[LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.]
[CONTENTS.]
[NAMES OF PIONEERS.]
[TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE]

THE ARGONAUTS
OF CALIFORNIA

BEING THE REMINISCENCES
OF SCENES AND INCIDENTS THAT OCCURRED IN
CALIFORNIA IN EARLY MINING DAYS
BY
A PIONEER

And believing that it will be of some historical value as well
as of interest generally to know the names of those who
were the first to venture forth in the search of gold, and
by whose energy and labor the foundations of a great state
were laid, and also a general prosperity created throughout
the entire country, I have therefore prefixed to the
work the names of those that I have been able to obtain,
numbering about 35,000, and including among them the
names of several thousand who are now living in the
various States of the Union.

TEXT AND ILLUSTRATIONS DRAWN FROM LIFE
BY C. W. HASKINS.
PUBLISHED FOR THE AUTHOR, BY
FORDS, HOWARD & HULBERT
NEW YORK
1890
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1889, by
C. W. HASKINS,
In the Office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington, D. C.
R. Pierce & Co., Printers, 53 Lafayette Place, N. Y.
TO THE
SURVIVING MEMBERS OF THE
ADVANCE GUARD
OF GOLD HUNTERS,
THE CALIFORNIA PIONEERS
AND THEIR DESCENDANTS,
WHO ARE NOW LIVING THROUGHOUT THE
UNITED STATES,
THIS BOOK
IS MOST RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED
BY THE
AUTHOR.

PREFACE.

While residing in the village of Kingston, located upon the Cœur D’Alene River in the silver mining regions of northern Idaho during the winter of ’87-’88, and being compelled to remain within doors during the winter in consequence of the great depth of snow and intense cold, in order to pass away the time I amused myself by writing an account of scenes and incidents that occurred in California in early days in the mining regions, and which came under my observation. These events are written entirely from memory, but I have endeavored to give as near as possible the correct date of the events and incidents mentioned, as well as their location and names with all of which I was familiar. As to the the correct description of scenes and events, I ask the remnant of that band of sturdy Argonauts who laid the foundation of a great State to bear me witness.

C. W. Haskins.

Index to the Names of the Forty-niners.

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

• Frontispiece.
  “Hello, Bill!”
  The Start for California.
  Brazilian Music.
  The Swell at Cape Horn.
  An Able Seaman.
  Forty-niners at the Hotel in Lima.
  The Operatic Shark.
  The Prolific Topmast.
  The Calm.
  Neptune’s Orchestra.
  The Bullwhacker.
  “Ye Done it Weel.”
  The Dandy Miners.
  Smoked Out.
  The Frisky Flapjack.
  Hangtown in ’49.
  “None in Mine.”
  The Industrious Prospectors.
  “I Shust Nose It!”
  Bulling the Mine.
  “Ther, Ther, T, other One.”
  The Ducks Take Water.
  Dutch Charley.
  Dan Boone and the Bear.
  The First Rat in Hangtown.
  Rats in Sacramento City.
  The First Young Lady in the Mines.
  The Spartan Mother.
  The Boys Aloft.
  Emigration of ’50.
  The Howly Fragment.
  The Argonaut and His Mule.
  The Steamboat Runners.
  The Miners’ Meeting.
  On His Trail.
  “I’v Shtruck it, Thin.”
  The Sailor Boy.
  The Chap Who Insulted a Lady.
  The Claim Jumper.
  The Art of Self-defense.
  Didn’t Believe in Compromise.
  The Disgusted Speculator.
  “Write Often, Boys.”
  The Jack Tars on the Hill.
  The Geological Lecture.
  Old Nick’s Grand Entrée.
  A California Cyclone.
  Only Two Days in the Mines.
  A Simile.
  Female Influence Illustrated.
  Not Ready to Go.
  The Voice of Old Dick.
  Big George and the Road Agent.
  “There She Comes, Boys!”
  Miners’ Comfort.
  “Dis am a Free Kentry, Massa.”
  Coasting in Idaho.
  Law and Order Triumph’s.
  Charley, the Female Stage Driver.
  Hank Monk in Time for Lunch.
  The Picket Guard.
  The Gambler’s Charity.
  The Road Agent Outwitted.
  From Fry-pan to the Fire.
  A Newcomer.
  Force of Habit.
  The Deserted Camp.
  Syd’s Last Prospect.
  Skunked.
  Ruined Castles.
  Meeting of the Old-timers.
  An Unexpected Festival.
  The Gold-saving Machine.
  Tex Gives Satisfaction.
  Not Raising Mutiny but Sugar.
  It’l Be Our Turn Next.
  Bob the Fiddler.
  The Power of Music.
  Old-timers in the Hall.
  Phantoms of the Old timers.
  Sam Plunket and the Indians.
  The Bear in a Quandary.
  The Power of Beauty.
  The Bean-pot Comet.
  Dick Arnold to the Rescue.
  The Brave Policeman.
  A New Motor.
  The Plum-duff.
  Donkey Instinct.
  Tex and the Alcalde.$1’49 Mosquitoes.
  The Bear and the Prospector.
  Sharpshooters.
  Discovery of the Old River Beds.
  Lost in the Mountains.
  Nature’s Lullaby.
  Discovery of Red Hill Gold.
  Bob Lost a Fortune.
  The Surprise.
  Curiosity Satisfied.
  Mining Ground Transformed.
  “Is it Me Agint?”
  “No More Frontier in Ourn!”
  Not that Kind of Bird.
  The Tarantula in the Boot.
  The Boston Boy and His Bugle.
  Found His Brother.
  Kanakas at Work.
  The Flight of Time.
  The Miller Taking Toll.
  Yank Revisiting Old Scenes.
  Coasting in Idaho.
  Town of Wallace.
  A Flush Hand.
  The Mississippians.
  The Return East.
  “Good Morning, William.”
  

CONTENTS.

The Argonauts of California.

CHAPTER I.

The News—Looking Forward—The Start.

IN the winter of ’48 I resided in New Bedford, Mass. I had a chum. What boy has not? My chum’s name was Bill. He had been absent from New Bedford for a few months, and on meeting him, a few days after his return, I greeted him with:

“Hello, Bill! Have you heard the news?”

“No; what is it?”

“Well; while you were away, the news came that a man in California, named Marshall, has made the discovery that there’s lots of Gold out there. He found a big chunk of it where he was at work.”

“You don’t say so! What’s he going to do with it; did he say?”

“That has nothing to do with the case. There’s the greatest excitement here, you ever heard of. Not only here, but all over the country, on account of the discovery. Thousands of men are getting ready to go out there. A lot of ships down at the wharves are being fitted out for the voyage, and they are going to take passengers cheap. Now what do you say to going along?”

Bill did not seem to enthuse nearly as much as the occasion would warrant, for said he,

“Well, now; I don’t see what reasons you can give for supposing that there’s more gold there, simply because this man found a chunk of it.”

“But, Bill,” said I, with undampened ardor; “don’t you understand the scientific nature of it? Isn’t it likely that there must be lots more of it scattered about? Besides, the volcanic character of the country is very favorable for that kind of a product, you know.”

Bill smiled skeptically, and gave me the benefit of his geological knowledge as follows:

“Oh, yes, I know. The gold is thrown out from the bowels of the earth, where it’s manufactured, by the volcanoes and scattered about on the tops of the mountains. Then along come the earthquakes and shake it down among the grass roots and bushes in the valleys, where you expect to scrape it up by the bushel.”

“Oh, well, it may prove to be, as you say, a wild goose chase, after all; but there’s a ship, now at the wharf, right from San Francisco, and one of the sailors, who seems to be a real honest chap, told me that the country was chock full of gold. He said that after they had hoisted up the anchor to start home he scraped the mud off the anchor and washed more than five pounds out of it—”

“Of what—mud?”

“No, of Gold; Real Gold!”

“Oh, pshaw! Do you believe that yarn?”

“Why, of course I do! Sailors are noted for their veracity.”

“Nothing of the kind. They have the reputation of being the biggest liars on earth; especially when out on the water and the wind blows hard.”

Still true to my colors, I protested, “That’s impossible.”

“No, ’tis not, for if you were sailing a ship out at sea and the wind blew real hard, you’d lie too.”

Bill’s levity fell upon unappreciative soil. I was too much in earnest, and resumed:

“I’m bound to go out there, Bill, if I don’t pick more than a hatful of gold in a day. There’s nothing like trying, you know. But what’s the use of going after gold, you say? Well, now, isn’t that what we are all after, and nearly crazy to get? And, isn’t it easier to go to a country where you can scrape it up from the ground or pick it out from among the grass by the bucketful, than it is to toil and sweat and worry through a long life here?”

I cannot now remember whether Bill was just a little cynical, or simply echoed the opinions of some of the wiseacres of that day when he parried my query with,

“There’s plenty of money in the country now, and more is unnecessary. What are you going to do with it all?”

“That’s a singular idea,” I answered. “Do you suppose it’s possible to have too much money in the country? Such old, puritanical notions about money are ridiculous. You and I haven’t too much and we could use a few millions to good advantage, if we had them. And if it should prove true that lots of gold can be found in California, you’ll live to see this country step to the front among nations in wealth, prosperity and enterprise.”

In my ardor I had risen to unwonted heights of eloquence.

Bill thought that there was enough enterprise in the country, already.

I assured him that when we began to send gold back from California in ton lots, the various enterprises would boom to an extent never before witnessed in the world.

Bill had, however, taken the negative side of the issue and fired another broadside at me:

“Yes, but Jo, aren’t you going it a little too fast in anticipating such big things? For my part, I don’t believe that there’s enough gold in all of California to do all that. ’Twould take bushels of it, you know.”

Upon confirmation of the news of the discovery of gold in California, all was commotion in the various seaports of the Atlantic coast. Vessels of all sizes and descriptions, from the small, 50 ton fishing smack, that would be compelled to crawl along near the shore, up to the noble clipper ship, that was able to contend with the elements in mid-ocean, were fitted up with conveniences for passengers in greatest haste. Many vessels sailed early in the year of ’49 for the Eldorado. It was not, however, until the spring that the grand stampede commenced. By April 1, in ’49, 50,000 good, able-bodied men, and a few women, all desirous of bettering their condition and acquiring wealth in a much easier and quicker method than by the old-fashioned, slow and plodding methods of their ancestors, were upon their way to the other side of the continent, willing to encounter the danger from Indians or starvation, whilst an equal number preferred to risk the dangers of a journey by sea to the land of gold. In company with about one hundred others, we took passage in the clipper ship “America,” Capt. C. P. Seabury, from the port of New Bedford, Mass. On the morning of the 1st of April, the fact was announced that all must be on board at 10 A.M. The anchor was raised from its muddy bed below; the sails were unfurled to the breeze; the bow of our boat swung round a bit and pointed out toward the billows in the big ocean beyond. We bade farewell to friends who accompanied us out to the light-house; and, with hearty wishes from them that we might meet with the greatest success in our venturesome undertaking, sailed out upon the broad ocean in the direction of Cape Horn. We watched the green hills, with which we had been familiar from early childhood, as they vanished from sight below the horizon, and wondered then if ’twas so ordained by the powers above, that we would soon be enabled to return again to these familiar scenes of our boyhood days with our pockets lined with tin (and some of us still continue in the same business, at the old stand, of wondering).

Our passengers, being unaccustomed to the situation, soon felt very peculiar sensations produced by the motions of the vessel. We sought the entrance to the basement, into which we managed to make our way in an oblique kind of a style, and retired to our sleeping apartments, there to remain until we deemed it safe to again climb out upon the roof of the vessel.

We were satisfied in a few days that we were very fortunate in our selection of a vessel for the voyage, for we found that she was a strong, staunch one; a fast goer, with a good crew and commanded by an expert seaman, who understood his business. Fortunately for

us, perhaps, we had as passengers a number of old veteran (retired) sea captains, who were always very ready and willing, without remuneration, to give our captain all necessary advice, at such times when, in their opinion, he needed it. When, in their opinion, there was danger of the ship sailing too fast, they would advise him to take down some of the big sails; or, again, when the wind was too high, they would become aware at once of the danger of the ship running under, front end foremost, and at such times they would advise the captain to stop her. Under such conditions, where there were many men of experience keeping their weather eyes open for emergencies, it is evident that we, the passengers, felt perfectly secure from danger, and could sleep without fear.

During the voyage we amused ourselves, no doubt, in the same manner as passengers of vessels usually do, by various games. There were an assortment of musical instruments, and card playing was an amusement much in vogue; but a few of the younger passengers of a sporting tendency, would bet upon the speed of the ship and the number of miles we would sail upon the succeeding day. Some of the older ones, however, of a more elevated character, who were above such petty amusements, would practice at leap-frog upon deck during pleasant weather. When the weather was otherwise they would pass their time below, in betting with each other upon the number of plums they would be able to find in their respective rations of duff, and many were enabled to enjoy double rations at the table in consequence. In the opinion of many of the older passengers, one very important fact had been overlooked in our great haste to start for the golden shores of California, and that was, the failure to make suitable provision for the storage of gold dust. This was, indeed, an oversight, for nothing had been provided suitable for the purpose. It therefore taxed the ingenuity of the older ones, and many were the devices proposed. One very ingenious and sanguine individual commenced the manufacture of leather pouches from old boot-legs or from pieces of canvas, maintaining that these would be found the most convenient. Another insisted that good, strong, stone ale bottles were far superior for stowing the finer grades of dust, and such was his faith in them that he had actually brought two or three dozen with him. But where is the limit to genius or the faculty of adaptation to conditions, for if no other person had appeared upon the stage with a superior device for the purpose, the inventors of the boot-leg pouch and of the ale bottle devices would have divided the honors between them for their ingenuity. The possession of an older head with greater experience, however, suggested that although leather pouches and beer bottles might answer very well, they would probably be found very inconvenient to handle on account of the great specific gravity of gold. He therefore suggested that the best way to pack the gold dust, and the best means of handling it, would be to put it into empty pork barrels, for these could be rolled with ease and of course would be more convenient for shipping. The greater portion of the passengers saw at once the superior advantages of the pork-barrel idea, and resolved to adopt that method.

One old gentleman spent his time in the construction of a dredging machine for raising the sand from the river beds, and for extracting the big nuggets from among the rocks at the bottom; whilst another one busied himself in making sheet-iron scoops, to which long poles were to be attached. His idea was to take his station under the shade of a tree, upon the river bank, scoop up the rich golden sands and extract the gold from it upon dry land, without the danger of being sun struck or wetting his feet. Many of the more intelligent ones among our passengers kept a daily record of scenes and incidents during our voyage; but so much of this class of literature has been heretofore brought before the public that a report from any of them would not be of much interest at this time.

CHAPTER II.

Arrival at St. Catherina—American Pluck—The Four Brave Tourists.

IT having been decided by the Captain of our vessel, at the request of many of the passengers, that we visit some port upon the coast of Brazil, upon consulting the sailing directions of Lieut. Maury, it was found that in order to do so it was necessary to first visit the coast of Africa, to take advantage of the trade winds. The ship’s course was therefore directed towards the Continent of Africa, at which portion of our planet we arrived in good time; and ’twas not until we found that the dust from that continent was accumulating upon our clothing and other articles on ship board, that our Captain concluded we were near enough to the African coast. Our good ship was, therefore, turned around and the bow pointed towards South America. With a fair wind we crossed the ocean again, and on the 20th of May sailed into the port of St. Catherina and dropped anchor under the guns of the fortification located on the summit of a hill near the town.

We found lying at anchor here the steamer “Senator,” on her way to California, as well as two or three other vessels loaded with passengers from the United States for the same destination. An incident in which the passengers of these vessels took a very prominent part occurred a few days previous to our arrival, and is worth relating, as it illustrates the type of American character which constituted the advance guard of the California pioneers, and proves that the Americans will submit to no indignity from a foreign race, if they possess the power and means of resenting it.

A young man, a passenger of one of the vessels, was assassinated by a native, but for what reason was not known, although supposed to be from jealousy. The Americans demanded the arrest and punishment of the assassin, but no attention was paid to the demand, and no efforts were made for the murderer’s arrest, since he had slain only an “Americano.” It may be of some interest to those of the human family who have adopted the great American Eagle as their emblem, to know that at this period in their history—40 years ago—when iron clads were unthought of and monitors unknown, this nation of people were not held in very high esteem by the various governments and peoples of the South American continent, for the reason that their ports were but very seldom visited by our ships of war, only upon certain isolated occasions, when the American sloop of war “St. Marys,” or some craft of similar dimensions, would put into these Southern ports. For this reason, they seemed to be impressed with the idea that, in comparison with England, with the monster ships of war with which they were all familiar, the United States were of little consequence and small potatoes generally. As a consequence, a demand for the arrest for the murderer of the young American was treated with contempt; but they were dealing now with the passengers of three or four ships who were on their way to California—a crowd of Americans who were determined to have the culprit arrested and punished at all hazards. The Governor of the province, beginning to be alarmed by their demonstrations, for they had threatened to capture the fortress upon the hill and to bombard the town, despatched messengers instantly to the Emperor at Rio Janeiro for assistance, believing, no doubt, that it was the intention of these vile “Americanos” to capture the entire country and annex it to the United States. This idea arose from the fact, as we heard related, that the passengers from one ship did actually enter the fortress and unfolded to the breeze the stars and stripes from the flag-staff, and some one, for fun or accident, had with a piece of charcoal put in an additional star which, of course, represented Brazil. But peace was soon restored; the Governor had the culprit arrested, and after a fair trial he was shot in the presence of those who demanded his execution; and in a few days the ships sailed upon their course for California with passengers satisfied and contented.

We found, a short distance in the interior, a man with his family from the State of Vermont, who had emigrated here to live in ease and comfort upon the spontaneous productions of the soil, which consist of oranges, bananas and other tropical fruits. He stated that he had been induced to make his home in this tropical country by an acquaintance who was a seafaring man, and had often visited this portion of the earth. Through representations of the beauty of the country and the little labor and exertion required to live in ease and comfort, he had been persuaded into coming here.

“The first year was pleasant indeed,” said he; “and often when we were conversing upon the pleasures of such a life free from toil and care, we wondered why the greater portion of those who dwelt in the far northern New England States, amidst the snows and rains of their severe winters, toiling and striving for the necessaries of life, did not come to this earthly paradise. These were our thoughts and feelings during the first year; but, after a residence of three years in this beautiful country, with its warm sunny skies and its luxuriant vegetation, despite these advantages, we have been forced to the conclusion that, although the natives of the country were adapted by nature to such conditions of existence, an American never would be. Why, sir, I can take more solid enjoyment and comfort in one year among the rugged hills and rocks of old Vermont, where the maxim is work or starve, than it would be possible to find here in a lifetime, and I intend returning to that country again just as soon as opportunity offers.”

It was here at St. Catherina, also, that we saw for the first time in our lives diamonds in their rough state when taken from the river beds, and which, to all appearances, are ordinary quartz pebbles, such as are often seen upon the sea-shore. In their original state when first formed in nature’s subterranean laboratory, they are crystallized with proper facets and angles; but being subsequently deposited in the beds of running streams, in process of time are worn to a smooth surface by friction amongst the gravel of the river. These gems possess but little value until much time and considerable labor is expended in again restoring the worn out facets and angles. So far as known they serve but one purpose in their rough state, and that is to illustrate the fact that although a man may be very careless in his style of dress, paying no regard to the latest fashion and even with his top-coat in rags, yet he may be a real nice sort of a man for all that; a gem of the first water beneath a rough coating. Experience illustrates the fact that this is often the case, and for this reason it would be as well before driving the tramp from out the back yard to search beneath his rags for the gem that may possibly be there, or for anything else of value that may be concealed.

We saw, also, a specimen of the diamond miner, a few of them having just arrived from the mines, hundreds of miles away to the West, in the interior, to dispose of the diamonds to the merchants in the town. One of them explained to us the manner of finding the valuable gem: the process being similar, in some respects, to the methods adopted in California in mining for gold in the river-beds. By the use of wing dams, the stream is turned, and, after shovelling the sand and gravel from the bed rock, search is then made for what are termed pot holes in the hard bed rock, in the bottom of which is found the diamond, or at least it should be there, but unfortunately this is not always the case, as all miners can testify to with sorrow.

A few miles inland was the border of the great Brazilian forest that we had often read of in our school-boy days, and which, at this point, approaches to within a few miles of the coast. We were informed that a few miles within this dark forest could be found a small lake about two miles in circumference, and that it was filled with a great variety of creeping ferocious reptiles, such as alligators, crocodiles, huge water snakes and water lizards. Upon its surface, also could be seen water fowl of all kinds, and upon the branches of trees surrounding it a great variety of birds, with the gayest plumage, could be found. Frolicking amidst the tall grass upon its banks would be seen a variety of wild animals, including beautiful specimens of the frolicsome Brazilian tiger. A number of us determined to enter this dense forest and investigate the beauties of this wonderful lake and its surroundings; but we were warned by the natives that it was a dangerous undertaking, unless we procured a suitable guide, as it was very dark and dismal within the forest; and furthermore, that the trails formed by the animals were so tortuous and crooked, that there was danger of getting lost. To our inexperienced minds, an undertaking of this nature offered irresistible fascinations, for we were of a nation that knew no fear, and the national characteristic being to satisfy curiosity, let the consequences be what they may, why should we fear? Were we not armed with the latest discovery that the inventive genius of a Yankee could devise as a protection? Perhaps the animals in the forest had not, as yet, been made aware of the fact; but would they not crouch in abject fear when we entered the dark trails of the vast forest to see each of us carrying in his hand a Smith & Wesson, duplex patent, double back action, revolver, vulgarly styled a “pepper-box”? Well, I should say they would, and so we thought. Armed with this style of weapon, one pleasant morning four of us (the bravest ones) determined to enter the forest and beard the tiger in his lair. A native kindly volunteered to leave his daily toil, and, for a small fee, guide us to the entrance of the forest. We examined our weapons, drew a long breath, and in single file, walked in the narrow trail for a short distance into the dark abyss: then stopped, drew another long breath, and marched out again. Not because we had any fear for our individual selves, but for each other, for each didn’t like to see the other torn into a mass of shoe strings by an enraged tiger.

“What was that awful roaring away in there, do you reckon?” asked one.

“Oh,” says another. “That noise was miles away. I ain’t afraid, so let’s try it again.”

After discharging a few shots at imaginary beasts, as a fair warning to others away in the forest that were not imaginary, we again entered the dark trail and proceeded cautiously onward. The monkeys among the branches over our heads would follow us, and occasionally approach near enough to endeavor to snatch our hats from our heads. We had proceeded in this manner for about a mile, when a Cape Cod chap, who was in the van, suddenly came to a stop, at the same time exclaiming in a very emphatic manner, “Go back! go back, quick!” We all pressed forward, however, anxious to see the cause of the alarm, and we saw it. A few straggling rays of the sun had forced their way through the thick foliage above, and illuminated a small patch of the trail of about two feet in extent, and lying in this sunny spot could be discerned the head of an enormous serpent. The body was there too, of course, but being among the bushes it was not visible. We cared nothing for the body, but it was the ferocious looking head that startled us. Its eyes assumed all the colors of the rainbow. Four pairs of very severe eyes were concentrated upon the eyes of the monster, which seemed to realize the situation, and from a feeling of bashfulness at being gazed upon by strangers, or, perhaps, having caught sight of our weapons, and recognized the brand, from an instinct of coming danger closed its eyes. With optics partially closed, its countenance assumed a very amiable expression; but a slight movement from one of us caused it to again raise its eyes, and made one, at least, of us wish that he hadn’t come.

