Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-01-09

Pacific coast, Where ne has De0n 60
iourning for tho past four months in
quest of health. He returned home
Fiday. He docs not seem any too
favorably impressed with the methods
in vogue on the coast by the land
boomers. To a reporter who corrallcd
him for a few moments yesterday MIR.
Kee, h aid :"About all the habitable
land in Southern Cal fornia is staked
O in tow lots and is being sold at
fabulous prices. The land sharks are
u ,iquitous, and every stranger is close
lly watched to ascertain whether
or not he is the possible pur-
chaser. AS an illustration. of the gi
gantic system they have adopted
may tell you that in Los Angeles there
is a population of 30 900 ami was told
by a gentleman that there were in that
town no less than 2l00 real estate
| agents, all OF whom were doing a
| pro porous business. At place on
the Southern Pacific railroad about
tlirty-five miles south of Los Angeles
there is a town ex ensively advertised
as having a large population, with
large hotels, business houses, street
railways and all the appurtenances Of
a large city. 1 found when got there
there was one store, one tenement
house, one hotel and no other build
ings in sight. They have the street
railway, however, out saw only one
car, and that without horses or burros
attached, standing on a piece of track
| where it could be conveniently seen
from the a,lway station. | discover
ed afterward that there is beautiful
town located there, but it is built
upon paper and exists only in the fer
tile imag nations of the real estate
boomers"
How is the cost of living as COM
pared with Pittsbure?
"Well, its about so per cent. high
er. The bricklayers make 81 a day,
carpenters "a and $3.50 day.
Southern California Is no place for
laboring men, the Cinnamon being
there in swarms. In little place adj
jacent to San Diego l think there
must be about 500 houses in course OF
construction, not q single one of
which would exceed cost of $500 or
5000. 1t reminded me OF some of the
mushroom oil towns of our own state
in the palmy days OF the oil excite
ment.
care there any Pittsburgers
| thereT" MIR. Keech was asked.
~ saw but one and l had known
him here. He gave up good situa-
tion here and is now digging holes for
telephone wire posts on line being
projected from San Diego to Mexico.
The climate of California is superb,
butt is as sterile as q desert, because
of. the destitution of rainfall There
are no trees except those which have
been planted and we'll cared for, and
although Los Angeles has built a
tremendous reservoir in lavine OF
he mountains there was not drop
of water in it. Water is scarce, milk
is scarce, coal of an inferior quality il
sold for $lS ton, and all provisions
| are high. There are some beautiful
spots, among them being sort of
Pacific coast Saratoga On peninsula
| not great distance from San Diego.
A syndicate of capitalists purchased
| it for 100000 and have erected q
hotel, theater, q mammoth ballroom,
all under one roof. The building COW
ers seven and half acres of ground
and is really a tremendous affair. The
hotel has GOA rooms, the theater will
seat about $500 people, and the dane
ing pavilion is a spacious room of
lofty dimensions. The dining-room
will accommodate 1900 persons at
one time and the breakfa st-room will
seat 500 comfortably. Although not
yet finished, large military band
plays there every Sunday and attracts
largo crowds OF visitors. l under
stand that the syndicate have ex-
pended over $1,000, 900 on the penin.
sula, and by the impetus given to the
sale OF land consequent upon their
building this mammoth hotel, they
have cleared $4,000, 900 over and
above all investments. Pasadena and
Sweet Water are beautiful places.
Orange, lime, olive, lemon, English
walnut and other fruit gro 5es -four
ish abundantly, and some fine health
retreat hotels are these Also"
"What, in your opinion, will be the
result of all this wildcat speculation ?"
"a tremendous and most ruinous
crash. There are no possibilities for
manufacture and no water for agricul-
ture or pomoculture. They get con-
siderable coal along the ocean beach
towns from British America, and
lumber from Oregon and the north.
The only motive people can have in
going there is for health, and in con-
sequence of the bland and delightful
climate and there being no possibility
Of industries thriving there, there
ceatainly will be no demand for all
the lots which have been laid out and
sold. It's we'll worth a visit, but as
q place to live and die in, prefer old
i i L. 1 u