Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1906-11-29

Irish potatoes two and one-half to
four cents per h., beans four for 25c.
can peas the same. Bacon 20 to 3Oc,
fresh and salt pork each 2Oc per 10.
Beef is cheaper loo to 2Oc for steak,
beef to boil about I cent per h..
crackers almost every kind are 20 to
25c per h., cheese Csc per Id. Kan.
flour $50 Dbl. Native $3.50 Dbl.
Alfalfa hay baled is S14 per ton.
chickens are 25c per 10. entrails left
in, heads and feet off.
There are quite good many large
stores and everything a person needs
/ is kept on sale. Board at boarding
| houses and restaurants ST per week,
for table board, room s12 to s16 per
| month extra. We pay SIS per month
for set of three rooms and wood
shed and we furnished them ourselves.
Alta stays out at the girls dormitory
at the University, and we pay SIT per
| month for her board.
Tie greatest number of buildings
| in the city are made of a dobe brick.
The Mexicans charge s14 for making
and laying them in the wall. They
will last forever if kept well covered.
The best residences and business
houses are mostly of brick They
claim population of 1000 but of
course many of them are transients.
As many as one-half the resident
population are Mexicans. Most of
them are fair workers, but they are a
good deal like the niggers when you
come to place any dependence in
| them. The southern pacific rail
road is figuring to get line through
| up near Phoenix on higher ground
with less steep grades to contend with
and a good many miles nearer El Paso
from the coast than their present
route by Tucson. Charlie and Floyd
are in7the party that are running a
line west of Phoenix. They move
camp every ten days and are now 30
| miles west of Phoenix. Their orders
only cover rs miles farther but they
think they will get orders to go still
farther west.
There will be only about two and
one-half per cent grade up on that
line while here there is over four per-
cent grade and most all the heavy
freight trains coming from the west
get stalled before they get here. The
elevation here is 1890 #. Where the
boys are it is only 900 feet above sea
level. They were working at an alti-
tude of $500 to 5000 ft. up near Globe
where they were all summer until a
couple of weeks ago. Charlie had a
snap up at Globe where Mr. Dever-
nix was chief engineer of that divi-
sion. He was placed in charge of the
party as locating engineer at about
$3.50 and horse to ride. When he
got over to Phoenix another engineer
had charge and they had locating
engineer on hand so Charlie had to
take his old job of transit man back
at 800. They have a good cook and
have their grub and tents furnished
but have to find their own sleeping
bag and blankets. Charlie says the
weather seems warm and nice where
they are. They are down in the
Buckeye flats. They visited an
ostrich farm near Phoenix. About
1900 to 2O0O birds worth from S4OO to
5000 each.
1t is quite a farming country
around Phoenix, not many ranches
around here, although they are
scattered all over the country where
ever water can be had a few months
during the year. l have an idea that
/ will be leaving here soon, as I NAV
not find suitable employment and
living is too dear to loaf in Tucson.
The city is flooded with Youngsters
looking for work at any price and
young man is given the preference
over an old man. They paid me SIS