Eden. Riverside is peculiarly an orange
city. It covers a large plateau for the most part unbroken by
hill or ravine. Some fifteen or twenty thousand acres of this land
hav^e been brought under cultivation, about fifteen thousand acres
bemg devoted to citrus fruits. The land is subdivided and owned
in small holdings of from five to twenty acres each, and orchard
Hanks orchard in solid phalanx for miles in all directions. One
vast forest of orange trees covers the plain, unbroken, in most
|)art, save by streets or the small plats devoted to residences and
ornamental shrulibery. Magnolia avenue extends for many miles,
being a double drive 125 feet
in width, with rows of ever-
green shade trees in the center
and on either side. Other
streets in all other cities fade
in comparison with this. The
drive that afternoon through
Magnolia avenue was most
charminof. On returnina: to
the depot specimens were ob-
tained of genuine "American
tin " from the near-by Temescal mines, and for da\'s afterward the cars
were decorated with branches of Riverside oranges. Twelve hours
IHE COKUN'ADO HOTEL, NEAR SAN UiVA.U, CAI.,
99
on the cars brought the party to San Diego, with the consequences
already briefly related. The Coronado Beach Hotel is probablv
the largest caravansary in America ; and all its appointments are
most luxurious, and to travelers on the wing, as we were, most
temptingly inviting. After lunching there, the party disbanded for
a short time, some going to the swimming baths, others to the ball-
room to listen to the music of the U. S. S. San Fi-aiiciscos band, and
later the entire partv was formally escorted through the hotel and
grounds. They were surprised and delighted. Of course, in such
a hasty inspection only the more striking features of the place were
seen, but they fullv bore out the description Charles Dudley
Warner gives of the Coronado in his book, " The American
Italy." Mr. Warner says :
"The stranger, when he first comes upon this novel hotel and
this marvelous scene of natural and created beautv, is apt to exhaust
his superlatives. I hesitate to attempt to describe this hotel, this
airy and picturesque and half-bizarre wooden creation of the
architect. Taking it and its situation toa^ether, I know nothing
else in the world with which to com])are it, and I have never seen
any other which so surprised at first, that so improved on a two
weeks' acquaintance, and that has left in the mind an impression
so entirely agreeable. It covers about four and a half acres of
ground, including an inner court of about an acre, the rich made
soil of which is raised to the level of the main floor. The house
surrounds this, in the Spanish mode of building, with a series of
galleries, so that most of the suites of rooms have a double
outlook, one upon this lovely garden, the other upon the ocean or
the harbor. The effect of this interior court or pa/io is to give
gaiety and an air of friendliness to the place, brilliant as it is with
flowers and climbing vines ; and when the royal and date palms
that are vigorously thriving in it attain their growth it will be
magnificent. Big hotels and caravansaries are usuallv tiresome,
unfriendly places ; and if I should lay too much stress upon the
vast dining-room (which has a floor area of 10,000 feet, without
post or |)illar), or the beautiful breakfast room, or the circular
ball-room (which has an area of 11,000 feet, with its timber roof
open to the lofty observatory), or the music-room, bilHard-room
for ladies, the reading-rooms and parlors, the pretty gallery
overlooking the spacious office rotunda, and then say that the
whole is illuminated with electric lights, and capable of being
heated to any temperature desired, I might convey a false
impression as to the actual comfort and homelikeness of this
charming place. On the seaside the broad galleries of each story
are shut in by glass, which can be opened to admit, or shut to
exclude, the fresh ocean breeze. Whatever the temperature
outside, those great galleries are always agreeable for lounging or
promenading. For me, I never tire of the sea and its changing
color and movement. If this great house were filled with gfuests,
so spacious are its lounging places, I should think it would never
appear to be crowded ; and if it were nearly empty, so admirably
are the rooms contrived for family life, it will not seem lonesome.
1 shall add that the management is of the sort that makes the
guests feel at home and at rest. Flowers, brought in from the
gardens and nurseries, are everywhere in profusion — on the dining
tables, in the rooms, all about the house. So abundantly are they
produced that no amount of culling seems to make an impression
upon their mass."
After inspecting the hotel, the League party were re-escorted
across the Ba\' to San Diego, and were taken on a ride about the
city and out on the hills. Fisher's opera house was thrown open
for their inspection and admiration. A reception at the parlors of
the Hotel Brewster having been announced for five o'clock, all
assembled there at that hour, where they met the representative
people of the city. One of the most pleasing features of the
reception, though entirely impromptu, was the introduction of the
new^sboys by Captain Friend. The boys listened with marked
attention to the remarks of Miss Kate Field and Mr. de Young.
At 5.30 the visitors left the Brewster for the train, and on their
arrival they found the newsboys arranged in line at the station,
who received them with cheers. Miss Kate Field then demanded
the boutonieres of the party, and off they came from broadcloth and
satin, and with her own hands Miss Field pinned them on the
little fellows' jackets, after which graceful act, which set the
urchins to grinning like Cheshire cats, Mrs. Frank Leslie
addressed the boys briefly, but feelingly, and promised to "write
up " the reception they had given the Eastern travelers. She was
followed by Mr. de Young, who gave the lads a fatherly talk,
which seemed to impress them. As the train moved out from the
depot the crowd on the platform ciucred to the echo and was
vigorously answered by the departing visitors, the ladies joining in
waving their handkerchiefs. That was our final adieu to the Pacific
coast, and to the garden region of Southern California. (Jur faces
were now set toward the Atlantic.
Chapter iv.
The Journey Home.
X LEAVING San Diego, on the night of January
24th, to set out across the continent directly for
home, we toot: our leave of Mr. and Mrs. de
Voung, who intended to remain a short time at
Coronado Beach before returning to San Francisco.
Mr. Welshons, of I^ittsburg, also left us at this point,
intending to extend his journey to Oregon before
returning, and Mr. Koenig, of Chicago, likewise
abandoned us here, as he contemplated taking ship to the Sandwich
Islands. It was with no genuine good grace that the party turned
their backs on the Pacific Ocean, where the}' had been so cordially
received and so magnificently entertained. It was hard to realize
that only thirteen days had elapsed since California was entered at
Auburn, so many and so marked had been the events in the
interval. This was the third Sunda}' away from home, the first
having been spent in crossing the Rockv Mountains at Leadville and
Glenwood, and the second at Santa Cruz and San Jose. The
ne.xt was to l)ring us back to New York. Soon after leaving
San Diego we were regaled with a treat specially gotten up for
the League party by our indefatigable hosts of the Atchison,
Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad, acting in collusion with the ever
wide-awake Jerome. Arrangements had been made in advance for
103
illuminatintz: the old San Juan Capistrano Mission building, situated
in the Santa Ana valley, about twenty-five miles east of San Diego.
This old ehuicli had been ereeted about 150 years previously by
pious Spanish monks, who had learned, through some method of
Castilian blarney, to overcome the inertia of the aboriginal
inhal)itants of that region and induce them to actually work, and
the walls of adobe, or sun-dried bricks, seemed massive enough to
have defied the elements for centuries had there not unluckily come
aU)ng an eartluiuake in December, 1812, which destroyed the
structure, besides killing thirtv of its inmates. The misha|),
however, heightened tlie piesent picturesi|ueness ot the scene, as in
the inkv blackness of tlie night we viewed the shatterctl walk' and
the remains of the lofty arches b\" the glaring light of a huge
bt)nfire that the dexotees in charge had pre[)ared at tiie instigation
of the railroad olficials. The effect in behall of a'Sthctie
satisfaction pioduced by seismic disturbance was im])ressively
illustrated, and might suggest a text for some art editor to
expatiate upon to advantage, as object lesstms in that s]iecial
branch of t-ulture are fre(|uentl\" obtainable. Some time was spent
at San (,'apistiano exploring the ruins, and examining the chapel
that has been relitted for leligious puiposes, and the (vw (.)tlu-r
ajxirtments whicli were sufficiently preserved to indicate the original
majesty of the edifice. It is gratifying to record here the lact
that the old San CajMstrano Mission building has, since the tlate
of our visit, been taken in charge by the Historical Society of
Southern California, and is to be hereafter protected from the
combined ravages of decay and relic-hunting vandals. A few
weeks subsequent to the passage of the Press Club League, tlie
Society named sent a party of discreet persons to thoroughly
inspect the condition of the structure, and they found that a
com])arativelv small expenditure would suffice to preserve it for
104
many years to come. They re|)orted on their return that " the
vastness of the old Mission and the uniqueness of the architecture
were a surprise to manv. It was found that the large brick
arches in the east and sdiuli walls of the interior court-vard were
still standing almost entire, while ahout onedialf of the north side
remains. The front arelnvavs to the main building- are also in a
fair state of preservation, and the portion still occupied as a chapel
and residence of the priest, with its coat of whitewash, presents a
neat ai)[)earanee. Of course, the main edihce which was destroyed
i)y the eaithi|uakt- in 1S12 is almost in comjilete deca\', but enough
remains of the walls to give a fair idea of the character of the,
for that time, magnificent structure. The unused rooms of the old
building have a mustv, sickening smell, that is almost stiHing. The
little chapel in use is sweet and clean, having but lately been
renovated and repaired. Ancient oil paintings and statues are
scattered al)out, as well as furniture and altar furnishings brought
from Spain more than a century ago. There are candelabra of
solid silver, and massive sacred emblems of pure gold. The old
bells (h\e in numl)er, one of tliem dated 1726) still hang in their
places and act as solemn monitors to all hearers ol their tones, as
in the palm\- thus of \ore. A picket fence has been jjut around
the front of the building to keep cattle away, and a little cement
here and there, and some new tiles on the roof in spots, will keep
the building in rejiair a long time."
