The Argonauts of California: being the reminiscenses of scenes and incidents that occurred in California in the early mining days

by Charles Warren Haskins

Another miner, upon commencing his work one morning, said that during the night previous he had dreams of finding a hen’s nest containing a number of eggs, and was told that such a dream was surely a sign of good luck. Singularly enough, for three or four days afterwards his claim gave down far better than it ever had done before.

A few mornings subsequent, another miner at work near by reported a similar dream, and he also received his reward by an increase in daily pay. But a short time afterwards another miner in the same ravine, who was making upon his claim an average daily profit of $14, reported one morning that he dreamt the night before of finding a hen’s nest from which he took nearly a peck of eggs. It is to be feared that he too overdid it, as the sign for him was an entire failure. He found at night that the lead upon which he had been at work had run out, and he could average but two dollars per day, and was consequently forced to abandon his claim. Many explanations were given for the sign having gone back on him, with a peck of eggs behind it, too, but were all unsatisfactory with one exception, this being the only reasonable one, that by the law of coincidences it could hardly be possible that such effects should occur three times in succession, notwithstanding the favorable nature of the signs.

Many cases could be mentioned of miners who had first discovered the new moon over the right shoulder, and, if future prospects and events were favorable, would always be sure to mention the fact of having seen the new moon in the proper manner, while others who saw the new moon in a similar manner were, for certain reasons, very careful to never mention the circumstance.

It was not expected, of course, that the most intelligent miners would acknowledge a belief in such signs, and they were always ready to ridicule any one who did. One of the old miners in particular, who ridiculed the superstitious notion, would always close his eyes when leaving his cabin, so his partner said, and not open them till he got into the road, and faced in the right direction in order to catch the moon in the proper position over his right shoulder.

A miner who had some trouble with another one about the right to use a certain stream of water, the case being then in court, stated to his acquaintances upon the day of the trial that he dreamt the night before of killing a large snake. A German acquaintance informed him that he would surely win his case, and he did.

Another miner subsequently had a similar dispute about the right to a certain claim, and, dreaming of killing a big snake a short time previous to the trial, success in winning his suit was assured him, and he did; but in working his claim it was found to be of no value.

Hundreds of similar instances might be cited to show that these so-called lucky strikes, as foretold by dreams or signs, are simply coincidences, and no other explanation, in my opinion, is possible.

It is, of course, well understood that gold mining in general has reference to the method or process of getting money, or of acquiring wealth in an easy as well as in a very rapid manner, without the necessity of toiling through a long series of years for the purpose, and it was this idea that brought many thousands into the mining regions of California. But coming here and finding, alas, that even to dig gold direct from the soil required labor, patience and perseverance, as well as an indefinite space of time, and even then with uncertain results, was the cause of hundreds returning immediately to their Eastern homes, or, at any rate, of leaving the mining regions in disgust upon making the unpleasant discovery that gold was not to be scraped from the surface of the ground, but that it was away down out of sight, badly mixed up with the dirt, mud and water. For these reasons, thousands who crossed the sandy plains, or who came by water to the gold mines, were sadly disappointed.

In order to find a gold deposit or lead which would pay for working, it was, of course, necessary to travel around with pick, pan and shovel among the ravines, flats and gulches; and when what seemed a favorable spot was found, a hole of suitable dimensions had to be dug, and the dirt upon the bed rock panned to determine the value of the claim, or whether it would pay to be worked.

After the central portions of these ravines had been worked in ’49 and ’50 it was then, of course, necessary to prospect in deeper ground, near the banks, or in the flats and gulches.