California illustrated

by J. M. Letts

Chapter Seventeenth.

FALSE REPORTS AND THEIR INFLUENCES—DAILY AVERAGE—ABUNDANCE OF GOLD—ORIGINAL DEPOSIT—“COYOTAING”—SAILORS—THEIR SUCCESS AND NOBLE CHARACTERISTICS—THEATRICAL TENDENCIES—JACK IN THE AFTER-PIECE—MINERS ON A “SPREE”—THE WRONG TENT.

There was an almost universal uneasiness felt throughout the mineral regions. Not a day would pass without arrivals and departures. To-day, a report would be in circulation that at a particular point on the Juba, or Feather river, miners were getting one hundred dollars per day. A party would immediately set out, and to-morrow a party will arrive from that particular point, having heard that at this point, miners had actually got all they could carry away. They would arrive with a full supply of provisions, utensils, &c., but being disappointed, there would be no alternative but to sell out, as their provisions could not be drawn up the mountain. To-day a man arrives who has prospected throughout the southern mines without success, and fallen in with a report that has brought him to this point. Miners who are successful say nothing about it, but those who are not, are generally fond of making an impression. I have now in my mind’s eye several individuals who were almost daily visitors at the store, who had always just discovered a very rich deposit. But strange as it may seem, that deposit never happened to find its way into the individual’s pocket. Now, a man will come in, all excitement, having just discovered, in a mountain gorge, a deposit so rich that gold can be picked up by pounds and half-pounds. He is out of provisions, and on his way to town to lay in a stock, preparatory to availing himself of his rich discovery. He talks incessantly of his prospects, and on his arrival in town imparts the information to the press. It is published as coming from the individual himself, and, of course, worthy of credit. It is copied by papers throughout the world, and universally believed; this individual, however, in the course of a week, has engaged to drive team by the month, or if returning to the mines, goes in some other direction, as if having forgotten his rich discovery. His report, however, sends thousands to look for the spot, which, I need not say, they do not succeed in finding. The precise spot is rarely found; people get within twenty miles of it, but seldom nearer. As if exerting the influence of the Upas tree, they cannot approach within the prescribed limit. At the same time, many were engaged in private leads that were paying well, some averaging an ounce per day, and some even more. At the mouth of a ravine near, there were ten persons at work, who were averaging one and a half ounces per day. There were others in the vicinity doing equally well.

The country had been thoroughly prospected; there was not a bar nor ravine that did not bear the impress of the pick and shovel. There were daily discoveries of deposits, sufficiently rich to pay well; still, such discoveries, in proportion to the number in search of them, were not one to twenty. All were earning something, and the mass more than their expenses, still they were not averaging good wages. A man could place his machine almost anywhere and get two dollars per day; this, however, barely pays for the provisions consumed, and unless a lead will pay at least five or six dollars, it is not considered worth working. A miner finds a lead that pays six dollars, he exhausts it in six, or say ten days; his expenses are two dollars per day, leaving him, at the end of ten days, forty dollars. He now spends a week, perhaps more, before he finds another lead that will pay; his expenses have reduced the amount in hand to twenty-six dollars. If he goes any considerable distance, he must hire a mule to carry his provisions, machine, &c., which will cost him one ounce ($16) per day; two days exhausts his fund. There are in California, two hundred thousand inhabitants. Say half this number are engaged in mining—at five dollars each, it amounts to half a million daily. Now, according to statistics, this is more, by half, than is actually produced, and half this amount, or two dollars and a half, is about the daily average, take the mass together.

As I have already remarked, the supply of gold is inexhaustible, and late discoveries show that the rocks constituting the base of the mountains are cemented with it. When proper machinery is brought to bear, and the bowels of the earth opened, discoveries will undoubtedly be made, that will eclipse the most exaggerated calculation. The original deposits were, undoubtedly, in the depths of the earth, and all that has yet been found is that which has been thrown to the surface, by the convulsions of nature. The form and general appearance of the gold, together with the appearance of its places of deposit, are conclusive proofs of this theory. That the country has been convulsed by internal fires, no one who has visited it, can doubt. Mountains of lava are seen towering up, and caverns yawning at their base. The natural conclusion is that many of the original deposits or veins are still undisturbed; and, in the vicinity of the original deposits of those that have, gold must exist, and will be discovered to an extent almost beyond conception.

A system of mining was adopted near the commencement of the rainy season, which went to show that gold is much more plentifully distributed, as you near the original deposit. It was called in California parlance, coyotaing. It was by digging holes or pits in the ground, generally into the base of the mountains, sometimes penetrating to the depth of fifty or one hundred feet, with the opening just sufficient to admit a man. This mode was found extremely profitable. Miners now also commenced prospecting among the rocks on this side of the mountains, and with very fair success.

