The morning call., 1895-03-04

Diablo coal fields, with an output of $500
tons a month. are only few miles to the
south. These mines yield a good steam
and domestic coal that can be mined and
put on the market at Antioch for So per
ton.
The Diablo mines and the narrow-gauge
railroad to them are owned and operated
by NJ. W. Belshaw, father of Hon. c. NJ.
Belshaw, a member of the present AS
sembly.
The home of the young Assemblyman
and his charming wife is in Antioch. Their
residence is an artistic modern house, with
beautiful grounds.
Immediately surrounding Antioch is a
farming and fruit country of about 100000
acres. The holdings in land are small,
which insures larger and more prosper
Gus population as a tributary feeder to the
town of Antioch. During the last two
years 1000 acres have been planted in
almond trees within four or five miles of
Antioch, the soil being particularly adapt
ed to the culture of almonds. Families
have moved in from Napa, Sonoma and
Humboldt counties for the purpose of
utilizing this land, which is comparatively
cheap, and was considered, up to few
years ago, as worthless sand and chaparral !;
but now the valley is mass of white,
odorous bloom-the blossoms of the
almond trees.
The largest business interest here is the
Antioch Lumber Company. They handle
lumber, posts, iaths, shingles and shakes
in immense quantities for the interior and
southern inland localities. The firm con-
sists of ]. c. Rouse, H. f. Beede, J-P
Abbott and the Simpson Lumber Com
pany, with II. +. Beede in active manage
ment.
J. c. Rouse, an old settler, who holds
the interests of Antioch above everything
else, is ready to talk, work and give largely
for the purpose of bringing the competing
valley road to or through Antioch
Mr.. Beede, who has just returned from
Bakersfield and vicinity, says: "The
people in the south recognize the advant-
ages OF Antioch over any other town as a
terminus for heavy freight when the new
railroad is built
j. ?. Abbott with A. G. Hartley make a
strong law firm; Mr.. Abbott simply hay
ing financial interest in the extensive
lumber company, his brain and time are
given to the practice of law.
The society people of Antioch are reioic-
ing, and well they may, over the addition
recently brought to their ranks by Mr..
Abbott, who was married on February 15
to Miss Ethel Germain an attractive and
cultured San Francisco lady.
In Antioch | find the largest grain spirit
distillery and one of the largest straw and
manila paper mills in the State. The En-
terprise Paper Mills of NJ. d. Keeney &
Sons, when running full force, employ
thirty to thirty-five men. AT present the
working force is reduced to fifteen. Mr..
Keeney is cheerful however, when he con-
siders that the paper mills at other points
have shut down entirely. The mills here
manufacture tissue, fruit, rag and straw
paper, and have customers all along the
Pacific slope from the great divide to the
sea. Mr.. Keeney is enthusiastic over the
facilities for manufacturing offered at this
point. He summarizes these as follows:
First and foremost, cheap freight to San
francisco and many points in the interior
that can be reached by one or the other oi
the great rivers.
Second, cheap fuel near at hand.
a large pottery works will be opened
here in few days. There are a number OF
important enterprises in prospective.
One OF the most pleasing and commend
able points in regard to Antioch is its graded
and macadamized streets and concrete side
walks. Far too many otherwise attractive