Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1892-03-09
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eUILT AIe House AI NeHT.

Remarkable Energy Displayed by La-
borer Who Was Anxious for a Home.
Edward Pullen is a young engineer
and man of family, who for several
years has worked in one of the down
town factories. He came here from the
east several years ago and settled down
30 work nj very moderate wages indeed.
For years he paid rent ont of his scanty
earnings, but nine months ego he de-
tennined to try and purchaee a home
for his little family. 1t was in carrying
out this purpose that he accomplished
one of the most amusing and at the
same time novel feats probably ever per-
formed in the building line. Mr.. Pullen
told his story tO reporter who visited
him
He purchased lot near Newbury, on
the Berkeley line. about nine months
ago, securing it at a cut price upon the
condition that he would build on it a
house tn cost not less than 81 200. The
yonng engineer paid his first installment
of $50 and then looked about for some
means of building ON mis- acquisition.
dis nuager salary of $12 week was
scarcely self supporting. blt ont Of it he
managed to save $50. He designed
roughly the plan vt house to contain
basement. d story Of three rooms and
second Story OF two rooms. A carpenter
was hired for $5J 10 erect "a mere skele-
ton or frame without steps, windows or
roof, or in fact anything except the bare
walls. and entirely uniioored and unfin-
ished on the inside.
Then commenced Pullen's wonderful
exhibition Of pluck and patience. He
built a temporary kitchen of rough
boards close to the frame. put stove on
the bare ground. projected piece of
stovepipe through the roof and set up a
habtatiun there for himself and family
He works IN the city from a. m. to 6
p. Ill. In the night. after o'clock, by
candle light, he labored until morning
almost with hammer and saw to make
his modest home habitable. Out of his
scanty wages he appropriated every pos
sible dollar to the purchase of planks,
pipes, nails. windows, doors and other
building materials. He laid the floors
plank by plank: tackled canvas across
the window gaps to keep the chill night
winds from his little ones, and took
across the bay on his shoulders every
picket and plank that now form his
home. By degrees the house took form
the windows were placed in position,
the glass panes put in, pantries made
and pumps erected. The walls and cell
ings of the rooms were covered with
heavy duck canvas sized with glue and
vanished into a resemblance to real
plaster. Picket by picket the fences
were built, until now young Pullen has
nearly completed his heroic task
All Lorin and Newbury were ac-
quainted with his curious enterprise,
and he was often seen on his roof far
into the night hammering away at
shingles and erecting chiinneys. In the
midst Of his work the former owner of
the property came around and was
angry because Pullen had, as he thought,
broken his contract as to the erection of
a 81 200 house. Pullen paused in driv-
ing picket to calmly answer that he
hadn't got done building yet" and
that he thought that by the time the
house was finished it would have cost
81 200.
Night after night the young home
maker crossed the ferry with bundle
Of pickets or joint of pipe, and thus,
with interludes of few hours sleep,
nightly he hammers away. Thus far he
has expended in all about $3.50, and he
owns by all odds the cheapest house in
California. San Francisco Chronicle