The next morning, Januarv 25th, we found ourselves on the
Mojave Desert. It must have been a most discouraging region in
which to build a railroad, but the words Sa///tr Fc mean " Holy
Faith," anil the i)rojectors of the road that was conveying us must
certainly have been insiiired by tiie significance of the phrase. For
miles, antl hundreds of miles, the road runs through an arid
cactus desert, dustv and repellant to the eyes and other senses.
'05
A Mull W 1 l;l 11 1 ,
Along a larti'e portion of the route that day we passed hv a
succession of extinct volcanos, througii vast lava fields, whose hartl
material had been worn bv the action of
the elements, or possibly by the erosive
action of some ancient inland sea, intt) all
imaginable and unimaginable shapes. The
grotes(|ue formations that line the river
beds of the Northwest, tlnuugh the region
which (ieneral Ilazen immortalized as the
" Great l/ncultivable American Desert," and
known localh' in those regions as " Bad
Lands," were vivitllv suggested b\ the
strange and weirtl shapes that had been
assumed b\- lliesc remains of ancient vol-
canic action, recalling General Sullv's epito-
mization of the Tcrrcs Maitzuu'scs as
" Hell, with the fires out." In man\-
places, seen at a distance lining the hori-
zon of that drearv desert, and even closer
bv as we sped ra])idlv past, the eye seemed
to dwell upon hmg ranges of human struct-
ures, forts and castles, and towers with
minarets, and formidable walled cities.
The impression of human agenev in their
contrivance was pervading and irresistible.
About noon the train was stopped to allow
a confab with a band u{ Indians, the most
s(|ualid, aijject and repulsive masters of
the soil, probabh', to be encounti-red du
this continciU. Their long hair, ignorant
of combs, hung over their low foreheads, covering their unwashed
A M' Ml w i:
io6
faces and tlicir eyes, and giving them a fierce, animal appearance.
The only sign of genuine intelligence they displayed during our
brief interview with them was their emphatic disinclination to be
made the \ictims of amateur photographers. These savages were
reported to make their i)rincipal diet upon grasshoppers, and,
judging from the proximity of their bones to the surface, their
supplies must have been short that season. At i v. m. we crossed,
at the Needles, from California into Arizona, and there again we
stopped for some time to interview a party of Mojave Indians
who were lounging about the station to give us a welcome and
to sell bows and jjottery. The
men were tall, and not without
some semblance to good looks,
a quality of which the less than
half-clad squaws were utterly
destitute. Time was, once,
when the Mojaves were famous
for their bravery and prowess;
now theii' leading eharactei'istics
arc indolence and vice. A
member of our partv, engaging
in conversation with one of the few white men that were lounging
about the station, drew from that worthy, a very good looking
man, a gambler Uv profession, the following account of the
Indians: "We had some trouble with them at hrst, because they
insisted in coming to town dressed wholly in their conscious
innocence ; but we finally got together enough second-hand clothes
to make them fairlv respectable, though far from decent. They do
the coarse work al)out the town, and make enough to live on."
Apparently, they need as little food as raiment. So through the
alkali dust and amidst wreckage of pre-historic ages we sped
MolIAVE rtDLERS AT HIE NEEDLES.
107
steadily Eastward throuoliout that and the following dav, until at
1.30 p. M., on Januar\' 26th, we were afforded an opportunity for
enjoying one of the most interesting e.xperienees of the whole
homeward journey. The train was stojjjjed at a village inhabited
by Laguna Pueblo Indians. This unicjue settlement was composed
of a series of adol)e structures, j)lanted 011 a hillside, and built one
above the other in terraces like the steps of an enormous stairway.
As originalh' built they had no doors, access to the interiors being
gained only i)y climbing to the roofs with ladders, and descending
in like manner through trap
doors. The houses in that
little community constitute one
of the oreatest archa;olo"ical
curiosities of North America,
as they are accepted b\- ethnolo-
gists as having pertained to
some semi-civilized people that
existed, and occupied the soil,
and disapjjcared, wholl\- prior, it
is asserted, to even the advent
of the red aborigines. The
Laguna Indians of the present time have tiaits antl habits that
distinguish them from all other tril>es of Indians, their persistent
living in houses being one of the most marked of these. They
have improved upon the plans of the original architects of the
place by piercing the walls of each tier of buildings with doorways,
and our party, visiting the interiors of these curious relics of
pre-historic anticiuity, were agreeably surprised at the cleanliness and
tidy order that everywhere prevailed. We \isited them in their
residences, ins]iected their church, avoided their mangy dogs, and
pretty nearly denuded the place of all the pottery it contained.
TlIK ANCIKNT rUEULO I OWN OF LAGl'NA, N. M.
108
buying for small sums some very neat and curious specimens
of Indian handicraft, quaintly designed. The conventional price
asked for a clay image the size of one's thumb, or for a
bowl of the same material big enough for a Press Club
[umch-bowl, was a quarter of a dollar, or, in the vernacular of
the Arizona desert, and of the West generally, "two-bits." After
hearing this latter phrase constantlv repeated, evidently the sum
total of Laguna's acquaintance with commercial Anglo Saxon, it
was quite startling when a comely maiden, modest and neatly
attired, turned to our party and said in excellent English, " I shall
be very glad to show you around." It [iroved on investigation
that this young daughter of the desert was a graduate of the
Indian school at Carlisle. Pennsylvania. Having been educated
after ci\-ilized fashion she had returned to her tribe. Who knows
what destin}' was before her, whether she would succeed in the
missionary work of raising her associates toward the plane to which
she herself had been raised, or whether, as unfortunatelv usuallv
happens, she would ultimately relapse into their condition ? Pushing
onward at three o'clock, and picking up at some unknown stopping
place our old friend, Cajitain jack Crawford, "The Poet Scout,"
we reached Albuquerque, which, at the depot, presented quite a
modern, almost an Eastern, appearance, but which, further on,
when the Mexican section was penetrated, showed up in the light
of an old thriftless, untidy Mexican settlement. However, the
leaven of Eastern push has found its way there and the town,
despite the sharp line of demarcation between the two sections, is
rapidly being Americanized. It contains some very fine buildings,
notably the hotel and the Commercial Club, and a newspaper
office, nearly completed at the time of our visit, besides electric
lights and national banks. In New Mexico the nineteenth century
is still struggling to get the better of fifteenth century sluggishness,
109
but neither the present nor the next generation will witness its
success. A committee from the Commercial Club drove us around
through this interesting city, with which we would gladly have
become more familiar. Our time was brief, however, and we were
forced to hurry on, reaching Santa Fc, the famous capital of the
territory, at nine o'clock in the evening, nearly eight hours behind
the time set down for our arrival, owing to the delays that grew
STREET SCENE IN SANTA FE. — NEW MEXICAN WOOll CAKUIEKS.
out of the interest we had felt in the several pomts at which we
had been stopj)ing.
