Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-01-18

paradise, with the profusion of trop-
ical foliage, the sight of which was
doubly inspiring, in contrast to the
waste of waters on which we had
looked for several days, and as COM
pared with any verdure | had ever
{ seen before.
1.-THE passage of the Isthmus, from
Aspinwall to Panama by rail, a
distance of forty-seven miles, took
only about three hours, but two days
were required to transfer the baggage
and freight from the Moses Taylor to
the Golden Age, the steamer which
was to carry us to our journeys end.
One Of the lasting impressions made
upon my mind of things seen upon
the isthmus was that, outside Of the
town already mentioned all of
the dwellings in village and country
consisted of few upright poles with
a roof of thatch. The quantity Of dress
worn by the people was only little
greater than was used by Our earliest
ancestors.
THE first two days out from Pana-
ma the sea was calm and the voyage
delightful; then we struck the trade
winds which blow constantly down the
Pacific coast, dfring the summer
/, months. We pSt into Acapulco for
coal, the onH stop made, and during
the time olF ship was coaling the pas
sengers afused themselves by throw
ing penAies to the natives, old and
young fwho swarmed about the ship.
They would successfully dive and
bring up pennies If they struck the
{%Ster within ten or fifteen feet of
them. 81 Possibly they intended to use
the pennies to purchase bathing suits,
at any rate that appeared to be one
of the most noticeable things needed.
Arrive in San Francisco.
1--WE arrived at San Francisco on
May 20, twenty-four days from New
York l remained there three days
and during that time ate most of the
/ things | was unable to get on ship
board. | remember visiting the mar
ket, which, even in that COM
i paratively early day, were re-
nowned the world over for the
great variety of meat, fish, eggs, vege-
i tables and fruits. Nearly all of the
4 business portion Of the city was built
( on piling, over the shallow waters of
the bay The building were of red
wood, ceiled with cotton cloth. There
were then no fine residences on the
4 surrounding eminences and no elegant
suburbs like Oakland. The buildings
were splendid objects for the fire f1end
but very bad risks for the fire fnsur-
j ance companies. a disastrous fire oc-
cured on one of the days l was there
and it destroyed nearly block before
4 l reached the locality. 1t was grand
sight for a boy.
.'After remaining in the city three
days took the ferry boat for Benecia
thirty miles up the bay, and stopped at
the home of friend of one of the
three companions of my voyage, whom
| had known before leaving home.
parted company with the other two in
San Francisco and have not seen any
of them since. After stay of two
days, having partially recovered from
sickness, the result of over-indulgence
babe my last companion good bye
!. and started on foot for Suisun valley
twenty-five miles distant, but several
thousands of miles from home, with
capital of $1S5. all in cash Fol
three years | was destined to look
upon no face that l had ever before
known.
81 will not weary you by recita
of the events of those three years o.
my sojourn in California, but | canno
forbear paying brief tribute to one
to whom l am indebted for whatever
intellectual attainments / have sue
) ceeded in acquiring. On reaching
Suisun valley | hired to farmer b.
the name of Russell, working In thu
harvest fields during the summer ant
! in blowing from the commencement o
: the rainy season until some time il
I January. | think it was during thu
month of December that there cam
, along one day person by the name O
l owen H. O'Neill He had spent twt
c or three years on the plains with Gen
e eral Lander. He was a graduate o
; Dublin university and had been CON
: PEELED to leave Ireland for participat
| inc in the rebellion of 1S4S. He was
S man of fine literary attainm ents, espe
: cially in mathematics and sciences III
0 soon opened school nearby, boardin
a where / worked. My acquaintance an
a talks with him created an ambition t
n acquire sufficient education to improv
d my condition in life.
l. From the age of six, when my fathe
h died and | left home, had average
three months schooling per year, wit
L the addition of one, possibly two term
l. of twelve weeks each, at an academ
It in neignboring town. Beyond readin
s. and writing my attainments consiste
e in little knowledge of arithmetic an