Cottonwood report. [volume] (Cottonwood, Idaho) 1893-1901, 1895-10-25
Pilgrim Hazlett Has Wandered in
the West 81 Years
HE SAW SPOKANE A VILLAGE
And Has Sci Type in Every County West
of the Rocky MouctaiIis--His
History.

an extreme type of a class of printers
fast vanishing from the earth-half
hobo and half industry, working here
day and there week, and then NOV
ing on in pursuit of change and adj
venture. In his time he has worked in
every county west of the Rocky noun
tains, and there is hardly a country
newspaper on the Pacific coast that has
not somewhere in it's files pieces of
news put in type by his trained fingers.
You are growing old, Pilgrim,
said an old-time printer to this err
ratio wanderer yesterday your hair
is much grayer than when last saw
you. Let's see, how long ago was
that?"
The Pilgrim" reflected a moment and
replied:
II guess that was In Portland in
1885,"
Where have you been since them"
Hazlett swung his arm around cir
Gle and replied: up and down the
coast. Yes, 1 am growing old and
grizzled, for I've been at it long, long
time. 1 am nearly 60 years old, and
have been at the business since 1851.
Where did I start? In Butler county,
Pennsylvania. In 1854 held cases in
etAS AsAeSi loilo oldlC OlllCe L GdIIlG Jul 70
the coast in 1864, and have been here
ever since with the exception of a trip
east in the 70s.''
Where are you from here?"
Occur d'Alenes. Walked in over the
old Mullan road, and my shoes are
about played cut. I've had some pref
ty hard times since L saw you last
There was story out once that per-
ished on the deserts of southeastern
oregon, but that was a mistake. ! had
close call that time, but some sheep
herders found me nearly dead and
pulled me through. That's a hard and
desolate country-a long way between
off1ces, and it's harder to gel good
water there than good whisky i'll Spo-
kane.
After my experience down there
made up my mind that 1 wanted to
ind a country where there was m ore
moisture, so I tramped into the TiL'sa-
nook country, on the coast of Oregon l.
They don't have to irrieate there
You've heard the poets speak of the
mountains Of everlasting snow. Over in
Tillamook it's mountains of everlasting
mud, and the chuck-holes in the roads
and trails are never dried out from one
year to another. A country newspaper
man went in there in 1887 and struck it
rich. He took in hatful of type and
an old army press, and inside of a
month business was booming so that
he ordered an outfit that required a
four-horse team to haul over the noun
tains. Spectators were locating the
whole country under the timber act,
ana under the law the notices had to be
printed in the nearest newspaper. This
fra
the land notices alone, and cleared I'D
over $4,000 year."
The business Is not up to the old
standard, Hazlett?" $3.50
Indeed 1t is not" replied the Pill
grim with weary shake of the head.
Tn the old days got a dollar a thou
sand, and the newspapers were so fat
that 1t was no trick at all to make
$40 or $12 a day. Two days a week was
as much as any gentleman worked in
those times, and sub had things pref
ty much his own way. Many a time
I've seen business so brisk in Portland,
San Francisco and Virginia City that
l had to conceal myself during the
day to avoid being overworked. In
those. times never thought of showing
up at the newspaper offices before 10
o'clock at night, and there would be
plenty of the boys who were anxious to
drop out for the rest of the night and
give me their string.
It's as different now as different can
be. The machines have played the
deuce with our prospects and in the
country offices the work is mostly done
by boys and girls who work all week
for the money used to make in half
day.
where's Frank Dallam now?' he
said, with an abrupt change Of SUBJ
ject.
"Out at Waterville." replied the re-
porter.
Lets see, that's out in the Big Bend.
l must go out and see him. Frank and
l are old friends. I worked for him
in California before he came to Spo-
kane and started his weekly. I set
type on this paper when Spokane was
country town and the old Review was
only weekly"
Hazlett, although as gray as a badg-
er, and little frayed and tattered in
his apparel, has the appearance of hav-
ing been well fed this summer. He is
headed for the coast, and will make
easy stages out through the Big Bend.
Regardless of Expense.