Aa Interesting Letter From the Exposi­ tion Visitors. e>an Francisco, Nov. 26, 11)15. E ditor Cloverdale Courier, Dear. S ir : Inasm uch as we left Portland th e 15th inst. in a downpour, and have learned through the dailies th a t they have been passing through a series of storm s, we thought th a t it might be interesting for our friends to know som ething of the w eather conditions and other incidents and observations of our San Francisco trip. To say th a t w ith the exception of one d ay ’s rain (23d> and some light showers at night, the w eather here has been de­ lightful, is expressing it m ildly. Leaving P ortland the evening of the 15th, we found all sleeper reservations taken ^ o m e m ade a week in advance) and our next best choice, of course, was the chair car. Mr. Ray and I m ight have stood it all right the entire journev but we thought it best for the comfort of our party to stop off over night at Ashland. A rriving there at. 11:35 a. m. th e 16th, we arranged our hotel q u ar­ ters and a t once began a tour of the city. Because of the fact th a t this was th e scene .of Mr. R ay’s activities 30 years ago, it became quite interesting to all of us. On our stroll we m et Judge Condtr who entertained us delightfully some hours a t his home. Leaving A shland the m orning of the 17th the next place of special interest was Shasta Springs which we passed *t 9 a. in. A 10 m inutes’ stop for a sip of its several kinds of m ineral waters proved a joy aud novel delight to a host of passengers. The day was a delight­ ful one and our course for many miles in close proxim ity to the renowned snow­ capped peak, a,nd the “ Black B utte” an ex tin ct volcano, near by. was a source of interest and inspiration. The Pacific Highway is seen here and there all th e way from Ashland over the Siskiyous and n orthern California on down through the opulent Sacram ento Valley. The am ount of hard surfacing done in this valley w as a great surprise to us. Scores of team s and laborers were observed at work on the short gaps between great long stretches of the com­ pleted road, w hich, when finished, will give a hard surfaced highway from the form er place to San Fruncisco through one of th e m ost interesting and wealthy countries in th e world. We observed w ith pleasure also th a t the mode of con­ struction was painstaking and scientific. Aside from the use of carefully selected m aterials, fine grades and excellent drainage, the concrete construction was cured under w ater by throw ing up em ­ bankm ents of earth on either side w ith low cross sections on top of the cem ent a t close intervals and filling the en­ closures with water. A rriving a t our destination late on the evening of the 17th and taking a good n ig h t’s rest, the next day w e began a system atic visit and enjoym ent of the fair. Although wo consumed no tim e in taking notes, a l.astv, casual inspection of the various departm ents meant five davs profitably spent there. The ex exhibits are m ultitudinous and grand. The spectacle at night with the glitter­ ing “ tower of jewels” and scores of varicolored searchlights playing upon exhausting steam , polytechnics and Art S m ith 's Hying m achine in the air, the w aters of the bay and ttie U. S. warships a t anchor therein, and the magnificent structures com prising the great buildings of the fair, certainly is a sight of indtscribable splendor and the crowds who beheld them a t tim es are innum erable. This is the th ird world’s fair th a t tltv w riter has had the pleasure of v isit­ ing and, as com pared with the others, it impresses us as having excelled them in some particulars (as new inventions in science and industry has made it pos­ sible) and in others not quite up to their standard. Inasm uch as these discrepancies are more noticeable in the foreign than in the dom estic exhibits, the European war, no doubt, accounts for them . For instance, there is no foreign exhibit here th a t approaches in w ealth, m agni­ tude and magnificence the display made by G reat B ritain a t St. Louis,- w hore she included Queen V ictoria’s jubilee presents, E ngland’s ivory th rone and the crown jewels. As m anifestations of unparalelled pro­ gress, however, the California state building contained an exhibit ot m ag­ nitude, variety, w ealth, culture and a rt and ingenuity