The Newtown bee., 1904-05-20
Los Angeles, Cal,
 roh l 1An1

Los Angeles, Cal,
 March l, 1904.
 To-day we went out to take look at the oil wells. There isn't very much to see, still they are interesting after a fashion. There are hundreds of these oil wells within about mile of the business center of the city, all by machinery, one machine furnishing the power for large number of wells around it, and connected with each one by a somewhat ingenious set of pulleys. The oil as it comes up is about as black as tar, and as thick as molasses, being inclined to string a little in the same way. None is refined for lighting purposes, but is used ex- tensively for burning. Almost all, if not all, the locomotives on the rail- roads here are oil burners. As result the engineers look out of their cabs at you with faces as clean as those of the ordinary workman, which seems queer to one from the East who never saw an dust could make him. 1 suspect that oil is generally used for fuel here, all over, instead of coal.
 There's one thingN don't like about the place, and that is it's money. Pa per money, except in very large denom- nations, is almost unknown. Break a five dollar bill, and you get four silver dollars plus the remainder. Break a ten dollar bill, and you will get a five dollar gold piece and the rest in silver, and the gold is more unpleasant to handle than silver,-or at least it seems so to the average Eastern per son. A few times we have asked as an especial favor to have bills, and have | I,SIIn11v haan fold fhaf fhou had when they have given them they have been so old and dirty and dilapidated that we would rather have had the silver.
 San Francisco, Cal,
 March 4, 1904.
 We left LOS Angeles at about l o'clock yesterday, and got in here at 7.l5 this morning. The railroad trip was fairly interesting. A few miles from Los Angeles we got a glimpse Of the big pigeon ranch of Southern Cal ifOrnia, where about 10000 birds are now kept. The owner raises practical and San Francisco during the year, ,and with his two acres of land they say he is making a fortune. He does not receive visitors on his place, as the pigeons do not take kindly to strangers, ard as they are in no way fenced in, here is nothing to hinder number of them leaving in case they become offended or disturbed. The ranch was started about three years ago with 1000 pair of pigeons The train runs slowly enough to give one quite view of the eight sheds, each with tier upon tier of boxes piled upon them. The pig cons on the roofs almost touch each other they are so thick, and they say that except in the mating season they spend the entire time, day and night, on the tops of the buildings, with no shelter whatever. Various stories are told of their queer ways. One is that they refuse to nest in new box, but in one anywhere near it, so that their owner has to have new boxes made a long while in advance, and let them stand out of doors till all look or smell of newness is worn off before putting them up. He sends about 250 dozen squabs per month to market at S2 a dozen. Feeding costs from $2OO to $25O a month. The only troubles are rats and small boys. Six big watch dogs keep the boys out, but the rats are a more difficult matter. It is also said that no one for miles around can keep pigeons, for they all desert their own CTS and go to the ''pigeon city,"
 After we came out on the sea shore we were interested about Summerland tn 600 the oil walls mt in tha Ocpan