Among the operators in the mines, there were none, as a class, so generally successful as sailors. They were numerous, and carried with them those estimable traits for which they are so universally celebrated. They were always, both hand and purse, at the disposal of their neighbors. Nothing afforded them more pleasure than to administer to the wants of others, always acting upon the principle that what they had belonged to the world at large, and they were merely the agents to superintend its distribution. There was a bar in the immediate vicinity, called “Neptune’s Bar,” worked entirely by sailors, and of the twenty canalling operations in the vicinity, it was the only successful one. They were well remunerated, and no one envied their success. They would occasionally have a day of recreation, when all the neighbors would expect to drink; in fact, it was looked upon by all as a gala day, the amusements being of a rare and attractive character. The actors would generally drink just enough to exhibit their most prominent traits. Hogan was full of Shakspeare, and Tom of gunpowder; Charley, a true son of Neptune, would always imagine himself in a gale, and go aloft on the nearest tree; George would laugh; Bill would sing, and Geen would cry; Jack was a long, lank boy of nineteen; his eyes, on such occasions, had a peculiar way of closing themselves without his consent, and generally much against his will. The operation was somewhat like closing a lady’s work-bag with a draw-string. He would tell the “yarns,” and it was the only branch of the profession in which he was au fait. Hogan would give us a medley, made up of gems from “Macbeth,” “Richard III.,” “Much Ado about Nothing,” and the “Merry Wives of Windsor.” Tom would deploy into line for action, Charley would fall through the hatch, Jack would sell a magic hat to a Jew, while Prince, the cook, would be searching his pockets for yeast. On one occasion Jack was, in theatrical parlance, cast, in the after-piece, and he played his part with much spirit. He came to the store drunk, with a large sack on his shoulder, en route to the dry diggings. We tried to dissuade him from crossing the river that evening, but he was determined, and staggered down towards the crossing. We all followed, Dewey, being furnished with a lasso, to fish him out in case of accident. Jack was somewhat offended at the interest manifested in him, and mounted the log with an emphatic oath. He walked steadily until he had reached the middle of the stream, when, thinking no doubt that it was time to begin to climb the mountain, he raised his head, lost his balance, and fell in. The weight of the sack first took him to the bottom, but he soon rose to the surface, when Dewey threw the lasso, caught him around the neck, and drew him out. This was somewhat embarrassing to Jack, but he possessed too much courage, at this particular time, to give it up, and again mounted the log. This time he walked much farther, so that there should be no mistake about it, but he again looked up with the same result as before. The stream was very rapid, and was fast carrying him down, but Dewey’s unerring lasso took effect, and he was again drawn up the bank. This way of wearing cravats Jack was not accustomed to, and it was sometime before he could raise wind sufficient to carry him from his moorings.

The third attempt was made with better success. He reached the opposite side, but in stepping off the log, stumbled, and, the bank being steep, he rolled back to the margin of the river; Dewey again threw the lasso, and Jack recrossed. This closed the scene; Jack did not come before the curtain, and, I suspect, that if there had been one near, he would have got behind it.

Occasionally the miners of that entire region of country would get on a spree, go to some drinking establishment, all get tight, and have a merry row. They would keep it up during the day, and at evening some one perhaps would propose going home. This would be favored by some, but generally met by a proposition to have another round, which would invariably carry; then some would be accused of not having treated; he would acknowledge the soft impeachment, and another round would be ordered. They would all drink to friends at home in general, then to some particular personal friend. Some one would propose going to the dry diggings the next day, prospecting. Well, all in favor of going with Price, to-morrow, to the dry diggings, will form on this side—opposed, on the other; opposed are in the minority, and must treat. Some would get mad and start for their tents, but having, at this particular time, very vague ideas of localities, instead of going down the river, they would go up the side of the mountain, and, vice versa; others would start, but by some mysterious movement, the earth would fly up and hit them in the face. The balance of the party would take the last drink and start, all wishing to go to the same place, but each, having his own peculiar ideas, as to the direction.

After wandering about for some time, each would call to the others, informing them that he was right, and of course when all were right none were wrong; but in the sequel not one, perhaps, out of the twenty, would reach his tent during the night. On one occasion, one of the party, after having taken the last drink, mounted his mule, designing to go one mile up the river, but, on reaching the mouth of the ravine, the worthy animal turned down stream. In the course of the night the rider, as he supposed, reached his tent, and in attempting to dismount, being somewhat fatigued, he fell against the side of it and rolled in at the bottom; to his surprise he found it occupied by an individual, who, disliking his abrupt entrée, brought his revolver into requisition; the matter was explained, and our worthy rider found himself in the tent of a stranger, five miles from his own.