The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1892-03-03
WASHINGTON STATE.
An Old Veteran ASKS Our Assistance TO AnSUe
Csmradea' OnIstIOnS.

An Old Veteran Asks Our Assistance TO Answer
C9mrades' Questions.
FDIroR NArIoNAL TRIBUSE: The article
in your paper referring 10 "A Good Country for
an Old Soldier" is bringing the writer TO grief
After an interval Of % years more, the writer
received card from a cOmradc, who stated he
saw my name on the roster Of the G.. A. K. Of
this State (Washingtoul or course | answered,
but did not expect il TO be printed in The Ma
TIoNAL TRIBUNE j felt as though a reb shell
had exploded among the drum corps, aud we
scattered as it were, and how 10 get them to-
gether was a question. ] slept night or two
over IT, aud concluded must get n typewriter
aud set her agoing, in order 10 answer all the
/ letters that have been addressed to me in re-
gard 10 this favored country. However, the
publication has done some good already.
| Among the letters addressed TO me was one
! from little Johnny CLARK, now of Montana. my
/ youngest shccp-skin FOUNDER. i can only re-
member him "a he was mustered out or fred
/ out in %. His first words were. 4" thought you
mustered out and gone To your reward long
\ ago" Not so. Johnny you inns did not wear
me out entirely looking after your welfare.
| Another. from Missouri, Winters, Of the Sth
/ Iowa, who has a brother here and my neigh
4 Dor. The first man | met after receiving his
/ letter was the brother. Imagine his surprise.
/ ] have received letters from nearly every State,
and fad they all have about the same object
/ Ia view: 20 better their condition both as TO
| health aud, in the end, financially.
/ Now, boys, am going 10 try aud do as you
wish in this matter; having served myself,
aud saw service Tor over four years, by enlistiug
/ in the 18th Pa. as a drummer boy, at Dan
vile, Pa, Capt. John Ephlin, three months
/ service, under Patterson mot Billyj; after
wards rs DEum-Major, 10Th Iowa. and still later
yctranized. From injuries received at Atlanta,
Il and al health, / concluded to cmigrate which
/ ] did 10 years ago. / went over the Union Pa
edc 70 Frisco, and by steamer aud rail 10 Walla
/ Walla-the garden spot on this coast.
Politically this State is Republican. We are
represented at the Capital City in the Senate by
the Hon. Watson G. Squires and Hon. John b.
Allon. Both wore the blue, and are highly re-
t spected By their constituents, but specially by
| the old soldier boys. In the House our inter
ests arc looked after by tho Hon. Mr. Wilson
/ The laws for INDECENT soldiers are good, and a
good Home has been provided for them at Ort-
ing, King Co.
The United States gave 10 this State a grant
| Of land, which enables h 20 locate four normal
I schools, one Of which will DO located in this
! County. No State in the Union surpas5e5 this
State in its educational facilities. This pace
has just finished an 5000 school building
Rivers and small streams of water abound all
over the State. The water is pure soft, aud
full of fish of many varieties
Now, boys, / am going to give You some fish
| stories which are true. Seven miles below this
place is a small stream called the Olequa. At
| this time the fish called smet are running, as
the term goes, and they arc so thick you can
hardly the water. The fishermen, or those
who want them, will take an old gunny sack,
put hoop around the TOP, 20 in aud scoop
| them out by the wagOn-lOad, if you want them.
! This fish is like what is called herring, from
four 10 six inches long. The fish are washed
and slapped into the fryng-pan with hot
grease, fried, and served hot, and are excellent.
went mp into the Sound country, in King
Co., near Puyallup last season, during hop pick
| ing time, aud saw men End boys and Indians
tthe Indians are let OF tie reservations and
great many come down ffqm Alaska 10 pick the
hops fishing The boys would put piece Of
| wire IN the end Of q stick, sharpen and crook
IT, wade in, and you old vets would open your
eyes TO see those fish come out. You could
buy all you wanted for five cents apiece, big
salmon from 10 to 20 pounds. Thousands Of
fruit trees are being set out in this County
every year. ! have some neighbOrs who set
out 500 trees apiece last month, all varieties
/ peach, plum, apples, cherries pears currants.
gOOsebeTries strawberries, and blackbcrries.
This is the home Of the blackberry. They
grow wild all over the hills and valleys, and
the vines run on the ground. Strawberries
grow very large, two bites 10 a berry.
How delicious those berries tasted on Peach
Tree Creek, before Atlanta, July 2l-22, 90.
Those OF you who were there know. All kinds
Of vegetables grow TO perfection. Cereals, eX-
cept corn. do well, the nights being too cold
for the latter, except early varieties Of sweet
corn. Wheat yields from - TO 40 bushels 10 the
acre; other cereals about the same.
All west OF the Cascade Mountains is tim
bered country, interspersei with pTairics. The
prairie land has all been taken up. The timber
is the finest in the world. You can hardly get
out Of sight Of a sawmill or shinglemill be-
tween Portland aud Tacoma Shingles are
made from cedar, spruce, white tir. and some
pine.
Railroad land can DO bought adjacent to the
railroad aud back for 20 miles at from -
10 $50 per acre. Government land has been
taken up along all lines Of travel; but there is
plenty Of IL, say from five miles on the west for
60 miles 20 the sea; the east, from this point,
and about the same distance, when you come
into the Cascade Mountains, where just now, If
you read the papers, you will SEQ there IS big
excitement as 10 is being rich mineral belt.
Coal IS found almost everywhere, and vast
quantities arc mined aud 20 to all parts Of the
world. Wood is our principal fuel. What
would be considered good saw-lOgs in any other
, portion Of the sphere is burned here TO clear
the land. Good stump puilers are in demand.
{ Wages: Farm hands. $50 per month and
board; labor 'cOmmOnl, - per day; carpen-
ters $3.50 TO 50, unless ;perts; bTicklayers
! aud masOns, from 50 20 So school teachers
from $50 10 800 per month. 4 good cow can
be bought for 80; horse, 500 butter, 80 cents
per pound; eggs - cents per dozen.
Along The Columbia RIVER, Ia oregon, lives
} an old cOmrade oi the 81 Iowa, by the name
: Of ID. G. Ely, whose address IS Saddle T.. o.,
Ore. who is farming, and has a knowledge OF u
section cf country that is called prairie or sage
brush land Write him for information aud
, you will get 10. Up 10 date l have received
r about 30 letters, aud the Lord only knows how
many more / will get L will ease mp on the
skirmish-linc, and as | can get time will try
aud answer each letter, aud give the particular
1 thing wanted that this letter does not answer.
I, IL had ono Of those I6-iuch guns which 20
) on tho Monterey at Frisco, would point it
toward Washington. and aim it at that COM
i, rade who published me in THE NATIONAL
: TRIBUNE, pull tho trigger aud let her 90. So
farewell until lie who rules over US all from
above shall give us our reward, Is the wish Of q
comrade.-llESRY METZ DTum-MajOr, 18th
Z Iowa, Winlock Washington.
Q Hoods sarsaparilla Is absolutely uuequaI!ed as