“Oh pshaw!” remarked a Boston chap, who had attended high school some, “let’s go ahead anyhow. You remember that Plato, or some other fellow, said that courage was one of the virtues, or something of the kind. Now let us prove that we are virtuous young men. We will turn his right flank, and get to his rear easy enough.”

“Oh, git out,” said the Cape Cod chap; “them form of animals hain’t got any right nor left flank at all; nor rear end neither, ’cause their bodies come to a point on the fur end.” Just at this moment, the monster made a forward movement and we retired in a rather hasty manner, leaving the serpent to enjoy its sun bath.

But the reader would ask, since we were so well provided with weapons, why in the name of Cæsar didn’t we massacre the brute at once, and go on. It must have been from fear that we did not, and so it was. We were fearful of shooting each other, for we had practiced so little with our weapons that it had not as yet been positively decided whether or not we should aim right at an animal that we desired to massacre, or in the opposite direction. One of the young men who had practiced considerably during the voyage shooting at the big waves, and was always positive that he hit them, somewhere, volunteered to test his skill upon the serpent, but for fear that the noise might make it angry and cause it to bite some of us, he was prevented.

As we emerged from the forest, our ears were assailed with a most unearthly screeching, that seemed to come from the open country beyond the forest. We concluded, at once, that some ferocious monster had by accident got out of the woods, and was unable to find its way back again. We examined our weapons, determined to sell our lives at the highest price, spot cash, and marched manfully in the direction of our vessel.

The Cape Cod lad remarked, as we hurried onward, that the screeching reminded him of a political caucus in his native town, and “the cheerman was a-tryin’ to call ther meetin’ to order.” Upon reaching a slight elevation, we saw, in the road ahead of us, a cart drawn by a pair of oxen, and it was from this that the noise proceeded. We concluded, at once, that the cart contained wild animals that were perhaps being shipped to New York for Mr. Barnum; but upon nearer approach we found, to our astonishment and disgust, that the terrible Brazilian melody was caused by the wheels upon the axles, which in this country are never greased.

We suggested to the driver, by certain signs, that they ought to be greased, and that it was an evidence of barbarism, and would not be tolerated in any civilized country. “Oh no,” he replied, “Americanos no sabe. Wheels no sing: bullocks no go.”

Well, ’tis no wonder they go; anything would go from such a noise, and never return. An army of Kansas grasshoppers would go into the regions above and never again return to earth. The terrible screeching was heard also on board of the ship, and it even suggested to our Captain that we ought to go too, and that ten days was long enough to remain in any country where they didn’t grease their cart wheels, and we went. After taking on board a good supply of tropical fruits of various kinds, with bananas in greatest abundance, which were suspended to the ship’s rigging in all convenient places until she had the appearance of a banana plantation going on an excursion, we sailed again out upon the broad ocean and laid our course for Cape Horn, where we expected to arrive by the middle of June.

CHAPTER III.

A Gale—The Ocean Swell—Cape Horn—The Magellan Cloud—The Native Tradition.

AS is very often the case in relation to human affairs, fate decreed otherwise, and in plain, unmistakable language we heard whispered by the gale which we encountered as it roared through the ship’s rigging, “Go slow! go slow!” And we did. About three hundred miles from the land off the mouth of the La Platte we encountered what all of the old salts, as well as the young, fresh ones, declared to be the heaviest gale that it was ever our misfortune to encounter. It came from off the coast, and of course was favorable for us; but there was a little too much of it. The sea was smooth, for such was the velocity and force of the gale that when a billow attempted to assert its rights and raised its head above the general sea level, it was instantly blown off, leaving in its place but a mass of white and seething foam. In this manner, with our noble ship lying to with the lee rail under water, we remained for thirteen days. To cook was impossible, for the reason that, at the angle at which our galley stove cut the horizon, nothing would stay in the dinner pot, and we were obliged therefore to eat off-hand and at random whatever we could get. It was now getting monotonous, and to add to our troubles the Captain would not grant us permission to go on shore, and it even seemed to hurt his feelings when we asked him.

On the evening of the thirteenth, the Captain, deprived of his accustomed rations of plum duff and soft tack, determined upon the tactics which he should adopt the following day if the gale did not abate and that was to run before the gale. This course was strongly objected to by the veteran skippers on board, who claimed that it would be a most dangerous proceeding and would never be adopted by anyone but a young and inexperienced commander. They had, as they explained, roamed the seas over from infancy and were well aware of the danger of running before a gale of such huge dimensions as we were then experiencing. They therefore strongly protested against it and assured the Captain that in case he did adopt that plan he must be responsible for all damages if the ship should run under and sink away down to the bottom in the cold sea, which they were most positive would be the case.

The Captain, however, after lying all night on the edge of his bunk determined, notwithstanding their protestations, early the next morning to make a break for liberty. With a firm step and with salt water in his larboard eye, he ascended to the deck and soon the command was heard above the roar of the tempest: “All hands on deck!”

In a few minutes every man of us was at his post as soon as we could find it, and when the order was given to the sailors who were holding fast to the wheel to let her go, they did, and it flew around in a most spiteful manner, as if conscious of its freedom. The bows of the ship swung around with the gale and we went flying amidst the foam upon the rough surface of the sea at a rate of speed nearly equal to a railroad train, and in a few hours were again upon our way with a fair wind and under full sail in the direction of Cape Horn.

“Well, well!” exclaimed one of the veteran skippers, who had predicted all kinds of disasters to the inexperienced Captain, as a consequence of his rash proceeding, and who was now standing near the gangway holding in his hand a well-filled carpet-bag, and with a look of disgust and disappointment in his expectations stamped upon his weather-beaten countenance: “Yer come outer that gale in good seaman style; but if yer had only took my advice yer’d done it more ’n a week ago.”

We arrived at Cape Horn on the 4th of July, and with a fair wind sailed around the dangerous point and entered the waters of the Pacific Ocean. This being our national holiday, we dressed up our vessel in appropriate attire, and with various instruments of music, the firing of guns and pistols, celebrated the day in true Yankee style, to the great astonishment of the seagulls, as well as the immense flock of birds of various kinds that arose into the air from the clefts and caverns of the massive rocks of the coast.

Just previous to our arrival at Cape Horn, much surprise had been expressed by many of us at the unusual heavy swell of the sea or of the huge billows we encountered, but had been invariably reminded by the aged veteran seaman on board:

“Oh, pshaw! these are nothing but ripples compared to what you will see when you reach Cape Horn. You just wait, and blast me eyes, but you will see them down there as high as the main mast.”

The consequence was that we waited. We now turned our attention to the heavy swells for which we had patiently waited, and found them nearly as represented, for they were immense, and to take a view of them from the cabin window at the stern of the ship required considerable nerve, as it really seemed, when the stern was away down in the trough between the great rollers, that nothing short of a miracle could raise the ship quick enough to prevent the hugh billows from rolling over her. We found, however, upon experimenting with a long rope on deck, by shaking it up and down from one end, that in a similar manner the great billows do not move forward upon the surface of the ocean, as they have every appearance of doing, to the utter destruction of every object which they come into contact with, but that they simply rise and fall. It is this continual rise and fall of the water on the surface of the ocean that gives it the appearance of rolling onward in the form of huge billows.

The traditions of the native Patagonians tell us that centuries ago a race of giants existed upon the extreme end of the South American continent; but whether that was their place of residence, or that they were there only upon a picnic excursion, is not definitely known. It unfortunately happened, however, that while there this great convulsion occurred, which separated the extreme end of the continent from the main land; and to their great astonishment, when aroused from their slumbers early one morning, they found themselves situated upon a high commanding eminence, at a distance from the main land, and entirely surrounded by water. To wade through the cold Southern sea to the main land again was out of the question, for they had come totally unprepared for such an emergency, having left their rubber boots at home. They were, however, giants, and knew their strength. Breaking the high mountain upon which they stood into fragments of suitable size they hurled them into the sea beyond, and using them for stepping-stones, regained the said continent without accident, or wetting a single foot. This is said to be the origin of those extreme Southern islands which they named Terra del Fuego.

The end of the continent was by this convulsion broken apart, and through this break the waters of the oceans found their way, forming a very convenient channel for small vessels to avoid the dangers of the Cape in passing from one ocean to the other. This channel was discovered by Magellan.

To the extreme southern point of the solid islands of rocks is given the name Cape Horn, around which it is difficult and dangerous to pass in consequence of the prevailing winds, which blow almost constantly from the west. It is at this point, also, that a good view is had of what is called the Magellan Cloud, not so named because Mr. Magellan first discovered it, but from the fact that the strait which he did discover, whether by accident or otherwise, is located immediately beneath it. At night, this cloud has the appearance of a mass of luminous vapor floating in space above, and such is its immense distance from our planet, that no telescope has as yet been constructed with power sufficient to enable our astronomers to determine its true character; or whether it is, as it appears, a mass of luminous vapor, or a cluster of celestial bodies like our own universe. Now, is it not possible that this is another universe similar to our own, located in distant space, and in company with thousands of other similar collections of celestial bodies which are scattered throughout infinite space, all moving in one general direction, and governed and controlled by the same ruling power? This is possible, and that each universe is separate and distinct from all others there is no doubt, and that to those who are dwelling upon the various planets of which they are composed, our own universe presents a similar appearance is very probable. In viewing these distant collections of celestial bodies in the firmament above, they may be very properly compared to swarms of gnats which we often witness sporting in the sunshine.

With a fair wind, we laid our course for the port of Callao, in Peru. A few days followed of fair wind which seemed to increase in violence as we proceeded, until it had assumed the proportions of a very respectable gale, termed in Nevada a “gentle zephyr.” It was during the continuance of this gale that a little incident occurred which may not be of much interest to seafaring men, and one of ordinary occurrence; but to those who do not go down upon the sea in ships it may be of some interest, since it illustrates the nature and character of the requisites of an able seaman and commander. During the gale, a block or shieve upon the end of the main yard was torn from its lashings, and fell upon the deck. The ship was luffed up into the wind: the great seas broke over the bows, and the mainsail threshed about in a terrible manner in its frantic efforts to free itself from its lashings, and to keep company with the gale. It was absolutely necessary that that block should again be placed and securely lashed upon the end of the yard, of which fact all the officers of the ship were well aware; but where was the sailor who had the courage to go out upon the end of that yard, when, as the ship rolled, the extreme end where the block was to be lashed was out of sight, became buried in the white foam of the huge billows? The Captain ordered no one to perform the dangerous duty, but asked the first mate, who was holding fast upon the rigging near, if any man would volunteer to do it? The mate, who was naturally of a modest and quiet disposition, raised his eyes aloft to the yard, then to the surging billows below, thought of his loved ones at home, and very modestly declined, with thanks. The second mate, a big, burly seaman, turned his port eye toward the chief mate, concluded that he had a level head, and concurred for similar reasons. Our Captain, finding that no one on board of the ship was willing to perform the dangerous duty, remarked that he should then be compelled to do it himself. Taking the huge block, slung to his shoulder, he mounted aloft out upon the yard, where he succeeded in lashing it securely in its place, although not without a great deal of trouble and danger. The ship swung off again before the gale, and all danger was past.

CHAPTER IV.

Arrival in Callao—The Relics of the Earthquake—The Frolic with the English Officers—Target Shooting—The Calm—Water Spouts—The Shark.

THE ship’s course was now directed towards the port of Callao, Peru, where we arrived about the 10th of August. We remained in this port about eight days, visiting in the meantime the beautiful city of Lima located at the foot of the mountains, a few miles inland, and a portion of the earth where a rain-storm is unknown.

We found that the chief and principal amusements here at this time consisted in cock and bull fighting; the grand arena, with its gorgeous trappings, being situated adjacent to and under the shadow of the principal cathedral of the city.

In the town of Callao we saw the ruins of the old city which was partially submerged by an earthquake in 1765, at which time a ship being at anchor in the harbor was carried by the returning tidal wave about five miles inland, where the old hull was deposited and could be plainly seen. At ebb tide, the tiled roofs of many old buildings can yet be seen upon the sandy beach; but the greater portion, however, of the submerged town lies in deep water, above which vessels in the harbor ride at anchor.

A little incident which occurred here in the city of Lima upon the day previous to our arrival, as we heard related is perhaps worth recording. Upon our arrival in the port of Callao, we found lying at anchor there, the U. S. sloop of war “St. Mary,” as well as the English man-of-war “Asia,” and an English sloop of war, the name of which I have forgotten. There was also in port a ship from Norfolk, Va., having on board as passengers about forty young men from Richmond and other Southern cities on their way to California. There was a feeling of jealousy existing among the English officers and these young Southern bloods in the city of Lima, from the fact that the latter seemed to attract more attention

from the ladies of Castilian blood. The English officers were determined to revenge themselves, and they endeavored to do it, and to further show their contempt for Americans generally in a despicable manner. The latter, upon one occasion, concluded to have a regular champagne dinner, and engaged for the purpose the large dining-room of the only American hotel in the city, which they arranged to occupy at 2 P.M. of the day appointed. The English officers, to the number of thirty, having been informed of the intention of the Americans, found now their opportunity for revenge by taking possession of the dining-room at the appointed time, and locking the doors, thus interfering with the arrangements. Unfortunately for them, however, they had never fully understood the real nature of American pluck, as one of the English officers was afterwards ready and willing to admit.

At the appointed time the Americans met at the hotel, but only to find the doors to the dining-room locked and the room occupied by the English officers. After a short consultation, a tall, fine-looking specimen of one of the F. F. V’s knocked upon the door, demanding instant admission, but, of course, was refused. Two minutes was then allowed, and in case of refusal they were informed that the door would be broken in. “Do so, at your peril,” came from the inside; and almost instantly the door went in with a crash, and the tall Virginian, stepping inside to the head of the table, seized a bottle of wine and threw it with full force, striking the center of the table beyond, and bounding to the wall upon the opposite end of the room. At the same time, thirty or forty Americans, well prepared, filed in and took their stations behind the English officers, who leaped to their feet, and with their short swords flourishing above their heads demanded instant satisfaction for the insult. They were informed by the leader of the opposite party that it was the latter who demanded satisfaction, and that the former must instantly leave the room, or the Americans would enforce the demand. After some loud talking and threats from the leaders of both sides had been indulged in, a more quiet and subdued tone was used; mutual explanations followed; suitable apologies were given, and a general hand-shaking followed. Swords were sheathed, and fortunately the danger of a conflict was averted; seats, as well as an additional supply of champagne and other refreshments, were ordered. The Americans were very cordially invited to partake of the festivities, which invitation they accepted, and peace and harmony prevailed.

One effect of this incident, was a greater respect for the American people, or at least that portion of them who were at present in the harbor of Callao; for, upon the day following the incident, the passengers of the American ships were very cordially invited on board of H. M. ship of war the “Asia,” and were received in the most hospitable manner. Furthermore, through the influence of her commander, a few passengers of one of the American ships who were detected in the act of smuggling on shore a quantity of tobacco, were released upon promising to do so no more.

Going on shore one day, we found on the sandy beach three or four English officers who were practicing target-shooting. The target was a board twelve or fourteen inches square, and placed at a distance of one-hundred yards. They were practicing with the English sporting rifles, some of them being fixed up in a beautiful style and ornamented with silver. These rifles were fired from a rest, and with this advantage even, the target was hit but twice out of five shots. One of our boys remarked to them that he had an old U. S. musket on board of the ship, and offered to wager that he could put four balls out of five into the target, off hand. One of the Englishmen asserted that that was a huge joke “ye know”; but requested our passenger to bring it on shore and prove his assertion, which he proceeded to do. There was much merriment among them when he returned, bringing with him an old style Springfield rifle, or Jæger, as they were usually called; but when this youth, off-hand, put four balls out of five into the target, their merriment subsided, and in fact they were astonished. They asked many questions, and when informed that the U. S. army was armed with this sort of thing they marveled greatly, and desired permission to take it on board of H. M. ship of war for inspection, which they did, remarking upon its return that it was an ugly looking thing; but “by Jove, the way it shoots is simply marvelous, ye know!”

One of the officers asked the young man if all the U. S. soldiers were as expert with the use of the gun as he was, and he replied that he had just been expelled from the army for one year, in consequence of being the poorest shot in his regiment, which was Co. Y. of the 287th regiment of light infantry, stationed at Fortress Monroe; but that he was allowed one year for practice, and if at the expiration of that time he could do the regulation shot according to Scott’s Manual of Tactics, he would be re-admitted into the Army. When asked what the regulation shot was, he replied that every soldier was required to be able to put four balls out of five into a four-inch ring, off-hand, at a distance of half a mile when ordered, and no postponement on account of the weather.

“My hies,” was the only answer.

Having laid in a good supply of fruit, etc., we sailed out again upon the broad ocean toward the land of gold. From this port we cannot, however, take a direct course for California, in consequence of the irregularity of the winds along the coast. We are therefore compelled to test the maxim that the longest way around is in some cases the nearest way home, and for such reasons our good ship is headed in the direction of Japan until we reach longitude about 140° W., from which point upon the equator, in consequence of the prevailing winds, the course can be laid direct for the port of San Francisco.

One of the greatest pleasures of a long tedious sea voyage is in speaking with other ships, bound for different ports of the world, and when the condition of the sea and weather permits, it is usual to exchange courtesies by giving the latest news, the destination of your ship, and occasionally visiting each other. Many, of course, were the questions asked by the commanders of other ships upon seeing so many passengers on ship-board, in that portion of the sea, not having heard of the wonderful gold discovery. One commander, in particular, hailing from Valparaiso and bound for Cork, who had passed several ships loaded with passengers, very earnestly inquired if we Yankees were on our way to found a new empire somewhere among the islands of the Pacific ocean, or if we were only the rear guard of Alexander’s army searching for new worlds to conquer. We, however, satisfied his curiosity by informing him that we were neither one nor the other, but simply Pilgrims going in search of the new Jerusalem supposed to be somewhere in California.

We had now a fair wind until near the equator, where it then left us, and there fell a great calm upon the waters.

It is in these latitudes that the conditions are most favorable for the formation of the water-spout, for it is here where the winds are variable, and where dead calms of long duration are the rule, and nature’s forces find the breeding grounds for the marine cyclones—it is here that the germs of the Kansas cyclones are found, in their original purity, free from dust, old fence-rails, hay, or ox-carts; the upright columns being filled only with pure sea water, drawn up from the surface of the ocean. We saw many of them in all stages of growth, from the newly-formed, which was just able to move along in an upright position, staggering and swaying from side to side like a child just learning to walk, up to the monster columns which possessed the power to elevate into the regions above anything with which it came in contact, from a clam-shell to a man-of-war. Five were seen in one day, and one of the largest of them seemed inclined to pay us a visit; but being aware of the fact, we made all necessary preparations to give it a warm reception. It changed its course, from an instinct of danger no doubt, which was the general opinion, from the fact that an old seaman declared positively that if you discharge a cannon-ball into this column of water, it will instantly burst, as the proper circulation is destroyed. For the same reasons also, as the veteran salt and able seaman declared, it was even possible sometimes to frighten one of them to death by running out of the port-hole a Quaker gun, and he said that he had seen several burst in that way. It was the most economical way, as it saved a lot of powder; but of course the rest of us old salts didn’t believe all he said about it.

We found that upon the occurrence of any event during the voyage, this old salt could refer to a similar event within his experience that would discount anything we had seen. For instance, during the calm he remarked that,

“This calm was nothing to what he experienced at a certain time on the coast of Chili.”

“Why,” said he, “the calm lasted nearly two months, the surface of the ocean became stagnant, turned green, and smelled like bilge water, and you could see dead fish of all kinds, and even dead whales floating about.”

During the gale which occurred upon the Atlantic also, he remarked:

“Oh, pshaw! this is nothing to what I have seen. Why, I was bound once up the Mediterranean Sea, when we encountered a gale that threw our ship upon her beam ends, and we laid in that position for nearly six weeks. It blew away our main-topmast, and the last we saw of it, ’twas going away south toward Africa; and maybe you won’t believe it, my lads, but five years afterwards ’twas found in the great desert partly buried in the sand, where it fell. The cross trees had sprouted, and a fine cluster of white oak trees had grown up from it, more than sixty feet high, and they made a beautiful shade for the camels to rest under when they were cruising around the desert.”

I have stated at this time that the conditions are favorable for water-spouts, as will be further explained. The formation of a water-spout is only possible when there exists a calm upon the waters, and in consequence of the heat of the sun being reflected from the smooth surface of the ocean, the atmosphere becomes greatly rarefied, and ascends to higher regions. The result is that at this point a partial vacuum is produced, and the atmosphere from all points rushes in to equalize the unbalanced condition. A hollow cylinder is formed of atmospheric currents, which revolves with great velocity. A partial vacuum within this is the result, and up within which the water from the surface of the ocean rises, falling again in great showers of rain. But one great mystery attending not only the water-spout upon the ocean, but also the cyclone upon land, is the fact of their motion forward in any direction, for since they are only produced under conditions of a calm, it is difficult to determine by what force they are caused to move in any direction, with such velocity as is often witnessed. I observed that in a few cases, the smaller water-spouts did not move in any particular direction, but seemed to wander about as though undecided what course to take; while again another, but a few miles distant to the east, would be going in a northerly direction, and another one at the same time to the westward was taking a southerly course at the rate of three or four miles an hour.

That a water-spout should be able to move at all in any direction, during a dead calm upon the ocean, when at the same time our ship was as it were, stationary is not only a mystery, but also very aggravating to those who are from necessity compelled to remain on board of her and suffer the intense heat, and at the same time be at the mercy of these wandering, revolving tramps that are liable at any time to make you a visit without any special invitation, and without any power whatever on your part to avoid them.

The mystery of their forward movements lies in the fact that, at some point the atmosphere is more highly rarified than at others, and the water-spout will therefore move in the direction of the least resistance, being impelled forward towards that point by the atmosphere, the tendency of which is to restore the equilibrium. They will, consequently, move with a velocity corresponding to such unbalanced conditions to any given point.

Oh, the annoyance of a calm at sea, especially under such circumstances as when a crowd of anxious gold seekers are cooped up unable to do as, or go where they please, and all anxious to be filling their bottles and pouches from Uncle Sam’s golden fountains. Fretting and worrying could, however, avail nothing. We must gracefully submit to the inevitable, and pray for a strong breeze from the Southwest (the praying for which didn’t amount to much, for reasons not necessary to explain here). There was one amusement which we were inabled to enjoy to our heart’s content,

in consequence of the calm and passive condition of Nature’s forces, and this was bathing in Neptune’s immense bath-tub, the Pacific Ocean. At all hours of the day, many would be seen enjoying the luxury of a bath in the warm and placid waters. The sensation of plunging headlong, or diving from the ship’s rail into the fathomless depths is, for the first time, anything but pleasant, for upon the shady side of our ship we could see below the surface a great distance. We found, upon throwing overboard an old tin plate, or any bright object, that we could keep it in sight for several minutes, until it had descended for the distance of one-eighth of a mile at least, or even much further. With this idea in mind, when standing upon the rail, all ready for a dive into this dark and bottomless abyss, one can readily imagine the peculiar sensations produced and the thoughts that flit across the mind at the moment. What if some miraculous event should occur upon diving into the deep sea, or some wonderful changes in Nature’s laws take place reversing perhaps the laws of gravitation, which should make the waters lighter and organic substances heavier! Then just imagine one’s self sinking down, down into the unfathomable waters and continuing upon the downward course, among the huge monsters who make their habitations amid the rocks and cliffs at the bottom! But after a few trials this sensation wears away, for we find that it is impossible to descend but a short distance below the surface, and that whether we will or not, we must ascend again without delay.