of display, the like of which we have never seen anyw here by any state before, and w hat pleases us more Oregon is a close second. F u rth e r­ more, Or“gon, outside of th a t in her own state building, has displays in several other departm ents th a t her people have a right to be proud of. In the way of governent exhibits, the Canadian building contained one th a t was a revelation of her enorm ous wealth and rapidly developing resources. T h at and the A ustralian building were centers of great attraction. Many of the state buildings are only intended for social gatherings and con­ tain nothing but rest rooms and inform ­ ation bureaus. O thers, liae the Illinois building, in addition contain valuable relics. In this building are m any precious relics cherished as m em entos of the noble career of A braham L in­ coln. Among them we see rem nants of school books of his childhood days, the fly-ieafa and title pages of which bore evidences of mischief as indicated by wayward draw ings and promiscuous figures and inscriptions, and in o.ie place he had w ritten like th is: “ A bra­ ham Lincoln Ilis Book,” just like nearly all norm al boys do at some tim e in then- lives. A lthough a great lover and defender of law and liberty in his m aturer years, he may have gotten over the traces a little in his school days, as these tell­ tale relics m ight im ply. N atural, isn ’t it? Over in the Italian building among m any ancient r**lics of the rem ote past we see an exquisite bronze bust of a lady cast two thousand years before C hrist. We instinctively look a t it and ponder, have we as a race of hum an be­ ings, outside of our inventions, good and bad, ever made any progress? We now tu rn to the fine arts palace, which is near a t hand. W ithin its m any walls are canvasses, statues, im ­ ages and relics of values th a t cannot be m easured in gold. San Francisco is to ­ day devising plans to preserve it a last­ ing m onum ent to the great exposition, and steps are being taken to have con­ gress to set uside the governm ent land upon which it stands for th a t express purpose. We have no more tim e for th e Expo, but we m ust spend a few days review­ ing the city and its countryside inviron- m ent. Nine years ago we sojourned here for several weeks when on a tour of m any states. It was then in ruin and ashes. In th at brief tim e it lias not only risen, phoenix-like, from its ashes but has expanded far beyond its then lim itations. A tour made bv us today including th e Presidio, Fort Wiley, Cliff House, Golden G ate Park, Laurel Hill and most all places of in ­ terest, such a tour as we had made nine years ago, has convinced us of this fuct. It is a pleasure to kuow tn at we have seen a great exposition and a great city, and not among the lesser pleasures is th e fact th a t, through Mr. R ay’s old and renewed acquaintanceship we have made m any new friends whom we hope to meet again. On our way down we met on our train M r. Reuben Thacker, daughter and son, Mr. Thacker having hom esteaded the M cKillipp place, and here in th e city we liavo m et Mr. John Koontz and fam ily, form er resi­ dents of Tillamook county and had the pleasure of accepting an invitation to a Thanksgiving dinner w ith them . Our little party have been enjoying them selves hugely, having the best of health excepting th a t Mr. Rav and m y­ self have taken severe colds. In fact, Miss Iler has gained about ten pounds in weight and M is. K raner would not want me to say how m uch she lias gained. 1 We will probably leave here M onday, the 2uth, and stop over a day a t Red Bluff, Cal., and a t M edford and P o rt­ land, Ore. W ith regards to all. L. M. K ran er, for the bunch. Dr. A. W. Lister, DENTIST Main Street 1 Our New Delivery | Service Cloverdale, - Otlice Ground Floor Todd Hotel, Oregon Bell Phone 53-J P. O. Box 147 | (XjLncFe gain’s * Short Notice | (purceC (poet Abstracts by on the PACIFIC "ABSTRACT CO. • p E R H A P S the roads are bud, ■ or it’s storming, or you are ^ too busy. These things need make no difference with you All you have to do is to drop .us n card, or cull up by phone e and we will send what you want by parcel post. L. V. EB ERH A RD , M anager. Complete Set of A bstracts of the Records of Tillamook County, Oregon. TILLAMOOK. 3 * £fou p. in. J. M. TRAXLER, P»c? iH f^ c -4 c * a <- -