"Lightning struck three telephone poles near Mesa City Friday night during the storm and knocked them into kindling wood and the rain came down in torrents. The fall was much heavier than it was in Phoenix and light showers continued all day yesterday.
"Somebody is to start a paper at Gila Bend and its name will be The Gila Bend Call.
"There are ugly rumors afloat about 'trading' of candidates. We trust and hope there is no foundation for such reports for if there is one thing that is despicable in a candidate, it is trading or swapping men on his ticket for votes for himself. The fight thus far has been fair and manly and we sincerely hope that it will continue so till the end.
"The local markets still abound in fresh grapes of the second and third crops.
"The silverware has been received at the store of E. F. Kellner and parties holding tickets will present them now and receive their prizes."
"An Electric Road! George M. Harris and Henry B. Robinson, of Denver, arrived from that city. They bring intelligence of the consummation of a deal that is to give to Phoenix and her environs a superb system of electric cars.
"November 2 there was incorporated in Denver the 'Phoenix Tramway Company,' with a capital stock of $200,000. On organization, the following names were elected officers: President, G.M. Harris; vice president, Granville Malcolm; secretary and treasurer, Henry B. Robinson. The officers, with Jno. S. Macbeth and Frederick B. Robinson Jr., constitute the board of directors.
"A suitable office will be at once secured and the preliminary work entered on."
Though many do not seem to be aware of it, Phoenix has in the last few years grown to the dimensions of a city. Both in point of population and extent of territory covered is she classed as a city - but not in point of public improvements. We have a city hall that is a very decent structure, a good fire department and fairly adequate apparatus, the water service and lighting are good, but our streets are the horror of the visitor and the humiliation of the resident. It might as well be frankly confessed that our streets are in no wise superior to our abonimable country roads, except perhaps in the fact that they are not dependent on the rain of Heaven for their watering. The streets are simply dirt roads, nothing more. It is full time this was altered.
The Central Avenue Driveway Association has men at work on the driveway on Center Street and will soon have a splendid place on which to speed horses.
"Tonight at the skating rink there will be a mile race for prizes with the field open to anybody who has confidence enough in themselves to risk their feet.
"The Arizona Archaeological Society will organize next Saturday night. They object of the organization is to investigate the interesting questions of archaeology and ethnology in our own Territory, the most interesting of all countries in that respect. All who are interested in that research will meet at the office of Judge Schwartz, the city recorder, at 7 o'clock on Saturday evening.
"The city should put on two or three extra night watchmen. At this time there is only one public watchman and no private ones. It is a matter of impossibility for one man to be all over the town at once and there should be three, one in the Mexican quarter, one in the east and one in the west end of Phoenix proper.
"The new steam baler for the Phoenix Hay and Grain Company arrived yesterday.
"The postoffice was improved this morning with swinging doors but it wasn't 10 minutes before a lounger broke one of them down.
"It is learned from an authoritative source that the Mexican government will present a petition asking that the Apache Indians which now occupy a reservation in Arizona near the Mexican boundary be removed to a greater distance from the international border. It is asserted that the near presence of the Apaches to the Mexican territory necessitates continuous watchfulness on the part of the Mexican military and civil authorities."
"There will be a fancy dress ball at the skating rink next Saturday night, so they say.
"Perhaps it is not generally understood that the town of Yuma will own the Territorial penitentiary, with all machinery, improvements, etc., should the Territory ever conclude to plant that institution at some other point; but such are the provisions of the deed to the territory of the prison site.
"Choice wines for the holidays are now in order. If you want the very best at lowest possible prices, you will find them in great variety at the cellar of Schuele & Dummel. Under Eschman's drug store.
"There is more water in the Superstition Mountains now than for any time during the year."
"The returns of the governor's office from all parts of the Territory respecting the vote for territorial offices gave Smith a majority over Stewart of 1,299 and Norris over Cluff of 1,020."
"According to a report of the West End Street Railway of Boston, which uses the trolley system of electric propulsion, the cost of electricity is much less than that of horses. During one of the summer months the cost of motive power per car mile for the electric system was 5.22 cents; for horses 11.36 cents. The total expense of all kinds was 21.87 cents per car mile for electricity to 26.14 cents per car mile for horses - Philadelphia Ledger.
"The Phoenix, Mt. Olive and Mesa Railway is the name of a new line that will be built from Washington Street out through Center and into the Churchill Addition. The gentlemen who have hold of the enterprise are men who make things go and no doubt in a short while the building will begin. The incorporators are T.W. Hine, Bert Spencer, B.E. Lower, Warwick Scott and Chas. V. Barr; the amount for which incorporated, $1,500,000."
"Mr. C. J. Dyer of this city, who has taken much interest in the prehistoric evidence of this valley, has during the course of his work made a collection of prehistoric curios, perhaps better than any in the United States outside the Smithsonian Institution. Metals, hammers, axes, ollas, plum, bob [sic] skulls, jewelry and many little trinkets are found among the collection. One of the most interesting of all he articles is a slate dug from one of the ruins south of the river. It has a hole in the top for hanging up and is inscribed on both sides. On one are a lot of hieroglyphs and figures of men and animals; on the other are two snakes twined about the edges and forming a border for the slate."
"Tempe can feel herself expand with patriotism. Last night she had one of the biggest rallies ever held in Arizona and next Saturday night she proposes to outdo even that in a monster reception to the Hon. W. G. Stewart. A special will run over from Phoenix with three brass bands, the Harrison Zouaves and the general public.
"Three Mohave Indians came to Phoenix yesterday from the Colorado River reservation, with money to buy ponies from the Pimas. They had a leave of absence from Agent Allen for three weeks.
"The electric light works struck last night for an hour leaving the city in partial darkness.
"The Territorial Grand Lodge of Masons will hold its annual meeting in Phoenix.
"This morning everybody was jubilant over the beginning of the winter rains."
"The holiday festivities are at hand and Phoenix merchants are abreast of the occasion with elegant stocks of all sorts of seasonable goods. In fact, Phoenix is becoming quite metropolitan in her mercantile business; the contrast of the present with the situation of 10 years ago is something interesting and encouraging in the extreme.
"This morning the train came in at 6:30. The people were surprised to find mail all up before breakfast.
"Today the contractors began building the new walk from the court house to the main street.
"Every night this week there will be from one to five social gatherings in various parts of the city.
"A gentleman charged with horse stealing was bound over in the sum of $800 to await the action of the grand jury.
"Several local sportsmen are going to spend Christmas hunting in the mountains north of Cave Creek.
"The iron for the electric car line is lost somewhere between this city and Los Angeles. Perhaps that Yuma doctor is disinfecting it."