For two or three days, a number of our passengers indulged in this luxury of bathing, and would have continued doing so during the calm; but all things have an ending, and sea-bathing is no exception to the rule. The diversion was brought to an end by an incident which is worth mentioning. We had a passenger on board who, but a few years before, when on a voyage in the Indian Ocean, lost one of his legs in appeasing the appetite of a shark, while enjoying the luxury of a sea-bath. This young man, whose name was Measury, from Salem, Mass., acted in the capacity of sergeant at arms for us, and would allow no one to dive from the ship until well satisfied that there were no sharks in the immediate vicinity. This fact he would ascertain by throwing overboard any bright object, such as a tin cup or plate, for if there were any sharks within a reasonable distance, say one or two miles, they would be attracted towards the vessel, and could be plainly seen swimming back and forth under the ship’s keel—waiting, not like Micawber, for something to turn up, but for some unfortunate sailor to tumble overboard. If no sharks made their appearance below the ship in the space of half an hour, it was presumed that the coast was clear, and by the gate-keeper’s consent, over we would go.

We had been in bathing one day, and nearly all of us had climbed aboard, when our sergeant at arms, who was seated as usual upon the ship’s rail upon the shady side, where he could obtain a good view of the ship’s keel, was heard to cry out to those who were yet in the water, but who were, however, near the ship, and just upon the point of climbing on board.

“Quick! quick boys, for God’s sake! A shark! A shark!”

Upon looking over the side, we saw an enormous shark beneath the keel. He spied the last man who was in the water, and darted towards him. The man, however, had reached the ladder, and was soon out of danger. The shark, turning upon its back with open mouth, darted towards him, but was too late, for just at this time its career was ended. The captain who was in the cabin, heard the cry of shark, and having been a short time before sailing engaged in whale-fishing, was prepared for such an emergency. Seizing his favorite weapon, which was a harpoon all ready for use, and to which was attached a long wooden pole, suspended from ropes over head in a convenient place, he jumped upon the rail, and as the shark’s head with open mouth projected above the water with a true aim darted the harpoon into its body. The huge fish was hoisted on board, and found upon measurement to be about fifteen feet in length. What a mouth, when opened! I was reminded of it years afterwards, in passing a Mendicino Co. saw-mill, with its gang of saws all in a row, ready for business. This incident ended our pleasures of sea-bathing.

But now was the old salt’s opportunity to spin a yarn that would discount anything in the shark line, and he made the most of it. Seated upon the fore hatch, toward evening, and after taking a fresh quid he sailed in:

“Well, well! me lads, that’s a big shark; but I can tell about one that discounts him. ’Twas when I was sailing on an English packet ship in the Indian Ocean, bound for the East Indies. We had an opera company on board, bound for Calcutta.

“We were running along one day with a stiff breeze, and the

passengers were all enjoying themselves up on deck, when all at once there was a cry of man overboard. An old gentleman, one of the musicians, was seated on the lee rail a readin’, when the ship give a lurch, and away he went over the side. His son was standing near at hand, and hauling off his coat, over the side he went, to rescue his father. The ship was brought up into the wind; a boat was lowered, and blast my eyes if we didn’t cruise about in our ship’s wake for more than four hours to get a sight of the old gentleman and his son. But we searched in vain, for they had gone; only, we couldn’t tell how, just then. We did though, pretty soon; for a few days after we saw a big shark following in our wake. He was a regular man-eater, and we knew from the antics he was cutting up, that he had swallowed the old musician and his son sure enough, and was huntin’ for the balance of the opera company. Why, shipmates, the shark would jest promenade around ship, standing upon his tail; then he would balance fore and aft on his head, and go through the figures of a quadrille in good style. One of the opera boys said that the old musician was a tough customer, and maybe the shark had the colic. Another one thought that maybe he had been chasin’ a French ship, and had swallowed a French dancin’ master who had fell overboard. But we soon found out all about it, for it happened that the shark came nearer to the ship than he intended to, and one of the crew threw a harpoon into him, and we histed him on deck to have a look at him. Jest as we were gettin’ ready to throw him overboard again, one of the opera boys says ‘hush! what’s that strange noise comin’ from inside of him?’ Well, we all heard it, and to satisfy our curiosity we cut him open, and maybe, shipmates, you won’t believe me when I tell you what we seen. But right in there was the old musician, sittin’ at a pianner and playin’ the Fisher’s Hornpipe, and laying in a hammock overhead was his son, beatin’ time on a base drum.”

There is consolation in the thought that, under whatever circumstances we may be placed that are of an unpleasant nature, all things, states and conditions have an ending. In the operations of Nature’s forces, man, by his ingenuity, can direct them for his use, but cannot control. During a gale of wind, for instance, the ship, by means of the sails and rudder, can be changed or altered in her course, and at such a time how insignificant man appears in comparison with the force and power of the elements, which are far beyond his absolute control! Yet, even when the elements are in active motion, they can be made serviceable by using the proper means; but when Nature’s forces are entirely passive and the elements are at rest, it is then that man is made conscious of his utter insignificance, especially if he is on board of a sailing vessel which is floating about at random upon the ocean in a dead calm. At such a time he has no control whatever over the elements above, or of the waters below, and the vessel drifts at random in whatever direction the currents are flowing. She rises and falls with the swell of the ocean, and her sails are continually flapping against the mast as an encouragement to her patience, or as a means of quieting her anxiety. The bows, also, exhibit their intense anxiety by swinging around the circle like a chained bear, in the vain endeavor to break away from the influence of such unpleasant conditions; but the only object on board which does not conform to the random motions of the vessel, and remained, fortunately for us, constant to the forces which gave it value, was the needle in the binnacle.

The end was near, however, for upon the morning of the 14th day, away off in the distance, toward the west, was discovered a cat’s paw, a ripple upon the water, crawling silently but surely towards us upon the surface of the waters. It crawled carefully up the side of the ship, up into the rigging; and the great sails, which had been idly flapping for many days against the mast, now feel the effects of its magic influence, and, swelling with pride, endeavor to move the ship forward upon her course. The wheel, also, which for several days had been neglected and alone, lazily swinging from one side to the other, nodding and blinking beneath the scorching rays of the sun, was now aroused from its slumbers by the strong arm of a sailor, and, responding to his efforts, the bows of the ship swing gracefully around upon our course for the entrance to the Golden Gate with a fair wind, which increased with such force in a few hours that it was evident we had not only received the benefit of a cat’s paw, but that the whole animal had crawled on board, tail and all.

Late in the afternoon of September 19th, we arrived at the entrance to the Golden Gate, but only to find the sea enveloped in a dense fog, and the entrance through which we were in hope of passing at once, hidden from our view. The only resource was, in seaman’s phraseology, “to lay off” and on until morning, which we did in safety, although not without escaping in an almost miraculous manner from the greatest danger. The incident is worth relating, as it shows how it is possible, after having sailed so many thousands of miles in safety, upon arriving at your destination to meet with disaster through the ignorance of an incompetent seaman. It was the second mate’s watch on deck, the burly-headed seaman previously mentioned. About 11 P.M., as the Captain was about turning in for the night, the second mate called down the gang-way for the Captain. When asked what was wanted, he replied that right ahead, seen through the fog, was a square-rigged vessel. The Captain answered:

“Well, you know your business, of course.”

Almost instantly afterwards he again shouted:

“Captain, come quick! we are close aboard of her!”

The latter leaped from his bunk, and was upon deck in an instant, and saw at once the nationality and character of the square-rigged craft, looming up in a dense fog, immediately over our bow. He ordered the wheel hard a port, and the old ship swung readily around in the foam and swash, and within less than half a ship’s length of one of the great rocks of the Faralone Islands. In less than one minute more we would have crashed into, run afoul of, and knocked from its foundation into the deep sea beyond, one of the grandest structures of the whole group, but the presence of mind of our Captain saved it from utter destruction, as well as a few score of badly scared gold hunters. Upon the morning of the 20th, we sailed in through the Golden Gate, coming at anchor in front of the tented city of San Francisco, having made the passage from our native city to this place in the space of five months and seventeen days.

CHAPTER V.

The Arrival in San Francisco—Gold Machines—Going to the Mines—The Bullwhacker—Arrival in Hangtown—The View from the Hill.

THE city presented the appearance of a vast army encampment, and it was evident that the advance guard of Alexander’s army had arrived sure enough, and had conquered what they sought. In the contemplation of the scene as we saw it from the roof of the cook’s galley, we found deep consolation in the thought that in case the future would prove that we had travelled so many thousands of miles in search for gold, only to find upon our arrival that we had been badly sold, we were not alone at any rate. There was a grim satisfaction, therefore, in viewing the great number of vessels at anchor in the harbor from the various ports of the world, that had brought to the coast thousands of others for the same purpose.

Our voyage being ended upon our arrival in California, it is now, after upwards of forty years have passed since we sailed in through the Golden Gate, of some interest to know what has become of the passengers and crew of the old ship, and in fact of the ship also. The ship, after returning again to New Bedford, was fitted out for a whaling voyage and lost, I think in an ice pack in the Arctic Ocean. Captain Seabury, after serving for several years as master of a China steamer in the employ of the Pacific Mail Co., and also upon the Atlantic coast from New York to Aspinwall, a few years since retired from active service, and now lives in ease and comfort at his home in New Bedford. Of the passengers, there are but three of us at present remaining upon the Pacific Coast. Many of them died here. The greater portion of them returned to their Eastern homes; but a few of them are now left, and of all that number of gold hunters, not one of them succeeded in his anticipations of filling a pork barrel with the precious metal and but a small portion of them in filling an old boot-leg, or a beer-bottle, with the same.

It is necessary to explain here, that the ingenuity of many mechanics in the far-off Atlantic States had been exercised in the construction of various devices for the extraction of gold from the sand and soil which were, unfortunately, mixed with it. Our passengers, having full faith in their great value and efficacy, had brought quite a number of such machines with them. They were of all varieties and patterns; made of copper, iron, zinc and brass. Some of them were to be worked by a crank; others, more pretentious, having two cranks; whilst another patent gold washer, more economical and efficient, worked with a treadle. One variety was upright, requiring the miner to stand while using it. Still another, the inventor of which being of a more benevolent and humane temperament, was arranged in such a manner that the poor tired miner could sit in his arm-chair and take his comfort as he worked it.

One machine requires special mention. It was in the shape of a huge fanning mill, with sieves properly arranged for assorting the gold ready for bottling. All chunks too large for the bottle would be consigned to the pork barrel. This immense machine which, during our passage, excited the envy and jealously of all who had not the means and opportunity of securing a similar one, required of course the services of a hired man to turn the crank, whilst the proprietor would be busily engaged in shovelling in the pay dirt and pumping water; the greater portion of the time, however, being required, as was firmly believed in the corking of the bottles and fitting heads to the pork barrels. This machine was owned by a Mr. Allen, from Cambridge, Mass., who brought with him from that renowned head-center of learning, a colored servant who was to manage and control the crank portion of the invaluable institution; and so sanguine were all passengers in regard to the nature and value of the various machines for the purposes of saving, or for the extraction of gold, that apparently nothing but actual trial could convince them to the contrary.

Their faith in all kinds of mining machinery was put to the test sooner than expected; for upon landing, we found lying upon the sand and half buried in the mud, hundreds of similar machines, bearing silent witness at once to the value of our gold-saving machinery, without the necessity of a trial. Of course ours were also deposited carefully and tenderly upon the sandy beach, from where, in a short time, they were washed into deep water, making amusement for the shrimps, clams, and crabs, which were no doubt under the impression that some unfortunate Italian vessel, with a cargo of hand-organs, had foundered in the locality. It was reported soon after, that the crew of a Dutch vessel that passed near Rincon Rock close by one dark and foggy night, saw distinctly a group of sea nymphs seated upon it, and that each one of them was engaged in turning the crank of what appeared to be some kind of a musical instrument. Old Neptune was seen standing in their midst as leader of the orchestra, keeping time with his sluice fork.

We saw scattered around among the bushes near the shore, also, a great number of trunks, chests, and valises of all sizes, and the most of them containing clothing of all descriptions, in many cases of value. These had all been thrown aside as useless encumbrances by their owners, who had started for the mines, being unable to pay the extra freight charged upon them.

We found that no wharves had yet been constructed, and the tide being out, it was somewhat difficult to land without wallowing through a short distance of very dark mud.

One of the sights which attracted our attention was a newly-constructed sidewalk, commencing at the building at that time occupied by Simmons, Hutchinson & Co., and extending in the direction of Adams & Co’s. express office, for a distance of about seventy-five yards, I think. In any other portion of the earth except California, this sidewalk would have been considered a very extravagant piece of work, hardly excelled by the golden pavements in the new Jerusalem. The first portion of the walk was constructed of Chilean flour, in one hundred pound sacks, and which in one place had been pressed down nearly out of sight in the soft mud. Then followed a long row of large cooking stoves, over which it was necessary to carefully pick your way, as some of the covers had been accidentally thrown off. Beyond these again, and which completed the walk, was a double row of boxes of tobacco, of large size. Although this style of walk may seem very extravagant, even to an old pioneer, yet at that time sacks of Chilean flour, cooking stoves, tobacco, and pianos were the cheapest materials to be found, for lumber was in the greatest demand, selling in some instances at $600 per M., whilst the former articles, in consequence of the great supply, were of little value.

The town presented a strange scene. There were but few buildings; but the surrounding hills were covered with tents scattered promiscuously about, without regard to method or order.

Business of all kinds was lively, and although coin was scarce, yet gold dust answered every purpose.

Gambling houses and bar-rooms were numerous for the accommodation of citizens; but the former, for the accomodation, more especially, of the miners, who were daily arriving from the mines, and who could be seen coming from the landing place toward Adams & Co.’s express office with their sacks of gold dust, to be sold or forwarded to their friends in the East. Many, however, were forced to return again to the mines in a few days, after having struck bedrock in one of the gambling houses, in their curiosity to discover upon which end of the tiger its tail was hung; and they generally made the discovery.

We found the cost of living in the city very high, although certain articles, as flour, for instance, were plentiful and cheap. Meals at the restaurants were from one to two dollars. One of our passengers had about 80 pounds of sweet potatoes, which he sold readily for one dollar per pound, and also a few orangers which he sold for one dollar each.

The following bill of fare gives an idea of the cost of living:

BILL OF FARE.—WARD HOUSE.

An observation of the crowds of persons continually arriving in great numbers and crowding into the new city proved them to be men of an active and energetic character, who had come for a certain specific purpose, and were determined to accomplish it by all possible legitimate means; but varied, of course, as to the manner, or methods of accomplishment. We found that a portion only of those who entered the Golden Gate had any desire to extract their share of gold from the mines, but were content to remain in San Francisco, believing that the flow of gold to the City would enable them to gather in a fair pro rata of it in some business enterprise.

The monotony of a long and tedious sea voyage being now at an end, the real business, or the object contemplated in making such a voyage now commenced. We have entered upon new scenes, and a change of condition, with all of its strange events and varying incidents.

A company of us—twenty-three in number—came for the special purpose of mining, and all preparations for the proper working of such an enterprise had been made previous to sailing. We had purchased all necessary tools and instruments for the purpose in view. For these reasons, we did not linger in San Francisco longer than was necessary; but began immediately the work of putting together the materials of a large scow, or barge, which we had brought with us.

Upon this, when complete, we placed our effects, and with a fair wind and tide in our favor, started on our journey towards Sacramento City, at which place we arrived upon the fourth day out from San Francisco. At this place, after making a proper division of our provisions, tools, and instruments, we dissolved co-partnership as a company, each and every one going to such a mining district as best suited his inclination, or at which place, in his opinion, were to be found the richest mines. We learned here that rich gold mines had been discovered in several places besides Coloma, the point of original discovery by Marshall. Among them were Hangtown, Greenwood, Kelsey, Georgetown, and Mormon Island. The latter mining camp, located upon the American River about twenty miles east of Sacramento City, was the spot where our ex-Senator, John Connors, first engaged in the mining industry in August, ’49. Further north were Auburn and numerous bars upon the South and Middle forks of the American River, as well as other good mining localities in a southern direction. Sacramento City being the point of departure for all mining localities so far discovered, presented a very lively scene, and almost daily could be seen long strings of men on their way to the mines, carrying upon their backs their roll of blankets, on the top of which would be fastened certain cooking utensils and other conveniences. After selling off all stock, utensils, scow, tent and other things belonging to the company which could not be divided, we made a division of proceeds, and then every man was for himself.

Two others and myself formed a company, and after deciding upon the mining camp which we should visit, we employed a Pike county bullwhacker who agreed to deliver us and our effects in Hangtown for a certain consideration, payment invariably in advance. We accepted the offer, and in a few hours were on our way to Hangtown.

Captain Pike, as we christened him, had full control of his craft, being captain, cook, and all hands; running into port and camping when and wherever he pleased. He was a tall, powerful man, and carried an ox gad, which was about twelve feet in length, and large in proportion, to which was attached a lash made of raw-hide, long and large enough for a ship’s back-stay. With this he would urge

his cattle forward by whacking it over their backs occasionally when they were very tired; but, in general, this was unnecessary, for the crack of it, which made a report like a gun, was a sufficient inducement for them to hurry up. This rare breed of bullwhackers has now become almost entirely extinct in California. More gentle, as well as more humane, means of driving cattle have been introduced from the far east, and it may not be out of place here to illustrate this by an incident which occurred only a few months later.

A bullwhacker, with his four yoke of cattle, was driving up over the hill from Hangtown, on his way to Sacramento City. The hill was long and in some places quite steep, and the road was very crooked, winding among and around the trees. On the side of the hill was a log cabin in which were living a company of miners from the State of Vermont. The ox driver stopped in front of the cabin for a rest, and the Vermonters laughed at and ridiculed his method of driving cattle with such a monster whip, used in such a cruel manner; but Pike said that:

“Them air cattle couldn’t be driv any other way.”

One of the boys, however, made a bet with him that he would, by the use of a little switch only, sit in the empty wagon and drive his team to the top of the hill, without accident or running against the trees. Pike accepted the bet, and with the rest of them got into the wagon.

The Yank, as Pike called him, cut a light switch, and after getting the oxen well started under way, took his seat upon the front of the wagon, and in that manner drove them to the top of the hill without any trouble whatever, to the great astonishment of the bullwhacker, as well as to the cattle too, no doubt.

“Well,” says Pike, “if that don’t beat anything I ever heerd tell on. I hev seen um drive a heap of cattle in old Missouri, but never seen it done with a little baby gad like that before. Blamed if I don’t try it myself; you Yanks beat thunder.”

I have neglected to mention that, before leaving Sacramento for the mines, many who had been up there were now returning on their way home again, if they could get there, being disappointed in their expectations, and declaring that it was all a fraud, but little gold being found anyhow, and then only, as one of them told me confidentially, after you had to dig away down in the hard ground three or four feet to find it. This, of course, was not very encouraging news for men who had sailed around Cape Horn, and then to find that it was all a fraud; but we started on, however, as before stated, for the mines.

We passed many on their way down who had become discouraged and homesick. Among them were two or three acquaintances of mine who had been into the mines about two weeks, and were now returning to the East. They explained the state of affairs, saying that there was but little gold to be found, and that it required very hard and laborious work in the hot sun to get it, and very dirty work, too, as it was away down out of sight in the mud. They, therefore, advised all acquaintances whom they met to return with them.

We concluded, however, to continue on and see with our own eyes what the chances were, and if these men who were on the way home had really spoken the truth. It required many years to find this out; and if the great majority of miners who are now mining, and others who mined many long years, were asked their opinion in relation to it, they would be unanimous in their conclusion that these men did come near telling the truth, although unconscious of the fact at the time.

It seems to have been the opinion of many who came into California soon after the discovery of gold, that the rich metal was to be found upon the surface of the ground, and that it could be very easily scraped up and cleaned from the dirt. Consequently, there was much disappointment upon finding that it was necessary to dig in the mud and water for it. When engaged in mining, soon after, near the road many emigrants who had crossed the plains with their ox teams would stop alongside of the road and watch the process of mining. Upon one occasion an emigrant inquired:

“Wall, now, and is thet the way you fellers hes to do to get the derned stuff?”

When informed that such was the method necessary to get it, he remarked:

“Yas; well, then, I don’t keer for none in mine. Gee haw, buck, jest go lang thar!”

And for this reason hundreds passed through the mining region to the valleys below.

About noon of the fourth day from Sacramento we crossed over the hill, from the summit of which the town, with its log cabins and tents, was visible below. We descended to near the foot of the hill, where we unloaded our effects among a cluster of pines. From this point we had a full view of the creek and portions of the various ravines, where we saw hundreds of busy men hard at work with pick and shovel. From the busy scene a spectator, who was unaware of the object of this laborious work, would imagine that an army had encamped in the locality and were at work in the trenches.

My native town was well represented, there being at this time about three hundred there from New Bedford who had sailed around

the Horn. I found many acquaintances among them, and all appeared to be cheerful and confident of success in their new business. I should judge, after looking about and among the various flats, creeks, ravines and gulches for a few days, that at this time there were about four thousand persons altogether in town and in the immediate vicinity, but only about half of them, however, were engaged in mining. The latter class was composed, at this early day, almost entirely of citizens of the United States, although there were a few from other countries, and all kinds of trades and professions were represented.

Here at work in the mud and water, with his gold spectacles and kid gloves, was a lawyer. Near him was a physician with his pants in his boots, sporting a plug hat. Here could be found clerks, bankers, storekeepers, barbers, hotel waiters, sea captains and mates, hotel-keepers and congressmen, nearly all from the New England States, who had come around Cape Horn to seek their fortunes.

Upon a slight elevation two well-dressed men were hard at work; they were lawyers from the city of New York, and were styled the dandy miners; they continued mining for several months and succeeded in making a very respectable fortune.

Upon the arrival of the first gold seekers in the summer and fall of ’49 houses were, of course, unnecessary. Those who were fortunate enough to be the owners of tents occupied them, but the greater portion made their camps in the shade of the trees. As winter drew near, however, it was evident that other means of shelter would be necessary, consequently log cabins were constructed around among the ravines and gulches in all suitable localities convenient to a spring of water. Wood for fuel was, of course, plenty. Lumber for building purposes was scarce and very dear. All household furniture, such as chairs, tables, etc., was constructed in the most primitive style, often from old barrels and boxes when convenient.

Much ingenuity was displayed by various ones in the construction of these household necessities, but more especially in the case of chairs. The miner’s easy chair, which he loved to take his comfort in after the work of the day was over, was usually made from an empty flour barrel, being cut out in the proper manner and made with rockers. Some, who possessed more aristocratic tendencies, would have these chairs lined and stuffed in good style, and they were pronounced very comfortable and equal to anything that could be bought in New York or Boston.

One remarkable fact was noticed at this early day in relation to the habits of the forty-niners, when we take into consideration their isolated condition, away from the influences of civilized society, and that was in the observance of the Sabbath, for, as a general rule, all Eastern men especially were true to their early training, and rested from their labor, or rather from their mining labors. It was upon this day that all mending and washing was done, and other little necessary household duties attended to, for it must be remembered that the washwoman had not put in an appearance yet, but she was, however, on the way.

