Arizona weekly enterprise., 1890-11-08
LIFE IN A H0USEB0AT.
NsArNEs8 AND COMFORT IN FLOAT
 ING HOMES IN TIE WEST.

Pen Pictures o7 Natives Of t''a Upper
 Mississippi Who Spend T-scir Nights
 on the vater-They Pay Neither Rent
 Nor Taxes and Have No Coal Bills.
 Down by the waters edge and upon the broad bosom of the great Father ot Waters are tuoored number of small boats, which are literally floating homes, and invite no small amount of curiosity.
 This new Venice is located near the east end of Robert street bridge, and is popularly set down as tough village. Standing upon the bridge, D or 100 feet above tue water and flats, and look ing down upon these unique homes, you see q desolate stretch of shore line broken by rock piles, decaying skiff5, irregular stacks of bark and driftwood, fragments of tin roofing. rotten seines, broken bar rels in all stages of hoopless disintegra- ton, and all the other hotsam and jet sam incident to the beach of waterway with tides or a varying volume of water. In the foreground, and surrounded by this abomination of desolahon, are moored the string of boat homes.
 All are small, but some are larger than others. From the altitude of the bridge they look like chicken coops, or the residences of ultra-fashionable swine.
 Descending from Robert street to the flats by means of q long flight of steps, the first boat approached is small un- painted affair, stranded upon a stony strip of real estate temporarily loaned by the a77r t1JT md dirty, no smoke curls upward from the stovepipe on the roof, and you conclude that it is untenanted There is a win dow in the door, and climb to the deck lays bare a bachelors home, confessed in the ccmfortless interior
 A THRIFTY COUPLE.
 The next boat was quite elegant in comparison. It was about thirty feet ! long, painted dark lavender, and had a l latticed porch or veranda. without a roof. extending around three sides. A shallow flight of steps led from the ground to this porch on the deck, and pretty rustic flower pots and hanging baskets adorned the steps and hung from the lattice work. On the back porch a line full Of baby garments Auttered in the breeze. and a big black dog snooz- ing in the sun kept guard over all. The owners of this boat are Danes or Nor wegians
 The husband is a turner, and many or nament&l pieces of his handiwork can be seen about the boat His wages are S2.50 per day, and with no rent, taxes | or assessments, street sprinkling or water tax to pay. and with an industrious, eco. nomical and tidy little wife, this young man is mEch better fixed for saving money and enjoying life than one-hali of the men who get double his salary.
 Following along the path the third boat is reached. and the young couple who live here are cousins of the turner's family. Such perfection of neatness 1T every detail of the small household i has probably never been your good fort une to sec outside of a New England home. The kitchen floor was as whit as soap and honest scrubbing coul( make it; the round breakfast table wa covered by a bright Turkey red table cloth; the small cook stove shone like mirror, and every cooking utensil il sight was bright as new dollar.
 The second room was 8 bedchamber and the same neatness was manifest i the whiteness of the spreads and pilloy shams, the worked splasher and shinin toilet set. Not a speck nor spot any where. IF you are sstonished into re marking upon this high state of cleanl ness the housewife, who cannot spea English readily, will point with smil to the oceans of soft water just outsid the window. and the explanation is com plete. although you leave that hous :, with your respect for the Scandinavia housekeeper raised several degrees.