At Santa Fe the Press League party received a genuine
Territorial ovation. The Reception Committee had joined us at
Albuquerque, and, although a little dismaved at the interruption to
their plans our tardiness occasioned, they did their duty as
entertainers most handsomely. A great crowd was present at the
depot on our arrival, and we were bundled without delay into
carriages and driven raiMilly to the State House, a splendid building
to find in such a locality, which had just been completed, and was
l)rilliantly illuminated for our reception, but which was destined to
be a few months afterward totally destroyed b\- fire. The Reception
Committee rather prided themselves on this building, as well thev
might, for it not only was a vcrv imposing edifice, but its whole
cost had been paid for out of Territorial funds, a large portion of
the surplus apportioned for that purijose iiaving actually been
turned in again to the Territorial Treasury. The general circulation
of this statement made the New \'ork delegates, especially, gaze
at one anotlier in silent, pensive wonderment. I'shered into the
Legislative Chamber on the ui)i)er floor we found a large
assemblage awaiting us, in the galleries, Mexicans ; on the floor,
army oflcers in full uniform, mostly pertaining to the Tenth
United States Infantry, which then constituted the garrison of
Santa Fe, besides handsome and handsomely dressed ladies and
Eastern visitors. Gov. L. Bradford Prince, erstwhile of Long
Island, made a very sprightly speech of welcome to the party, the
effect of which was sensibly heightened by the commanding figure
ami sonorous voice of the speaker. Then the Tenth Infantry
Hand discoursed some patriotic airs, followed by some sweet pretty
singing from the voices of about fifty Indian girls from the
neighboring Ramona school, who had been awaiting our arrival for
eight hours in order to give us that melodious welcome. At the
conclusion of the children's singing we were shown through the
building and were then rapidl\- transported to the " Palace," the
name which the ancient edifice occupied by the Governor of the
Territory has borne for man\- years. It is a long, one-story
building facing the public square, occupied by the post-office and
other government departments, a numher of apartments in one end
being- set aside as the Governor's resilience. The apjiearance of
this ancient structure scarcely justifies the conventional suggestions
of its name. It was erected in 159S, and has a certain latter-da\'
distinction ujjou which much stress is laid in the circumstance of
its having i)een occupied by General I.ew \\'allace while he was
Governor of New Mexico, in 1S79 and iSSo. It was in one of
the apartments of this house that he wrote his famous novel,
" Ben Mur," and it was in the room in which that hook was
written that the Press League were received by (iovernor Prince
and his briiiht and charmina:
- -;rT^p«t!SS^Vi^l■;V.■;';^■' \
wife. The reception was the
occasion of a large gathering
of the ladies and gentlemen
of Santa Fe, including the
officers of the Tenth Infantr\-
and the ladies of the garrison.
The evening was pas.jed most
agreeabh' in eon\'ersation and
in the examination of the
multitude of local curiosities
and (jld time i)rints ami
pictures which (ioxernor Princi.' has gathered during his long
residence in New Mexico, the 'i'enth Infantrv Band meanwhile
discoursing excellent music. .Speaking of the Palace, (ioxernor
Prince declared it to be the most interesting [ilace in tiie countrw
Certainh' no otlu-i structure in Anu'iica has such a histor\' behind
it. It antedates tin- settlement of Jamestown b\- nine vears, and
that of Plvmouth b\- twent\-two, and has stood tluring the two
hundred antl ninety-two veais, since its erection, as liie li\ing centre
of ever\thing of liistoric im])ortance in the Southwest. Through
112
all that long period, uiietiier under Spanish, Puehlo, Mexican or
American control, it has been the seat of power and authority.
Whether the ruler was called Vicero3^ Captain-General, l\)litical
Chief, Department Commander or Governor, and whether he
presided over a kingdom, a [province, a department or a territory,
this has been his official residence. " From here," said Governor
Prince, " Onate started in 1599 on his adventurous expedition to
the Eastern plains; here, seven years later, eight iiundred Indians
TUt OLDEST HIILDING IN AMERICA, AT SANTA FE, N. M.
came from far-off (Jui\'ira to ask aid in their war with the Aztecs;
from here, in 161S, X'incento de Salivar set forth to the Moqui
countrv, onl\- to lie turned back bv rumors of the triants to be
O
encountered ; antl from here Penalosa and his brilliant troop
started, on the 61I1 of March, 1662, on their marvelous expedition
to the Missouri ; in one of its strong rooms the commissary
general of the In(|uisition was imprisoned a few years later by the
same Penalosa ; within its walls, fortified as for a siege, the bravest
"3
of the Spaniards weie massed in the revolutiun of 1680; here, on
the 19th of August of that year, was given the order to execute
forty-seven Puef>lo prisoners in the plaza which faces the building ;
here, but a dav later, was the sad war council held which deter-
mined on the evacuation of the citv ; here was the scene of trium])!!
of the Pueblo chieftains as thev ordered the destruction of the
Spanish archives and the church ornaments in one grand conflagra-
tion ; here De \'argas, on September 14th, 1692, after the eleven
hours' combat of the preceding dav, gave thanks to the Virgin
Marv, to whose aid he attributed iiis triumphant capture of the
city; here, more than a centur\ later, on March 3d, 1S07, Lieu-
tenant Pike was brought before Governor Alencaster as an invader
of Sjianish soil; here, in 1S22, the Mexican standard, with its eagle
and cactus, was raised in token that New Mexico was no longer a
dependencv of Spain ; here, on the succeeding day, Jose Gonzales,
a Pueblo Indian of Taos, was installed as Governor of New
Mexico, soon after to be executed bv order of Armijo ; here, in
the principal reception room, on August 12, 1S46, CajUain Cooke,
the American envow was received b\- Grovcrnor Armijo and sent
back with a message of defiance ; and here, live da\s later, General
Kearney formallv took possession of the city, and slept, after his
long and wearv march, on the carjieted earthen floor of the Palace."
The Governor thinks the ultimate use of the buiUling should be as
a home for the anticpiities of New Mexico. We slept on our
train at the station that night, and earlv tlie next morning we
were exploring this interestmg place which enjovs the distinction
of i)eing the most ancient citv of the countrv. and one of the
most ancient capitals of the world. It is laigelv liuilt of adobes,
and it abounds in all kinds of interest. b'or instance, we went
into modern stores, and from these we visited the old .San Miguel
church that retains a great deal of the wood uscil in its con-
114
struction more than three hundred years ago. it having been built
by the Spaniards in 1545. Near the ehurch is an adobe house
reported to be still more ancient, being, in fact, the oldest structure
l)uilt by white men in America. Then
we visited the shops and laid in sup-
plies of curios, particularly some very
fine filagree work in gold and silver.
Afterwards, while some of the party
drove out to the Ramona school others
witnessed a meek performance of guard
mounting at Fort Worth, subsetjuently
attending a concert given in honor by
the Tenth Infantry Band on the plaza
in front of the Palace, at the conclu-
sion of which vvc resumed our places
in the train, bearing away with us as
guests for the rest of the day Governor
and Mrs. Prince and several Santa Fe gentlemen and ladies.
Our visit to Santa Fe was marked, on the previous evening,
by a little episode that at one time seemed likely to create some
excitement, though its secret was so carefully guarded that its
narration in these pages will be the first intimation of it to a
majority of the League excursionists. It had lieen the subject
of constant regretful comment among the latter that the editors
of Eastern newspapers seemed to have an entirely inadequate
conception of the striking character and brilliant accompaniments
of the journey. With a view to rectifying this state of inappre-
ciative apathv, an acti\'e meml)er of the party, f(Mmerly a resident
of the West, organized a little scheme that would have secured
extensive Eastern editorial notice for the party could it have
been successfully carried into effect. The idea was original,
OLUESr CIUKCII IN AMERICA
AT SANTA FE, N. M.