On Sunday afternoons the clothes lines would be seen filled with a great assortment of woolen goods, socks, etc., the one thing needful to give all the appearance of a more advanced condition of civilization, however, was wanting, viz.: the “biled shirt,” which came later, and was contemporaneous with woman.

As before mentioned, the chief amusement upon Sunday afternoons with the great majority was in lounging around the various saloons and gambling-houses; but to many, however, this part of the day was devoted to visiting the cabins of each other. There were many good singers to be found among the ravines and gulches, and upon pleasant moonlight evenings could be heard the notes of “Ben Bolt” from the boys who occupied the cabin on the hill above, while from another cabin in the ravine could be heard the refrain of “Do They Miss Me at Home,” or “Sweet Home.” Some, also, could be heard singing the songs we used to hear of, “Life on the Ocean Wave,” “The Last Rose of Summer,” or, perhaps, “Old Dan Tucker,” all to be concluded by the singing of “Old Hundred,” “Siloam,” and “Coronation,” and other tunes of a similar character.

There were also many good musicians to be found among the miners. Many of them had brought their instruments with them, and often at night could be heard echoing from the ravines and cañons the sounds of the fiddle, flute, accordeon and clarionet. One young man from Boston had brought with him his favorite instrument, the bugle, and when perched above upon the summit of a hill overlooking the town upon pleasant moonlight evenings, the strains of “Oft in the Stilly Night,” “The Emigrant’s Lament,” or the martial strains of “The Red, White and Blue,” or “The Star Spangled Banner,” from his bugle, would be heard echoing far and near, among the ravines and gulches, and hailed by all with the greatest delight.

CHAPTER VI.

Business in the Mines—The Various Mining Camps—Physicians in Camp—Dr. Rankin—Coloma—Process of Mining—The ’49 Emigration—Sauerkraut—Female Influence Illustrated.

WE found on arriving in Hangtown quite a number of business houses, stocked with a very good assortment of provisions and nearly all other articles for miner’s use. The merchants, as well as I can remember, were Thomas & Young; W. T. Coleman; Sayward & Thorndike; Judge Russel; Mr. Job; Judge Daniells; C. Williams, while a short distance above upon the bank of the creek were the stores of Frost, Brewster & Price, and just below town was the store of the Governor.

There were three hotels in town: one large log-cabin, used for a hotel, was called the Eldorado, and owned by Mr. Eltsner; another one was kept by J. Adams, and the third by Col. Backus. The most numerous business houses in town were, however, the saloons and gambling houses.

At Cold Springs, a few miles below Hangtown, was located a mining camp, at this time consisting of a cluster of tents used for saloons and for gambling houses, and one provision store, owned by Burgess & Hill.

On the road towards Coloma, at the mining camp called Kelsy, named after the man who discovered the placer mines here, were also two stores with the usual complement of saloons. At Coloma, which is situated upon the South Fork of the American River, we found a number of stores and saloons, whilst just below this camp were the old saw mill and tail race, where Marshall found the nugget of gold which has been the means of revolutionizing society and changing social conditions among us, as well as settling up the whole Pacific coast in so short a space of time.

Across the river could also be seen at this time, the name of John T. Little in large letters, on the side of an extensive warehouse. This, with other various signs, informed the mining community that here could be found all kinds of mining supplies, and that the highest price was paid for gold dust. Following the road past Mr. Little’s store, up over the mountain towards the middle fork of the American River, we found several camps where rich mines had been discovered. At Coloma down towards the old mill was the store of Shannon & Cady, and near to this were the stores of Perkins & Co., Tailor & Co., and also the gun and ammunition store of F. Beckhart. Of the business men, there are now living Thomas & Young, W. T. Coleman, Mr. Darlington, who is at the present time in business at Placerville; Mr. Thorndike; Judge Russell: Mr. Caples, Mr. Price, and I think, Mr. Brewster, all of Hangtown. Mr. J. T. Little and Mr. Beckhart are both residing at the present time also in San Francisco, and no doubt many of the early business men are yet living in the East, or in some remote corner of the earth.

Of the physicians who were residing in the mining regions at this early day, a number of them are yet living; and as far as I know these are Dr. Bacon of Coloma; Dr. Clark, who is now residing at Stockton; Dr. Worthen, and I was informed that Dr. Ober is at the present time living east of the Rockies. We found also in the town five or six physicians, among the most prominent of whom were Dr. Wakefield, Dr. Kunkler, Dr. Ober, and Dr. Worthen, who is at the present time engaged in his profession and residing in the same old locality. There were Dr. Rankin, also, who had an extensive practice, and Dr. Clark.

In connection with Dr. Rankin, an amusing incident which occurred in the fall of ’49 may not be out of place here. The doctor was a Southerner by birth, and one of the old school, as his style of dress, which consisted of a white fur plug hat, blue coat with brass buttons, a buff-colored vest with trowsers to match, indicated. Upon certain occasions he sported a frill shirt front as well. Dressed in this style, he went one day astride his favorite Bucephalus, to visit a patient a few miles from town. It had been raining recently, and the road upon which he was travelling was house deep with soft yellow mud. He passed on his way a tall, large, raw-boned Scotchman, carrying upon his shoulder a sack of flour, and as he passed the pedestrian the doctor remarked that wallowing through the deep mud with a load like that must be tough work.

“Well,” retorted the Scotchman, “and that’s me ain business; and hed I ye doon here, me mon, I wad wallow ye in the mud, too.”

“You would, would you,” says the doctor, at the same time leaping from his horse, and landing knee-deep in the mud alongside of the Scotchman.

The latter laid down his burden upon a log, and seizing the doctor by the nape of the neck and seat of his pants, he raised him up and dropped him in the deepest part of a mud-hole. The doctor wasn’t long in getting out, and mounting his horse was soon on his way home, remarking to the valiant Scot as he turned to leave:

“Well, now, Scotty, you done that weel.”

“It was about sixteen years afterwards that the doctor was sitting in the bar-room of the What Cheer House, in Sacramento City, and in company with a few others, talking of old times. During the conversation he related how the tall Scotchman had rolled him in the yellow mud, and how he looked as though he had been run through a miner’s ground sluice. Sitting tipped back in a chair at the side of the room was an old farmer, half asleep, but listening very attentively to the reminiscences of old times. When the doctor commenced relating the incident as above, the old farmer raised upon his feet, and at the conclusion stepped up, and placing his hand upon the Doctor’s shoulder, remarked:

“Yas, doc’, and ye told me, ye remember, that I doon it weel, too.”

Of course the doctor was somewhat astonished, as well as pleased also, to meet his old antagonist, and again acknowledge once more that he doon it weel at any rate.

Handshaking and the usual refreshments followed, as a matter of course.

The town, or village, of Coloma, is situated upon the south branch of the American River; it was here that gold was first found by Marshall; the old mill where he worked is still standing. Mr. Marshall resided here during his life, living in a small cabin upon the side hill, a portion of which he had planted with vines and fruit trees. The first mining, of course, was done here, and this location constituted the germ or nucleus from which radiated all other mining localities, for it was from this point that the prospectors started out in various directions in the search for other mines. Some of the prospectors took a southerly course and found the rich deposits among the ravines of what is now called Hangtown creek. Others found Kelsey’s, Spanish dry diggings, and further north they ran afoul of Georgetown and Greenwood, each locality deriving its name, when found, from some circumstance, event, or from the name of the finder. By the time of the arrival of the first gold seekers, who came via Cape Horn, hundreds of new locations had been made and named around the immediate vicinity of Coloma, and by the 1st of December, ’49 the country had been traveled over and prospected, from Coloma to the Slanislau River on the south, and up to the Yuba River on the north, and valuable mines found for over a hundred miles in both directions.

Before commencing the business of mining, our little company concluded first to build a residence, which we constructed of logs in the regulation style, with chimney in the rear, the front door opposite, and after stowing away pots, pans and kettles in their proper places, putting up bunks with all the necessary arrangements of curtains, out-riggers, etc., a few more blows with the hammer here and there made us master of the situation, or of the castle, at least.

After finishing our residence, we started in to the business of mining, for which we had traveled nearly half way around the globe. In a large ravine near at hand, called Oregon Ravine, as it was first found by a man from that State, we determined to make our first effort. There were at work in the same locality about two hundred others. The method of mining was of the most primitive character. The dirt would be dug down to the bed-rock and thrown to one side, as the dirt and gravel in immediate contact with the bed-rock, including the surface of the latter also, was all that was considered of any value. This was put into sacks and packed upon our backs down to the creek, where the gold was separated from it by panning. Many, however, would spread their pay dirt upon the ground, and when it was thoroughly dry would winnow it out by pouring it from the pan to the ground, the wind, when strong enough, answering a very good purpose. This was the style of mining as practiced by the Mexicans and also the Chileans, but it was a very slow process, and would only pay when no water could be found.

From the hill above, it was a strange sight to see men of all classes and from every State in the Union thus clustered together upon one spot in common, and all inspired with the one desire, i. e., to dig gold. All hard at work in the mud and water, with pick and shovel, each one determined to do his level best to get all he could in the shortest time possible.

Over in that ravine yonder is a crowd of Yankees from Maine and Vermont, with a leavening of a few Missourians and Kentuckians. In that large ravine to the right are three or four hundred hard-working, earnest, gold seekers from Massachusetts and New

York, and from Connecticut and Ohio, as well as a few from Georgia, Arkansas and Old Virginia. Upon that extensive flat below, the great crowd at work is of a more cosmopolitan character, being composed of men from all States in nearly equal proportions. But few are noticed at present hailing from the Southern States, except those of a sporting character, who will be found among the saloons and gambling houses. Among these, a few of the old style Southern politicians, who are dressed in regulation blue dress-coat, with its great brass buttons, and a white plug hat, can be seen daily promenading around from place to place, with the crooked cane hanging upon the arm. The emigration across the plains in the fall of 1849 was estimated to be about 25,000. But a small proportion of them, however, remained in the mining regions. The greater number of them being farmers, passed through to make their homes in the valleys below.

Much has been said and written in relation to the arrival of the first young ladies in the mines; but the very first young ladies who made their appearance in the mining regions of California arrived at this time. They were the daughters of Mrs. Stuart, from the State of Illinois. Their father died during the journey across the plains. They arrived in Hangtown about the middle of September, returning again to their Eastern homes sometime during the summer or autumn of ’50.

There were many women and children in the emigration of this season, and in consequence of the scarcity of feed for the teams, many of them were compelled to trudge along through the sandy desert and over the steep and rough mountain roads, for hundreds of miles.

One family to arrive at this time was that of Dr. Kunkler, with his wife and son, who was about six years of age, and an incident in relation to them is worthy of record. An accident happened to the doctor through which he was unable to travel on foot, and was consequently obliged to ride in the wagon. They were traveling with an ox-team, and for this reason, the accident to him was very unfortunate, since it was absolutely necessary for one of the party to walk alongside of the team for a part of the time, especially when traveling among the hills. Mrs. Kunkler was a French lady, and born in the city of Paris. She was of slight build, delicate in appearance, and unaccustomed to such hardships; but it was now absolutely necessary that she should take charge of the ox team, for a time at least. All emigrants who cross the plains are well aware that this is a very difficult duty to perform, even for a man. To attend to and hunt the cattle, cook and wait upon the sick and the children also, and to make ready for a start again—all of this the delicate French lady attended to in good style, and walked alongside of her team (for over 800 miles) which she managed like a veteran, arriving in Hangtown in August, ’49, in the best of health and spirits.

The doctor and his wife have both crossed to the other side; but the son, having inherited the profession of the father, practiced in San Francisco until a short time ago, when he also joined the great majority.

Quite a number of slaves from Tennessee and Kentucky were brought across the plains during this year, and were taken into the mines by their masters. This kind of mining by slave labor did not, however, prove a success, and was soon abandoned. One man from Tennessee, brought his slaves, three in number, into Hangtown and located in a small gulch near Spanish Ravine. The claim which they worked was rich, and the master was happy, although his happiness was of short duration, for he was very much astonished at the close of one very pleasant day, when, as he went to take possession of the gold dust which had been washed out during the day, he was politely informed by his rebellious subjects to “Jess take his hands off from dat ar gold dust, as it belonged to dem.”

He was further informed that “Dey was now in a free country and slaves no mor’; but if Massa was willin’ to come in and work with em on sheers he could do so.”

He endeavored to reason with the boys, but in vain. He told them that he would appeal to the law, which he finally did; but with no better success, and he returned in disgust to Tennessee leaving his slaves masters of the field, as well as of themselves.

Two slaves worked in the Spring of ’50 in Log Cabin Ravine, now Bedford ave. They were from the city of Louisville, Ky., and owned by a very prominent physician at that place. The doctor had furnished his two slaves with a good team and all necessary supplies, and had sent them forth to earn their freedom, the agreement being that when they had forwarded to him the sum of twenty-three hundred dollars in gold, the master in return would send them their “freedom papers.” They were informed that they were free men, and it was unnecessary to send money to purchase their freedom; but they were firm in their purpose to do just as they had agreed with their master, and since he had trusted in their word they should not disappoint him, and they did not. The money was sent to their master through Adams & Co.’s Express, and in due time they received their papers. In a few months afterwards they forwarded to their late master the sum of eight hundred dollars also, as the price of their sister’s freedom, and in the fall of ’50 she met her brothers in Hangtown with her papers of deliverance in her pocket.

There were no cradles or toms at this time in the mines, for the reason that there was no water; but with the first rains, cradles made their appearance, and towards Spring long toms were used, but regular sluices did not come into use until a year later. The first hole that we dug after having measured off and staked our claims, fifteen feet square to each man, in accordance with the miners’ law, gave us the gold very fine, and by the advice of a few veteran miners who had followed the business off and on for nearly eight days, we moved to other vacant spots nearer to the center of the ravine (Oregon Ravine), where we found the gold much coarser and easier to save. It was the custom for miners to get out to work as early in the morning as possible, usually about eight o’clock, and we quit work about four P.M. This gave us sufficient time to finish our evening meal, and to dress up, ready for a long evening, lounging through the various gambling houses and seeing the sights in town, which, however, at this early day were not to be compared in number or in gorgeousness with those of a year later. The chief pleasure, however, among us was in visiting the cabins of each other, and listening to the old yarns from the seafaring men, or in tasting of some of their favorite dishes, which they had learned to manufacture out on the ocean; such for instance as “dundefunk,” “lobsconce,” and a variety of others; to hear the various opinions expressed upon the subject of cooking. It gave us the impression that cooking was one of the fine arts, and that the only object in life or the chief aim in existence was to eat. Of course we, the novices in the art, soon became quite expert in the chemical combination necessary for dundefunk, lobsconce, hard and soft tack, etc., and in a short time were able to boast of our dexterity, also, in whirling a flapjack up through the chimney and catching it again in our frying pan, right side up, by holding the latter out doors on the other side of the house.

It was customary, also, among many of the miners to play all kinds of practical jokes upon each other, and one amusement, in particular, was to place a flat stone, or board, upon the top of a chimney, and then to be near at hand in the morning when the victims were trying to cook their breakfast amidst the smoke, occasionally coming to the door with the tears streaming down their cheeks, swearing until all nature around looked blue. They would assert that some “infernal sea cook” had come in the night and stolen the draught, or had turned the chimney “tother end up.” It didn’t take long, however, to discover the cause, and then the remark was “that Nantucket sea cook of a Tom Ferney done it,” they knew.

It is necessary to explain here, as it may be the means of giving a wrong impression in relation to the habits of the old-timers, to elucidate what is meant by the boys dressing up after the day’s work

was done. In all civilized societies the expression “to dress up” signifies to change, or to alter one’s general appearance by the donning of “a biled shirt,” store clothes and a plug hat, perhaps. There was no necessity, however, in the mines for being very particular about the style. It is true that at this time there would be found occasionally one who would shave or trim up his whiskers and even don a fancy necktie, but he was looked upon with suspicion. His ancestors were sporting men, probably, and he had inherited the tendency. There was not, in the opinion of these old-timers, any necessity or use in dressing up in “store clothes” or “biled shirts.” The “dress up,” therefore, to which I had reference, consisted of washing the face and hands, taking a fresh cud of fine cut (Mrs. Miller’s brand), or donning a clay pipe, well stocked.

All of my readers, perhaps, have during their lives many times read of or heard discussed the old worn-out subject of “female influence,” but it is but very seldom that any of us are enabled to see the effect of the absence of woman so practically illustrated as it was in the mines. For the first two years, or up to the arrival of the emigration from across the plains in the fall of ’50, the condition of the mining population, especially their carelessness in regard to appearances, mode of life, and habits in general, showed conclusively that man, when alone, and deprived of that influence which the presence of woman only can produce, would in a short time degenerate into a savage and barbarous state.

At this time, also, there was but little necessity for law, except to restrain the vicious element among the few Mexican horse-thieves, who had found their way into the mining regions, but this class, Judge Lynch dealt with in a very summary style, and they soon became scarce. No standing army or armed force of policemen were required to protect the rights of the forty-niners, for they were, as a general rule, a class who respected law and order, as well as the rights of others, and illustrated the fact that among a class of men who are disposed to do what is right, with no desire to injure or trespass upon the rights of others, no law for their government or control is really necessary. It is very true, however, that in the cases of many who had occupied high positions in church organizations in the East, upon finding themselves thus placed, afar from all restraint and church influences, did reveal their true nature by falling from grace and practicing habits that were strictly prohibited by ecclesiastical law. Yet these were the exceptions, only; not the rule. We were, of course, under the jurisdiction of the U. S. Government; but no laws could be put into force or executed as no officers had been appointed for the purpose. We elected, however, an Alcalde, according to the Mexican custom, who decided all cases occurring in relation to the disputes among miners. All cases of a criminal nature were decided by a committee of the whole, a jury for the purpose being chosen from the mining community, and all criminals being granted a fair and impartial trial.

But a change soon took place in our political affairs, for upon November 13th, 1849, the constitution of the Territory was adopted, and Peter H. Burnett was elected our first Governor.

The election to vote upon the adoption of the constitution and for Governor in this portion of the mining region was held in the hotel of Col. Bachus, Hangtown, and the border element was very strongly opposed to the whole business, claiming that we did not require law and order, constitution or Governor either; that we were getting along well enough without them; if the Yanks undertook to play any sich nonsense they would be sorry for it; they made some show of resistance, but when they saw that the Yanks were in dead earnest, and had come to the place of voting well armed and prepared to maintain law and order, they very reluctantly departed in disgust and the constitution was adopted unanimously.

The first persons hung in California subsequent to the gold discovery, were two Mexicans and an American. They were hung for horse stealing and robbery during the fall of ’48, in Hangtown, and it was from this fact that the mining camp derived its name, and although the camp has enjoyed the unenviable reputation of being the place where many murderers and horse-thieves have been kindly laid to rest by the citizens, in committees of the whole, yet only one other individual was ever hung by the citizens of the place, and that was Irish Dick, a young gambler, who was executed in the fall of ’50 for murder. A jury, composed of miners, was chosen; he was granted a fair trial, declared guilty, and sentenced to be hung from the old oak tree which stood upon the side of the hill across the creek, at 2 P.M. of the same day. He requested permission to leap from the limb of the tree, head foremost; but this favor, of course, could not be granted since it did not conform to the law, and would be a very barbarous proceeding, as well as a bad precedent to establish, for in some parts of the country the trees were very small.

The first rainstorm in the fall of ’49 occurred October 13th. It was a shower lasting but a few hours, and continuing in this manner throughout the winter months with light showers, but enough, however, for the working of cradles; and now was inaugurated the process of mining in a more business-like and profitable manner.

Claims, which by the panning process yielded daily but an ounce or so, now gave down, by the use of the cradle, from one to ten ounces, and in some cases even double the last amount. The richest part of any ravine or gulch, was, of course, near the center, or where the water course had deposited the greatest quantity, consequently the first miners would confine their work chiefly to such portions of a ravine, and those who came after would work nearer the banks, where the gold was usually finer and much lighter. By the use of this machine very high wages could be made from gravel, which would not pay to pan.

As winter approached, emigrants who had come by steamer and across the Isthmus of Panama, as well as “around the Horn,” now commenced to arrive in great numbers, and not being satisfied with the prospects of the camp scattered about in various directions over the country in the search for new mines. Soon other towns and camps were started; some very rich and valuable placer mines being discovered in the vicinity of Hangtown. Great excitement prevailed, and at this period of its history Hangtown contained almost as large a population as the chief city of the country, San Francisco, and a year later Eldorado was called the banner county. The winter following passed without the occurrence of any events in this portion of the country worth relating. The rains were light, with but little snow, and the weather warm. Towards spring news was received that rich mines had been found farther north. From this fact it was concluded that all the gold had originally been washed down from the north by floods or brought down by glacial action; consequently, the mines would be richer as you advanced toward the North Pole. This belief was almost universal among the mining classes, and some were so sanguine that such would prove to be the case, that one miner offered to bet, “that if yer’d only go fur enough to the north yer’d find ther gold all coined and sacked up, ready for shipping.” Great preparations were therefore made for leaving the old worked-out mining regions in the central portions of the State, and towards the spring of ’50 the stampede commenced for the Yuba, Bear River, and other rich mining camps at the north.

CHAPTER VII.

The Kanakas—The Dry Diggin’s Deserted—Admission of the State—Scarcity of Reading Matter—The Cost of Letter Postage—The Ingenious Bartender—Prices of Drinks—Celebrating the Fourth of July—Hard Characters.

EARLY in the Spring of ’50, a number of Kanakas from the Sandwich Islands came up into the mines; but being of an amphibious nature, they concluded to prospect the bed of the South Fork of the American River. They found a depression in the bed of this river some fifty yards in length and about fifteen feet deep. After a little prospecting, they concluded that there was enough gold in that cavity to satisfy them, and they proceeded to work the same in the most primitive style. They procured a number of empty kegs to which rocks and ropes were attached. These were sunk at the most favorable points, and the Kanakas, by diving down, would shovel the sand into them. They were hauled up and the sand was washed in cradles in the usual manner. But this deep cavity, like many others upon the various rivers, contained but little gold, as was afterwards discovered by a company that bought out the Kanakas, for upon pumping out the water by the use of water-wheels, not enough gold was found to pay the expense of working it.

The fact that the deep holes and depressions found in the river beds of California contained but little gold was a singular discovery, and an unaccountable phenomenon to the miners, for, owing to the great specific gravity of gold, it should always settle to the lowest places, and it is upon this principle that the miner is enabled to make use of the cradle and sluices for the saving of gold. For such reasons it was hard to explain why the greatest quantities should be found on the higher riffles in our river beds and the less amount in the deep cavities. The only explanation of this phenomenon, in my opinion, is that these deep depressions found in the river beds were scooped out by glacial action after the gold had been deposited there.

About the middle of April in the spring of ’50, the central mining regions were almost entirely deserted. All business had ceased, and within a radius of ten miles, where hundreds of miners were hard at work but two or three months before, not more than six or eight remained. In the creek, for a distance of four miles from the upper part of Hangtown, to the village of Cold Springs, a distance of about five miles, but four miners were at work, all doing well, and two of them to my knowledge, were washing out daily from six to fifteen ounces. All hands had struck out for better diggings. Did they find them? A few, perhaps, but the greater portion of them, who returned to their old mines in autumn, and found their claims occupied by others, concluded that they rather missed it. The rains being over by the last of April, mining with cradles through the summer season was impossible, except in a few localities. In some cases dirt was conveyed by ox teams and other means of transportation to where it could be washed, and other miners again would throw up their pay dirt on the bank, ready for washing in the fall.

