Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1921-12-29
AUDUBON FOLKS
ENJOY CALIFORNIA
INTERESTING CALIFORNIA LET
TER STATES AUDUBON DEL
'EGATION is HAPPY.
Long Beach, Calf.
Dec LIZ 1921

Long Beach, Calf.
Dec. Is, 1921.
Friend Hoogenakker;- Again I
wanG to write few lines of the
wonderful development Of this part
of Southern California. | came to
Long Beach to work, ten days ago,
and am at present with the Houie
Wall Paper Co., and am in differ
ent parts of the city doing paper
hanging. l think / would be safe
in saying there is at present over
1000 dwelling houses under con-
struction, beside new city hall.
several own-your-own apartment
houses and lot of government
work going on here.
There does not seem TO be any
let-up to it. While / think, myself,
~ is dangerously prosperous, l have
no complaint to make.
The building permits for Long
Beach this year will be $13,50O,OO0
against $11,0O0,0O0 last year, and
in Los Angeles it will be $S0,0O0,-
GOO, against S60,0O0,00O last year.
| read in the paper this week
where in November 65,000,0OO feet
of lumber had been shipped from
Grays Harbor, Wash, and $4,000
600 feet had come into Southern
California alone, the balance being
distributed through the balance of
the United States.
They are bringing in new oil wells
every few days ON Signal Hill, and
last Tuesday one came in a gas
gusher and caught fire, burning the
derrick, and flames shot from one
to two hundred feet into the air, for
thirty hours, when they dynamited
1t and put out the blaze so they
could control the gas. 1t took fire
again today, but was soon extin-
guished. You could hear 1t roar for
miles, and when they dynamited the
well, it broke windows, threw peo-
pie out Of chairs, and hurt several
When left here in June there
was one derrick on Signal Hill, and
now 1t looks like forest, so many
have gone up.
When / came here to work I
found e. c., or Bert, Freeman, who
has been up in San Joaquin Valley,
Calf, for the past four years; also
Mrs. Ethel Berman and Billy visit
ing e. j. Freeman. their father.
Last week was music week in
Long Beach, and there was some
wonderful talent displayed each
night at the auditorium, by the Sc
lect from all over Southern t:ali-
fornia, and you could hear numbers
there, free to all. that would cost
from 81 to SIS in any city.
am staying with my nephew and
family here and we are about three
blocks from where j. w. B. Cole
lives. Tonight went over to visit
them and found that yesterday, De-
cember 14th. they celebrated their
56th wedding anniversary.
They held open house all day, and
all the children and grandchildren,
except the son, E. NJ Cole, Of Au-
dubon. were present. During the
day e. j. Freeman and daughter
called, e. M. Kimball from Casper,
Wyo., a one-time Audubon editor,
who with his two daughters and
sons-in-law are spending the winter
here in Long Beach. Also a body
of the Relief Corps, led by their
president, and many disinterested
people of the city called, making 1t
day of pleasure long to be re-
membered by these former Audubon
people whom you all know.
ID. D., or Del, Cole Is falling some
but is still able to get around on
crutches, and Mrs. Cole said she felt
like a blushing bride again, after
such a reception, and she is looking
forward to the time when they will
M 10 On
The weather here has sure been
wonderful for December. One loses
track of the seasons here. You
can't tell what part of the year it
is. We are having some foggy nights
but the days can't be beat.
They claim people are coming in
1000 to 1900 daily. but / can't not
ice much increase in the crowds.
The people ON the Pike and
Strand are very few, compared to
what they have been the two prev
ious years. There ARE plenty Of
rooms, houses and apartments for
rent, and rent is coming down some
and living costs are greatly reduced
This is a very quiet place, compar-
ed to Los Angeles. OF course. there
Is some difference between $4,000
people and 100000 people. MOTTO
ed in my last letter about the new
hotel In Los Angeles, you gave as
100000; II should have been a
100000 hotel, and tile money Is
nearly all subscribed for 1t: / un-
derstand it is backed by 80 bankers.
Now. as I have no more to say.
only holidays are drawing near. and
in closing I wish you all a Merry
Christmas and Happy and Pros
porous New Year, and with best
wishes to all, am,
e. f. Bailey,
.3410 z. 7th st. Long Beach, Calf.