Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1903-09-04
Trio to California.
Barstow, Cal, Aug. 18th. 1908


| EDITOR DEMOCRAT:
Our Pacific ocean. voyage was one
long to be remembered. / cannot re-
member ever having passed three days
and nights with more pleasure. After
the first ten hours the ocean was as
calm and bright as water could be,
and the air cool and braclng enough
to make the passengers all want to do
something and all sorts of amuSe-
ments were INDUCED in. Some pitched
quoits, made of tarred rope rings;
others played cards and read books,
of which there was quite collection
aboard. Everyone seemed to enjoy
| themselves, except a few ladies and
one old gentleman who were seaslck.
We were out of sight of land about
one-half the time, and the last two
DAYS the whales and dolphins and
birds played around the ship and fur
nished amusement for us. After one
of the most glorious sunsets over the
lower point of Vancouver island, we
steamed up Puget sound. and landed
at Seattle at 12:l5 Sunday morning.
We all slept on the vessel, SO got
up early and went up town and found
lay without any difficulty. Reno and
l went up to Bremerton to the navy
yard and visited the battleship New
York, lying at anchor. One can hard
ly realize what monster fighting ma
chine battleship is, without going on
board and inspecting it.
The next two days I spent in doing
Seattle in the daytime and visiting the
boys in the evening. Seattle is busy
and progressive city of about so 900,
and growing rapidly. Another good
town for real estate agents, IF YOU Be
LONG TO THE UNION. | might say
here that the entire Pacific coast be-
longs to some union. They will hardly
let you eat a meal without union
! cook has cooked and union waiter
served it, and union cashier received
the money for the meal; and every
thing is organized on the same basis,
I except Chinatowns, in every direction.
Unless all signs fail, this coast will,
some time in the near future, get a
setback in clash between labor and
! capital, as the feeling is today at high
tension and only needs slight provo
cation to blow up magazine and par
alyze business.
The climate of the coast does not
suit me, nor can [ see how a person
[ without means can get a foothold to
work for himself, either in any kind Of
3 business: on farm or ranch, as well
: & K 10 he
! cloudy and cool weather may be fine
for man to labor in, and to live in
with nothing to do, think that even
( few hot, windy days are better fol
I human beings, and am sure it brings
better flavor to the fruit and vege
!, tables than any I have found on the
! coast to have a little Kansas weather
But they certainly have the size anc
quantity, in California, Oregon ano
] Washington.
The trip overland from Seattle
! through Tacoma, Portland, Salem, Al
4 bany, Sacramento, Frisco again, wa:
one continual round of going up one
& valley to the top of the mountains ane
{ down another on the other side, mos
J of the time with two engines to eacl
( train and making very slow time.
y The most interesting sights were
4 the immense lumber camps, fruit or
s chards, and Mount Shasta in northern
4 California, from valley at the bas'
( of which flow the famous springs from
y which is taken the famous ssShast;
9 water" sold all over the east and ives
\ as a panacea for all the ills which
4 flesh is heir to, and l confess that at
] ter taking my fill of it felt an unus
4 ual vigor and appetite, and only wisl
= I could have staid a week or two a
y the famous summer resort (Shast
Z Springs) in sight of the snow-cappe'
! peaks.
2 The Willamette, Sacramento AM
s San Joaquin river valleys deserve
, better description than space will a
Z low here, so 1 will say they are simpl
! paradise of fruits and flowers of al
2 kinds GEO. w. THATCHER.
4 Railroad Time Tables.