Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-10-30
Wages range from S4 to 81 so per day in
this city, and on the plantations 50 per day
and found.

many beautiful vines and flowers here that
] think will grow in California, and be.
fore spring l will send you seeds of
several varieties. There is mos.
beautiful vine, or shrub flor under different
conditions it assumes both forms), that is
here grown for hedges. The flowers tina,
1t bears are part. colored-red, blue, white
and orange. It bears berry that has a
strong resemblance to blackberry, but it
is not edible. 1t grows rapidly, and is an
excellent climber. l have seen hedges in
Maui from fifteen to twenty feet in hight
OF this plant If you want show and orna.
mental hedges in Sacramento, 1 think II
will prove just the thing-at all events,
shall send some of the seeds, and you can
try them. | think that by protecting the
plant from the frosts for one winter it will
become acclimated and do well. It bios
SONS from the moment it makes its ap.
pearance, a tiny slip, above the ground.
There are many varieties of convolvuli in
the hills, one of which blooms only at
night. Trained in a trellis with morning.
glories they would make beautiful show.
ing / must tell YOU something
of
MY EXPERIENCE ON MAUI.
l went up to the Spreckels camp on
the 9Th of July. 1t was noon, and the
men were at dinner. As l walked among
them l saw one familiar face-a gentle
man whom l met in Healdsburg in 1879.
He recognized me at once, and expressed
surprise at seeing me. He had been work.
ing for Spreckels for thirteen months. He
introduced me to one time Sacramentan,
who had been an engineer on the c. P.
His name is Queen. When he first came
here, two years ago, he got position as
engineer of the little train that runs from
Waikiki to Kahului. The present engineer
OF the little railway is man named
Parker, who used to run on the Central at
Winnemucca. At the camp, one small
tent, scarcely large enough to accommodate
two men with any degree of comfort, was
allotted to every four men. There were
about sixty.five men working on the fume,
not counting shovelers and teamsters,
but only about twenty of these were
mechanics the rest were handy-men
and roustabouts-a drinking, gambling,
swearing set of ruffians. Each man was
given redwood bunk, two feet wide, as
furniture. We furnished our own bed ling,
which consisted of straw tick and a
blanket. At $50 A. NJ. a gong was sounded
to awaken US. Then, about fifteen min.
utes later, another gong to summon US to
breakfast-meat cooked on the top of a
stove with rancid grease, often brought to
the table dripping with blood, or else
charred and exuding the sickening odor OF
burned flesh ; sour beans potatoes cooked
with the skins on, but without being first
washed an apology for bread that none
could eat, and biscuit that no one would
dare to; the whole winding up
by bitter cupful of chicory. Then,
after slowing that indigestible MACS
under our vests, we started
for the scene of our days labor, one end
one-half miles distant, through the sand
hills. We commenced work at A. NJ
The trade winds have clear sweep across
the country from Kahului to the southern
coast of the island. The sand which forms
these hills is washed up by the tides and
the winds, which blow with great velocity
over that part of the island, sweep it from
the beach and pile it in huge drifts, which
keep constantly moving toward the ocean
on the south coast. Indeed, l knew ons
of these sand hills to shift its base
OVER THIRTY FEET
In one week under the action of winds, and
often after the sleepers for the flume were
laid, they were covered with several feet
of sand before the bottom boards could be
cut and nailed down. Many days it was
impossible to see a man ten feat distant be-
cause of the sand-storms. OF course ths
men could not keep in extra health urder
such conditions, our eyes aud lungs became
afected,-snd many of the men. rsrurned to
San Francisco disgusted with their ex.
perience of 1ifssan the isl.LGa. At noon
our dinner was brought to US in large
tin pals, but often so full of sand as
to be extremely uupalatable. At 5 o'clock
P. M. the foreman called 'poi,' and
we commenced our tramp coward camp,
tired of lifting the heavy redwood planks
(for they were green, l6 feet long, II
inches wide and L inches thick, and every
one of them would tax all the strength a
strong man could muster to manage it1, of
the long hours, of the sand and the weary
walk over the hills. After our evening
meal, which was similar 10 our morning
bill of fare. with the exception that tea
was substituted for chicory, we sought our
sleeping apartments, too much fatigued to
read or write, even If the conditions had
been favorable for thought or reflection.
And those tents, reeking with the nauseating
odors of vile whisky and worse tobacco,
mingled with the sickening smell of per-
spiration, and the several well-defned
stinks from dirty clothing, the whole hav-
ing an added power of disgust to sensitive
oliactories from the heated condition of
the atmosphere within. The place was
also alive with fees, mosquitoes, bedbugs,
ants and cockroaches, with an occasional
centipede as visitor extraordinary. And
the evening conversations after the tallow
candles were lighted-how elevating
how inspiring what depth Of thought
and flights of fancy bar. room anecdotes,
vile jests and vulgar tales heard in broth
els. think sometimes that if some of us
who 80 misuse the golden gift of speech
could be struck dumb, and only regain the
power of communicating with our fellows
after years probation, we would use our
tongues to better purpose. AT last, after
two weeks of purgatorial existence was
fortunately enabled to change my quarters
and move into small tent occupied
by my Scotch friend, Mr.. Rose, and
his namesake and cousin, David. The
change was an agreeable one, for they
were well read, did not drink, and only
one used the pipe. Up to the time 1 first
wrote you l enjoyed good health on the
place, but few days after l was taken
sick with fever, accompanied by stomachic
cramps.
ONE OF THE FoREMEN,
M. E. Ryan, who formerly worked for the
Central Pacific Railroad and was after.
wards proprietor of the Oakland Planning
Mills-a gentleman to whom I shall ever
be grateful for his kindness to me-minis.
tered for my ailment from his medicine
chest but got no relief, and so quit and