THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



Ill 



dred new box cars, its freight business 

 having reached such proportions that it 

 cannot be handled with the number of 

 cars which it was supposed would be 

 sufficient. The competing road is an un- 

 qualified success. 



Damage done by the rainstorm in Fresno, 

 Tulare and Kings countie? is estimated to 

 be about one-third of the raisin crop. 

 Last season 1500 cars had gone forward to 

 the east prior to October 15. This year 

 the shipments have been only 400 cars. 

 It is said that the storm has caused the 

 loss of 1,000 carloads. Growers are hold- 

 ing for 3J cents a pound in the sweat box. 



The ranchmen of San Diego, Co.. say 

 that several large mountain lions have re- 

 cently been seen in the Moosa canyon. 



President McKinley is to receive a 

 unique invitation to attend the California 

 golden jubilee. The invitation is to be 

 engraved on a slab of gold quartz. This 

 golden jubilee and fair, which is to be 

 started about the 24th of January, will be 

 the first active advertisement of Califor- 

 nia's gold resources since their revival. 

 The San Francisco Miners Association 

 propose to "head off" in this way some of 

 Uie people who contemplate going to the 

 Klondike in the spring. 



Fresco, Cal. , is to have the largest elec- 

 tric pumping plant in the world and it is 

 of latest make with all modern improve- 

 ments. It is now being placed in the 

 pumping station of the water works and 

 has a capacity of 4,000,000 gallons every 

 twenty-four hours. The water is obtained 

 from seventeen artesian wells that reach a 

 depth of from 200 to 600 feet, and is 

 therefore pure and healthful. 



The El Cajou Packing Co. has put in a 

 new Fresno raisin stemmer of 20-ton ca- 

 pacity. The company expects to handle 

 about 600 tons of raisins. 



San Diego has a srnoked i herring factory. 



Redlands is having a "boom". Building 

 is progressing at a great rate, one of the 

 finest structures in progress being the pub- 

 lic library building, the foundation walls 



of which are laid, and which will cost 

 when completed not less than $60,000. 



ILLINOIS. 



A recent heavy rain at Paducah, uncov- 

 ered what was supposed to be abed of coal. 

 The farmer upon whose land the discovery 

 was made immediately began digging and 

 the vein proves to be a very rich one. 



On the evening of Dec. 29 the Austin 

 Mfg. Co., located at Carroll avenue and 

 north Carpenter street, was burned. One 

 man, an employe was burned to death 

 while attempting to check the flames. The 

 Austin Company is well known as manu- 

 facturers of road machines, and the loss is 

 estimated at about $60,000, covered by in- 

 surance to the amount of $100.000. The 

 walls of the factory are still standing and 

 it is believed some of the heavier machin- 

 ery may be saved. The Austins intend 

 rebuilding immediately. 



KANSAS. 

 Topeka is to have a woolen mill, 



The registration at Topeka has reached 

 8,531. 



Washington county claims the record in 

 the production of corn this year. 



A bed of fossils has been discovered on 

 the Colvin ranch, near Oberlin. The pet- 

 rified bones of mammoth turtles predomi- 

 nate. 



Salina is considering the advisability of 

 buying the paper mill and converting it 

 into an electric light plant to be owned 

 and operated by the city. 



After July 1, 1898, Kansas will own all 

 of its bonded debt, except an issue of 

 $25,000. The School Fund Commission 

 will 'purchase $84,000 of the bonds and of 

 the $632,000 of state bonded debt, $601,- 

 000 will then belong to this fund and the 

 interest on it will be used to support the 

 common schools of the state. 



The annual meeting of the Kansas 

 Board of Agriculture will be held at To- 

 peka, beginning January 12, and continu- 

 ing three days. From the program, pub- 



