A NEW ZEALANDER ABROAD

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 79, Issue 144, 19 June 1936, Page 6

A NEW ZEALANDER ABROAD

A VI IT TO THE GRAND CANYON. (By Arthur Way. Leaving l.o* Angeles by the banta Fe railway the first part of the trip b» through verv productive country, where grapes, oranges, figs and walnuts cover a large area uf cultivated ground, some of the orchards occupying over a thousand acres, and here again irrigation plays a very important part. Oxer the Arizona desert the trip is very uninteresting, with its endless miles of desolation and Indian reservations with their adobe huts made of uiud ami straw, and the same applies to the Painted Desert, with iu» numerous coloured sands. Grand Canyon. Grand Canyon is reached alter a 20aour ride, with a night on the train. After breakfast at the El Tovar, one of the unique hotels m America and built on the same architectural style as the Ahwahnee Hotel at Yosemite \ alley, a bus tour was taken round the .tu oi the Canyon to the Hermit s Hut. a splendid view being obtained of the.vallev. It is impossible to describe the greatness of the Canyon. Imagine a. stupendous chasm, in places four to IS miles wide from rim to rim, more than 200 miles long in the total of its meandering*, and more than a mile deep. A mighty river, the Colorado iihe second largest in America), has •hisselled out the inner granite gorge which is flanked on each side by tier upon tigr of huge architectural forms -veritable mountains —carved by erosion from the solid rock strata which it has exposed in great layers to the desert sun, and all painted in colours of the rainbow. Other scenic wonders are x ieived either on the level or looking up, but the Grand Canyon is looked down upon. In the late afternoon the transformation is marvellous. Immense forms seem to have pushed out from the sheer walls and float in a purple sea of mysterious shadows. It is a symphony of mass and colour and the rocks take the form of Japanese tabernacles, domes, boats and coloured terraces. The Watch Tower. On Desert View, overlooking the Painted Desert, stands the Indian Watch Tower, built of native stones on the brink of the Canyon. The tower roars aloft*from a huge foundation of green-stained Canyon boulders. At its base is a low, round kiva, a reproduction of the ancient ceremonial chamber <sf the Pueblo Indians. On the walls and cealings are a number of actual specimens of Indian photographs, drawings and carvings. From the top of the tower the view embraces vast expanses of the Grand Canyon, the Painted Desert, and the Tusayan National Forest which covers 1000 acres. At mid-day an interesting and instructive film was screened by Mr. E. C. Kolb, who also gave a vivid account of his two trips by boats down the rapids of the Colorado in the Canyon, and his 34 years’ experience. Kansas. Next morning the tour was resumed to Chicago, and the country improved

wonderfully when the Kansas Stale was reached, where wheat is chiefly grown and the young crops looked really well. Kansas has a wonderful rainfall, and, in fact, whilst passing through this {State we had heavy snowers, thunder and lightning—the first since leaving New Zealand. Lucerne also grows abundantly. In different parts of the State immense grain stores have been built, for the wheat. At Kansas City, which has a population of 500,000, it was still raining, which precluded any visit to the town. The railway station is an immense building and some idea of its magnitude can l»e realised when you learn that twelve railroad companies are operating at this station with their I numerous sets of lines and rolling stock. Chicago. | Chicago was Peached after four I nights and three and a-half days on the train, a distance of 2355 miles having been travelled from Los Angeles with about 700 miles to New Yoik to travel. Chicago is built on the shores of Lake Michigan, which is 300 miles long and 60 miles wide. Claimed to be the second largest city in America, it contains a number of historical buildings ami also the largest hotel— Stevens’ Hotel. At night-time it is a blaze of light, with its coloured lighting system in evidence at the business places and the theatres. We have the privilege of being escorted over Swift and Co.'s saleyards and manufacturing works. Between 300 and 400 buyers operate in the Chicago livestock market every day. Cattle, hogs, sheep and calves are killed and dressed by the thousands. Modern mechanical contrivances reduce handling and each worker does ihat at which he is most expert. Most of the killing and dressing is done bynegro labour, whilst neatly-attired girls are engaged in the packing and distributing rooms for the sliced bacon. The whole of the process is followed frou the timj in which the stock is penned till it reaches the distributing room. It is similar to the system in operation at the freezing works in New Zealand, but on a more extensive scale, as it is possible to put through 750 pigs per hour, while sheep and cattle are handled at a similar proportion. It was a most interesting tour, and every courtesy and information was imparted to the visitors by the guide in charge of the party. In the afternoon we visited Wrigley Field where there is a stadium capable of seating over 40,000 people. A baseball game was in progress between New York Giants and Illonois Cubs, the latter proving victorious by five goals to four in a ten innings match. The most interesting feature was the seriousness of the “barracking” by the supporters of both teams, who rose en masse when a good “hit” was made by a*ny of the players. It was impossible to hear the announcer on account of the continual buzz by the spectators. Personally 1 would sooner see a game of Rugby in New Zealand, as baseball appears to me to be a glorified game of ’‘rounders,” but it would not be policy to tell the Americans your opinion as it is their national game. On Sunday we had a three hours tour round Chicago and saw most of I the municipal buildings, boulevards and parks, also .the site of the las.t Chicago

Fair. One of the most interesting was the memorial to the Elks, which we inspected. It was really magnificent with its bronze statutes, furnishings a- d Biblical paintings on the walls, and a wonderfpl dome in the centre. It is one of the show places of Chicago.