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A start in life. A journey across America. Fruit farming in California by C. F. (Charles Finch) Dowsett
page 29 of 82 (35%)
lighted by gas and electricity. Each bedroom has a bath-room, with hot
and cold water services; w.c., coat-closet, and lavatory closet, with
hot and cold water services to itself, and which can only be used by the
occupant of the bed-room. The hotel, of course, has a barber's shop, and
as I expected my client to call I was anxious to get through my toilet
quickly; so I rang for one of the barber's assistants to come to my
bed-room to cut my hair preparatory to the bath. This did not take long,
and I asked the price, when, to my surprise, a dollar and a-half,
_i.e.,_ 6s. 3d., was required. I thought it was barbarism indeed!

I left San Francisco on Monday, December 8th, and during my short stay I
saw something of the town; but it was not the same place as I remembered
it from my two visits to it in 1862. It is full of life and activity,
has many wealthy men, 50 of whom, it is said, are millionaires. It has a
large number of grand buildings, fine shops, extensive markets,
beautiful private residences, and an immense development of electricity
for motion, light, sound, etc. The tram-cars run in constant succession
everywhere; but the most remarkable cars are those worked by an endless
cable. In the city are works with immense steam power, and from these
works endless cables revolve throughout the city, under the roads, in
various directions. In the bed of the tramway is a groove, under which
is the cable, revolving at a great speed. The driver of the car lets
down his grip, which tightly holds the cable, and, of course, the car
starts at full speed, and is carried along by the cable. When the driver
wants to stop, he lets go his grip on the cable and applies his brake.
Some of the hills in San Francisco are very steep, and the first
sensation in riding on the outside front seat, while going full speed
down a sharp declivity, is certainly novel, with no apparent motive
power, and no apparent means of stopping. The speed, of course, is
always the same, whether up or down hill, or on level ground. Telegraph
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