"5
but its overthrow was ahoriu'inal. It hail been noticed alony' the
journev that Marsiiall P. Wilder was a source of much interest
to the Indians, his small figure, droll face and big laugh attracting
them immediately. Thev would often touch him, and seemed
to think it did them good, calling him "medicine man, heap
head." When it was known we were to remain over night at
Santa Fe, it was planned to have a party of Indians rush into
the Governor's I-'alace during the reception, seize and carry off
Marshall, announcing that they wanted him for their "medicine
man," and escape with him to an Indian mud village, several
miles in the country, where he Wdidd have really experienced a
night with the native New Mexico Indian, with one white com-
panion, who knew the chief of the \'illage. The loss would
have been heralded abroad in the dispatches that night, and the
brave searching party which would ha\e been organizi'd, eliiellv
from the traveling scribes, armed to the veeth, would have
gallantiv rescued the little humorist the next morning without
bloodshed, and get back in time fur the train, covered with giorv
and New Mexico dirt and dust. Mditor I'rost, of the Nczv
Mexican, Messrs. Wilder, Austin and l\-nnev, representing the
Associated and United Press dissociations, and the originator of
the idea, were the only ones who knew the secret. The Governor
was counted on to get out the troojjs, innocentiv, of course, and
the idea was to be worked clear thrt)Ugh with the four above
mentioned sworn to secrecv for one vear. But, alas ; the
Indians were lacking, excejit a few wamlerers, who looked so
hungrv and dirtv that they challenged pity instead of suggesting
thoughts of ilanger. Ten o'clock came and the band of Indians
was not forthcoming. Still, the schemers waited and hoped,
with scouts out in search of fierce red nK-n. Then, finally. Wilder
began to object. He thought it would be best for him to first
ii6
telegraph his father in New York, so that he would receive the
dispatch before he read the awful news in the morning papers,
explaining that while Marshall had been captured In' the Indians, it
was "all right," and they would let him go after he had told a
few stories and taught them some tricks they already knew better
than he did himself. At 1 1 o'clock (which was i a. m. in New
York) the Indian organizers gave it up, and thus a startlinp-
sensation was spoiled. But if a band of red men had happened
along that night they would
have received a welcome that
would have startled their native
minds and appeased their most
thirsty palates. No matter what
their tribe, the New Mexico
editor exacted a promise that
they should be called Apaches,
for he didn't like Apaches.
We arrived in the after-
noon at the "city" of Las
\"egas. This commercial center
of New Mexico, of which we
enjoyed a hasty view, rejoices
in si.\ bright and able news-
papers, and in a city hall, the only municipal l)uilding in the
territory. It lies on both sides of the Rio Gallinas, which is
spanned bv a substantial iron bridge. The place bears numerous
evidences of a go-ahead spirit among its people, the streets and
residences being lighted bv electric lights and gas, and street cars
traversing its more important thoroughfares. But a short stop was
made there, however, when we were switched on to a branch road
and a ride of five miles carried us to the splendid Montezuma
117
MAKMIALl. P. WILDEK IC.N IKRIAIiNIN ( : THE
INIiIANS AT THE NEEnLES, CAL.
hotel on the crest of a loftv hill, overlookinc; the hot springs
which have made the locality famous. The Montezuma Hotel is
the hnest hostelry between St. Louis anti the Pacific coast, and
the A., T. and S. F. Railroad Company has exiK-nded many
thousands of dollars to perfect every detail. The dining-room is
one of the largest and most elegant on the American continent.
The party amused themselves riding on bitrros. presenting thereby
an appearance of indescribable dignity, inspecting the attractions of
the hotel and exploring the natural beauties of the locality, winding-
up with a State dinner in the fine dining room, at which the regu-
lation speeches were made on both sides, and at six o'clock we
were under way again.
That night we passed through the famous Raton Tunnel, and
afterward, with a powerful engine at each end of the train, on
emertrin"' into Colorado, we made a descent of sixteen hundred
feet in twenty miles. Notwithstanding bcjth engines had their
driving-wheels reversed, we shot down the mountain at such a
rapid rate as to cause the sparks to lly in a continuous shower
through the friction of the brake shoes against the wheels of the
cars. The beauties of the region were wholly lost to us in the
blackness of the night, but we had more fire-works than were
really enjoyable.
Nothing of special interest happened to mar the monotony of
the next day's ride through Colorado, excepting the geographical
fact that at 8.15 a. m. we crossed the State line into Kansas. On
that evening a particularly pleasant social event was celebrated in
the Windermere, which, through being exclusivelv occupied by
married persons, had received from the irreverent bachelors of the
party the appellation of " Matrimonial Car." The fact had become
known that January 28th was the second anniversarv of the wedding
of Delegate George F. Lyon, of the New York l^ess Club, and
118
THE BOSTON PRESS CLUB DELEGATES.
E. J. Carpenter,
j. C. Morse.
W. B, Smakt.
W. V. Al-EXANDER.
W. C. Grout.
DELEGATES FROM SYRACUSE, BUFFALO AN'D BALTIMORE.
E. J. F>.EiRv, S G. Laimam.
U, R. Newton,
E. H. O'Hara, ]■ S. Stii.lman.
his charming wife, and thcii friends in that car prepared tu
celebrate the occasion with a surprise partv. Accordingly, about
eight o'clock, the seats and aisles of the Windermere were suddenly
crowded bv an irruption from the other cars on the train, and the
young" couple, to their gratified astonishment, foiuid themselves the
special centers of attraction to a large assemblage, who proceeded
with merrv informality to offer them ever\" friendlv congratulation
that the occasion could suggest. A jollier anniversary was never
celebrated. There was music, and there was speech-making, of
course, and a general interchange of matrimonial experiences, which,
bv the brilliant coloring with which it invested the connLd)ial
state, so wrought ujton the tender sensibilities of the unmarried
guests that thev found themselves constrained, men and women, to
explain the reasons that iiad impelled them to remain single. It
would be interesting, but manifestlv improper, to reveal those
conlidences. The whole affair was charming, as a spontaneous
testimonial of fiiendlv regard, antl it will doubtless be a cherished
remembrance to the couple in whose honor it was devised, as it
assuretllv will be an agreeable one to all tlie other participants.
Reaching Kansas City shorth' after midnight on January 2gtli.
we were transferred to the Wabash Railroad, paiting legretiuUy
from our courteous hosts of the Atchison, To|)eka & Santa Fc
Railroatl, who had been olu' escorts since lea\'ing Los Angeles on
January 22(\. Duiing that interval we had ritlden on the tracks of
that might}" organi/.atioi"i 3.701 niiles, the longest run we i"iiade on
an\" single road in the entire journe\". That forenoon we reached
St. Louis.
Now, when the H\ii"ig part\ of Press Clubbers reached St.
Louis, heading" lutstward, on the i"norning ot January 2qth, they
began to feel themselves aln"iost at home ayain, and to imatiine
that thev already could catch the scent of the Atlantic. But there
were some dainty experiences still in store for them, without an
account of which this narrative would be incomplete, though, were
an attempt made to relate them in detail, with full accent upon all
their enjoyable incidents, and with proper proportionate allowance
for their varieties of elegance and novelty and enthusiastic
hospitality, this volume might well swell into a series, and this
modest tale of travel be expanded into the dimensions of the tail
of a comet. The representative citizens of St. Louis, on the day
preceding the arrival of the Wagner train, had appointed a special
Reception Committee for the entertainment of the guests, and a
most expert committee it proved to be, each member thereof
taking special charge of a carriage load of the visitors, for whose
instruction and edification he displayed unremitting solicitude.
Arriving at the depot at 11.15 o'clock, the party were without
delay conveyed in carriages to the Merchants' Exchange and were
ceremoniously ushered into the great hall, whereupon the bulls
and bears at once ceased their shouting and cavorting, and came
out of the "pit" to gaze upon the faces of the interested guests.
The van of the procession was led by the Reception Committee,
and they marched straight for the rostrum, where sat Mayor
Noonan, President Walbridge, of the City Council, Acting
President Delafield, of the Merchants' Exchange, and other
prominent citizens. The visitors were welcomed by Acting
President Delafield on behalf of the Exchange, and Mayor
Noonan for the city. Mr. Frank Gaienne and other St. Louisans
also made a few remarks. They were followed on behalf of the
League party bv Mr. Keenan, Miss Kate Field, Mrs. Leslie and
Marshall P. Wilder. After the speech-making was over, the
delegation took carriages for a drive through the parks and
boulevards, and then they repaired to the Fair Grounds to partake
of a handsome banquet spread by the St. Louis Jockey Club,
where appropriate toasts were proposed and responded to by
Mayor Noonan, Secretary Price and others in the usual way. At
seven o'clock that evening the tourists left for the East. The
enterprise of St. Louis journalism was disjilayed in the wholesale
interx'iewinu' with which the papers were embellished tiiat evening
and the following dav. Eugene Field and Nelly Bly, especially,
neither of whom was or had been in the [jarty, were subjected to
a series of interrogatories respecting the experiences they had
encountered and the ideas they had picked up on the California
trip, their dul\- recorded responses to which excited tiie envy ot
the traveling scribes, whose most brilliant imaginative llights had
never soared to such an altitude of fabulous construction. The
pulilished comments, also, alleged to iuive been uttered by Mr.
