CEHBates031

[Imprint] illustration of Native American Chief: TECUMSEH
CHIEF OF THE SHAWNEES

PACIFIC COAST DEPARTMENT
H.L.A BATES, GENERAL AGENT 240 SANSOME STREET
SAN FRANCISCO, CAL.
The Shawnee Fire Insurance Co.
Of Topeka, Kansas

Walnut Grove, Cal.
June. 13, 1909.

Dear Edward:

I received your very nice letter yesterday
and thought I would answer it right away.
I am glad you are having such a dandy time
down there and hope you will save some for
me.

It is pretty hot up here & the ground is
full of ants so if you find a shady place
you can't sit down, because they chew you
up. I worked for two days, in water up
to my neck & kept pretty cool then but I would
begin to freeze about 4 P.M. so it wasn't
so good after all. We go around in a
steam launch for about 12 miles to where
we work, which is fun, because we can go
on the dredger called "V" and have shade
during lunch. You see, there are no trees
out there.

I was away for about two weeks at
camp "5" where there is another dredger
working. They have a lot of yellow flowers
with white petals, out there, called Dog-fennel
& that stuff made me sneeze all the time
I was there. One day I sneezed so much I
couldn't do more than whisper; it was
fierce.

The dredges are used to make the
grade for the train to run on, & they