During the summer, an excitement was occasioned by the wish and desire of all Eastern men, or Yankees (for at that time all persons from any point east of the Mississippi River and north of the Ohio were called “Yanks” by all those who came from States west of it), for the admission of the State into the Union. And the State was admitted into the Union on September 9th, 1850. From this day, everything seemed to undergo an entire change, and instead now of being a resident thousands of miles from home in a foreign land, we had by an act of Congress been transferred, as if by magic, into our own country, under the protection of the Stars and Stripes. Officers were now elected, and the machinery of a State Government put into motion. Posters could be found tacked upon the trees, stating that certain candidates for the various offices would honor our town by exhorting from a stump, or from the top of a whiskey barrel, upon the topics of the day, and what they would do if elected. Other candidates followed in proper time and order.

I forgot to mention that towards spring, in consequence of the bad conditions of the roads to Sacramento City, the prices of all eatables advanced to fabulous figures: flour at one time selling at $1 per lb., molasses and vinegar $2 a bottle, potatoes $1.50 per lb., and other provisions in proportion. An Ames’ shovel was worth at this time $16, and a good pair of heavy boots from $40 to $50; but, with the opening of spring all was changed, and provisions were as cheap as in any other portion of the State.

The principal and chief article of food at this early day was the Chilean bean, and such was its value that in times of scarcity, as is related by some writer who witnessed the incident very probably, a miner seated upon a huge nugget of gold, offered the trifling sum of $25,000 for a dish of pork and beans. This fact, however, has been denied by those who ought to know.

The following bill of fare will give an idea of the cost of living in the mining region at this period:

Books, papers and reading matter of any description were very scarce articles in the mines at this early day, with the exception, perhaps, of a few Bibles which were brought around Cape Horn. An acquaintance, who occupied a log cabin near, informed me that the only book he was able to find was an old Farmer’s Almanac, for which he paid $1.00, and, said he,

“I read that almanac through and through, forwards and backwards, sideways and upside down, and by spring had acquired such a knowledge of astronomical science, that I could locate the signs of the Zodiac blindfolded, stand on my head and calculate an eclipse, foretell the condition of the weather for more than ten years ahead, and prognosticate the value of the popcorn, baked peanut, and chewing gum crops for the whole time.”

Towards the spring of ’50 a little event occurred here in this

town for which it never as yet has received due credit or mention. It was nothing more nor less than the organization of a temperance society, and the first in the mining regions, at least, if not in the State. Money was contributed, and a canvas house was erected with a seating capacity for two hundred persons. Mr. Quereau, a prominent lawyer, was chosen as the President, and Mr. A. W. Bee as Vice-President. The Executive Committee consisted of G. Wheeler, F. A. Bee and three others. Meetings were held two evenings a week, upon which occasions old veterans in the business would enlighten the audience upon the evils of intemperance in general, as well as the horrors and dangers which would result from frequent use of the vile compounds sold in the mining regions for pure liquor. But all things have an ending, and temperance societies are no exception to the general rule. In the autumn of ’50, the greater portion of the active members of the society had departed for other mining camps, and it was finally abandoned for want of patronage.

For the first six months after our arrival in the mines it was hardly possible to get a letter from our friends at home, the only chance being to send to San Francisco by some person who was going down on business or for pleasure. At such times the cost of a letter ranged all the way from $1 to $2, and even in some cases as high as $3 each, for the reason that the one who was willing to do the favor was oftentimes obliged to buy a convenient position near the post-office window in San Francisco rather than take his place in line, and be compelled to remain in the city longer than was necessary. But upon the establishment of regular mail facilities into the mines, in the spring of ’50, there was a change—we received our mails regularly, and within four days after the arrival of the steamer at ’Frisco. Upon the day of the arrival of the mail, eager crowds of miners would gather in front of the office, and watch for the appearance of the stage as it came into view over the top of Hangtown Hill, and “there she comes!” would be the cry from a hundred throats, as it first made its appearance. As the boys received their letters from Molly, Polly and “Sary Anne,” they would take a seat upon some convenient old box or barrel, and eagerly devour the contents, and the nature of the news, whether good or bad, could be easily seen in their countenances.

“There,” said Bob Hewitt, as he drew his coat sleeve across his eyes, after having read his letter while sitting upon a stump in the street, “that’s just my infernal luck!”

“Why, what’s the matter now, Bob?” his friends inquired.

“Matter! why I have just got the news that I have lost a fortune down in old Kentuck.”

“How is that?” they inquired.

“Well boys, don’t you remember that little red-headed cuss who worked with me over in the big canon last winter?”

“Oh yes.”

“Well, he went home on a visit and I sent a lot of specimens and presents by him to my gal, and I’ll be doll garned if he didn’t tell her that I was dead and married her himself, the little cuss, and she had a fortune too. Oh!”

A regular post-office was soon established with T. Nugent as our first postmaster, and, if I am not mistaken. I think it was Mr. Nugent who first gave to the camp the name of Placerville sometime during the spring of ’51, although it continued to be known and called Hangtown for three or four years afterwards, by the mining community.

At this early day, there was but very little coin, either of gold or silver, in use in the mining regions, and gold dust was invariably used for all business purposes. It was customary in all business places, stores, hotels, and bar-rooms, as well as in the barber shops, to have upon the counter, or other convenient place, a pair of gold scales for weighing the gold dust, with the proper weights for weighing any desired amount, from the price of a drink of whiskey to a sack of flour, the value of gold dust being estimated at $16.00 per ounce, or $.80 to the penny-weight, as its standard value for the purchase of all commodities. In the use of fine gold dust in this manner much was scattered and lost; but in some of the saloons the ingenious barkeepers would take the precaution to cover the floor below the scales with cloth or zinc, and by this means increase their regular salary to some extent. Of one in particular it was said that in handling sacks of gold dust, although he was generally very careful, yet at such a time it was often observed that his hand had a remarkable way of trembling violently. The consequence was that the cloth upon the floor below the scales panned out monthly an average of about $100, which would have been entirely lost but for the wise forethought of the bartender. One of the barkeepers in a prominent saloon remarked that by the judicious handling of the buckskin sack, and with a tight floor behind the counter it was an easy job to realize $300 per month, and, furthermore, that he could even improve upon that, when he felt real well.

The price of drinks at the bar in the mining regions, at this time and during the winter of ’49 and ’50, were 3/4 pennyweight or about $.50 for a single, and one pennyweight (heavy) for two drinks; but it was not until the fall of ’50 that drinks fell to the regulation price of $.25 (fancy drinks extra), which price was maintained for several years. At this early day, nothing could be purchased for a less sum of gold dust, or coin, than $.25, and it was not until ’54 that the little innocent but insignificant dime came into circulation, which was followed a few years later by the diminutive 5-cent piece and the nickel, which will in their turn, no doubt, be accompanied by the 1-cent coin, as our civilization advances to higher conditions of development. Much has been stated in regard to the habits of the early miners, of their intemperance and manner of spending their money; but this is all a mistake, for they were as a general rule industrious and temperate in their habits, and in fact more so in my opinion, than any other subsequent emigration. The first

temperance organization in our State was organized by these same forty-niners.

It must not be supposed that a residence in California on the part of the natives of the Eastern States, would cause them to forget the habits of their fathers, and pass over in silence or without recognizing, the day upon which all Americans give full expression to their patriotism. Among us were very many who were born and raised under the shadow of old Bunker Hill; consequently, it was absolutely necessary that we do honer to the day by celebrating it in the usual manner, a knowledge of which we had acquired in early boyhood. Stumps and old logs were charged with the powder; guns and pistols were brought into service, and upon the morning of the 4th they told the tale, belching forth the glad news, echoing through the hills that liberty and freedom had perched upon our banner, and that the 4th of July had arrived in California, and was going to remain with us. A military company was formed, commanded by “Squire Bob” (Ed. Otis, of Boston), and with colors flying, marched to the tune of “Yankee Doodle” and other appropriate military airs, performed upon drum and fife around through the town, and when, late in the evening, we retired to our cabins, we felt that we had done our share in the celebration of the day, and although so far from our homes, in a strange land, yet we had not lost nor sacrificed, in our desire for gold, one jot of our respect for the old flag or love for our country. I should have mentioned that at 10 A.M., exercises were held in the large tent used for a temperance hall, which consisted in singing the patriotic songs “Red, White and Blue,” “The Star Spangled Banner,” and others of a similar nature, followed by an oration delivered by Mr. Quereau.

It is probably well known that the news of the gold discovery in California reached the Australian Colonies early in ’49, and the consequence was that large numbers of the colonists made their way here immediately, and among them were a great many ex-convicts. This class went into the mines, and in ’49 and ’50 there were a large number of them around Hangtown and in the immediate vicinity. When these Sydney ducks (as they were entitled) were informed that a 4th of July oration was to be delivered in Hangtown, they protested against it, and made certain threats that in case any allusion should be made to England that was at all disrespectful, the orator should suffer the consequences. Mr. Quereau, however, nothing daunted, mounted the platform, and, taking a large horse-pistol from under his coat, he laid it upon the table before him, and delivered his oration in grand style, taking very good care not to forget old England, and he was not very particular in the choice of his language in relation to the events which occurred during our struggle for Independence. But there was no interruption from the Sydney ducks, and it was well for them that they kept good order during its delivery, for notwithstanding a disagreement among the residents of the extreme Eastern and Western portions of the Union, each one held an individual, undivided interest in 4th of July, and any attempt on the part of these Sydney ducks to prevent or to interfere in any manner with the regulation 4th of July oration would have been fatal to them.

During the continuation of the celebration upon the evening of the 4th, a slight accident occurred, although not of a very serious nature, yet very unsatisfactory to an inquisitive mind. Dr. Ruddock found amongst a pile of rubbish a keg, in the bottom of which was a quantity of wet powder. The Doctor was curious to know whether it would explode, and the only way to find out was to try it, and he did. Placing the keg upon the ground in a suitable position, he stepped back a few paces from it, and with a shot-gun fired a charge into the keg, and his curiosity was satisfied. He concluded the celebration of the day in a very heroic manner, but remarked when his friends, Luke Richardson, Hale Moore and Dr. Marshall were painting and oiling his badly scorched countenance, that he thought he had finished up the festivities of the day very creditably. Said he:

“I had no idea that the darned old keg would kick back in that way; but anyhow my experiment was a complete success, and that’s some satisfaction.”

Fresh beef was now very plentiful and cheap in all the mining districts, and droves of wild Spanish cattle could be seen wending their way over the hills and among cañons, destined for the various settlements. It required, usually, quite a large number of Mexican cattle men, or Vaqueros, to drive a small drove of these wild cattle from Lower California to the mining regions, to prevent their stampeding, which they will often do when becoming frightened. Some curious scenes and narrow escapes of the miners among the ravines were often witnessed, one in particular more comical than serious, however. Upon the arrival into the lower part of the town of a small drove of this species of beeves, they became frightened, and the usual stampede and scattering among ravines and gulches in all directions was the result. A miner was seated upon his stool, washing with his cradle. On the other side of him was the pit from which he was digging his pay dirt. This pit was about twelve feet square and about six feet in depth. Hearing a noise in the rear he turned his head, and saw very near him a wild steer, with the long regulation horns and with blood in its eye. He had no time to run, but leaped over his cradle and into the bottom of his pit. The steer, not to be foiled, followed in his track over the cradle and into the pit with the miner. They faced each other for a moment, and it was difficult to tell which was the most frightened, the steer or the miner. The latter scrambled out as soon as possible, and the steer was secured. This was the only instance ever known of a miner’s claim being jumped by a wild steer.

About this time a storekeeper in town found among a load of provisions hauled from Sacramento City, a barrel of provisions of some kind, which from all appearances and smell was so badly damaged as to be unfit for use. It was therefore consigned to the

rubbish heap in the rear of the store, where it was soon covered up with empty barrels and boxes. The proprietor noticed that certain emigrants from the Fatherland would be seen occasionally prowling around the back yard, apparently having lost something. But little attention, however, was paid to them, and one day a burly Dutchman came into the store, tired, covered with dust, and said:

“I vants me some von dot, for I vas walked more as den miles.”

The storekeeper remarked that he couldn’t tell what “dot” was.

“Vell, den, I shows you vat I want. You shust come mit me.”

The storekeeper followed him to the rear of the store, and the Dutchman, pointing to the rubbish heap, remarked that “some of dot in dere vas vat he wanted.”

The boxes and barrels being removed, the barrel of rotten meats was exposed to view, and he was informed that the contents were unfit to eat.

“Ach, mein Gott! I knows better as dot. You shust bust em in, und I shows you.”

The storekeeper, to satisfy him, with an axe “busted em in,” and found to his astonishment that instead of its being a barrel of rotten hams, it was, in fact, a barrel of good, old-fashioned sauerkraut of mature age made in Holland having been brought around Cape Horn in some ship. When the storekeeper inquired of the man how in the world he knew what was in that barrel, with a toss of his shaggy head and with a vigorous sniff he replied:

“Vell, den, I shust nose it!”

This sauerkraut sold readily at a fabulous price, $1 per pound being considered very reasonable. The odor of it had been wafted by the winds though the various ravines and gulches among the hills, and soon was scented by the Dutch miners from afar, who came from all directions to indulge in the odoriferous compound brought from the Fatherland.

Up to this time, quietness and peace had reigned and but few quarrels had occurred among the residents of the country, and, as far as I know, no one had been shot. Neither had there been any robberies committed, for there was no necessity of it since all had the opportunity of engaging in, what was at that period in the history of the country, a very profitable business. Locks upon doors were unnecessary, and articles of value, as well as the gold dust in the cradle, could be left upon the claim in perfect safety. It was from

this fact that originated the old, worn-out term of “honest miner.”

Many strange characters crossed the plains at this season; but a very few, however, came with the intention of mining or of making a living by manual labor at all, the great majority of them being bar-room loafers and gamblers. They all succeeded, however, in making a living by the use of their capital, which consisted principally of their wits.

“Old Pike” was a character common in the gold regions, and specimens of this genus could be found in every mining camp. They were generally advanced in years, good natured, and afforded no little amusement to the miners.

The back-woods fiddler, usually from Arkansas, was also a character seen in every mining town, and his chief business was to seat himself upon an old box or barrel by the saloon door, and give to the miners who congregated in the town after the work of the day was over a specimen of Arkansas music, such as the real genuine “Arkansas Traveler,” with all its variations. By this means he was enabled, at any rate, to sample the various liquors at the bar, which answered also for victuals and clothing.

Another singular character in the mines was the genus generally designated as “Dutch Charley.” They were Hollanders by birth, and sailors by occupation, and singularly enough they were almost invariably the most fortunate miners in the camps in early times. Their claims were rich, and they enjoyed their affluence to the highest degree, for it was no uncommon sight to see one of these “Dutch Charlies” parading in town, on a Sunday, with a huge gold watch in each vest pocket and with an immense chain suspended around his neck and waist, with the ends reaching near to his knees. These chains were made from gold nuggets, which were fastened together with copper wire. But the career of this genus was short, and as the rich ravines were worked out many of them became very poor and hardly able to make a living, the majority finally returning again to the sea.

The circus must not be forgotten, for in any quarter of the globe where an audience can be scraped together will be found the circus. The first to make its appearance in this part of the mining regions was Costello’s. It was, I think, in the Autumn of ’50. He had the usual complement of horses and riders, with the clown as a chief feature, without which the circus would be a very tame affair. The tent was usually crowded of an evening with men and women principally, for the small boy who crawls in under the canvas had not as yet put in an appearance in the mining regions, being a later production, and only coming upon the scene as population increased and society was elevated to higher conditions.

In the first settlement of the mining regions, game of all kinds was very plentiful, but as the country became more thickly populated, the deer and other game remained higher up in the mountains. Quail and jack rabbits are even at this late day very plentiful. Lions, as well as lynx and wild cat, are often encountered by the prospector, but are generally great cowards, and therefore harmless. The grizzly bears, the king of beasts of this region, which were often seen by the miners, have emigrated to new pastures. It was unsafe to encounter one of these animals unless well armed. Good runners and good climbers they were no respecters of persons, and would attack a lawyer, doctor, or even a minister of the gospel as readily as a common miner, and enjoy it just as much. The tarantulas also, were very numerous at this time, and a dangerous insect to frolic with unless there was a mutual understanding at the start. Many were bitten by them, and in a few cases the bites proved fatal. Upon camping out amongst the tall grass, it was found to be a very wise precaution to first turn your boots wrong side out before putting them on in the morning.

The grizzly is of all animals the hardest to kill, and for this reason many hunters were very seriously injured and killed by them. A miner, who was at work near town, came running in one morning with the news that he had just seen a big grizzly in the brush behind his cabin. It took but a short time for the old Kentucky hunting sport, Dan Boone, a descendant of the original Daniel, to collect together other lovers of bear hunting, who, armed with the long barrelled Kentucky rifles, were soon on their way in search of his silver-tipped majesty. They found his trail, and followed it

for some distance down the big cañon, until they finally lost it among the brush and rocks. They then went to the summit of a low hill to await future developments, but they didn’t have long to wait, for the bear in the meantime had struck their trail, and was looking for them. The animal was soon seen near the foot of the hill, forcing its way through the thick underbrush towards them. Boone was in command for the occasion, and arranged his men in line ready for the word of command, and in a few minutes the great animal came into full view out of the brush and distant from them about 50 yards. Then came the order to fire, and the report of nine rifles echoed among the ravines and cañons. The bear stopped, looked up towards the hunters, shook his head with a savage growl, and continued to move upward toward their works. Boone ordered them to load hastily, and at the word every man to fire and then everyone for himself. When the bear had come within twenty yards of the line, the order was given to fire; but running was unnecessary, for the bear rolled over from the weight of lead. When skinned, eleven rifle balls were found in its body. A miner in Shasta County towards the spring of ’50, while out prospecting, was met upon a narrow trail by a fine healthy specimen of a grizzly, and it seemed determined to salute the astonished miner with an affectionate and loving embrace; the latter resisted vigorously the loving advances of the brute, and by a great display of courage and activity did succeed in saving his life, but not without receiving serious injury, his face being badly torn and one of his eyes entirely destroyed. As the country became more thickly settled, the rattlesnake, the scorpion, and the tarantula, as well as all other dangerous and venomous animals, followed in the trail of the coyote, wild cat, deer, and the grizzly, for new pastures far away from the haunts of men, the range of six-shooters, patent breech loaders, long range 42 calibre, whiskey, and the influence of civilization, generally.

CHAPTER VIII.

Climatic Changes—Appearance of Familiar Herbs—Rats—The True Theory—Fall Emigration—The Johnson Cut Off—The Target—The First Young Lady—A Spartan Mother—The Boys Up a Tree.

IT was often maintained by older heads, even at this time as well as subsequently, that climatic changes followed emigration to any or all parts of the world, and that various plants also would follow in their trail; but why was this? Whatever the theory may be, we found the fact one of verity in our experience in California. Can we ever forget the old-fashioned herb bag of our boyhood days suspended from the rafters in the garret, which we used to take delight in pelting with corn cobs and other convenient missiles, and which contained the precious herbs and medical plants that our grandmothers had carefully collected, dried and stowed away for future use? We surely can never forget our unpleasant familiarity with a portion of the contents of these same bags, when suffering from those same complaints with which “grandma” so assiduously and successfully coped! Now, had the grandmothers who crossed the plains to make their homes upon this side of the continent brought with them the ancient herb bag? More than likely was it, that from this bag, suspended from the hoops that formed the covering of the wagons, the seeds were scattered along the highways and byways; for here in this far-distant land where never before were they seen or known, could the familiar plants be discerned, sprouting into life among the ravines and gulleys. For instance, here was the horehound, the motherwort, the spearmint and the entire family of mints, including of course the mint julep, and following later, the U. S. Mint. The wild parsnip, the wild turnip and the catnip (including also in the list a great variety of other nips found at the bar), were additional evidences of the influence of civilization, upon the Fauna, Flora and herbaceous productions of new settlements. The old fashioned mullein stalk, with which we were all familiar in our boyhood days, delayed its appearance in California, at least in the mining regions, until about the year ’58, at which late date it came in the following authentic manner:

A Mrs. Coates, a resident of Reservoir Hill, Eldorado County, requested a friend in the State of Wisconsin to send her a package of the cherry tomato seeds. The friend complied, and the seeds were received in due time and planted. They thrived exceedingly, attaining immense proportions far above the diminutive turnip and radish plants around them; but it was found, alas, as they raised their heads above the garden fence that the cherry tomato was only a mullein stalk. They were allowed to mature from curiosity, and the seeds being blown into the water ditch near at hand the plants became profusely scattered throughout this portion of the mining regions. In referring again to the appearance of the plants before mentioned seeming to follow upon the trail of emigration, it is proper to mention here a mysterious phenomenon which was observed afterwards in the appearance of new varieties and species of plants, found in the mining regions wherever the surface soil had been disturbed, or where the dirt and gravel from below had been thrown upon the surface and exposed to the action of the sun and atmosphere. On these piles of dirt, sand or gravel, new species of plants would be often found that had not previously been seen in the locality. This phenomenon has for many years been reasoned upon, by not only the mining class, but by many able scientific men as well, in relation to the new species or plants, that spring forth from the soil and gravel that have been drawn up from great depths below the earth’s surface. Many theories have been advanced in explanation of the phenomena, and by many scientific men it is maintained that the seeds of such plants have been lying in a dormant state for centuries, perhaps, below the surface; but could not germinate until exposed to the sun or atmosphere. We find upon visiting again the mining regions where we worked in early days, that the hills and ravines in many places where originally there stood here and there an oak, are now covered by a thrifty growth of pine trees, many of them now nearly 40 years of age and of great size. The question, therefore, arises as to what caused these young pines to start from the ground after the miner had commenced his labor of extracting the gold.

Why had they not started previous to the discovery of gold; if mining among the ravines and hills changed the conditions which were necessary to make the coming of the young pine possible, what then were the conditions, and what was the nature and cause of the change? In the investigation of this phenomenon, I found one fact well demonstrated, and that is that these young pines spring into life from the ground only in those localities where oak trees had been standing, and which had been cut and removed from the ground. It was upon this now vacant ground that the young pines came forth in such numbers, and so thickly, as though the pine nuts had been sown in the same manner as grain would have been. From this fact, it is evident that the removing of the oak is the condition or the change required to bring them forth; but yet the question still remains unanswered. I found many localities now covered with this thick growth of pines that formerly but a few only of the oaks had occupied (and in some cases they were at least 150 feet apart), so it could not have been, as has been maintained, that it was owing to their shading the ground that the young pines had not before sprung up. Some scientists who have written upon this subject maintain that the seeds of the pine are scattered just beneath the surface of the ground; but, owing to the shade of the oak, they cannot germinate, and lie there dormant for hundreds of years, perhaps, until the conditions become favorable for their growth. My interpretation of this phenomenon is, that this soil is natural to the pine, or in other words the proper elements which bring into existence this species of vegetation, as the pine tree, are indigenous to the soil, for the reason, no doubt, that all of these barren places were in some pre-historic age, covered with pines: but in consequence of unusual dry season or by fire had become destroyed. Then again the question arises, that since the oaks are not natural to the soil in these locations, how then came they there? This can be explained by the fact that the natives who inhabit these regions subsist upon the acorns to some extent, and by them are scattered among the hills throughout the country; they become imbedded in a short time beneath the surface, germinate, and grow into great oaks. An accidental production, therefore, not natural to the soil, but which extract from it certain important elements necessary for the growth of the pine, and the latter, as a consequence, cannot spring into life until the former are removed. In other words, it may be stated that since the existence of any form of life, whether vegetable or animal, can only be possible when the conditions are favorable for such an existence, it is therefore very evident that the growth of the oak tree upon this soil changes, in some peculiar manner, those conditions which are necessary for the growth of the pine; consequently, the latter cannot have an existence until the conditions are rendered favorable by the removal of the former. That such is the true theory has been well demonstrated, in my opinion, in a few instances here in California in the case of the wild oats, when a field of wheat has been transformed or changed into the former. Wild oats being indigenous to the soil, or, in other words, the proper elements being contained within the soil necessary to produce this variety of cereal will under certain conditions, for instance, such as plowing, cultivation, or in stirring of the loose soil, spring forth spontaneously without the necessity of previously sowing the seed, and thus preventing the germination of the wheat. This singular phenomenon has occurred upon three separate occasions here to my knowledge, and is, as far as my knowledge extends, a phenomenon that has never been known to occur in any other country except upon a much smaller scale.