William Wilde and Mrs. Leslie Wilde and Miss Field were only
equalled in vigor of inaccuracv by the utterlv misleading descriptixx-
comments pul)lisiied in regard to several members of the party.
This almost suiier-numdane journalistic gift is essentiall\- a Western
aptitude, that, as everybody knows, has no equivalent in the East.
It will not bear Oriental transplanting. It was, for instance, a
notable fact, and one that had given rise to much expression of
regret, that Col. John A. Cockerill, President of the New York
Press Club, was unable to accompany the party. That trifling
circumstance, however, seemed to impart a special spur to the
energy with which the reporters of the San Francisco papers
interviewed liim at the numerous hotels he patronizeel during the
few days of his supposititious visit to that city.
At seven o'clock we were again under way, still on the Wabash
Railroad, in our luxurious Wagner i)alaces, whose attractiveness
seemed to increase as the time we were to enjoy them diminished.
After dinner the tables were removed from the tlining car, and,
the passengers being seated, Mr. Berri, Chairman of the New
EASTERN AND WESTERN DELEGATES AND GUESTS.
E. FJ. FlSHEK,
Sam, C. Austin,
C. C. Smii h,
Geo. H, Lowenke.
York delegation, presented, on behalf of the assembled delegates, an
elegant silver salad l)o\vl to Mr. and Mrs. Yager, accompanving the
presentation with a happy little speech that admirably expressed
the sentiment of the donors, and brought blushes of modest
pleasure to the cheeks of the recipients. Mr. Yager thanked the
party briefly, whereupon Mr. Berri proceeded, on behalf of the
same constituency, to present a handsome silver set to Mr. Jerome.
That modest bachelor was so overcome with emotion that he
was obliged to secure the services of Miss Kate Field to give his
thanks expression. Seal rings, with their initials set in diamonds,
were likewise presented to Mr. Cornell, chief of the dining car,
and Mr. Morrison, the conductor, who iiad accompanied the train
through the entire journey, and to whom every person of the
party was indebted for courtesies innumerable. Nor was that
important functionary, the clicf, forgotten. The recollection of
many savory meals he had prepared, and the consciousness of the
general increase of avoirdupois which was attributed to his skill,
were testified to in the shape of a handsome scarf pin, the
acceptance of which brought to his cheeks a more ruddy glow
than that they bore when he was officiating over the fires of his
range. A speech being insisted upon, he shuffled forward with his
white cap in his hand, and explained his position in sententious
style : " I's a fuss rate cook, but I ain't no actor, so you must
'scuse me from makin' a speech." We had encountered others
through the previous few weeks who, like him, were "no actors,"
but, alas, they did not always seek to be excused.
At noon, on January 30th, we arrived at Toledo, and it seemed
as though the whole city was on the alert for our reception,
thanks to tiie efiforts of the delegates from that city, Messrs.
Boyle and Murphy. The Toledo visit was simply exquisite. After
being formally welcomed by the Hon. Frank H. Hurd, at the
124
Chamber of Commerce, and listening to the sprightly response of
Delegate VV. V. Alexander, of Boston, a banquet was partaken of
at the elegant Club House. That repast was really remarkable for
its elegance, variety and profusion. The floral display was
magnificent, considering the latitude and the season of the year.
At every plate was a beautiful hand-painted souvenir menu. Most
delightful of all, however, were the gracious courtesies of the
ladies, who vied with the men of Toledo in giving the party a
hearty reception.
On leaving Toledo we left also the delegates from Pittsburg,
who returned home from that city. However, we were rejoiced to
find that many of our entertamers were to accompany us to
Detroit, where, at 3.30 o'clock that afternoon, the special train
pulled into the Michigan Central depot. The party were
immediately taken in hand by the local reception committee and
handed into carriages, and were driven up Jefferson avenue to the
Museum of Art, where half an hour was spent in admiring its
contents. Repairing then to the Russell House, an opportunity
was given to become acquainted with our hosts and hostesses.
For three-quarters of an hour the corridors and parlors of the
hotel were thronged, and impromptu receptions were in progress
on every hand. In one parlor Miss Kate Field was the centre of
a group, among whom were Hon. Alfred Russell, Hon. Don. M.
Dickinson, Richard Storrs Willis and Mrs. Herman Dey. In other
parlors similar coteries were gathered, while the rank and file
scattered about and enjoyed themselves as best suited their fancy.
At 5.30 o'clock the doors of the dining room were thrown open
and the quests filed in. In a few moments the room was
transformed into a scene of gaiety unsurpassed. A large
representation of Detroit's citizenship was present. Among the
invited guests were Mr. and Mrs. Richard Storrs Willis, Mrs.
125
John J. Bagley, Col. William Ludlow, U. S. x-\., Mrs. Campau
Thompson, Mrs. Herman Dey, Alfred Russell, ex-Postmaster-
General Dickinson and others. An hour or so was spent in the
discussion of an elegant menu. The appetites being finally
appeased, Mr. William E. Quinby, Chairman of the Reception
Committee, rapped for order and calletl upon the Mendelsohn
puartet for a vocal selection. Mr. Ouinby then welcomed the
guests and introduced as the first speaker the Hon. Don. M.
Dickinson, ex-Postmaster-General. Mr. Dickinson, who was greeted
with a round of cheers, expressed a hearty welcome to the visitors
on behalf of the citizens of Detroit. He paid a handsome trii)ute
to the ladies of the party, which brought out several "ohs" and
"mys" in different parts of the room. He thought it would be
well if the ladies alwavs attended ban([uets, although he could not
sincerely say the men would have a better time if they should. Tiie
"ahs" were in the majority at this remark. Mr. Dickinson dwelt
warmlv upon the prospects of Detroit as a future seaport. He
said: "We are to have direct connection with tide-water and, in the
course of time, we will trade direct with Liverpool and tiie ports
of South America without change of bulk. We are bound to get
it, and the great Northwest, an empire in itself, will hew and
dig and blast away until we do get it. The time will come when
vve can load our own ships at our doors with provisions for
starving Russia without asking your leave of Congress." Mr.
Dickinson was succeeded by Delegate T. II. Martin, of Phikuleliihia,
and Miss Kate Field, of Washington, and the entertainment was
brought to a cheerv close bv the " Modocs " o( the Wagner Buffet
car Sfivino- one of their characteristic demoniacal war whoops, after
hearing which no person felt anv desire to prolong the sitting
another instant. But the day's festivities were by no means ended.
Hardly had the banquet hall been vacated wlien the guests entered
126
the carriages and were driven to the residence of General R. A.
Alger. Here they were received by General and Mrs. Alger, their
daughters and sons. The elegant home, with its wealth of paintings,
was for more than an hour a brilliant scene. The guests were
continually on the move, and many acquaintances were formed that
will long be treasured by the participants. Among the diversions
\II.\V UK MACAKA FALLS FKO.M THE CAiNAI)L\N MIlK.
was a humorous speech of Col. William Ludlow on the "Army
and Navy," and several stories were told by Marshall P. Wilder.
General Alger himself was called upon to speak during the
evening, and responded with graceful eloquence.
At eleven o'clock we took the train again. It was the last
127
night we were to enjoy its hospitable shelter. With great regret,
a sentiment that was experienced on both sides, we took leave
here of our fiiiiis Achates Jerome, of ever blessed memory.
Wearied with the excitements of the day, the partv were soon
wrapped in slumber, and it seemed as tlu)Ugh thev had hardly fallen
aslee]) when thev were routed cnit again at seven o'clock on
KMF.mUNi; l-RO.M THE IIKUII.ANDS ON THE NEW VdKK CENTRAL K. K.
