The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-05-14

chief port of this colony, and I was ten
days getting from Sydney around to
Freemouth. After leaving Melbourne our
ship called at Adelaide and Albany. We
were four days crossing the great Au-
stralian Blight. BY looking at a map Of
this country you can follow the route
l took.
THE steamers from London call first
at Albany, then Adelaide, then Melbourne
and Sydney, which is the end of their
route. Going back they call at the same
places and they carry the mails Nearly
all our mail for America is carried to
London first. The ships are big ones
from 1000 to 5000 tons.
'T arrived at Freemouth, w A, De-
cember S0th and went UP to Perth, the
capital, and the next morning I took a
train for the gold fields, and here I am.
I had only a glance at the other parts of
Australia, but 1 am seeing this part pretty
thoroughly-more so than 1 like. Well,
in the first place, this is the poorest col
ony in the lot, and but for a few tracts Of
land along the rivers and near the coast
it would be a desert. 1 am now 300 miles
from the coast, and but Tor a few scrub
/ trees and SINE sage brush, it would be
sandy, rocky desert The climate is ex-
tremely dry and that is our situation for
day. The climate cannot be very I'M
healthy one. We have only four inches
of rainfall per year, and a test has been
made that shows that the evaporation is
eleven feet per year. No matter how
deep one digs there is no moisture in the
ground until down two or three hundred
feet fhan &c *
extremely salt, seven times as salt as the
sea water All the water we drink and
use is condensed from the salt A tank
is filled with water, a fire built under it
and the steam is carried off into con-
densers Qarge sheet iron tanks) AS we
are near the tropic of Capricorn the eli
mate is hot part of the year. 1t has been
125 degrees in the shade since L have been
| here, but as our summer is over we will
have cooler weather now for several
months. II is very dusty, also, and as the
wind blows as strong and often as it does
in Barber county, Kansas, you can i'm
agine what il picks up where there is
| plenty of loose dust ankle deep. We have
Willie Willies' also (whirlwinds), and
they take up everything loose and we have
TO watch our hats or loose them. We live
in camp and there are about ten of us
most Of the time in camp and it consists
| of a sheet galvanized iron house 12x24 and
three sleeping tents. This house is the
! office of the company, and our dining
room and the cook has a Iumpie' "a lean
to- with canvas tackled on a wood frame)
| against the house where she cooks our
meals. The Messrs. Winston. Townsend
! phi1lfnS m at haa 5
| enclosed are all Americans and friends Of
mine Mr.. Winston sent for me 10 come
! out here.
I'VE live pretty well and get the best
! the market affords. and each man chips in
/ and pays an equal share Of the living ex-
! penses. 1t costs about a pound a week,
! or about s.. on account Of nothing being
! grown here all our food comes from other
/ parts Of this colony and from all over the
world. We get American canned fruit
! and corn. Corn on the ear out here IS
/ curiosity. This part OF the gold fields Is
/ one immense camp and most business
/ houses as well as residences are tempo
rary. for when the mines give out there
/ will be nothing 70 keep the people here.
! There are some very rich mines on the
/ field and West Australia Is now one Of
! the greatest gold producing countries in
/ The world. But It takes an immense
! amount OF capital to work the mines. as
/ this Is so lar away from the rest Of the
world and everything is expensive. We
! are doing prospecting by contract with the
; diamond drill, but We can't tel how long
we will be here. as you know how IN
certain a mining camp i.
''WeH. I see I am nearing the end OF
my page. SO I'll close, but don't worry
about your boy. for he Is safe and in no
/ danger from his work. and as I don't ex-
! pect TO stay in this part Of the world
/ very long 1 viii see you. hope, n
( year or two. Give my best regards TO
! ny old friends II you see any q them;
also my love TO Mary. Hohing these few
lines Will ind you both enjoying good
health. remain your du,iful son.
s+SE4ErEF