But the question might very properly be asked, Since these pines are indigenous to the soil, and await the time when all proper conditions are favorable for their growth, why do they not come forth and cover the ground previous to the growth of the oak, as well as after the latter has been removed?

The only explanation of this in my opinion is, so far as it is possible to understand the phenomenon, that the presence of the oak growing upon the heretofore barren sod, makes the conditions in some peculiar manner favorable for the germination of the pine, by transferring such elements from the atmosphere to the soil as are favorable for it, or otherwise extracting from the soil certain elements which are obnoxious to its growth, and for such reasons, therefore, upon the removal of the oak the young pines make their appearance; at any rate the phenomenon exists, whether the above explanation is the true one or not.

There also was soon seen the old faithful family house-dog, who had followed patiently and wearily through sandy deserts and over mountains the train of his master to find a new and a more pleasant

home upon the Pacific slope; but up to the spring of ’50 not a single cat, or “Kitty,” was seen in this part of the mining regions. Many started with the trains but died before reaching here. In the fall of ’50 many were occasionally seen, having been brought from Oregon and the lower part of California. Domestic animals will, like the herb, and for similar reasons (if any one can explain what they are), follow in the trail of advancing civilization, for here now, at this early day, when we have only scarcely arrived, and have hardly had time to get squared around and get located, or to look about us, we find among us the familiar plants, the faithful house-dog, the occupant of the hearth corner—the cat, and now but one thing, or but one more animal, is wanting to complete the complement needed to give all the appearance of an Eastern home which we have deserted, perhaps forever, and that is the affectionate and the docile rat. Oh, where is the rat! why has he so long delayed!

“He is here! here he is! hello, boys, boys, quick! he has come at last!”

A rush and a commotion in the street outside gave evidence of some tragic event which had occurred, or was about to take place. Men were running from all directions; some with guns, pistols and weapons of various descriptions and calibre, from a bean blower to a mountain howitzer, and all appeared to be concentrating their forces toward a certain grocery store, in front of which were a number of men who were hopping, stamping, and jumping around upon a pile of straw. All were evidently in the last stages of “jimjams,” for they all swore that they had seen a big rat, while others again, who seemed more quiet and composed, maintained that, although they hadn’t seen him, yet they were positive that they smelled him. Yes, it was true, for soon its body was found in the straw, horribly mangled, so much so that its countenance was unrecognizable, but its tail was, and that told the tale of its species. It had sponged its way up from San Francisco in the straw of a crockery crate, and thus ended the career of the first rat that arrived in Hangtown, on or about March 1, 1850.

The arrival of every ship into San Francisco brought its full complement of rats from various parts of the world. The consequence was that, by the fall of ’50, the chief towns near and convenient to San Francisco were overrun with this species of animal. During a walk through the principal street in Sacramento in the evening, after the business of the day was over, they could be seen in swarms, and in some localities it was even difficult to walk along without stepping upon the innocent creatures. On one sidewalk in particular, in J street, I think, upon which were piled sacks of grain and produce of various kinds, could be seen rats by the thousands, of all sizes and nationalities, crawling in among, through, and over these sacks in every direction; through tunnels, down shafts and drifts, in true miner’s style, and from their sleek, healthy

appearance they had evidently struck it. They were different in nationality, which was evident from their choice in the selection of food; for instance, in among a pile of sacks containing cabbages, were the Dutch species of rats, brought over in some ship from Holland. There was no mistaking their birthplace, for scraps of Bologna sausage were scattered about, and the scent of Limberger cheese was perceptible. Upon a pile of sacks containing corn, was seen a number of very healthy corpulent chaps who appeared to be engaged in debating some important question. They were probably of English stock, and were holding a debate upon the corn laws. Upon a pile of sacks which were filled with wheat, was seen a large number of rats of all sizes and descriptions: some with long tails, some with short, and some with no tails at all. They appeared to be engaged in a fierce warfare over some very important question, and were scratching, biting, pulling and hauling each other around in a most vicious manner. A closer observation evidenced the fact that these were the true American species, and were wheat brokers “on ’change.” There was no mistaking the nationality of those rats prospecting among the stack of potato sacks beyond, for standing erect upon the top of it, in a very striking attitude, with its paws up in Yankee Sullivan style, was a huge rat, its long tail carelessly thrown over an immense potato in front of it, and in imagination we heard it remark to its companions around it:

“Now, me lads, bring on the b’ys who’d be afther jest treading on me foine tail, thin!”

A pile of mats containing rice was honored by the presence of a lot of Chinese rats. The style of eating, and the manner of handling the chop-sticks was an evidence of this fact.

The time was now near at hand when the semi-civilized conditions under which the earlier emigrants had been living, were to be changed; for there was quite a large emigration on its way from Missouri, Texas and other States west of the Mississippi, and among them were some of the most desperate characters of the frontier. The first arrivals of the emigrants created no little degree of excitement among the younger portion of the community, especially from the fact that it was learned that a number of young ladies were on their way to the mining regions, and would probably pass through the town. About this time, which I think was in August, ’50, quite a large number of miners were at work in and near the creek, along

the margin of which was the regular emigrant road, following the course of the creek for nearly two miles.

It was late in the afternoon of one pleasant day that the news was passed along down the creek, from the miners above to others below, that a train was coming in which a very pretty young lady was the chief attraction. A dust cloud was soon seen away above, showing that the train was near at hand, and the miners left their work and arranged themselves near the road. As the train approached, the young lady was seen in advance riding the old family gray mare, and apparently unconscious of the sensation which she was the innocent cause of producing among that crowd of unwashed, uncombed and unshaven miners.

She was, as all would swear to, a very pretty girl from the State of Kentucky; the daughter of a colonel who was a veteran of the Mexican war. Of course, it would never answer for ladies who had been traveling over mountains and sandy deserts for three or four months, to appear again in a civilized community in traveling costume, so a halt had been made previous to their entry, a few miles above, and toilets properly arranged. The young lady was dressed plainly but neatly in a common blue calico dress, with a yoke attachment at the top, heavy flounces around the bottom cut bias style, but no paniers to speak of. She wore a broad-brimmed Leghorn, milk-maid style of a straw hat, and a broad, black velvet ribbon around her neck.

The other members of the family had not been so particular and looked just like all other emigrants. The wagon contained, of course, the aged parents, with the usual complement of tow-heads found among all emigrant trains.

The remarks made by the various miners as the young lady passed along upon the old gray mare were very amusing. One youth remarked that, “Them eyes of her’n are jest exactly like my Mary Jane’s,” and another one says, “Now that nose and chin and her hair, too, is exactly like my Marthy’s down in Kennebunk.” “But ain’t she lovely, though?” asked another, and so on, each one remarking how much she resembled and reminded him of some one often thought of away across the continent.

One young man had the audacity to remark, in the hearing of them all, that “That young Kentucky gal wern’t half so good looking as his Matilda Jane down in Jersey,” and they gave the youth to understand that they would have a settlement with him for expressing such an opinion. But the next morning, on coming out to work, they found two stakes driven upon this young man’s claim, and on one was an old sun-bonnet, while on the other was fastened a young lady’s slipper. He had evidently purloined these from the wagon during the silent watches of the night, knowing them to be the property of the young lady from Kentucky. Under such circumstances it was evident that he had repented of his rashness, and he was freely forgiven upon the condition that he would make a division of the plunder, which he did.

The train went into camp near town, and after the day’s work was done, many of the younger boys lounged around in the vicinity of the strangers’ camp to get a sight of the pretty Kentucky girl.

While she was engaged in frying pancakes for the evening meal, a young, sandy-haired miner proposed to purchase one of them from her. She said that they were not for sale, but that she would give him one with pleasure, which she did by dropping it hot from the pan into his hand, and he returned the compliment by dropping into her hand a very pretty gold specimen, which she refused to accept. Upon a little persuasion from the modest youth she changed her mind, however, and slipped it into her pocket.

The emigrants continued straggling in, some on foot and alone, and others in trains drawn by horses, mules or oxen. The variety of vehicles was legion, as some had two wheels and others four; while one man, a tall, sandy-haired Scotchman, rolled along over the dusty road, over mountains, through rocky cañons and across the barren desert from St. Jo, in a carriage with but one wheel, to wit, only a common wheel-barrow.

The emigrants of this year suffered terribly in consequence of the scarcity of grass for animals, for which reason many cattle died, and the emigrants were compelled to finish their journey for hundreds of miles on foot. There were numerous deaths from exhaustion, starvation and disease. After their arrival in town, however, many died from over-eating, and in some cases it was necessary to restrain them by main force from gorging themselves while at the dinner table.

Four young men in town procured horses, and, loading them with provisions cooked ready for use, started out to feed the starving emigrants. A few miles from town they encountered an ox team which was standing in the road. The driver, a large, powerful man, was seated in the road in the dirt and dust in front of them gnawing, or rather sucking, a small piece of pork rind, and in the covered wagon was found the wife and mother, with two or three children, engaged in a similar on occupation. It was the last of their supplies, and upon which they had subsisted for the previous two days. The young men, therefore, furnished them with the necessary supplies at once.

A few miles further on they saw ahead of them, in the road, a man covered with dust and dirt and hatless, running at full speed towards them. They discovered that he was an emigrant, and that starvation had, doubtless, made him partially insane. He was pursued and caught, and after being fed he recovered sufficiently to be able to give his name. He stated that a few miles back upon the road he had passed a woman, with her husband, who was sick in the wagon, and with three or four young children.

“The woman,” he said, “was frying over the fire a few little cakes, and I asked if she would give me one as I was starving. She said that she would to save my life, but that those four little cakes were the last that she had to divide among six of them. I told her that if that was the case I would not rob her.”

And from that time he stated that he seemed to lose all consciousness.

By the afternoon of the second day out upon their charitable mission the young men had distributed their supplies among the suffering, and camped for the night at a spring near the road. Towards evening, as they were sitting by their camp fire, they observed away across on the opposite side of a steep cañon, an animal of some kind, but owing to the distance could not tell whether it was a horse, cow or bear. They fired several shots with their rifles in that direction, but without effect.

It was about daylight the next morning when they were aroused from a sound sleep by a terrible noise and stampede among their horses. Upon investigation was discovered, at a short distance through the darkness, the form of some animal which had very much the appearance of a huge bear, as they had often seen portrayed in their picture books when boys. They concluded not to investigate any further at present, but vied with each other to see who could climb up a tree the quickest. The grizzly, for such it proved to be, was the strange animal seen upon the flat across the cañon, and which they had been using for a target. Instigated by a similar feeling, presumably, and with an intense desire to see who the, to it, strange animals were upon the hill, it had traveled up around the head of the cañon, a distance of about twelve miles, to satisfy its curiosity and to see what was up, which it soon found, on looking up among the limbs of a big pine tree.

After devouring everything in sight that was eatable, as well, also, as many things which were not so much so, the grizzly cast its eyes up towards the boys, and with a knowing wink hoped they would come that way often to practice target shooting, and departed.

The third night out, and on their way home, they camped at what was then called “Leek Springs,” on the regular emigrant road. They picketed their horses as usual before retiring for the night, but found, to their astonishment in the morning, that the trusty steeds had been stolen. After tracking the animals for a few miles, they saw among the tall grass a large band of horses, well guarded by mounted Mexicans, which had been stolen from the emigrants for the two previous years.

Upon arriving in town the facts were reported and an expedition started immediately to capture the thieves, but too late, as the marauders were on their way to Lower California, led by the noted bandit Joaquin, it was supposed.

A two-wheeled, covered cart, drawn by a very diminutive yoke of oxen, which passed through the town at this time created much amusement. It was under the management of a stately Pike County dame. She was about fifty years of age, with long ringlets dangling from the sides of her head, and was dressed in the latest and most approved style of bloomer costume. As this stately dame marched with a dignified and majestic tread alongside of her team, carrying upon her shoulder the usual regulation Missouri ox gad, she presented a fine appearance, and as old Mike (a venerable Greek) remarked:

“Be jabers, thin, she reminds me of a Spartan mither with her chariot, do yez see, searching upon the faild of battle for the bodies of her brave b’ys!”

It was, however, a fair illustration of what it is even possible for a woman to accomplish when she takes a notion.

The road across the Sierra Nevada range of mountains, over which the emigrants were obliged to travel, in order to pass through Hangtown, was called the old Tremont trail, and was a very rough road; crossing deep cañons and rocky points, but a man by the name of Jack Johnson who was accustomed to mountain travel and famous for opening new trails and “cut offs,” succeeded in the fall of ’49, or spring of ’50 rather, in finding a much better, as well as a shorter trail, which the emigration of following years took advantage of. It was used for many years, and universally known as the “Johnson Cut off,” and, by the way, it was supposed to save about thirty miles of travel.

Some eighteen or twenty years subsequent to the finding of this trail, Mr. Johnson had occasion to stop over night in Placerville, at the Cary House, and occupied a room in the second story. He was tired and restless, and awakening in the night, not knowing where he was, and seeing before him what he supposed was an open door, which was in fact a French window opening to the floor, he walked out of this window, falling to the ground below, and breaking an arm in the fall. An old timer who was present, the next day with a piece of chalk wrote upon a board, placing the latter against the building beneath the window:

THE JOHNSON CUT OFF.

But the old timer was many years behind the time for such a joke to be understood and appreciated; for nearly twenty years had passed, and the history of “Johnson’s Cut off” had long since been forgotten, or remembered only as a tradition; and all those who saw the sign, with a couple of exceptions, asked what it meant. Becoming conscious at length that even here, too, time was putting in its work, with a sad heart he removed the board from its position, remarking to another old timer near him:

“Dan! the time alas, is drawing near when the boy will inquire of his father:

“‘Pa, what is an old forty-niner, anyhow? The school-teacher gave the conundrum to-day, for us to guess.’”

“The father referring to Mark Twain; ‘Phœnix,’ the Argonauts of California,’ and numerous other ancient records will answer, that many long years ago, a few adventurers from the Eastern States hearing that here upon the Western Slope the discovery of the ancient site of Paradise had been made, and that remnants of the richly paved streets of the New Jerusalem had also been found scattered over the country, ventured forth in quest of this earthly Eden. They brought with them in their ships all the various tools, implements, and devices for collecting together the scattered remnants of the holy pavement, and tradition states also, as well as from the fact that amidst the debris and ruins of an old edifice of some description in San Francisco was found many years since a huge bear carved in stone, confirming the tradition that this was the site of an edifice erected by this race of people (the Forty-niners) and used as a place of resort for social gatherings, and as a means of keeping in remembrance those early days and perpetuating the names of the most prominent of those who took a part. And the inquisitive boy would probably ask:

“‘Are the names of any of these yet remembered, Pa?’

“‘Yes, but only one that I now remember of,’ the father would answer; for it was the tradition that at that early period of time, a mule was often seen wandering among the hills and cañons, going in various directions, but without any apparent desire on the part of the frank and energetic looking Argonaut upon its back to go anywhere in particular, only so he got there on time. ‘Tradition, my son, further tells us that this rider’s name was Pixley, and that he was probably hunting for some office.’”

“‘Well,’ the boy asks, ‘did he find it, Pa?’

“‘Tradition tells us that he did later—a printing office.’

“‘Well, Pa,’ the boy will again ask; ‘the name of the man who first found the gold was known, wasn’t it?’

“‘Yes, so it was supposed for many long years, and they even erected a monument in Colomo to perpetuate his memory; but alas for the uncertainty of all human knowledge, an eccentric and ingenious individual who made cyphers and oughts his study, made the discovery by a peculiar combination of them, that the first person who discovered gold here in California was not a man, but a woman, who was engaged as chief cook for one of the Indian chiefs, and that she found it in the dinner pot. While cooking for her royal master a Shanghai chicken, the old chief noticed that it had a very yellow, sickly appearance, and remarked:

“‘Not muchee bellie good, alle same sick.’

“‘And the cook, in searching for the cause, found a small fragment of pavement imbedded in its gizzard. Holding it aloft with a triumphant grin, she exclaimed to her royal lord and master:

“‘Oh! go way wid ye now, ye ould hathen. Do yez moind this now? For shure, and ’tis mesilf that’s the first one to place me oi squarely upon the likes of this; a bit of the howly pavement and pure vargin gould. It is now, do yez moind?’

“‘And this simple incident, my son, was the first foundation in the structure of this great and glorious empire, California, where it was your good fortune to first see the light of day.’

“‘Well, it was funny, wasn’t it, Pa? for the books tell us that one empire in the olden times was saved by a goose, and here is another one founded by a Shanghai rooster.’

“Daniel, let us enter in yonder open doorway, lean upon the bar, and weep.”

They immediately did forthwith enter therein; and leaning sadly upon the bar, did—smile.

CHAPTER IX.

Sickness in the Mines—Earthquakes—The Steamboat Men—A Miners’ Meeting—Lucky Bill—Kit Carson—The Financial Condition of the Miners—Australian Mike and His Tin Can—Portuguese Jo—The Divining-Rod.

MUCH sickness prevailed among the mining classes, caused, as was generally believed, by the very unhealthy climate; but which, in fact, can be better attributed to their habits, mode of life, and intemperance in eating as well as in drinking. Typhoid and bilious fevers were the usual complaints, from which many died. One fact was remarkable in relation to those who suffered from the various diseases at this time, which was that those among whom the sickness and mortality were greatest were, as a general rule, the most robust and able-bodied men. The explanation doubtless is that the healthy, strong and able-bodied men were more careless in their habits and mode of life; placed less restraint upon their appetites, and therefore suffered the consequences. Those, on the other hand, of a weaker physique were more careful of their habits, took better care of themselves, and therefore suffered but little from disease, proving the possibility that even the invalid, under proper conditions and in the use of his reasoning faculties, may be long-lived.

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.

Two young men discovered a rich lead upon a low divide near the head of Big Cañon, a few miles from town, and upon going out to work one morning they found that four of these claim jumpers had taken possession of their ground and had removed their stakes, placing their own instead. The young men called a miners’ meeting, and the day following about fifty miners answered the call, and organized by electing a chairman. After due investigation it was decided that these young men owned the ground in dispute, and that the jumpers must pull up their stakes and vacate. The jumpers, however, made no defense, remarking only after the decision was rendered against them, that they would like to see the man who would pull up their stakes, at the same time drawing their weapons. There was a young man present as a spectator who had not taken any part in the meeting, although interested in the proceedings. This young man drew his gun, and stepping out from the crowd said to the jumpers:

“You would like to see the man who will pull up your stakes? Well, you can,” at the same time pulling them up and throwing them to one side, and placing the young men in possession of their claim.

This young man was Dave Buell, who was afterwards elected as the County Sheriff.

The Autumn rains commenced about the first of November, raining, however, but slightly during the fall and winter of ’50 and ’51, and being the most remarkable winter ever experienced either before or after, in that section. The only rain of any consequence fell in the month of April following. Miners, who had thrown up piles of dirt, were badly disappointed in not being able to wash it, and gold mining was voted a fraud. Nothing occurred during the winter to break the monotony of events, and Hangtown and vicinity were again nearly deserted. News from the North and South of the discovery of rich river mining, as well as new placer mining, continued to be received, showing that the mining region was gradually being extended to nearly the whole length of the State, although but a few miles in breadth. One other fact, also, was being well demonstrated, and that was that although millions of dollars were being washed from the river bars and dry diggings in the mining regions, yet the greater portion of it, through regular as well as irregular business channels, was being concentrated in the hands of the business men in San Francisco; the miners, as a class, retaining but a small proportion of their earnings, and in many cases barely sufficient to sustain life.

The gambling fraternity became now in the fall and winter of ’50 more numerous, and were in full blast in our heretofore rather quiet and orderly town.

Fighting was a pastime, and shooting, upon the slightest provocation, was one of the chief amusements.

The miners lost large amounts of gold dust at the gambling tables, and in the endeavor to get even still continued to lose. The noted thimble-rigger, “Lucky Bill,” and the three-card monte sharpers of St. Louis were on the top round of glory, robbing the honest miners who from curiosity put up their money to know how the thing was done, and they always found out.

This man, “Lucky Bill,” alias Wm. Thornton, was a gambler by profession, born and raised in the city of St. Louis. Although a man of very bad character, yet there is placed to his credit on the great register certain acts of a charitable nature that could hardly be expected from such an individual. He was always ready to assist the needy, and when money was required for the unfortunate had been known to contribute hundreds of dollars at a single time. He was hung by a vigilance committee in Carson Valley a few years later for being implicated in a murder and cattle stealing scrape.

In his address to the spectators around the place of his execution, he stated that he could blame no one for the course they had taken in condemning him to suffer death, for he well knew that he really deserved it, but, continued he:

“How could anything else be expected of a man who was raised and brought up by his parents among the criminal class found in the slums and back alleys of all large cities, or more particularly in St. Louis, where I was born. If I had been raised in a different manner I should, no doubt, have been a far better man.”

In conclusion, he advised his son, who was present, to avoid bad company, to keep away from saloons, and to live an honest and industrious life.

His address illustrates very aptly the force of habits acquired by association in early life, as well as such inherited conditions which are natural to the individual; they form a part of him, and, under ordinary circumstances, cannot be avoided or overcome.

Sunday was a general holiday for the miners, and early upon this day they could be seen, dressed in store clothes, when fortunate enough to have any, coming from the various gulches and ravines towards the town to see the sights and amusements to be found in the saloons and in the street.

The amusements upon the street consisted principally of horse racing, running, jumping, wrestling, an occasional fight, as well as shooting at targets with rifle and pistol. One of the best shots with the rifle was a descendant of Daniel Boone, of Kentucky, who was remarkably expert. Kit Carson, who also had recently arrived, would display his dexterity with the pistol in shooting through the hub of a wagon wheel as it was being rolled across the street, a piece of paper having been pasted over the hub previously. Gambling was, of course, indulged in to a great extent by many miners, some of them losing the result of their whole week’s work, in some cases amounting to hundreds of dollars. The man who dealt the three-card French monte game was a great attraction, for his simple game looked or seemed “so innocent and aisy to bate, does yez see now,” said an Irish miner; but this was only apparent, as all those who attempted to beat the game became convinced, for it was soon found that the game was a regular swindling operation, being afterwards abolished entirely by the miners, and the dealer driven from town.