Sunday, January 31st, to view the beauties of Niagara Falls in its
winter garb. I'ortified with a hast\- cu|) of coffee they were
speedily seated in sleighs and comfortabh' wr;!p|)cil in warm robes,
were whisked away for an hour's ride, in which they were afforded
an excellent sight of the Rapids and the river and tiie brails from
every advantageous point of \icw. The spectacle is alwavs
128
impressive, marvelous and grand, at whatever season it is enjoyed,
but it must be confessed that its sublimity is somewhat cramped
when it is partaken of on an empty stomach. It was interesting
on returning to the train to note how, after a hot breakfast had
been eaten, the enthusiasm of the party burst forth, afresh, as the
cataract itself was destined to do when relieved of its icy fetters
and polar ornamentation.
Now, all interest was centered upon reaching home. The
party was rapidly diminishing in numbers, and leave-taking was in
NEAKINC HUME. — IIU'.II liKlDGE, ON THE HAliLKiM KIVER.
order. At Syracuse, Rochester and Albany guests and delegates
who had joined us there on the outward trip bade us adieu, and
by nightfall almost the onlv remaining occupants of the train were
the New York delegation and a few from Boston and Philadelphia.
There was one more little social incident to occur. We had been
rejoined at Niagara by Mr. Roach, Mr. Underwood, of the
Michigan Central, leaving us at that point. When night came and
we were rattling down the shore of the Hudson at the rate of
129
al)()Ul si.\t\'-h\'c mik's an hour, Mr. Roach was presented l)y Mr.
Berri. on luliall of the whole delet^alion, with a set of silver, icjr
which he returned thanks in a neat little resi)onse that effectually
confumed his reputation as a read\' spe;iker.
At lo I'. M. we were in the (irand Central depot, at our
journey's end.
lirnuihisiniii /oiioac finis chai'tac<]uc viaccjiic.
Chaptkr v.
Thj-: M'AGAf'.R Palace Train and Our Railroad Hosts.
TIE trip was ended. It had been one of unalloyed
enjoyment. The party of 120 men and women found
themselves again at their point of departure without
the occurrence of a single mishap to mar the record
of nearly four weeks of pleasurable excitement and
incessant activity. In that interval they had been
carried twice across the breadth of the continent ;
had visited all the places of interest on their route ;
had received entertainment such as had seldom, if ever before,
been tendered to strangers on the wing, and had, furthermore, in
various ways contributed to the making of history. Not the least
noteworthy of these was the manner in which the details of the
journev had been conducted. In truth, the whole success of the
trip was due to the magnificent provision made for their
entertainment by the officials of the New York Central Railroad
Company conjointly with those of the Wagner Palace Car
Company. The former gave the use of its tracks, and the power
of its potent infiuence exercised magic sway on every road the
train traveled over. The Wagner Company supplemented tiiis by
tendering to the delegates the most sumptuously apj)ointed and
most profusely stocked special train of vestibuled palace cars that
ever set out from the Grand Central Depot. Every attribute of
comfort, ease and luxurious satisfaction that modern ingenuity has
devised for the gratification of the traveHng jiuhlic, was combined
in that special train, and, what was more to the purpose, it was
there to be used and to be enjoyed to the utmost. The train,
composed of six cars, represented the highest development of
railway luxury. First was the Buffet smoking car, " No. 655."
followed by two sleeping cars, the "Westmoreland" and
" Windermere." Then came the dining car in the center of the
train. The last two cars were the " Rael)urn " and the "Magenta,"
the latter being divided into state-room compartments. The whole
train was warmed with steam and Baker heaters, and lighted by
gas, though there was prudently an abundance of auxiliary oil and
bracket candle lamps, to be used when the gas gave out. Each
car was supplied with hot and cold water. The interiors were
upholstered to correspond with the wood work with silk damask,
bordered with i)lush. It was claimed to be the heaviest solid
vestibule train that ever made the round trip Ixtween New York
and San Francisco. At every station where it stopped it excited
the greatest admiration and praise, and the loudest of all to
proclaim its beauty and magnificence were the railroad men, who
flocked to the depots to inspect it. Nothing that skill and
enterprise could deyise was lacking in its equipment, and it was
complacently claimed by the travelers that it was superior to the
train which shortly before had conveyed Presitlent Harrison's party
on its trip to the Pacific coast. The Wagner people determined
that the newspaper men should have no possible chance for adverse
criticism, and they carried their intentions out to the very letter.
The only reasonable criticism the guests could conjure up was based
upon the lavish character of their entertainment. A more efficient
crew of attendants never accompanied a train. Every man knew
his business and, therefore, every want of the passengers was cared
132
for. There were in all twenty emplo3f^s, consisting of the
conductor, steward, barber, four cooks, five waiters, six porters and
the baggagemen. In regard to the cooking there was nothing left
to be desired, and from the first da}^ that the party dined on the
outward journe)' to the return to New York there was no room
for the slightest complaint. The service on the part of the
steward, Mr. E. L. Cornell, and his efficient aids would challenge
comparison with that of the best hotels in the United States.
The favorite resort of the gentlemen, particularly the unmarried
ones, on the trip was the buffet smoker. It was a thine of beauty
and a joy, and without it the pleasure of the trip would have been
immeasureably lessened. This traveling club-house was finished in
oak and mahogany. The forward part was used for baggage.
Next came a bath-room, and adjoining the bath was the barber's
room, containing a barber's chair, in which, thanks to the skill of
Mr. Frank, the tonsorial artist who presided, the requirements of
the travelers in his line could be attended to with almost as much
satisfaction at a forty mile gait, as under the most favorable
conditions in a barber shop on terra finna. Next to the barber
shop were two sections that could l)e used for card playing. I
do not state that they were so utilized, however. These two
sections could be entirely shut off from the other portions of the
car by means of a mahogany partition and plush curtains. Back
of this adjustable section was a writing desk, furnished with
stationery on tap, and all the conveniences for correspondence or
telegraphing, while on the other side, Mr. W. Archer, the
stenographer from Mr. Yager's New York office, with his writ-
ing machine, was located. His services were placed at the
disposal of the travelers, and were in steady requisition. The
central portion of the buffet car was devoted to the smokers.
Here there were large moveable easy chairs of oak and cane,
133
heavilv upholstered with plush. " Standing room only." was
almost invariably the condition in this part of the train after
meals and during the evening. Long will the remembrance
abide of the funny stories, the racy anecdotes, the recitations, the
shop talk, the schemes of organization, the earnest debates and
the hot-headed discussions, as w^ell as the effervescences of hisfh-
flown rhetoric, and the bursts of eloquence that were steadily
in progress in that buffet car during the trip. Neither will the
war whoop of "the Modocs" be readily forgotten. Next in
order came the most extensively |)atronized of all the special
departments of the train. This was the buffet Itself, from which
the rubicund r3an, or his sober-minded companion Gates, incessantlv
peered, awaiting calls for lemonade, ginger ale, sarsaparilla and
soda, or occasionally the foaming beer bottle. There, also, was
a library of admiral >ly selected l)ooks, which served to beguile
many a leisure hour to all the passengers on the train. Next to
the buffet car was the Westmoreland, the "Stag Car" as it was
designated, being occupied exclusively by the bachelors of the
party. In the other cars were the married delegates and the
ladies and other guests. The dining car was one of the hand-
somest ever constructed, and, of course, of the most approved
pattern, the old style of section seats having been superseded by
the sul)stitution of chairs. On the left side of the car, as the
illustration shows, were tables accommodating four persons, and
on the right side there were tables seating two each, thus giving
ample room for passing back and forth. Thirty persons could
be served at one time. What added greatly to the convenience
and enjoyment of the trip was the circumstance already alluded
to, that all the tables in the car could l)e removed and a change
could be made into a traveling hall, where fre(iuent entertain-
ments were given during the trip.
134
The guests of the tri|) were attentively cared for. Mrs.
Frank Leslie occuiiietl a drawing-room section in the Raeburn,
and was very comfortably situated. Mr. Willie Wilde occupied
a section to himself, just outside. Miss Kate Field was assigned
a state-room in the last car of the train — the Magenta — in which
car were most of the officers of the League and tiieir wives and
invited guests. This car was one of particularlv elegant con-
struction and convenience, the state-rooms being so arranged
that they coukl, if desired, be joined in suites.
