Pleasantville weekly press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1890-1911, 1897-02-10
LETTER FROM CALIFORNIA.
A Journey Across the Continent
BY a PleasantviIle Citizen.
FIVE

NUMBER FIVE.
Los Angeles is located at the base of
the Sierra Madre foot hills, 16 miles from
the ocean. In 1880 it was a village of
11,O00 people, mostly Mexicans. It's
houses were built of sun-dried bricks,
and in the North part of the city many
remain that are occupied by Chinese and
Mexicans. The old Mission buildings,
and Plaza, divide it from the new or
Southern portion which is progressive
American city. The present population
is near 100, 900. Its streets are paved
with domestic asphaltum, and the side
walks with Portland cement. The build
ings will compare tavorably with our
new Western cities. The lawns and gar
dens with tropical trees and shrubbery
in bloom, far excel those in colder lati-
tudes. The street car service is fine, some
lines running far into the country and
connecting with other towns. There
are ITO eating saloons to feed the people
and 335 doctors to keep them well.
While the people at home are enjoying
good anthracite fires, with zero weather,
here Strawberries and tomatoes ripen in
the sun. Here the climate is more even
and the winter more lovely than our
summers. While nature has done her
part, much misery exists here. There
are hundreds out of employment, and
many with families have nothing to do.
A meeting of the Merchants and Manu-
facturers association was held Monday
evening. What to do with the large
number of unemploy ed persons was Sc
rious question. 1t was decided to urge
Council to take immediate steps to pro-
vide work. Action has been taken, and
large number will be employed build
ing streets. They will be given ten days
work, then another gang put on. All
business seems to be Overdone. Carpen-
ters get from 81 so to 81 80 per day and
masons about S3 per day. Farm hands
get Is to 20 dollars and board per
month, and unskilled labor $1.50 to
$1.75 per day. Lumber, millwOrk.
brick, lime and cement cost about the
lIne as in Pleasanlville. The lumber is
mostly red wood and Oregon pine, but
there is also some mountain pine cut
here. The best clear, red wood retails
for $2S per thousand. The better grades
OF Oregon pine are used for finish and
flooring. The coarser is for framing and
retaiIs for SIG per thousand. The houses
are built of light frame and nailed to-
gether the same as in New Jersey. No
sheathing is used, and the weatherbOar-
ding is inch-tongued or rabbeted. The
lumber business is monopolized by two
companies, the stock ofboth being owned
by the same individuals who have made
large fortunes. Lemons, oranges and
''truck" are peddled cheap | bought 20
nice lemons for five cents and six seedless
oranges for ten cents. The smallest
measured liz, and the largest II inches
in circumference. Green peas sell for 4
cents per pound; celery, 3 punches for
cents; lettuce, cent per head; cabbage
and other vegetables in proportion.
With some Boston friends we visited
Long Beach 21 miles distant, by steam
rail, and to say we did not enjoy the trip
would be telling a "whopper." The
route was through the truck farms a
country nearly level with little slope
seawsrd. The truck is gathered in crates
aud taken to the depot for shipment.
TIE small or inferior is sold in this city.
After leaving the truck" farms we
passed through the grain fields and un-
improved land. We exchanged glances
with many squirrels as they sat on their
little mounds beside their burrows. We
had good view of hare that was skip
ping along by the car. We saw a flock
of wild ducks in pond and some snipe.
We found the beach much nicer than San
ia Monica, and there was one lady in
bathing. After gathering some shells,
we went out on the pleasure wharf 1t
is about 20 feet wide, aud 1850 feet long,
built by the village. From the pier end
few nice fish were caught, and QUE
yellow-tail that would weigh about Is
pounds. They are considered very
good fish. There were millions of sar-
dimes under and near the pier. They
seemed afraid of the birds, but boys were
catching them with hook and line with
out bait. Their hooks are arranged on
opposite sides of a sinker which is drop
ped down and jerked up, hooking the
fish. They run from to 8 inches long.
There is a canning factory near here,
where they have caught several tons at
a haul. Seals, pelican, gulls and divers
were after the fish, and they were all
very tame. There is q fine. of $25 to
shoot from the pier. The water was
clear, and when a seal or diver was near
and under water we could see them after
the fish. 1t was amusing to see the peli-
cans close their wings as if letting go of
the air and come down head foremost
with splash, followed by dozen or
more gnlIs, to rob him of his fish, when
he came up. They would watch the
little diver ducks the same way. l
bought basket Of sardines from boy,
and fed the gulls. The pelicans were too
slow to get any. A gull would take
| fish, 8 inches long, from the water and
l 4.