Saturday press. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1880-1885, 1885-01-31

denly, the unpleasant fact that he was the
last man to catch the boat to meet the train
that wendell its way southwark. Who he was
matters little to the general reader, but what
was seen and learned on said trip may prove
OF interest to others as it did my friend and ],
hence this narration.
About sixty miles south Of San Francisco,
and some ten miles beyond San Jose, on the
line Of the South Pacific Coast Railroad TO
Santa Cruz, is situated the not new, nor yet |
very old town OF Los Gatos, which is reached
by its trains at least twice day, passengers |
from the city taking the Alameda boat at the
RICH, Of the Market Street Ferry landings. |
En- route, the trains pass through succession
Of towns and villages, and by stations tina,
afford handy facilities Tor forwarding the pro
ducts Of the adjacen, farms to market, most of
which were devoted to fruit, though grain
figures large enough to give steady employ.
men, to number of Touring mills, several of
which was recognized as having strong claims
at the Islands for the excellence Of their pro-
duct.
Reaching Los Gaios an entire stranger to
both place and people las then thought
made such enquiries at the hotel of subjects of
interest as to give me profitable employment
in sightseeing and friends seeking till noon.
| was led to expect to find small but busy
town Of about 200 inhabitants, depending
upon its fruit growing industries for an exist
ence, but though had heard Of its building
BOOM" | cannot say that | realized, till
saw it, what building boom meant to
small place. The town is very prettily
situated on the hill sides of the gap Of the
Santa Cruz mountains, with the Los Gatos
creek running through and Saratoga and
Guadalupe creeks adjoining, lending their aid
in identifying and enriching the picturesque
locality The recent interest that had been
taken in this place was reported to be due to
the salubrity Of its climate. These were
strong attractions, and parties seeking health
here found ii profitable to invest in the pro.
ductive lands on the hill sides around and
overlooking the town, and with the increased
product Of the neighborhood came the in
creased attraction TO the business prospect of
Los Gaios. so that at the time OF my visit il
claimed population of about 1000, with not
a cottage residence vacant and but one
store in the place to rent. Its hotel accommo-
dations were ample and good, the Alpine
House and Los Gatos Hotel afiording excel
lent country fare at not unreasonable terms.
Dining at the latter hotel made the acquain
lance Of the editor Of the Los Gatos Mail,
who, it seems, assisted materially in the
preparation of Bowser's Directory of the
Hawaiian Islands for the hands Of the printers
and for which he still holds his then employee
in unsatished remembrance This claim IL
honors connected with our first imported
directory amused me from the fact that Homo
lulu also holds an editor who has the credit o
doing similar duty for the boun cling Bowser OF
the same work.
Los Gatos--like Honouu--is well papered
there being no less than three week.,
newspapers issued here, the Mail being tn,
brighies, and best OF the trio. OF the prin
cipal industries here l was surprised to fin,
Los Gatos claim one of the earliest, as also tn
best, -four mills erected in California, an,
which is good substantial stone structure il
hrstclass running order to-day. This wa
erected in 1853 by 7. Alexander Forbes, agen
OF the Hudson Bay Company at San Fran
cisco, when wheat raising was in its intanc
and the mill had 10 haul its supply of graf
from Santa Clara. Ii is run by water powe
and has recently been entirely rehtted by
change to the roller process and has now
capacity Of two hundred barrels per day.
With the increased fruit production Of thi
section has been established a cannery for tn
preservation Of crops, which gives employment
in the season to one hundred and fifty hands
Its daily capacity did no, learn. Adjoinin
the town, some three miles distant, is tn
Guadalupe quicksilver mine tina, has turne
out at times | 400 TASKS per month. Lin
and petroleum also figure in the industries
the place. while paper and WOODEN mills al
things of the past, as is also the lumber trad,
and speaking of this latter leads me to II
early history Of Los Ga,os as ascerained i
The canyons of this neighborhood fin
attracted the attention Of San Jose settlers
Its line timber; trees being OF unusual sit
often times one alone furnishing sufiiciel
lumber to the settler for the erection of h
dwelling and barn and fencing his forty &C
farm. Just fancy TWO hundred thousar
eighteen'inch shingles from one Of these, ar
you can readily imagine it as the centre
activity in the lumber trade to supply Il
demand on the discovery of gold and the rap
settlement OF San Jose. The adjoining TOW
OF Saratoga claims, in fact, the hrs, lumberir
honors, its first saw mill having been erec,'
in 1885. There is lutte evidence now OF Il
glories OF the forest then. SO devastating h
proved the woodman's axe, but with h
establishment. Of mills and homes fruit ire
were planted out by the early settlers, thou
little attention was paid to fruit raising un
the eSperimented planting Of a tract OF sol
hve hundred orange trees proved the adapt
ability Of soil and climate here for the culture
fruit, which has obtained an impetus beyo
even their Sngaine expectations. In n
rounds, a section OF the FIRST orange orcha
was pointed on, and could not help wond
ing Why, with systematic care and cultivate
the fruit culture Of our islands, should
obtain new life. The oranges looked dwarf
and were BY no means as luscious as th'
grown in the tropics, and ye, they re,urne,
satisfactory revenue ;or the time and labor
cultivation, and this latter was by no mea
s,'nied, ior every season they were prun'
cultivated, occasionally irrigated and, VII
necessary, washed to overcome the blight Il
ss times prevails in eertain localities.