A miner on Sunday, for amusement bet on a certain card, throwing down his purse of gold, which contained about $800. Singularly enough he won; the dealer, however, discovering the mistake he had made, attempted to change the card. Failing to do so without detection, he flatly refused to pay the bet. A short consultation among the miners decided as to how he should be served. A rope was thrown around his neck, and fifteen minutes allowed him in which to “pungle down the dust.” He called upon his brother gamblers to come to his assistance, which they were inclined to do, but they were very politely informed by the miners, that after settling with the monte dealer, it was the intention to hang a few of them also, if they did not leave town within two hours. The monte dealer concluded that he had struck a hard crowd, paid the bet and vanished. A few of the other gamblers departed also, but returned again, however, in a few days.

It is proper and but just that I should mention here the vast improvement in the make-up and general appearance of the great majority of the mining class since the arrival of the fall emigration of ’50. Sunday would find them dressed in their “biled shirts” and “store clothes,” with hair and whiskers well trimmed and faces shaved, and occasionally a stove-pipe hat would make its appearance. The appearance of the tile was seldom repeated, however, for the trouble of forcing it up over the face again where it had been jammed down by some vile scoundrel, “just for fun you know,” and of again putting it into proper shape, took away all pleasure in wearing it. The fact is, the miners who had been living for the past year away from those conditions which civilized society creates, had not as yet arrived at that point again, or to that advanced condition where the style of a plug hat would be appreciated; consequently, the man who was ignorant of this fact, and had the audacity to appear in the streets with such an absurd head gear, had to suffer the consequences.

It may at this point in the history of mining be of some interest to know the financial condition of those who had been engaged in the business for the past year. As before stated, many returned to their Eastern homes in the spring, a few of them with a considerable amount of gold dust, and some having as much as $10,000 and even $15,000, but in very many cases with barely sufficient to pay their way. A few, again, who had succeeded in securing a fair amount, would engage in business in some one of the mining camps, or in Sacramento City or San Francisco, whilst others would buy land in some portion of the State and engage in the stock business. But those miners who remained in this portion of the mining region were, as a general rule, those who had not acquired a sufficient amount to satisfy them, and therefore determined to remain until they did. Others again, desired very much to return to their families, but not having the means were compelled to remain.

There were a few persons here who had accumulated a large amount of dust, and one man by the name of Harper, who never was known to wear a hat, a Scotchman by birth, is said to have accumulated about $75,000. Another one from Australia, but an Irishman by birth, who arrived in the mines early in the spring of

’49, is said to have been a very lucky miner, as the saying goes, and had about $60,000 which he had put into empty oyster cans and hidden around in various places, to which fact hangs a tale.

Several instances had occurred where persons had come into the mines and by a streak of good fortune been successful, or in other words had “struck it rich,” and returned home again in a very short time. Among this number of very lucky ones, were two young men who had just arrived from their homes in the East. On the second day of their arrival in Hangtown, they were directed by an aquaintance to the big cañon a short distance north of town as being a good place to commence their operations, they dug a ditch down the side hill from the main ditch, in order to run the water into their sluices; and while at work a tin can was found in their sluices, which had been washed out from the loose soil above near the roots of an old oak tree, and had by the force of the water rolled down into the sluice. Upon examination, they found it full of gold dust and their work was done in California. They had found what they had come for, and the next morning were aboard the stage bound for San Francisco, with $15,000 worth of gold dust to divide between them. Australian Mike lived very near the spot, and the next day discovered his loss. An officer in pursuit of the young chaps arrived in San Francisco about two hours only, which however was enough, after the steamer had left the wharf for Panama, on which they had taken passage. Old Mike did’nt seem to care much for the loss, and all he said was: “Be jabers, thin, I hev a plinty more handy, do ye moind?”

People at the East often asked the question, and wondered why it was that so many returned again to their homes without having succeeded in making but very little in the gold mines, while others returned with fortunes. This seemed strange, and was often attributed to bad habits, intemperance or laziness, which, of course, was true in many cases but not in all, by any means. It is very true that the industrious man who worked early and late would, from the nature of things, be more successful than those who did the reverse or worked but seldom; and although this rule will apply to all human affairs in general, yet the mining industry in early days was, to some extent, at least, an exception to the accepted rule, for, as observation shows us, it was not the hardest-working man, or the most industrious, who succeeded best in striking the richest placers,

but in very many instances fortune favored those who did the least work. In the ordinary affairs of life those only will prosper or succeed in the business in which they are engaged, who are well qualified, and who possess the qualities and habits necessary for its success—that is to say, possessing a reasonable amount of intelligence, economy, industry, and proper caution; but in mining, these qualities are, so far as the finding and extraction of the gold is concerned, of very little value, as was often illustrated in early mining days.

I do not include, however, in this class those who were too lazy to make an effort to find a paying mine, for the country was full of this class of men, and they could be seen tramping about among the numerous hills and gulches with their tools, hunting for some pleasant spot to work, and they would generally find it under the shade of a tree. It was this class of men who depended upon their more industrious friends for a living, and who were always ready to maintain that mining in early days was a mere question of luck.

Very often the most ignorant, idle and shiftless lout, would stumble by accident upon a very rich gold deposit. The colored individual, and the sailor too, who had run away from his ship, as well as many others of like ilk, had just as good an opportunity, and were as competent to find a valuable gold deposit, as the most highly educated college student or scientific geologist. In mining, but little judgment was required, and a little experience, which was soon acquired, brought all upon an equal footing. If gold had been scattered equally and uniformly throughout the land, then only those would be the most successful who were the most industrious; but this was not the case, however, for ’twas scattered all over only in spots, and it was the dropping upon these spots by accident that determined the success of the individual. It was often the case that persons were hard at work realizing daily but a few dollars, whilst a few feet away others were making perhaps hundreds of dollars per diem, and many again who to my knowledge were quite industrious barely made a living. That a few made large sums, whilst others again made but little, must therefore be attributed to their good fortune, or to their having, from chance conditions, located their claim and worked upon the right spot. In my opinion no other explanation can be given, or why a few were enabled to make large sums while others, equally industrious, realized but little.

For instance a sailor, who had just arrived from San Francisco, having deserted from his ship, strolled along up the creek one day where two miners were hard at work, and he stood silently watching them for a few minutes. Then transferring his cud of tobacco across from port to starboard, he remarked, in a coarse salt-water, tone of voice:

“Well shipmates, what’s the show for a fellow here, anyhow?”

They pointed out a vacant spot of ground a short distance above (near what is now called Cedar Ravine) and borrowing the necessary tools, Jack was soon at hard work.

Towards evening he returned again, and said that he didn’t know anything about the blasted bed rock, gold, or anything else, and wanted the shipmates to go and take a look at the blasted thing. They went to his claim and found it about five feet long and about three feet in width and four feet in depth. Near the center it was about six inches deeper, and in this depression, which was very rich, they washed out with their cradles for Jack in two hours about $3,500. He was only two days in the mines, for of course he returned to San Francisco immediately to enjoy himself.

Quite a number of similar instances might be given in elucidation of the fact as I have explained it, and if you wish for good luck in mining, always put in your time right where gold is, and nowhere else.

Another instance in illustration of the fact that Dame Fortune is impartial in the distribution of her favors was that of Portuguese Joe, a sailor who came up into the mines from San Francisco early in the spring of ’50. After working around for a few weeks in various localities with but poor success, he concluded to do a little prospecting in some less frequented locality. Purchasing a diminutive donkey, he packed the animal with all necessary tools and supplies and wandered forth. It was not long, however, before he returned to purchase further supplies, and it was surmised from the size and weight of his sack that he had struck it rich. But where? Not a word could be gotten from him, however. He was followed a number of times, but, suspecting it, would go miles out of his way upon his return to deceive them. But Yankee ingenuity could not be foiled by a Portuguese sailor; and one dark night, when he had started to his camp upon the donkey, two old miners followed his trail. The donkey and its rider suspected this, and consequently traveled nearly all night around among the hills, through rocky ravines and dark cañons, but only to find to their great astonishment, when, as they slid down the side of a steep hill near the dawn of day and landed upon a small bar upon the South Fork of the American River, that closely following them and sliding down the deep descent in their rear, were the two old miners.

Well, Joe was a good-natured fellow, and was rather glad of their company, for the bar was very rich and large enough for all. They found, on investigation, upon the richest part of the bar the sand and gravel was only from six inches to a foot in depth, and that the gold was coarse and easily found in the crevices of the slate bed rock, and from this time forward it was called “Portuguese Joe’s Bar.” How much this Portuguese sailor took from his bar was never exactly known, although it was estimated to be about $60,000; nor of his ultimate end, for, alas, his was a sad ending, and of the incidents, being an eye-witness, I have at this late day a very vivid recollection.

During one of his frequent visits into Hangtown, astride of his diminutive donkey with his feet dangling upon the ground, for he was a very tall man, upon passing along through the noisy street, for it was Sunday, the affectionate animal, either from accident or fun, very suddenly elevated that portion of his anatomy abaft the saddle, and the rider was thrown forward upon the cold ground. Assisting him again to his feet, a bystander, in a very careless although innocent manner without the least design to injure or desire to harm anyone, remarked that Joe reminded him very much of Cæsar, since both had been placed under similar circumstances. Upon being asked why, in the hearing of Joe, he answered that they both fell by a brute ass (Brutus). Joe gazed sadly upon the thoughtless miscreant to see if he was in dead earnest or only intended it as a joke, and being satisfied that it was no joke, he strode sadly astride of his beast which he sat down upon, turned his head toward the setting sun and departed never to return again.

This vile attempt to destroy the peace and happiness of a fellow-being in the eyes of the miners was equivalent to manslaughter, and a jury being immediately formed the culprit was arraigned before the bar (in the nearest saloon), received his sentence, the fine being very heavy, as the jury was numerous and very dry.

But what became of Portuguese Joe was never known. It is said that away off in Europe, amidst the dense forest in the German Empire was occasionally seen by the superstitious peasants the phantom of a donkey, and riding on his back a tall, dark and sad-eyed rider, going in the direction of Rome; and they positively assert that after he had passed they could distinctly hear the gentle breeze, as it moved slightly among the trees, sadly murmur. Oh, Cæsar! Oh, Cæsar! This in all probability was Portuguese Joe from Hangtown, Eldorado County, California, who, not having previously heard of Cæsar’s accident, was doubtless on his way to see if the latter was much hurt by his fall.

The location of the right spot to dig is the great problem to solve in mining, and many devices were, adopted for the purpose, among them being the divining-rod, frequently used by our associates from the Faderland. One German had established an office, and in his prospectus agreed to furnish, for a consideration, the exact location where gold deposits could be found; but upon trial, to his vexation and astonishment, found that it was useless. A newcomer engaged his services, and the spot was located near the banks of a ravine near by. The bed rock was slate and very hard, but the German fakir stated that down under the rock was a great deposit of gold, and he only charged the verdant youth the sum of $25 for the valuable information. After spending much time and money, as well as a great deal of hard work, in penetrating the slate bed to the distance of about thirty feet, the project was abandoned, and the German, with his rod of divination, also abandoned the mines in disgust. These fabulous instruments, usually made of sticks cut from a witch-hazel bush in our own country, in Germany are made of whalebone, and to one which I saw was fastened a small vial containing quicksilver, in which was found a piece of paper upon which was written in some foreign language certain mythical words and signs, evidently from the Bible, meaning, I suppose, “excavate and ye shall find,” or an extract from Job, “Watch the pot and it will never bile,” or something similar.

CHAPTER X.

Where the Rich Placers Were Found—Miners’ Superstition—The Blue Clay Deposit—Gold Machines.

IT might be of some interest to those who engage in mining, as well as for others, to know where were found the richest gold deposits by the first miners, or, rather, what were considered as the richest ravines or cañons, in the central portion of the mining regions or dry diggings, as they were called. Previous to the arrival of the emigration of ’49, those who happened to be in the country, as well as the Mormon element which rushed into the mines from Salt Lake upon hearing of the gold discovery, and those also who came from Oregon, made their way immediately to the vicinity of Coloma, where gold was first discovered. But little placer mining was found in this vicinity, and the gold seekers wandered off in various directions. In the vicinity of Georgetown and Kelsey, rich mines among the hills and ravines were found, the dry diggings around Hangtown being discovered about March 1 by parties from Oregon. The first discovery was made in Hangtown Creek, near the mouth of Cedar Ravine, the latter being the first ravine worked, and found to be very rich, yielding upwards of $1,000,000. The next discovery was in Bedford Avenue, at that time called “Log Cabin Ravine,” and a large amount of gold was taken from it by the two Winslow brothers, who first discovered it, and also by a Mr. Rider who took home with him about $25,000. From this ravine had been taken altogether, as near as can be determined, about $250,000. The richest portion of the creek was from a point below the mouth of Cedar Ravine down to a point near the foundry. Below this again but very little gold was found. In ascending the creek, good wages were made above Cedar Ravine, and a few very good deposits were found nearly up to the store of Dr. Price. From that point up, but little gold was ever found, although a few spots paid fair wages. The creek was worked in ’49 and up to the autumn of ’51 by the usual process of sinking of holes and cradling the gravel upon the bed rock. Spots in the creek, especially in the rear of the court house, were found to be very rich, and a piece of ground in the rear of Adam’s Hotel (afterwards the Mount Joy Hotel) was worked in ’49 and up to the spring of ’50 by Fish Brothers and Co., from which they realized, as they stated, about $20,000.

Just below Adams’ Hotel was a round tent used as a saloon and gambling house by Tom Ashton, in the winter of ’49. Immediately in the rear of this tent, a man by the name of Wiley, in the spring of ’50, from one pan of white clay washed out the sum of $1,400. A singular fact noticed and commented upon in ’49 was, that from about this point in the creek down, but very little gold was ever found. The cause of this was not discovered until near the spring of ’50, when it was found that the original creek which deposited the gold made a turn at this point, running down under the buildings and crossing the street about opposite the grocery store belonging to A. W. Bee, continued down through town on the opposite side of the street, being confined in its course to a narrow channel until reaching nearly to the Cary House. From this point, no regular channel was ever found; but the gold was found scattered over the flats below. This flat was worked principally during ’49 and the summer of ’50. The old channel running through and under the town has all been worked with pan and cradle, and found to be very rich in places; and would pay well with sluices, but not in my opinion half as well as many imagine, for there is no gold to speak of in the main street, except perhaps a very narrow spot on the Plaza, where the old creek crossed.

The amount of gold extracted from the creek altogether, including the flat below, as near as I was able to judge, was about $800,000. It was generally known how much miners were realizing from their claims, yet there were certain ones who kept it a secret, these generally being those who had the richest mines. Emigrant Ravine paid fair wages nearly up to the head of it, and a few smaller ravines emptying into it, also paid well. Going north from town across the Big Cañon to Poverty Point and its vicinity, many rich ravines were found; but the richest gold deposit was reserved for the miners of ’50. This was the celebrated Red Hill, of decomposed quartz deposit lead, found upon the apex of a slate ledge crossing three different ravines, and running down towards the Big Cañon. This lead was about an eight of a mile in length, and in some places only about three inches in width; yet over $250,000 was taken from it. The very richest ravine that was discovered up to this time, the spring of ’51, around Hangtown, was the Oregon Ravine. This ravine was first discovered by two men from Oregon named Yocum. They first worked a narrow strip up through the ravine about three feet in width, and were at work at the time of our arrival in Hangtown, about the 1st of October. We had consequently an opportunity of forming some idea of its richness. Their method of working was of the most primitive kind. One would with pick and shovel remove the dirt from the surface to near the bed rock, which was about three feet in depth, and the other, with an old knife or a sharp stick in one hand, would stir up the dirt, and as the bright pieces of gold showed themselves, would pick them up and drop them into a tin cup, which he constantly carried in the other hand.

This was their slow method of working, and although they realized a fortune by this process, they did not glean as much as they should have done. How much these two men realized was never known, for they were very cautious; but it was supposed that they took home with them about $100,000 each.

Old man Harper, who also worked in this ravine, was said to have made out $60,000; several others also, have made large profits here. They all left for home in the fall of ’49.

Soon after my arrival, there were at least 200 men at work in this ravine, and all doing well, for the ravine was wide and paid richly from bank to bank. Dr. Ober was very successful, and as he passed along down at night among the miners who were at work below him, with a smiling countenance showed his tin cup in which he carried his gold. I found that about $150 was his average day’s work. In my opinion, Oregon Ravine yielded at least $1,000,000 if not more, and considering its size was the richest one in this portion of the country.

In Spanish Ravine also was found a rich lead which continued up for a short distance from its mouth, and which was worked out in the summer of ’49. As we go to the east a few very rich spots were round near Smith’s Flat, one small ravine in particular near the Emigrant Road, and only thirty yards in length, yielded about $13,000. At the small town of Newtown, which was located about six miles nearly due east of Placerville, and upon the eastern edge of the gold-bearing district, from a small ravine, during the winter of ’49, was taken by a company of four men the sum of $64,000.

Weaver Creek upon the south was also very rich in many places, all included, however, in a distance of about four miles. Many small ravines emptying into it were also found to be very rich. Of the many cañons in the County of Eldorado, which were prospected and worked in the winter of ’49-’50, there was but one which was noted for its mineral wealth. This was Georgetown Cañon, from which it was estimated that fully $2,000,000 were taken up to the spring of ’53. Whether this is a correct estimate or not I cannot say, although this was the estimate of a miner who worked there for about two years, and returned to the East in the autumn of ’52 with about $20,000 as his portion of it.

There were also numerous small ravines emptying into all of these larger ones and the cañon which contributed their quota to the general fund, besides numerous flats, slides and benches, which however, were worked at a later day. The Big Cañon, two miles north of town, was in some portions of it very rich, and a few places were worked in ’49; but the greater portion, or rather the richer portion of it, near the head, was worked with toms, in the spring and winter of ’50-’51. The cañons lying at the east of this were not very rich, although one portion of White Rock Cañon worked in the winter of ’49-’50 by O’Brien, Grayson, Stuart and Dayton, was very rich. The South Fork of the American River, as well as the numerous bars upon it, was not noted for its paying qualities, although some few rich deposits were found. Upon Kanaka Bar a rich lead was discovered, which yielded many thousands. One beautiful nugget was found upon this bar which was valued at $1,010; but by far the richest bar upon the whole river was that belonging to Portuguese Joe, from which he realized a fortune.

As we advance to the north we find that a few rich places were discovered around Coloma, at Kelsey’s, Spanish Flat, Greenwood Camp, and in the vicinity of Georgetown.

Early in ’49 the country and rivers as far north as the Yuba River was examined and prospected, a few of the bars upon the latter being worked and found to be very rich.

Fortunes were realized from Spanish, Murderers’, Big and Michigan Bars, where Ex-Governor Stanford had his little store in ’52, the germ from which sprang the Great Overland Railroad.

In one respect Eldorado County differed from nearly all other mining counties in the State, or even upon the Coast, as the gold was more evenly scattered and the mines, as a general rule, were more shallow and much more easily worked. For these reasons they paid better for the time expended in working them, though naturally worked out much quicker.

In consequence of the first discovery of gold having been made in Eldorado County the first mining was confined to this portion of the mining regions, and for this reason also the yield of gold during the first two years subsequent to its discovery was greater than from any part of the State, the amount realized from the county up to the spring of ’51 having been estimated at $20,000,000.

As we advance to the north we find that the gold deposits in the ravines and cañons are much deeper, and although gold upon the bed rock can be had in great quantities, being in some cases taken out by the pound, yet the net profits are very small, owing to the great expense in working. For instance, in Cœur d’Alene gold mining region the gravel upon some of the richest creek bottoms is from 20 to 30 feet in depth, while upon the bed rock there are rich deposits from which very coarse gold and nuggets have been taken by the pound. Yet the great disadvantage and expense of working many of these places in consequence of the amount of water to contend with, as well as the want of sufficient fall of same, make them unprofitable.

In the Caribou County, creeks were discovered of fabulous richness, yet such is the depth of gravel, in some cases upwards of 60 feet, that the expense of working in many instances exceeded the income.

We find, also, as we proceed to the north, that the ancient river beds are of greater extent and much richer, the mountains also being higher and more rugged. The placer mining, on the other hand, is confined to a smaller area, gold being found only in a few of the principal, or larger, creeks and ravines.

It is evident, therefore, from this fact, as well as from the general appearance of the hills, that those natural forces, such as volcanic and glacial action, which wore away the high mountain peaks to their present altitude, and which broke down the ancient river channels throughout the central portion of the mining regions, were of much greater force and of longer duration. And it is for this reason, also, that we find the washed gravel and particles of gold which they contained scattered over a larger area of country upon the surface.

It was the general opinion among the early miners that where placer mines existed would also be found rich quartz ledges, and where rich quartz ledges are found there must, for similar reasons, be good placer mining. This is true only of the central portion of the mining regions, where the quartz ledges have been thrown down and broken up, and is not true of other sections, for we find farther north, among the high cliffs and rugged peaks which have not been worn down by these natural forces, quartz ledges containing free gold, in many cases of great value. Yet no free gold, or at least but very little, can be found among the ravines or cañons below them.

It has been often said that the early miners were a very superstitious lot of men and firm believers in luck, even more so than any others; but this is a great mistake, for observation shows us that all grades and races of men are afflicted to a greater or less extent with this peculiar mania of belief in the efficacy of signs which give warning of coming dangers, as well as prognosticate good luck or a change in conditions. Those who are believers in this mysterious change in circumstances termed luck are close observers of such signs, and before commencing their operations or enterprises will first consult the oracle to see if the signs are favorable.

Among the mining classes in early days, the Germans were firm believers in the potency of signs, although many Americans and those of other nationalities were not far behind them, the main difference between them being that the former had no hesitation in acknowledging such a belief.

In early mining days it was generally believed that success in mining was entirely owing to luck, and this is the common belief at present among portions of the mining classes, as well as those engaged in other kinds of business. For this reason the so-called signs are intently observed, which will indicate what the future or result of any work or enterprise is to be. From the observation of others, as well as our own experiences in the operation of many of these omens, it is very conclusively shown that in many cases such circumstances do occur, or such effects result, as were previously suggested by the signs; but reason teaches us that there can be no possible connection between the mere fact of a dream, or of the occurrence of any certain events and any subsequent effects. As a consequence such future effects can have no other explanation than that of coincidence, although we must admit that the future events very often constitute a mysterious phenomenon. Many instances might be mentioned as an evidence of this, while again numerous cases of a similar nature could be brought forth as reliable evidence of exactly the reverse. Of this latter class of effects the believer in lucky signs takes no note, since they are of a negative character, and have, therefore, no value.

An acquaintance of mine was realizing from his ravine claim about $20 daily, and upon his way to his cabin one evening he picked up a horseshoe which he took to his quarters and hung upon a nail, with the remark that his claim in future was “just agoin’ to pungle”; and sure enough, for about two weeks following it did “pungle” at the average of $50 per diem.

A short time after another miner, a near neighbor, found, upon his way home from work, two horseshoes, which were hung up in his cabin for luck, and strange as it may seem, instead of his claim increasing in its daily pay, in a few days it ceased paying entirely. Of course, the only explanation for this phenomenon, as one of his friends told him, was that in finding two horseshoes he overdid the business, for one offset the other. Another acquaintance accounted for the catastrophe by saying that very probably one of the shoes was a mule shoe, and consequently all good luck was kicked out.

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.

