Omaha daily bee., 1893-09-17
SAILOR TO SENATOR
The Wonderful Career Of CALIFORNIA;
Junior Senator.
IS ADVENTURES BEFORE The MAST
Ran Away to Sea at Twelve. a Miner at
soveutcco, a storckcspcr Mt Twenty, a
shipowner at Thirty aud n Senator
and millionaire at Forty-Four.

WAsHiNGToN, Sept. ~14.-rSpecial Core.
spondcnce Of The BEE. Among the most
interesting characters of the new senate
are the members from California. Senator
White OF Los Angeles is n big, broad gauge
lawyer and Senator Perkins of Oakland has
proved himself TO be one of the best bust
ness men Of the United States. White was
born in San Francisco and his life has been
spent in California. Perkins was born in
Maine aud he has peppercd the globe with
his footsteps. He began his travels at IL,
when he ran away TO sea, and he told me
last night that his adventures as a sailor
boy have been more thrilling than anything
you can find In the novels of Cooper or
Maryatt, or in the sea stories of Clark
Russell. The senator is very modest in
talking about himself and the conversation
which | had with him was made up of many
questions and short answers. He is a ma n
of much personal magnetism. His voice is
soft and his manner Is pleasant. He gives
you an impression OF sincerely in all his
actions, and he is a man of culture and
taste. He stands about 8 feet 8 in his
stockings and weighs, l judge, about
$50 pounds. He is broad -shouldered and
well built, and he has a long head we'll
matched with black hair. He wears a full
beard of curly black whislser. aud he does
not look to DO Older than his age, which is
about Al. He has a good face. The fore
head Is square and full, the nose straight
ana the mouth strong and pleasant. He
talks easily and well, and, though he Is one
OF the richest men of the Pacific slope, he
puts on no airs. While talking to him
ABOUT Alaska n young man sitting in the
Office of the hotel broke into the CONVERSE
tion and in Introduced himself as the carriage
clerk Of the establishment. He thereupon
gave his views of shipping and the north
west. The senator listened to him kindly
and chatted with him as freely as though he
were one of his fellow members of the
millionaires' club.
From Sailor to Senator.
In response to my many questions Senator
Perkins gave Inc the following about his
career. | will put it as nearly as possible in
his own words. Said he:
O"Yes, l ran away from home to go to sea.
l lived at Kennebunkport in Maine and |
think | Inherited n love for the sea. | was
only 12 years old when l left home and |
went against the will of my parents. l
shipped before the mast to New Orleans and
! crossed the Atlantic half a dozen times be-
fore l came to California. | was TERRIBLY
sick during my first voyage at sea and l have
had n number of strange experiences. In
carrying a cargo of cotton to Havre our ship
sprang "A leak and we had an awful time in
getting into port. 1 can't tell you my ex-
periences, but they were of all kinds and
some of them very exciting ones"
How did you happen to go to California,
senators"
II hardly know" replied Senator Per-
kins, why / decided to go. l shipped at
New Orleans and went around the cape,
working as a sailor before the mast. / was
just 16 years old when l landed in San Fran
CISCO. The gold fever was rampant and 1
caught it. / decided to leave sailing ana go
Into mining, and l first tried my fortune at
Oroville.''
Had you any money at this time2" |
asked.
mot much,' was the reply. when l
landed at San Francisco / Just had $l3 in my
pocket. l spent $40 of these for u shotgun
and a pepper canister Of powder, ana with
S3 left started out for the mines. |
worked my way to Sacramento and thence
walked us miles to Orovilie. 1t took me
nearly n week and | rather enjoyed the
journey. / spent several years in mining
and varied the washing of gold with the
driving of mules"
did you make anything in miningf"
Not much, but did other things which
brought me in something. | was ready for
uhybuihS III oNcTy bulnS. oUe uuy L nap
pened to be in a store in Oroville when the
porter came in drunk, and the merchant
asked me ii l did not want to take his place.
1T was one of the best stores in the town. |
took II and l staid there fifteen years. |
soon owned the store, and upon it as q
foundation built up a large merchandising
business. l built flour mills and also en-
gagged in outside enterprises, No, | can't
say that we ever sold flour at 81 a pound,
but / did import some from Chilli in order to
have IL TO sell to the MINERS"
A ship Millionaire.
Senator Perkins is one of the richest ship
owners in the United States. The firm of
Goodall, Perkins 81 Co., with which he is
connected, has for twenty years controlled
the coasting trade of the Pacific, and it is
his company that owns tho great ships which
go to Alaska. During my conversation with
HIM ! asked him something about his ship
Plug interest and how he happened to go
into the business. He went over to the rack
OF railroad pamphlets and picked out one de-
voted to his steamship company, and showed
me the route. 1t has lines running all along
the Pacific coast down to Mexico. Its ships
20 into all parts Of southern Alaska. and its
capital, | am told, amounts to millions.
AS | looked at the folder Senator Perkins
told me how he happened to go into ship
ping. Said he: II have been interested In
shipping all my life, having been a sailor
when a boy. ! was elected to the legislature
from Oroville, and while there l fell in with
MIR. Goodall, who was engaged in the ship
ping business In San Francisco. We got TO
talking about shipping, and the result was
our establishment"
'Do you think our American shipping is
growingi'
"Yes, ii is was the reply. "We have a
great c~oasting trade and the shipping of our
rivers and lakes is very vast. i believe il
will continue to grow and that the Nicara-
qua canal will make us a great shipping ma
tom
do you think that this canal will be COM
pletedr l asked.
~ have no doubt Of it," replied Senator
Perkins. ut is feasible and practical BILE.
and | hope the government will be its
builder. IL can hardly engage ia 1t in the
present condition Of the country, but 1 be.
lieye that the time will come when IL will
undertake it,"
you will probably d ,vote a large part of
your time here in pushing such matters, will
you notl" 1 asked
II don't like to say what l will do or will
not do. l am, you know, a new man here,
and you remember what the bible ad yises.
that man should not boast when putting on
the harness, but that he should rather wait
until he has taken it of. am anxious To do
what i can, and especially all | can for my
state. i am u business man and not a states
man, and this life is entirely new 10 me-"
How Senator Perkins Works.
flow do you like the outlook for your
work herefn ~
II can hardly say" replied Senator Per-
kNn AZ h.