The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1908-03-26
ROBT. DOAK'SLETTERS
Interesting Description of People
And Places.


Readers: | have no doubt but that
most of my Herald readers have been
interested in the movements of Adj
miral Evans fleet, which made its
long journey and anchored on the
18th in Magdalena Bay, where they
win have target practice and arrive
in San Diego about the first of April.
The Tennessee and Washington. two
of the largest cruisers of the navy
that left Hampton Roads last Oct
Der and proceeded ahead of Evans
feet as paL.,finders, arrived here the
9Th and cast anchor in the Pacific
ocean near to the Del Cornado Hotel.
These cruisers are $40 feet 5 inches
in length and carry $4,000 tons. each
cruiser 900 officers and men. and have
four ten inch rapid firing guns sixteen
six-inch rapid firing guns, twenty
three inch rapid firing guns, twelve
three pound semtautomatic, two one
pound semi-automatic, two colts auto
matte and twenty-three gatling guns
and are in command of Admiral Sc
bree, the Tennessee is his nag SNIP
The draft of the ships are twenty
eight feet and their officers take no
chances of running into the bay here
The Albany arrived here the End and
anchored in the bay, $50 feet long ana
has on board $50 officers and men COM
ing from South America to Magdalena
Bay where they had target practice
bemore they came to San Diego and
they beat the words record of which
they are very proud. The California
and South Dakota arrived from San
Francisco the 18th and anchored near
the Tennessee and Washington. The
Culgoa Evans Supply ship is anchored
at the j. y. Spreckles wharf where
they are taking on 1000 tons of beef
! sausage onions, potatoes, coffee, sugar
and will return to Magdalena Bay as
soon as loaded San Diego is well
represented with blue coats from these
vessels they are very orderly and
kind to give you any information de-
sired from them ABOUT their voyage.
When the fleet arrives here San
| Diego will be turned over to Evans
and his men, Should any from Ma
| haska avail themselves of the oppor-
! tunity to see the time of their life they
will find me at 933 Seventh street,
where I would be pleased to meet
| them. | nave been greatly interested
! in reading the letters from Bruce
| Griggs from Mahaska and WILL make
an effort to see him during their stay
| here.
| We are having real summer wealth
err now but the nights are cool and
pleasant to sleep. The rains have
abated and the sunshine predomin-
ates. There has not been a day since
November A, but that the sun has not
shone at some time during the day.
] In company with Mr.. William C..
Leet, of Washington, Pa, we took an
automobile ride with two real estate
agents, Kirkpatrick and CASTOR, to
! look at some town lots. When we had
returned asked them how far we had
rode and they answered eight miles,
they wanted to make the lots very
near in, when in reality | believe we
had travelled over twenty miles.
There are a good many new build
ings going up in San Diego and i'm
provements on streets, railroads and
street railways are numerous. Idle
men are more scarce as some time ago
the rush here for work was over done
and the wages have been cut down on
carpenter work to $3.50 day. have
good job and am holding it down
and will have nice raise of salary
again the first of next month.
The last ten days gold excitement
has been at fever heat at Dulzura
about thirty-fiye miles from here and
parties are going and stalking out
claims and digging up the earth speci-
mems of the rock brought in and are
claimed to be very rich with gold
yielding better than $1,000 to the ton,
but many of the old miners disagree
on these ngur s.
To give you some idea of the ten
inch guns that shoot a ball which
weighs 500 pounds and at a distance
of eight miles would go through two
inch solid iron and are handled and
loaded more rapidly than we did the
old field rife in war times.
Will ring off until the arrival of the
| Dnn,u, n>AAtr