Despite the size and Wright of this great train, it arrived at
its destination half an hour ahead of its scliedule time, and this
in the face of the severe storms that accom|)anied it in its entire
trip from New York to San Francisco. It is a remarkable fact
that there was not a hot bo.\ during the whole journev, though
the brake-shoes were almost worn through on account of the
enormous and arduous amount of work done on the heavy grades
over the Rockies and Sierras. "There were served," says
Statistician Morse, of the Pxiston Press Clui), "about 125 people
per dav. Tiu' train was provisioned at New York with groceries,
etc., for the round liip. while ]>crishable siip|)lic-s werr ]iurchased
en route. The train was e(|uii)|icd, in adililion to other essential
articles, with 1,000 sheets, 1,000 slips, 2,500 hand towels, 500
barber towels, 50 glass towels, 500 table cloths, 1,500 napkins
and 650 dovlies. The expense of the washing for the Iri]) was
over $400, laundrv work having to be done at San Bernardino
and San Francisco. Everything" was as bright and clean and
as fresh on the return to New York as had been the case at the
departure."
That everything was so admirablv contrived for the enjoyment
of the whole trip, was in a verv large measure due to the execu-
tive abilities and energetic efforts of Messrs. W. B. Jerome,
General Western Passenger Agent of the New York Central
Railroad, and Mr. J. C. Yager, the Eastern Superintendent of
the Wagner Palaee Car Company. Mr. Jerome was the railway
representative on the entiie trip from Chicago, and the manner
in which he attended to his portion of the duties called forth the
highest praise from every member of the party. Mr. Jerome is a
native of Auburn, N. Y., and has occupied his present responsible
position about ten years.
The excellence of the internal economy of the train and the
service and discipline were due to the presence of Superintendent
of the Wagner Palace Car Company John C. Yager. That gentle-
man made it a point to anticipate the wants of every one on the
train, and any suggestion that came to his ears received instant
attention. He seemed to be omnipresent. He omitted nothing.
He watched everything. Mr. Yager was born in Piqua, Ohio,
and has been connected with sleeping car companies for the past
sixteen years, during seven of which he has occupied the position
of Eastern Superintendent for the Wagner Company, having
charge of all lines east of Buffalo, with headquarters at New
York.
Another railway official who left no stone unturned to secure
for the delegates the unprecedented comfort that they enjoyed,
and who succeeded admiralily therein, was Mr. Milton C. Roach,
General Eastern Passenger Agent of the New York Central and
Hudson River Railroad. Mr. Roach not only accompanied the
party as far as Chicago, but also delighted the many friends that
he made on the outward trip by returning from Niagara P""alls to
New York with them.
To Mr. George H. Daniels, of the New York Central Rail-
road, is due a large share of credit, for it was he who made it
possible for his subordinates to perform their work so well, and
138
GUESTS AND RAILROAD OFFICIALS.
J. Seaver Page,
Dr. a. S. Hunter,
W. B. Jerome,
M. C. Roach,
M. H. Brown,
J. C. Yager.
it was he who made all the- preliminary arrangements for the
journey, that resulted in such wholesale success. Mr. E. J.
Richards, Assistant General Passenger Agent, was also solicitious
for our welfare, accompanying the party to Alhanv on the outward
trip, and meeting it again on the return, to escort it through
New York State to its starting point.
Nothing, in fact, could surpass the watchful care with which
the Eastern travelers were unremittingly surrounded hv their rail-
road hosts and protectors. Up the mountains and down the
mountains, through narrow ami iMecipitous passes, past craggy
ledges and by the edges of rivers the train was borne along at
sometimes startling speed, but the jjassengers were relieved from
all sense of nervousness by the knowledge that their immediate
destinies were in the charge of the Napoleonic Jerome, unruffled,
alert, unsleeping, all observant, and alwavs thoroughly master of
the situation. If the journey, in all its perfect details, realized
the notion of "the poetry of travel," Jerome was the poet laureate
to whom was due the even smoothness that marked its cadcnced
rhythm. Then, too, over each road that was traversed the party
was escorted by some of its highest officials. The narrative of
the journey would be incomplete without a detailed record of the
gentlemen who accompanied the delegates over the lines of road
they severallv represented, and to whom the travelers desire,
through this medium, to express their earnest thanks. They were :
J. C. V.vcKK, Uivision Superintendent of the Wagner Palace Car Company,
representing his compan}' on the entire trip (accompanied b}- Mrs. Yager).
W. B. Jerome, General Western Passenger Agent of the New Y(jrk Central
and Hudson River Railroad, representing his company the entire trip
from Chicago to -San Francisco, and returning, to Detroit.
E. J. RuHARDS, Assistant General Passenger Agent New York Central Rail-
road, from New York to Albany.
M. C Roach, General Eastern Passenger Agent, New York Central Railroad,
New York to Chicago, and return from Niagara Falls.
140
W. II. Underwchji), Eastern Passenger Agent, Michigan Central Railroad, New
York to Chicago, and Detroit to Buffalo on return.
C. L. Leonori, General Commissary, Wagner Palace Car Company, Buffalo
to Chicago.
Ja.mes Gibson, District Passenger Agent, Chicago and Northwestern Railway,
Chicago to Omaha.
B. S. Andrews, of the Passenger and Ticket Department, Chicago and North-
western Railway, Chicago to Denver.
D. E. BuRLEv, of the Passenger Department, Union Pacific Railway, Omaha
to Denver.
S. K. Hooper, General Passenger and Ticket Agent, Denver and Rio Grande
Railroad, Denver to Salt Lake.
F. A. Wadleigh, Assistant General Passenger Agent, Denver and Rio Grande
Railroad, Denver to Grand Junction.
J. J. Burns, Superintendent of First Division, Denver and Rio Grande Rail-
road, Colorado Springs to Glenwood Springs.
C. C. Smith, Assistant General Passenger Agent, Rio Grande Western Rail-
way, Grand Junction to Ogden.
W. L. Knmc.ht, Traveling Passenger Agent, Southern Pacific Railway, Ogden
to San Francisco and Los Angeles.
W. C. Morrow, of the Passenger Department, Southern Pacific Railway,
Ogden to San Francisco and Los Angeles.
E. F. Burnett, Passenger Agent, Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad,
from Los Angeles to Kansas City, Mo.
F. Chandler, General Passenger and Ticket Agent, Wabash Railroad Com-
pany, Kansas City to Detroit.
H. DuRAND, Passenger Department, Wabash Railroad Company, Kansas City
to St. Louis.
This record of our railroad hosts should include the names of
Dr. Seward Webb, President, and Mr. C. D. Flagg, Vice-President
of the Wagner Palace Car Company, who directed that the special
Wagner train be placed at the disposal of the League and made
the agreeable trip possible.
Railroad officials deserving of most honorable and grateful
mention, besides those named above, are, Mr. O. W. Rug-orles,
General Passenger and Ticket Agent, Michigan Central Railroad ;
Mr. W. F. White, Passenger Traffic Manager, Atchison, Topeka
141
(S: Santa Fe Railroad Company, and Mr. C. P. Huntington,
President Southern Pacific Company.
A further illustration of the solicitude shown for the Press
Club party by their railroad entertainers was afforded in the
circumstance of their inviting Dr. Alexander S. Hunter, one of
New York's distinguished physicians, to take part in the trip,
in the capacity of special medical attendant. Dr. Hunter was
accompanied by his estimable wife. His own genial presence
was a continuous tonic and stimulant, and possibly to the con-
fidence imparted by that attractive quality on his part was due
the unusual fact of a party of over a hundred
persons making a continued journey of nearly
nine thousand miles witliout anv one of the
number falling sick or in any serious way
requiring medical attendance.
In fact, the personnel of the party was,
throughout, all that could have been desired
to render the trip a success. The subject
must not be closed without mentioning the
attendance on the route of a phantom guest,
who turned uj) regularly at every stopping
place, and was a welcome participant in the
entertainments provided for the travelers, disappearing, however,
as soon as preparations began for resuming the journey. This
mysterious traxeling companion was Mr. H. \V. Chapin, of Syracuse,
a popular memljer of the Press Club of that city. B\- careful
study and manipulation of the time tables, Mr. Chapin managed
to .secure a train just in advance of the " Wagner special," so as to
be regularly on iiand to welcoiue the party on its arrival at each
successive point where it was to disembark from the train. He
had the remarkable fortune in a trip of 9,153 miles to make every
142
II. \V. ( IIAI'IN, (IK ^VRACL'Sli.
connection that he had planned before setting out from Syracuse,
though he confessed afterward that it had kept him very busy to
keep pace with the rapid movements of the Wagner excursionists.
