Pleasantville weekly press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1890-1911, 1897-03-03
LETTER FROM CALIFORNIA.
A Journey Across the Continent
BY a Pleasantville Citizen.
NUMBER EIGHT.
Los Angeles, Feb. 9th, 1897.

NUMBER EIGHT.
Los Angeles, Feb. 9th, 1897.
Mr.. Editor:-This is rather "straininp'
writing 3400 miles away, but the
honor of writing for great newspaper
encourages me to continue so long as [
can find material interesting to your
readers. | recently made a trip to the
ocean, % miles, via steam road to Re-
dondO, a summer resort. 1t has large
hotel, a row of business houses, and q
pier at which steamers plying between
San Francisco and San Diego stop fer
freight and passengers.
Three miles from the shore, in about
20 fathoms Of water, oil rises to the
surface, and forms "slick" on the
water of many acres. This leak in the
oceans bottom has been known for
many years. At this place counted 25
fishing bateaux but not all in use. Fish
ermen go out mile or so from the beach
where fish of many kinds are caught
with hook and line. Nearly all differ in
looks and name from ours. l saw sea
spider as large as three of those caught
in our bay. Some seine fishing is done
from the shore. A factory for can
ming fish is soon to be started here.
The Redondo fisherman are nearly all
Americans and they live easy lives.
From inquiry l learned that they do
nothing but fish and rest.
They say that vegetables are too cheap
to raise. The torredo, or ship worm, is
very destructive in these waters and he
plies his vocation the year round. /
saw many specimens of rock ''honey-
combed." Plling for wharves is felted
and sheathed with strips treated with coal
tar or creosote. The hotel has a very
large frontage on the ocean. The lawn
in front is studded with tropical shrub
berry and flowers mingle in profusion. A
cement walk, half mile long, 20 feet
wide, with cement curb on each side, 16
inches high and 20 feet above the ocean
conforms. to the beauty of the hotel and
surroundings.
The snow-capped peaks of the
Sierra Madre mountain look but little
further away than when viewed from
Los Angeles, although there is 20 miles
difference. One cannot Judge with even
approximate correctness the distance
of fairly remote object.
Two miles or ten miles distant are the !,
same to the eye.
heard story (before came here) of
a man who in attempting to step across
a ditch in Southern California landed in
the middle oft. Our vision, SO far. for
short distances, has not teen affected.
The Atlantic City gunner, if in this vicin-
Ity, would not have to buy rabbits in
Pleasantville to take home. They are
so numerous in some localities that peo-
pie turn out, drive them together, and
slaughter them by thousands. The Jack
rabbit is twice as large as the Jersey
rabbit, consequently easier to shoot.
Of the rabbit drives l may have more to
say in my next letter, as | purpose to
visit Downey, village 13 miles by rail,
on Saturday next.
copy from a Downey correspondent
the following:
''The people of New River, south of
Downey including Clearwater, will have
rabbit drive on Saturday next. They
will start from New River bridge NOV
ing south and meet another party which
will start below Clearwater coming this
way. They will meet and corral the
rabbits on Downs Ranch, about half
way between the two places. The rab-
bits have destroyed many acres of
alfalfa and barley in that section.
Everybody is invited to come leaving
their guns and dogs at home.'
Raadsburg, new mining town not two
months old, IL hours by rail and stage
from Los Angeles, is being pushed for all
it's worth. louisiana never furnished a
greater lottery than the gold mines of
California. When one man ''strikes it
rich" a thousand strike it poor, and
lose their last dollar. Gamblers,
thieves, and swindlers fill the new towns,
while in the nearby towns unprincipled
brokers hang out their signs, and with
fattering stories of big finds, induce the
unwary to buy stock. have an acquain-
tance here that invested $4,000 in a gold
mine. He has a nugget worth five dol
lars and his wife a plain gold ring, as
the outcome of their Investment. 1t is
claimed that more money has been lost
in mining in California than has ever
been made. A. LAKE,