The Penn's Grove record., 1896-08-07
LETTER.
OAKLAND, CAL, July 10th
Mr. w A Summprill

l would write to tell you of my trip to
California. 1t was II long to be re-
membered. [ left New York city June
| 10Th at / O'Clock. 1t was a very nice
day, but OF the 18th the wind began to
blow and the sea began TO rise. BY
the morning of the 18th it was blowing
a gale and the seas was washing over
the upper deck. Most all on board were
sick, and it continued until " c passed
San Salvador. We had good weather
then until we passed Cuba. We run so
close to the coast of Cuba We could see
the smoke from fires on plantations
which was caused by the a
We had very heavy weather crossing
the Caribbean Sea and arrived in Aspin-
wall on the 18th. Being a day late we
had to stay there until the next day. l
went TO where the great Panama canal
started. The company that started it
failed, so the work was stopped and the
machinery laid up in Colon and let go
to ruin. About 81, 200, 600 worth Of
machinery has gone TO ruin. | was
talking with one of the natives in Colon
and he told me that the canal had been
dug out about "a miles across the
isthmus.
Colon is u very old city, formerly
called Aspinwall. There are buildings
over a hundred years old, 1t has been
burned down twice and some of the
ruins still stand.
On the afternoon of the 18th we took
the train for Panama. While crossing
the isthmus we saw all kinds Of sights.
The native children go naked, having
no clothes on at all. The men and
women go almost as bad. In the cities
they are little better. Panama city is
quite large and settled by Spaniards.
The streets are very narrow and they
do not have any side walks. You have
10 walk i'll the streets. Their way of
doing business is much like those of
New York. The hotels are run on very
much the same plan. Their styles are
the same as ours.
We went on board OF the steamer
Columbia at Panama on the 10Th and
OH the 25th we sailed for San Francisco
and was very glad to get away from
there for it vas very hot OH that coast.
They do not have heavy winds like we
do III the eastern coast. 1t is nice
weather all the time, Tor about i
months the is 10 rain. The scenery on
the coast is very pretty. Mountains of
solid rock 500 feet high stands out III
the sea, II range runs from Panama
to Mexico. Some of those mountains
are burning volcanoes at night. They
look very petty. 1t looks as if the
whole was on fire. You can see the
blaze about 75miles from the mountain.
On u way up the coast we stopped
in six Central America Ports ard one
Mexican port, as follows: Puerto Aren-
itas, Corinto, La Libertad, Acajutla,
San Jose, Champerico, AcapuIO.
After we left Acopula the 9th of July
captain told the engineer to run the
boat as fast as possible for lie did not
have to make any more stops and he.
wanted to make a record, so the orders
were 0beyed.
The Columbia was Il new steamer
built at John Roach u Sons ship yard,
Chester, Pa, in 1892 to run from New
York to Colon. She has been running
there until this spring when she was
sent around to run from San Francisco
to Panama for the Pacific Mail Steam
ship Co. AS this was her first trip the
captain wanted to make a record for
her from the time we left.
We made about 1G miles an hour I'M
til the 18th of July. 1t had been very
foggy all night but they were running
at full speed until S O'Clock in the
morning Of l4th, so foggy IL could
only see IA few feet. The captain lost
his course and mistook IA fog whistle on
the rocks for a steamer. We changed
his course to go TO The right of what he
supposed was a steamer coming toward
US and in a very few minutes we we're
piled up on the rocks.
There was lots of excitement for Il
while. The hole filled with water and
every body went on the upper deck aud
staid there until the boat had settled
down on the rocks and then we could
walk around allrlght. 1t was SO'cl0ck
in the evening before we were rescued,
but we had the weather i'll our favor.
If the wind had been blowing aud the
sea had been rough the boat would went
to pieces in IA little while and perhaps
a great many would have been drowned
for We could not have landed on the
beach, it being too rocky. The small
boat would of went to pieces as soon as
she struck shore. We were is miles
from san Francisco when we were
wrecked. The ship would have made
the best time that had ever been made
on the Pacific coast if she had not run
Oh the shore.
We we've taken off the ship by a tug
boat ard taken 10 San Francisco.
When | put my foot o8 the dry laud |
felt much better than | mad been feel
ing When l Gooac rgst again | think
l will come over ,aod.
| am feeling good md | thilk / viii
like II ont here This is N end ol my
trip to California
Yours ye.y ltrspt.
ISAAC G. STRAUGHEN.
Read Bimetallism,
the bnrning issue Of this campaign,
have your eyes opened and learn how