At this period, also, great numbers returned to their Eastern homes, believing this to be the most unhealthy climate of any portion of the continent, and one where no Northern or Eastern man could dwell in safety, in consequence of the duration of the long, dry seasons which in some years continued for a space of eight and ten months (as we were informed), when not a cloud obscured the sun or not a drop of rain fell. It was also feared that the necessaries of life could not be raised from the soil. For this reason it was thought that any interference with the communication by water between this and the East or other portions of the earth would cause great inconvenience and suffering among the residents of the mining regions. But one of the greatest dangers which, as we were informed, we would be compelled to encounter in this new and unsettled country, and from which there was no possible escape, was the destructive earthquake. The Indians told us that they were so frequent some years that the hills and mountains were in almost constant motion. The squaws, they asserted, took advantage of the fact by suspending their papooses from stakes driven into the ground, and the gentle swaying of the hills during the continuance of the earthquakes would rock the latter to sleep.
That diseases should prevail at this time seems paradoxical, for great additions had been made during the past few months to the medical fraternity, in this portion of the mining regions, at least, by the arrival of Drs. Ruddock, Chamberlain, Baker, Smith, Harvey, Cook, Keane, Burnham, Hall, Van Vleck, Marshal, Titus, Childs, Foster, Shober, and a few others whose names I have forgotten. These, in conjunction with those of an earlier date of arrival, constituted a formidable array of medical talent that was competent to battle with and to resist the destructive effects of all diseases. They failed in many cases, however; but whether owing to the very unhealthy nature of the climate, or want of skill in the fraternity, would be perhaps difficult to decide.
A story is told in relation to one of these physicians, and is worth relating, from the fact that one of the principal actors is, at the present time, a resident of San Francisco, and can be seen occasionally around the wharves, or on board of one of the various steamers, although his occupation is gone and the Colonel has outlived his usefulness.
Dr. Ruddock had built a house upon Stony Point, and was about getting ready to move into it, when he found one evening, to his astonishment, that a company of emigrants, which had just arrived from St. Louis, had jumped his premises and refused to give up possession. They were five in number and were steamboat runners from St. Louis. Complaint was made to Mr. Wallace, the Justice, and Alex. Hunter, the Constable was ordered to eject them. Returning to the office again in a few minutes he reported that the parties who had jumped the Doctor’s house didn’t eject “worth a cuss.” He was then authorized to raise a posse for the purpose, which he did, but only to be laughed at by the house jumpers, and he was forced under the circumstances to make a similar report to headquarters, and furthermore that they positively declared that “there wasn’t Yanks enough in Hangtown to drive them out, either.” But it happened just at this crisis that Col. Rogers, our recently elected sheriff, rode into town, and was made acquainted with the trouble, and requested by the Judge to raise a posse and drive the intruders out. The Sheriff remarked that he would attend to the little affair at once, but that he considered himself posse enough for the business. Upon his arrival at the house he found the door fastened, and upon demanding admission he was ordered off, and he went off—about four feet—when he returned again with full force against the door which gave way with a crash, and he followed it into the room.
As he entered he saw standing near the door a number of rifles. Seizing one of these, he cocked it, and aiming it at the nearest man he demanded an instant evacuation of the premises, which followed immediately in the easiest and quickest manner possible, without regard to order, method or manner of going, their chief desire being
to get out. The windows in the rear being more convenient and easy of exit, the five steamboat runners, with the valiant Colonel in the rear, tumbled out in the quickest manner possible, under a full head of steam, with a velocity of about two miles per minute, and were not able to pull up until they had reached the next landing, a few miles below town.
I have before mentioned that there were very many hard characters who came into the mines at this season. Among them were the famous and notorious Pike County Missourians, many of whom, however, were men of good character. A greater portion of them, it is true, were just the reverse, a reputation which they enjoyed for many years; so that to charge a man with being from Pike County was an insult to be resented. Many of this class engaged in mining if they could by any means get possession of a good-paying claim without the necessity of hunting for it. The consequence was that a goodly number of them were occasionally injured through their taking possession of claims which they had no right to, and miners’ meetings were frequently called to drive these claim jumpers from misappropriated ground.