The Grenada gazette., 1888-04-28
From California.
WHITTIER CAL., April iith II

Coast, written by the Senior Edito
telling about the varied resource,
: attractions and climate. Now. II yo
would like, will give you few dot
from this over-estimated part of IN
world. which no doubt you hav
heard of before. rs the papers for tn
past two or three years have bee
full of the boom of California, of it
money puffsd climate. etc. hav
tbeen here ten months and | have OF
ten wished | could sit down AM
write a long letter about this coun
try. Just so long as a person Is II
this country just 80 Tong the truth /
not in him. in reference to anything
about the State; as have found 70,
cannot rely on half they say, as tina
! time is twelve months and the tim'
will soon he up with me, for fear
will be like the balance, l will write
now. Whittier is cdiied u Quaker
town, named after the poet, John &
Whittier, to give the faith people
have in the Quakers, to the town
nine months ago where the town
now is was vast barley field. with
one house, situated on the south slope
of the Puentic foothills, to-day the
popul alton is about 1000, many hne
and beautiful houses, with people
gloomy, disappointed and dissatis-
fed because everything has almost
got to the jumping off place; dull,
nothing to do, wages cut, and no
means of support, Iring on ciimcte,
This is one of the mushrooms OF
Southern California, no country to
support her; aud like the other, she
will soon wit.ler. For five months
have lived here and done as many
others DO all over the country, lived
a batchelor's life, all alone. From
my door (this is my house, ! can
claim home in this country you
can see the broad and beautiful val
ley filled with orange groves, vine-
yards walnut groves, beautiful vii.
las, fields filled with tlocks aud al!
that tempts the eye of man till it fl
nally rests on the bosom of the broad
and briny deep Pacific. you can also
see fine pastures, but they only last
about four months in the year; by
the first of June the country of pas
lures will all be a vast desert except
ing in low places and where the
ground is irrigated already the vege-
tation on the hill IL beginning tn
crisp up under this wiltering sun:
to-day you could cook eggs in the
sand aud fry your meat for dinner.
About five hours during the day the
sun il almost unhearable, as night
draws near you have to begin to put
on your wraps, by dark on goes your
overcoat, and if you are out after
that time a rubber coat is nice. for
you will he sure to get damp they
.alI it fog,) and very oft an it fingers
with us until eleven and twelve
,'clock the next day; and all that
time fire is very cheering-made
If wood costing eight to twelve dol
ars for two thirds offs cord "a Cali
'ornia cord,) coal twenty to forty |
lollars per ton. Oh. ~; it don't !
ret hot here no cold, no frost no fogs. |
saw where one man in Los Angles
,aid rs high as sixty dollars per ton
or coal last winter. drove seven
niles with horse and buggy on froz-
N ground and not in one place did |
Freak through; and here in this town
which ia advertised to be free of frost,
saw the ground frozen for one week
without thawing, and every one,
ven those from Iowa, say they suf-
er more with cold here than they
lid back east. l don't mean to say
his | = not good country, but ! will
ay If you were here to see the many
aults it has you would say 1t was
lot what you expected to find, for you
,ave heard only of the sweets and not
be bitters; and you would say let me
,et back to old Mississippi, for she
8 as good In climate aud every other
espect as California. I am not disap.
,ointed, | will praise the country for
think or feel assured will be able
o rejoice yet with the lucky ones, II
did lose some on u paper town. I
ell you all this for ] know Il to be
acts, and have been 80 situated as
o get In the full workings of this
Whole country. Part of last year all
and laboring men were
'aId very high wages, for there was
'ot quite enough to do the work,
he country was soon flooded with
Aborers Of all kinds, so down went
wages; and thee were thousands Of
nen out Of employment all the win.
er, those that could get back, turn
d homeward. Many bought lots;
ONE made plenty Of money that
old during the boom, others have
h.lr lois yet aud Anina In naner