Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1879-09-13

weather is fns, but of cooler temper
atnre than we have been accustomed d
to. We saw numbers of ranches with
immense herds of cattle and horses,
all rolling fat. The men and boys
who fill the occupation of herders re-
ceive $25 or $50 per month and
board. They seem to have a pretty
hard life. They are compelled to
work every day. Sundays included" !"
This section Of country seems to be
devotsd almost exclusively to stock
raising. and it appears to be very we'll
adapted to that purpose. This being
the Sabbath day we noticed several
IN wagons apparently on their way
to church. We also observed that
some are out in the field working very
nsrd stacking grain.
One fact / wish to mention here,
that I learned in Omaha, is, that all
the emigration is not westward. There
are about as many returning east as
there aye going west. In fat, the
emig' Int agent at Council Bluffs told
me that about an equal number had
been smigrating each direction for
the past year. Those coming from
California report labor cheap and
scarce, There were some men in our
train who live in California; one of
Their told me that stranger in Cali
fornia who had to depend on his la
boz ior living did not have much
show. But when man once became
acquainted, and was found to be up.
right, then he could secure employ
ment and make respectable living.
This emigrants going east and west
frequently salute each other, and the
presence of the eastward bound pill
grims does not have a very stimulat-
ing effect upon those who are travel
ing the opposite direction, with such
bright prospects before them. In
fact, it had euch depressing effect
upon one Of our passengers that he
had great notion to disembark at
once. He had ticket for California
4 number Of US gathered around him,
and with all the effort we could mus
ter, tried to console him with the ar
gunent that we must not take these
Pee ole bound for the east into &C.
eouIr. They were weakened, had
no energy, would not stick, etc. At
length he agreed that we might pos
aibly be right. and concluded to con-
tinue on his way to California. Whilst
discussing this matter there appeared
OH the scene young German who
yas just returning from a visit to his
home in Prussia. His present home
AZ in California. He was a modest,
unassuming young man, and having
resided in California a few years, vas
asked to relate his experience. He
said he emigrated from Germany to
California about the time of the
franco-Prussisn war; that he secured
employment with farmer at 500 per
month and board, and that by care
full investment of his earnings he had
purchased 300 acres of land, for
which he could secure $4,000.
Along our route here we discover
ed that sod houses were quite COM
mon for nan and beast. You can
frequeatly see the old sod house and
new one built with lumber alongside
of ii, in which the family are now
living. Sometimes they still have a
sod kitchen. Water seems to be
scarce here. The railroad company
at each water station has mammoth
wind :2.ill, towering, I should suppose
nearly 100 feet high, with which the
water is pumped from a huge well
into the large tanks for the engines,
l was told that they were erected at
cost of $4,000 each, which is pro-
bobly true.
Tie majority in our train are going
to San Francisco, and few are bound
for Oregon. Our accommodations are
good, but travelling is very slow, not
exceeding at any time more than 10
or II miles per hour. We have few
jolly fellows in our car who live on
the bright side of life and make
things cheerful. Sunday night I laid
down on my bed which I had erected
between the seats. When l awoke
Monday morning and began to
straighten up myself in my seat, my
back rubbed against something that
was not there when I laid down. 7