Rensselaer Union, Volume 9, Number 48, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 August 1877 — California Drought [ARTICLE]

California Drought

George Pinion, who /urmerly lived in • laike county, this slate, writes fron'i 'Jfolllotyr, Bun Benito county, California, Jo if friend in Crown Toitil, a doleful accoript of liis experience where ihe I’koiflc dnvbs lave the gjtidvh sands. He"says', other things: "Ir yofi wcYo lieWi you would sec tho effects of the drought. 1 liennl ft tnnn say that oue-haJf of the peoplevf Utiq valley bud left, some for sae place am! upme lor another; nud-a great tunny uior* tv op Id leave, if they had tpppey ta.gpt ttMor.jyjt.ti. * , * 1 fell you wo arc iu a pretty ba I fix. Tlie cropg that >vq put iu till ffied for tho want of rnip, some standing two arid some four inches high. Wo liuVO jitß Lti-erl n kernel of anything, not sd much 1 us htiy or filed ©f atty kind. 1 havo! four bond of work horses; two anlur, two cowr, all running out on the plains, sod (hey arc starving to death os fasting they cau because i have no . means ' with which to buy them something to eat. There is plenty of old hay and grain in (lie county; but 1 cannot get any,'for I havo no money Arid obi a stranger hero find of coursß'triiftout credit ;i j We are now living on tw© meals a Aay; and* poor ones rit that; and we nre trthdistressed loti* want of* clot hi rig. because iwo did hot buy any last year. IVe'lhlougbt we wxudil g t along until wo raised a.torup. ' Now hero ■we are amot g strangers, with/wit money aud without credit, ouivelv.es halfstarved apd ,ragged; aud jf we cannot get some aid we shall all cottainly sfuryc, because we eunuot get any work, /or nobody has any work toigive now. Ytiti may say I ought to have known, better than to l-ny land in such a country, when' we came to California last .year arid saw tho growing crops and then saw ihem linrvcSteJ, I was well Satisffrp that it whs the best-country 1 ever saw to Ynak'ri fnoney in. Plenty of wheat went over 40 bushels io the acre ami it rold for $1.30 to $2 a bushel. . If that would not make money I do not know what would,”