The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-07-04

| tabl. situation. but Owen was less for
tunate, and spent his first hight be-
meath the southern cross under
| eucalyptus tree enfested (though he
knew it not) by snakes. Having obtain
ed more comfortable board and lodgings
at the high rate of 81 a week (washing
extra) Daniel Owen sailed forth In
search of work. Days passed unsuc-
cessfully, and at length he inquired Of
a man breaking stones at the roadside
what he earned. "Ten shillings yard"
BREAKING STONES AT THE ROAD
SIDE.
us there any chance for job?" Oh,
1 have no doubt you can get put on"
| After n further search on the timber
yard of one Mr.. Punch, in Burke street,
and here he was engaged to tidy the
yard at ten shillings. My first earn
| ings away from home"
Further up the street was another
| timber yard, Mr.. John Morris. Applying
| there for work Owen was asked II he
had been accustomed to horses. True to
his habit of never refusing a job he in
stantly replied yes" though he had
| never 81 iHuCH eS 0uJustSu HptSS-
collar in his life. He was showed
enough to know that the great essential
in obtaining work Is to show willing
ness to do it. hint that might with
benefit be taken by a good many as
pirants In our day. 1t may be mentioned
that a few years later Mr.. Morris and
Mr.. owen had changed places, the lat
ter being in a position to give odd Jobs
to his early employer, who fell on evil
days. Daniel gave satisfaction and was
put on other jobs, andsa little later OBJ
tained situation under the Port Philip
Gold Mining company in Collier street.
Here he had to take charge of the
stores and provisions, groom the horses,
and attend to miscellaneous COM
missions, as we'll as act as coachman
for the naging director and his wife.
an office he fulfilled without rlsking the
neeks of his employers, though he knew
nothing Of driving. Living was very
dear in Melbourne at the time so Daniel
concluded it would serve his purpose
better to dwell in q tent, which he ac-
cordingly proceeded to do. and found it
cheaper by far. But the tent had its
|
house. and had a dire conflict with the
rats that infested it, till he brought
strategy TO work and came off con-
queror.
| Under his employers, the Port Philip
company. Daniel owen steadily rose,
true to his unvarying rule never to de-
cline any kind of work that was Of
fered. Daniel. can you paint?" asked
the director. Yes, sir" "Well, I want
you to paint some railings and gate"
Daniel strolled down the street, got
some hints from paint seller, returned.
and did the job. His employer was
pleased and asked him If he could do
any brickwork. Certainly, sir" and a
room was lined with brick, though not
without difficulty, surmounted by the
aid of friendly Guernsey man. A job
in gardening came next, and Daniel set
to work SO successfully that every tree
he planted grew. Daniel Owen had now
commenced to save, and we next find
him starting in business on his own ac-
| count. Within a year of his landing
in Melbourne he was in the timber trade,
and fortune and his own sterling abili-
ties speedily favored him. He made a
successful purchase and almost imme-
diately found himself the owner of a
rapidly increasing business. An un-
usually profitable investment in timber
| soon gave him vantage ground that
| he was not slow to seize, and, as time
went on, he contracted for the supply
of timber for the erection of the Houses
of Parliament, the university, the free
| library, the Jewish synagogue, the Ro-
man Catholic cathedral and many other
important structures in Melbourne. In
| fact, it Is not too much to say that all
| the earlier of the fine structures In this
noble city were built of timber from
the yards of the young man who, but a
short time before had found a shelter
beneath the friendly eucalyptus.
The circumstance which threw this
opportunity in his way, or rather,
which he converted to his own good, Is
worth recording. One day he came up
on large quantity of American and
Danzic timber stored on the beach of
Sanbridge. 1t would be fine stroke to
secure the whole Of II, and Mr. Owen
asked the firm their price. Five shil-
lings per cubic foot was the reply.
This was too much to allow of profit,
and the prudent Welshman held off
until he found there were others wan
dering round. Deciding on a big stake.
| he offered IS. Cd foot for the whole
lot. Il will pay you $1,000 within u
week." he said, "and the balance by
two, three. four, five and six months
bills" and made it clear he would only
take timber away to the amount OF the
bills as they matured. The bargain
was struck, and Mr.. Owen, who had to
borrow in order to maks uD the first
thousand pounds, secured ten thousand
pounds worth of timber that enabled
him to have q practical monopoly Of
contracts for a while. He was rather
proud Of the fact that he carried out
his agreement with the seller to the let
ter.
DID NOT FORGET SWEET GwALIA.
All this time Mr. Owen had by no
means forgotten the land of his fathers.
He had contributed q number Of letters
to the "Baner," and the "Gwron," and
deeply regretted when pressure of busi-
ness compelled him to relinquish them.
Indeed. worry had begun to tell on Mr..
owens health, and he was persuaded to
pay a visit to Tasmania, but before he
did SO he attended a meeting of his
brother Welshmen and delivered a
speech on emigration in the vernacular,
which was extremely we'll received
and reported as delivered in the Age.
friend of Mr.. Owens correcting the
proof of what was to the compositor
doubtless a savage and barbarous
tongue.
On the passage to Tasmania Mr..
Owen fell in with a stout man, Of pleas
ant face and manners. who turned out
to be a Mr.. Macdonald. son of the head
gardener to the ther Marques Of Butte,