Travel has been declared to be the " Fool's Paradise." If
the epigram embodies a truth, it is also true that the fool may
inhabit Paradise without monopolizing it. It would be a narrow
and imperfect view of the subject that would seek to belittle the
gratification of travel or to exclude men of sense from its appre-
ciative enjoyment. A man may make a journey of many miles
in these days of rails and wires without really slackening his grasp
upon the interests he leaves behind him, nor can he fairly consider
himself as ever getting wholly out of reaching distance of his
home. The improvements in this respect which have occurred
within the observation of men still in the prime of life are amono-
the most striking illustrations of the accelerated velocity with
which this moribund Nineteenth Century has been spinning " down
the ringing grooves of change." There are many who readily recall
the time when a voyage to Europe, or especially a trip across
this continent, was a portentous undertaking, demanding serious
contemplation beforehand, and perhaps exciting the sympathetic
apprehensions of one's acquaintances. Who shall dare to con-
jecture what facilities for traveling will be in use at the end of
the next century ? But let them be what they may, with all
their possibilities of improved conditions, they cannot confer greater
satisfaction upon the people of that coming period than the Press
Club Leaguers of this day and generation experienced in their
rapid railroad ride briefly related in the preceding pages. The
narrative has been prepared at the request of the League, merely
to give enduring form to the recollection of what must be
143
treasured as an enjoyalile episode in the life of every man and
woman who took part in it. It was not desired, on the one hand,
nor attempted on the other, to make tiiis more than a condensed
recital of such incidents as fell within the writer's own observation,
anil, accordingly, he has not aimed at describing those facts from
the high standpoint of expert reporting, nor on the lower plane
of editorial discussion. As Martial says : "His subject was so
fruitful that he had the less need for the exercise of wit."
f^oute of Xravel of the International press League.
■^^
MILES.
New York Central and Michigan Central-
New York to Chicago .(3
Chicago and Northwestern —
Chicago to Omaha ^^
Union Pacific —
Omaha to Denver ._2
Denver and Rio Grande and Rio Grande Western-
Denver to Ogden ^g 4
Side Trips about Salt Lake City and to Gas Wells 35
Southern Pacific —
Ogden to San Francisco goc
San Francisco to Monterey ,27
Monterey to Pajaro 28
Pajaro to Santa Cruz 21
Santa Cruz to San Jose ^c
San Jose to San Francisco co
San Francisco to Los Angeles .82
Southern California (now A., T. and S. F. R. R.) —
Los Angeles to Pasedena and Return 20
Los Angeles to Kedondo Beach and return 46
Los Angeles to Redlands and return to San Bernardino 71
San Bernardino to San Diego 124
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe^
San Diego to Kansas City, making stops as follows : Albuquerque,
Santa Fe and Las Vegas Hot Springs 2,392
Lamy Junction to Santa Fe and return 36
Las Vegas to Hot Springs and return 12
Wabash Railroad —
Kansas City to St. Louis 277
St. Louis to Toledo ^36
Michigan Central Railway —
Toledo to Detroit ^9
Detroit to Buffalo 251
New York Central Railroad —
Buffalo to New York 444
Total 8,676
147
What the Delegates H^*^ to ^^y A^out the Trip.
The sul)j(MiK'd list of the special contributions sent to their
respective papers duriny- the journev bv the delegates on the train
is not claimed to be exhaustive. It comprises those only whicii
lia\'e come i)efore the notice of the jMCsent writer. The dates given
are those of their publication :
Chas. W. Price, Elcitrical Kevieio —
Feb. 13th, "Tlie Press Club League Ci)nveutiun."
J. C. Morse, Boston Hrrahl—
Feb. 3d. "Tlic Press Delegates' Train."
J. B. Dampman, Reading Nrra/J —
Jan. i;th. "The Start and the Train."
i^lh. "(Jn the Fly through Nebraska."
" i6tli. "Denver's Magic Growth."
" 19th. "Crossing the Rockies."
-oth. "Salt Lake City."
" jjth. "At the Golden Gate."
" 26th. "California's Wonders."
" 29th. "Model Street Cars in .San l~iancisco."
" 3otli. "X'ineyards of Fresno."
Feb. 1st. "San Jose."
2(1. "A \'isit to Monterey."
" 3d. "Rece[itions and Banquets."
" 5th. "Sacramento to Los Angeles."
" 2(1. "Ban(|uet of the Reading Press Club."
C. H. George, Baltimore Aiiu-rican —
Feb. 5th. "From Ocean to Ocean."
* Miss Mary Allen West, Chicago Union Signa/ —
"Across the Continent."
T. J. Keenan, Jr., Pittsburgh /'riss —
Feb. 1 ith. "Over the R(jckies."
" 15th. "Salt Lake and Auburn."
" 20th. "Chinatown."
* This most estimable lady, a dislinffuisheJ temperance advocate, separated from the party at Los Angeles to visit
I.i;)an on missionary work, and died in Tnkio, December 1st, 1892.
T. J. Keenan, Jr., Pittsburgh Pmss —
Feb. 22d. "Monterey, etc., etc."
" 23d. "Southern California."
Mch. 6th. "The Homeward Trip."
" i6th. "Tlie Journey's End."
VV. V. Alexander, Boston Tin use rip f —
Feb. 13th. "From Ocean to Ocean."
Lynn R. Meekins, Baltimore American —
Feb. 12th. "From Snow to Flowers."
" 14th. "A Day in Mormondom." (2)
Mch. 1 2th. "Through New Mexico."
"A Week in California."
Mrs. E. M. Avery, Cleveland Leader—
Jan. 25th. "A Glorious Time."
(Chicago to San Francisco.)
"Across the Desert."
E. H. OTIara, Syracuse —
Feb. 13th. "Some Things that I Saw."
M. P. Murphy, Toledo Bee—
Jan. 30th. "Reception in Toledo."
Feb. ist. "Incidents of the Tour."
E. J. Fleming, Buffalo Express —
"Across the Continent."
J. S. Keeler, Boston Herald —
Jan. 26th. "Sight-Seeing on the Pacific Coast (San Jose).
Feb. I St. "Doing Lower California."
" 7th. "Incidents of Interest."
" 2ist. "Further Incidents."
" 28th. "A Boston Delegate in Chinatown."
Mch. 13th. "The Heart of Chinatown."
" 27th. "The Land of the Setting Sun."
Mrs. Frances E. Owens, Chicago Journal of Industrial Edueation —
February, March and April.
Irving Watson, Narragansett Herald —
Mrs. Kate F. McElrath, American Analyst, New York —
Feb. 25th. "Atlantic to Pacific."
Mch. 3d.
Miss Belle Gorton, Chicago Woman's News —
Feb. 13th. "Across the Continent."
" 20th. "In California."
149
Mch.
9th.
"
1 6th.
n
23d.
April
6th.
"
13th.
Miss Belle Gorton, Chicago IVumaii's A''c7as —
Mch. 5th.
" i2th.
" 26th.
Kate Field's ]\'ashiiii:;ton —
Jan. 13th. "International League of Press Clubs.
"Crossing the Continent."
" Denver."
"Omaha and Palmer Lake."
"Glenwood Springs and Zion."
"Pioneers and Nevada."
W. N. Penney, New York News —
Feb. 14th. "A Sunday Amid the Rockies."
" 2ist. "Sunday Among the Palms."
" 28th. "Sunday in Semi-Tropical Seas."
Mch. 6th. "Sunday on the Road — Niagara."
Julius Muehle, Dcr Sechoti, Milwaukee, Wis. —
Feb. 3d. "To California."
" 6th. "The League Convention."
" iith. "Southern California."
T. P. McElrath, Aincric^rti Analyst, New York —
Feb. 1 8th. "Convention of Press Clubs."
E. B. P'isher, Grand Rapids, Mich., Eagle —
Jan. 17th. "The Press Excursion."
24th. "From the Coast."
" 3tst. "Some Rare Experiences."
Feb. 7th. "The Great Wonder of It."
William Berri, Brooklyn Staiulai d-Union —
Feb. I St. "Across the Continent and Back."
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