Jasper County Democrat, Volume 21, Number 4, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 April 1918 — LETTERS FROM OUR READERS [ARTICLE]

LETTERS FROM OUR READERS

Had Enjoyable Auto Trip to the Pacific Coast. The Democrat is in receipt of an “"interesting letter from Will M. Chappell, the well-kpown Remington contractor and builder, who, with his two sons and his*brother George drove through via auto to Portland, Oregon, last fall. The letter follows: Portland, Oregon, April 6,1918. Friend Babcock: Enclosed find $2 for a year s subscription to The Democrat. My two boys, brother George and myself arrived here by auto October 12, 1917- We stopped eight days in Omaha and nine days in

Had Enjoyable Auto Trip to the Pacific Coast.

Wyoming, where the two boys and myself worked, eight days and made $192.50. We came on to Dallas, Oregon, where we were held up on account of a storm for two days, and the Columbia highway being closed we shipped by boat. We had a fine trip. Slept out every night where night overtook us. We met hundreds of tourists going and coming from all parts of the U. S., Canada and from Honolulu. Our actual time on the road traveling was eighteen days, and I never en-

joyed anything quite so well. And such beautiful scenery! We followed the Lincoln highway from Chicago to Omaha, thence to Granger, Wyoming. Here we branched off on the old Oregon -trail, following the Union Pacific-on. in. . We loafed about a week, rested up and all of iis went to work. Brother George is up in Washington checking spruce; rny son Jim has gone to sea, his first voyage, he writes, is from Seattle to New York; my eldest son, Byron, is working on government buildingsat Vancouver, Washington, working seven days a week and receiving $47.80 per week. I have been on government work since January 1 and am one of the six of close to 100 left on the job. 1 aim on the big spruce mill that is getting out spruce for the aeroplanes.- The mill , proper cost $300,000. It; is 288 feet by 348 feet. It is the same as twelve sawmills under one roof, six units and two saws to a -unit. Besidp the big saws that, saw tip the logs, there are twelve edge saws, twenty-four band 'saws, four rip saw's, thirtysix cut-off saws, besides the planers. They are building a $250,000 dry kiln which they expect to take care of the output of the mill, which is 300,000 feet per day running at full capacity. The entire mill is run and -operated by the soldiers, When everything is in running order it will take 1,500 to 2,000 soldiers to operate the entire plant. The “spirit of ’76.’’ isn’t in it with the spirit out here. I don’t know what it is, but everybody wants to do their bit. In the shipyards there are ball teams, a regular Pacific coast shipyard league. All prize fighters have to work at something, so they are in the- shipyards from fly weights to heavy weights, champions of the coast, and we get to see some good fights, three four-round bouts and three six-round-bouts for from sl.lO to $2.20, and I have seen some good ones. Some of the boys are invading the East now. Jack Dempsey is one and Al Summers, and both are making good. _ We had affine March. I have worked every Sunday up to the last four. Have had a cold all winter but think I can wear it out if it don’t kill me. Wages are good out here and plenty of work. The steel shipyard at Vancouver, Washington, will employ several thousand men, and there is talk of >a still larger plant here backed up by the DuPonts. Well, will close for this time and when I get time to go out will send you some pictures of the industries around here. Give the boys my best. Yours truly, WILL M. CHAPPELL.