The Newark journal., 1908-07-03
FROM THE WESTERN COAST
Things Seen And Heard at Famous
 California Summer Resort

Dear Editor: I see in The Journal that the people around Newark are taking an interest in strawberries. I stopped in Salt Lake City and went into a restaurant, when on my way out here, and seeing strawberries plentiful, called for some. The proprietor remarked, "Those are Cali fornia berries, the Arkansas berries are not on the market here yet" In some surprise I asked him if they got berries from Arkansas. He said, fOh, yes, we get berries from Arkansas, and we like them much better than any we get; they are efrmer. keep better and besides have an excellent flavor. n
 To find Arkansas berries ,500 miles away from where the berries are raised, one readily concludes that Arkansas cannot glut the market. 1 am asked sometimes where am from Ofcourse l tell them, and some of the better in- formed will say, you have fine fruit country am told and some will laugh.
 Long Beach claims 4.oo0 popula- tion. It k summer resort, getting the sea breeze, and also the breeze from the mountain, making it cool in summer. I don't see how flowers and vegetables thrive as they do here : There has not been hot, hardly a warm day, since I have been here; at least what Nc call q warm day in Nh kansas.
 There are several fine hotels on the beach, and they have what they term the "Pize'. on the beach, filed with all kinds of places Of amusement and refreshment. There is 1ife-saving station here and they are ready at any minute te help any one who gets into trouble on the water. have seen them strike the breakers so 1t would turn their boat over, purposely, then turn it back, bail the, water out and go ahead. They carry their life line with a bouy on the end that man can hold his weight on. The pier goes out into the water about a quarter of a mile. It is double-decked. with large payil- lion on the far end, and at the beach, besides the pierhas auditorium capa- city to seat over 5.000 people It is not anything uncommon, especially of a Saturday or Sunday evenirg, to see 5000 OF i, ,oo0 people gathered on the beach and pier. In the bath house is what is called the plunge, and one can see some excellent swimming and div ing by both men and women boys and girls. The plunge is about 100 feet square, with gallery above all around that will hold several hundred spec tators, and it is generally full. When they get tired of that, the young fellow will take bis girl and away they go, hand in hand, for either d ride or dive under the breakers on the Ocean.
 The Craig ship building plant is located here. They have dreged out an inland habor that cost $3,000, GOO. This company employs from 800 to 1000 men. They will put up from large steel vessels to pleasure crafts. They are constructing what is said to be the largest steel single span lift-bridge in the world. across the channel of the harbor. When raised, the upper end of the span will be 240 feet above water, and it is said will be so delicately bal anced that one man can take hold of d chain and raise it. More than l 1000 tons of steel will be used in construct ing it.
 Every Friday one of the warships anchor out about half mile from the pier. Two weeks ago we had the Cali fornia; last week it was the Pennsyl- vania, and this week it is Maryland They allow visitors and hundreds of people go. 1 had the privilege of be- ing on the Pennsylvania, and one of the sailors showed us over the different parts of the ship. The ships are some thing over 300 feet long. The Cali Pennsvlvania $50. They use ocean water for drinking and all other pur- poses, sterlizing or distillingit someway to take the salt out. They manufacture their own ice on board the ship and every +hing about the ship is kept in its exact place and as nice and clean as any woman's 5 parlor.
 On Decoration Day here when the old soldiers of the Blue and Gray, with the sailors of the California,