Of the great number who prospected subsequently to ’49 but a very small portion found claims that paid them for their trouble, while hundreds barely made a living. This was not, however, on account of the mines having become exhausted, but can be attributed to their manner of working, or prospecting. It was a common sight to see many tramping around among the hills, carrying their picks and shovels on their shoulders, in search of a suitable spot where they could strike it rich, but where the soil was not too deep, and this class of prospectors could very seldom find a claim worth working; for if they even ventured to sink a hole, it was generally of such a size that no idea could be formed of the nature of the bed rock or of what it contained.

As an illustration: Two miners on their way to work one morning encountered a tall, middle-aged man, sitting by the road-side lamenting his sad fate. He said that he had left his family upon his little farm in the State of Illinois, and had come to try gold mining, but couldn’t find enough to enable him to live, and was very anxious to return home again. He said that he had dug and prospected in many places, but could find nothing. He led the way to a ravine near at hand that he had been at work in for quite a spell, he said, “but thar warn’t nuthin’ thar,” and we found that he had started to sink a number of holes. They were about four feet across upon the surface of the ground, but contracted as they approached the bed rock, coming to a point finally. He was asked if this was his method of working in his farming operations. “Wall, I reckon not, but thot it mought do here.”

Upon suggesting to him the necessity when sinking a hole of keeping its full size to the bed rock, especially in a ravine of that character, he concluded to act according to the advice, and sure enough he found that he had run across a very fair claim, from which he succeeded in getting gold enough to take him back again to his Eastern home.

Another man dug a hole in a shallow ravine, the ground being only about three feet in depth; he found that the bed rock was descending towards the center of the ravine. He dug another hole adjoining, and discovered that the bed rock inclined towards the first, the channel being between the two, and the place where gold would be found if there were any there. He did not, however make a connection between the two holes, as he ought to have done, as he was told by an old miner who passed that way; but left the wall about six inches in thickness between them. The consequence was that the aforesaid old miner who had given him the advice was passing the place a few days afterwards, and, finding that it had not been acted upon, commenced to investigate that six-inch wall, and discovered a very rich lead from which he took in a few days about $1,000.

It may be as well to explain here the general nature and character of the gold deposits found up to this time. These deposits consisted of such as were found among washed, or quartz gravel, and were confined to the hills or gravel claims; as well as in rivers, creeks and in such ravines where the gold was deposited by the action of water, there were what were termed benches also. These were formed by a breakdown from the original river beds, and usually contained beds of gravel found upon the side of the hill below the level of the ancient beds, in slides which were formed by the sliding down of a portion of a hill. In all ravines, creeks and gulches also, the gold found was what is termed washed gold, showing evidence of having been at some time amongst the gravel of a running stream. Upon the various flats, the gold was of a similar character and found with quartz gravel, showing that these flats had at one time formed the bed of some creek or running stream. There were some peculiar gold deposits again that differed entirely in their nature, and had an altogether different origin. The former deposits alluded to as being in rivers, creeks, ravines, gulches, flats, slides and benches, were all supplied from the beds of ancient water courses, which had been in course of time broken up and thrown down, the gravel washed and scattered by the action of water to where it is now found. Among the red hills in the mining regions are found what are termed “red hill leads.” The gold in these is rough with sharp edges, and has never been in contact with gravel or running water. The leads are generally very narrow, in some cases being not more than an inch in width, and are found almost invariably in small, narrow and dry ravines; and upon the hills above and in the vicinity will be found quartz ledges which indicate their origin.

Among these leads, quartz in a partially decayed state will often be encountered with the appearance of having been at some time in contact with great heat. It is very evident therefore, that these streaks of gold, or leads, were deposited subsequent to the great convulsions which broke up the ancient river cañons, and still remain in their original position as when melted from the quartz ledges, which were broken up and distributed in this manner among the ravines. There are also found among the ravines large deposits of clay of various colors; but as a general thing, either blue, red or yellow. Very rich deposits are often discovered mixed with or beneath this clay.

The fact that rich gold deposits oftentimes existed beneath these beds of clay was discovered in the spring of ’50. Three or four young men, who had just arrived in the mines, prospected a piece of ground located at the junction of two ravines, in what is now known as Clay Ravine, just below the Pacific Quartz Mill, near Hangtown. They found, upon sinking a shaft about eight feet in depth, a bed of blue clay. It was dry and hard. Presuming, therefore, that it was bed rock, they abandoned the place. A young man residing near, named Williamson, and an Irishman, by the way, from curiosity concluded to sink down through this blue clay to see what was underneath. The miners who were at work in Oregon Ravine, a short distance below, heard him yelling out at the top of his voice:

“Say b’ys, jest come now an’ see phwat I hev found under this clay, be jabers!”

Upon going up to the claim, we saw on the ground a hard solid chunk of clay, about the size of a water-bucket, taken from the bed rock, and the under surface was one mass of gold. It was taken to the Express Office, pounded up and found to contain $1,500; but how much he got from his claim was unknown.

I have before explained that the chief and only machine used for the washing of pay dirt were the cradles, toms and sluices, although other kinds of machines were often brought into the mines for which it was claimed that they were of superior character, and warranted to save more gold than any other kind. They were, however, in nearly all cases, invented or constructed by persons who had little knowledge of gold mining, and were, therefore, ignorant of what was really needed, it being the general impression among them that gold existed among the dirt in great quantities, and that some superior process was necessary to separate it. All miners of any experience are well aware of the fact that the great difficulty or drawback to gold or placer mining, is not so much how to save the gold, but how or where to find the dirt or gravel that contains gold enough to pay for the working. That is the main question in mining, and the manner of washing or saving the gold is of course a secondary consideration. When the richest placers were worked out by the use of a pan and cradle, and it became necessary to wash a much greater amount of dirt, the “tom” came into use, and answered a good purpose for a time. But the time soon arrived when a tom was found to be inadequate for the emergency, for the reason that it was necessary to wash still larger quantities of dirt or gravel, and to accomplish this the sluices were used; they, in their turn to be superseded by the hydraulic pipe, by which large bodies of earth and gravel could be washed with good profit that could not be made to pay by the sluicing process, and which again in its turn will be superseded by some peculiar electric process, by which means whole mountains will be melted, and the liquid gold will flow out from the bottom of the huge furnace in pipes arranged for the purpose.

There are at present in California, as well as in Oregon, large bodies of black and common river sand containing gold in paying quantities, only awaiting the ingenuity of some mechanic or miner to invent a quick process for separating it, as no means or method is at present known whereby this can be accomplished with any profit.

Upon the Columbia River, for a distance of at least 150 miles, there are numerous sand bars that contain gold in paying quantities if any process can be devised for separating it. Many efforts have been made, and many ingenious mechanics have taxed their brains in the vain attempt to solve the problem. A company is now engaged upon one of the sand bars near the head waters of the Columbia in experimenting with electricity in the attempt to separate the fine float gold from the sand. If this proves to be a success, the sand bars upon the Columbia will be valuable mining properly.

CHAPTER XI.

The Indian War—A Change in the Social Conditions—The Desperado—The Sailors—The Mines Worked Out.

IT was during this season that an event of the greatest importance to the State and to the mining interest occurred. I refer to the subjugation of the Digger tribe of Indians, a warlike and savage race, who seemed determined to exterminate, if possible, the American race of gold hunters; that is to say, in the opinion of the business portion of the community who had something to sell. These Indians were in many cases very badly treated and abused, and many had been killed for mere sport by the border-ruffian element from the East. The consequence, a very natural one, was that in a spirit of revenge they resented such outrages by taking the lives of a few of those who abused them. But this was deemed a sufficient cause for a war of extermination, and a demand was made upon the Government for assistance. No regulars were necessary, for the “Irregulars,” who were ever ready to volunteer when an Indian is to be butchered, were numerous.

A small army was soon formed, commanded by Col. William Rogers, and when all was ready, or nearly so, they marched for the front, if it could be found. A fine spot for the purpose was discovered near at hand, but a little out of range of the arrows. They went into camp and waited for something to turn up. If any attempt was made by the Indians to charge upon their works, reinforcements were sent for at once, and a change of base ordered immediately. Such was the nature of this ferocious, warlike regiment of Irregulars, however, that a change of conditions was absolutely necessary.

The Indians were hidden behind the rocks upon the opposite side of Brush Cañon, a few miles above the town, and, unconscious of danger, were with their families engaged in various amusements. The older members were seated around in groups discussing the current events of the day, and indulging in reminiscences of the happy springtide of youth when engaging in the pleasures of the chase after grasshoppers, when the Colonel of the Irregulars, from a high commanding position, the top of a stump, took a view of the situation with his field glass, leaped to the soil below and ordered a charge at once.

The poor Indians, taken by surprise, fought with valor, disputing the ground inch by inch; but, being overpowered by numbers, and it being also nearly lunch time, they very precipitately vamoosed the ranch, and the United States Government of America remained master of the field.

The ambulance train was ordered up, and the dead and wounded were carefully handled when found. But one Irregular, however, lost his life during the conflict, this unfortunate being Mr. W. McKinney, of Cold Springs.

The opinion among the troops, however, was general, to the effect that the Indian department suffered terribly, and that large numbers of them had passed over to the happy hunting ground, and were, probably, already engaged in chasing grasshoppers in the spirit land; but after the smoke of battle had been drifted through and the ground sluiced away, but one old squaw, with her papoose, were found in a ditch asleep.

The Grand Army of the Sierras captured all that was to be found in the deserted Indian camp, the spoils consisting of an old pack saddle, a jack knife with two blades, and one woolen shirt. These were taken into town, and, under orders from the Government, sold at auction to the highest bidder, the proceeds going into the Treasury and thrown in among the surplus.

This terrible and devastating uprising was thus squelched, and the Indians said they would do so no more, and they never did. The great conflict which was participated in and decided by the valor of undisciplined Irregulars, not only saved the entire country from utter destruction, but, in addition, demonstrated the fact to the interest of all concerned in mining, that the black sand which had heretofore been thrown aside as valueless was in reality worth $1 per pound, avoirdupois, in the following manner:

Powder for the grand army being scarce, an enterprising and shrewd storekeeper in the town, who furnished certain supplies, substituted kegs of the aforementioned sand in its place, and it was said that in consequence of the great similarity of appearance, neither the grand army, the Indians, nor Uncle Sam, ever knew the difference.

For further particulars and details please refer to the history of the great conflict, as I do not wish to trespass too much upon such incidents as are matters of historical record.

I desire, however, to mention a few facts in relation to this race of Indians, for, in my opinion and judging from appearances, they are very probably the ancestors of the great Mongolian race, and that the latter descended from them. Of course, this was some time ago, and it may be possible that it is just the other way, although it matters not which party made the descent first, or which did the degenerating part of the business. That the Indians have retained the old original dialect, however, is an evidence of a very close relationship, which the most skeptical must acknowledge.

Previous to the great battle which decided the destiny of the race and the safety of the country, and when the grand old eagle, with prophetic eye soared from aloft and, sailing majestically across the rocky cañon, flapped its wings with joy from the top of the great American banner suspended from a pile of sage brush, the Colonel in command had dispatched an officer, in full regimentals, to demand the immediate surrender of all goods and chattels which were contraband of war. This meant, of course, all squaws and papooses which were in arms. The reply told the tale of their descent at once.

“You Melican man heap allee samee fool. You no foolee me muchee. You sabe squaw? You no takee, you wantee. You come catche.”

The officer explained that his object was only to cover them with the old flag to protect them from the cold weather, as there was every indication of rain.

Quite a change in social conditions was now taking place. Balls and dances were more frequent, and the mining regions began to assume the appearance of civilized communities. To our Eastern friends it was of course a conundrum how women could live with safety here in the mines of California, in the midst of such a crowd of cow boys and frontier desperadoes. It did seem rather strange, but the reason why women could not only reside here in perfect safety, but could travel about the country free from insult and molestation as well, I will give an illustration of:

Soon after the arrival of the fall emigration of ’50, a very pretty young married woman, wife of a Mr. Herrick, the hotel-keeper, could frequently be seen riding a pony around among the hills. On one occasion she was met upon the road a few miles from town by one of this class of men who offered her an insult. She was not long in reaching town and reporting the fact, and almost as quickly as I have stated it he had a rope around his neck, while the other end was thrown over the limb of a tree, but upon promising faithfully that he would never do such a thing again, or never insult another woman in California, he was allowed to depart. An insult to a woman was by these rough miners considered a worse crime than robbery or murder, and punished accordingly, and for this reason a woman could travel alone and unattended anywhere among the mining regions in the early days.

The presence of woman not only illustrated the influence of changed social conditions, but also the effect upon civilization in general; for previous to her coming, as I have before mentioned, there was among all, or at least the greater portion, a total disregard for appearances, and a visit to the miner’s cabin would show that his mode of life and household arrangements were sadly in need of repair. Under woman’s influence, the old cabin was put into proper shape; a washboard and tub stand by the door; the dishes are regularly washed and arranged carefully upon the shelf, and the yard in front of the house has been cleared of old hats, boots and either rubbish—showing by the changed appearance of the old castle and its surroundings the effect of this magical influence, tending toward higher conditions of civilization.

You see yonder a large cabin; it has recently undergone a complete transformation. You observe that a new addition has been put on for the convenience of cooking arrangements; in front of the house, which was formerly littered with tin cans and piles of rubbish, all is now smooth and clean. A pretty fence now surrounds the house, and if you approach closer you will observe a sweet-pea vine and a morning-glory running up around the window, fastened with pieces of cotton twine, and in the corners of the yard, and along by the fence, you will also notice growing bushes of certain varieties of roses.

The door opens and thence comes the pilgrim chap. But he does not look like the same boy at all. Can it be he? That “biled shirt” and those store clothes and shining boots have changed him somewhat in appearance. But why this change? What is the matter with him, you ask. Walk with me towards the house. Do you hear that strange sound? ’Tis not the wail of a hyena or of a catamount from yonder mountain, but the wail of an infant in the direction of the house. That is what’s the matter. That rocking motion you hear is not made by a miner’s cradle, but the other kind, and in it is a very valuable nugget, a ten-pounder that the pilgrim has just struck, and 24 carets fine. And now don’t you think that it is the presence of woman that tends to elevate mankind, or you old forty-niners in particular, to higher conditions of civilization?

“I reckon,” say each and all of us.

The desperadoes and border ruffians from Texas and Missouri were now quite numerous. Many robberies were committed and some shooting participated in occasionally. There were also many of this class inclined to jump claims, when it was possible to do so without danger, and, as one of them expressed it who had jumped a claim belonging to a young man who had just gone to his cabin for

lunch, “All Hades couldn’t drive me off either.” He was dressed in a kind of masquerade costume, and a gambler by profession from some interior town in Missouri. He wore a white fur plug hat; blue swallow-tail coat with brass buttons, and around his waist a broad belt containing weapons enough for a whole regiment. But wait; a large, powerfully built man was walking very leisurely toward the claim, followed by the young man, its owner. The big fellow, C. Marple, who was from Philadelphia, in a very mild and persuasive tone of voice requested the U. S. arsenal to kindly leave the claim; but placing his hand upon the most convenient weapon the claim jumper refused. Mr. Marple, in a very polite manner, stepped towards him, and taking him by the collar kindly assisted him to leave, which he did without any further trouble; proving the well known fact that the greater the scoundrel, the greater the coward,

and requiring a great number of weapons, therefore, to convince others of his bravery.

A desperado by the name of Burns, the same who afterwards assisted in the capture of the noted bandit, Joaquin, came across the plains this season, and could be seen visiting and lounging around the various bar-rooms, carrying a miniature U. S. arsenal around his waist. Having one day a dispute with this same Mr. Marple in relation to some trifling matter, he grasped the handle of his favorite weapon, but the unfrightened Yank, shoving his clenched fist in close proximity to the desperado’s left eye, playfully remarked:

“Yes, draw your weapon, and I’ll bet drinks for the crowd that I knock you down before you can cock it.”

Burns eyed the huge fist, concluded that he would like its appearance better at a distance, put up his weapon, and treated the crowd. One of these brave frontier ruffians made his stopping place and home at a way station, or bar-room, located upon the emigrant road a few miles from Hangtown, and was very frequently in the habit of accosting miners and strangers who had occasion to stop at the place, in a very rough and barbarous manner. He would draw a weapon, and ask if they had said their prayers and were ready to die, getting, of course, his whiskey free as a compromise, upon condition of putting up his weapons. Upon one occasion, however, he struck a costumer, a regular old-fashioned, Jacksonian Democrat from Kentucky, who did not believe in compromising.

As the latter stood at the bar enjoying his beverage, the border ruffian approached him with an immense bowie knife raised above his head, and inquired if the stranger had said his prayers that morning, at the same time making a motion as if to strike. The old Kentuckian remarked that he had not, as he had done all his praying in his younger days, and enough, he reckoned, to last him the rest of his life, at the same time drawing his pistol from his belt, and sending a ball crashing through the brain of the desperado. No inquest, as the coroner did not think it was necessary.

This class of desperadoes was now becoming quite numerous in the mining regions, and caused much trouble and annoyance. But they must not be confounded with, nor be included in, what in more modern times are denominated as cow-boys; for the latter are a later invention, and as a rule of a higher order, although there may be many desperate characters among them. Yet the great majority

of cow-boys are respectable as compared with the border ruffians of forty years ago. The term desperado, as I am informed, is derived from the Sanscrit, or some other tongue: desper signifying to “git” and ado being an abbreviation of the word adieu; in border dialect meaning “Farewell, I’m off.” The individual who made the application, even if it was many years ago, knew who he had reference to; for if ever there was a man who felt inclined to “git” and to tender an affectionate farewell, it is one of these old-style border ruffians or desperadoes, when, chancing to be alone, he meets some one with whom he is not on good speaking terms, the sight of whose clenched fist strikes terror into his soul.

They resemble the hyena very much, for when in numbers they are brave, ferocious and warlike, and will at such times attack anything that has legs, from an old milk-stool to a yearling calf, or anything that walks, from a congressman to the walking-beam of a steamboat; but when alone and he scents danger from afar, although encased in armor and with an arsenal suspended to his waist, yet at such a time he resembles very much the appearance of a little dog running up the road with a big tin kettle tied to his tail, while from a rear view all that can be seen is the hardware.

As the spring of ’51 approached, the opinion became general that the mines of California were very nearly worked out, or rather that portion of them which was thought to be worth working, and consequently many left the mining regions in the dry diggings and went up to the various rivers, north or south, others again returning to their Eastern homes. Owing to the great specific gravity of gold, and being ignorant, also, of the reasons why gold was almost invariably associated with running streams, for at this time quartz was unknown and hill gravel mining was not a possible conception, it was supposed that gold would always be found only in the lowest places. The time soon arrived, however, when all old miners, in this mining region at least, were to learn something new in relation to mining, and discover that the richest deposits were not in the lowest places by any means, but in the hills above, in the beds of other, older rivers, and also among the quartz, which is called the mother of gold, since it is only in this rock that gold is found in its original state. To illustrate: Some miners were at work with their cradles in what is called Emigrant Ravine, and about two miles above town. It was a hot, sultry day, and a stranger, with his pick and pan for prospecting, inquired of them if there was a place where he could start in to work. One of the miners, for a joke, pointed towards an oak tree near the ravine upon a little rise of ground, and remarked:

“Yes, there by that tree is the finest place to work that I know of.”

The prospector took a view of the ground, and, believing the old miner to be in earnest, commenced to work. It was deep; the ground was dry and hard, but, by perseverance and hard work, in about two days he found the bed rock eight or ten feet below the surface, and from the bottom of this hole he cradled out more gold in a week than the company of astonished miners who had fooled him had obtained in their whole season’s work. In this manner it was soon fully demonstrated that gold was universally scattered all over, in spots, in no one place in particular, but wherever you could find it.

A short time subsequent to this a colored man, in walking along the trail at the foot of a steep hill, picked up a small piece of gold. Its edges were sharp, and from all appearances it had never been in running water; but the question was, where did this come from, and there lay the mystery. Not from the ravine, and certainly not from the steep side hill; but at any rate the colored man, from curiosity, dug a hole upon the steep side hill. He found no gravel, but saw that the soil upon the bed rock was a deep crimson color, and that, scattered around among this blood red earth was to be found coarse gold. This had never been in contact with water, but had been deposited by heat or chemical action, and was the first discovery in this section of the rich, red hill gold deposits.

It was in the spring of ’50 that four sailors, who had deserted from their ship in San Francisco, took a cruise up among the mines, as they remarked:

“Jest to see how the land lay.”

They cruised about for several days, hardly knowing what to do or even how to do it, and during one of their daily excursions they found themselves near the head of a small ravine, and a very steep one, which emptied down into the big cañon. It was a pleasant spot, and one of them remarked:

“Well now, me lads, let’s drop anchor here; pipe all hands, pass the grog, and make the blarsted dirt fly.”

So one of them volunteered to commence operations by measuring off a spot about the size of the forehatch, and then commenced work with his pick and shovel to break out the cargo, until he struck bottom, as he remarked. A number of miners at work in the ravine below watched the operations of the Jack Tars, and were very much amused to see them sinking a hole away up at the top of a hill. The soil was not deep, and the tars, by taking a turn about at the helm, were soon down to the bed rock, upon which they found the dirt and gravel of a very pretty red color. Filling a pan they took it to the ravine below, where one of the old miners kindly offered to wash it for them, although he remarked that it was hardly necessary, for gold never could have got away up there at the top of the hill. But upon washing it, they found to their astonishment that there was gold “away up there on the hill,” and a considerable lot of it too, as the amount in the pan indicated, for it contained about $20. The jolly Tars procured cradles and the necessary tools, and started in to work, at which they continued some three months, during which time they extracted about $20,000, as was stated by Adams & Co.’s agent soon after they left. The ravine was afterwards known as the “Sailor Boy’s Ravine,” being about one and a half miles from Hangtown and near the trail to the American River.

It was late in the winter or fall of ’49, that the discovery by W. Salmon and his comrades that gold existed in the hills in the vicinity of Georgetown was made, and that many of them contained beds of gravel which were rich in gold, this fact being well demonstrated by the discovery in Forest Hill, a few months later.

Upon the discovery of hill diggings, mining assumed another form, for instead of the mines being worked out, which was the general opinion, we were only beginning to learn where to find the precious metal. The first hill diggings in Eldorado County were discovered near Upper Hangtown, early in the spring of ’51, by the Aiken brothers, who worked a small ravine located on the side of Indian Hill. When working near the upper end of the ravine their pay dirt left them, and, instead of a slate bed rock, they now found that it had changed to what appeared to be of the nature of sandstone. This, however, proved to be, upon examination, cement, under which, upon working through it, they found a deposit of rich gravel resting upon a slate foundation, and pitching into the hill. Other hills in the vicinity were soon found to be similar in character, cement capped, containing ancient river beds rich in gold.

The discovery of these ancient river beds, among a portion of the miners created quite a discussion as to their origin and the period, in geological eras, when this ancient river system was destroyed, and by what forces. Many of the discussions between these veteran, self-taught, geological expounders were interesting, as well as instructive, each one, of course, having a theory of his own which must be the only reasonable interpretation. One of the most prominent of these students of nature was an old gentleman from the State of Wisconsin, Uncle Ben Coats, and to listen to one of his geological lectures, under the shade of an aged oak, surrounded by a crowd of miners who were all anxious to be informed as to the facts of the case, was decidedly instructive and interesting—a scene, too, reminding one of Socrates or Aristotle lecturing to his pupils in the shady groves of Athens. We, the miners, soon became proficient in the use of the words tertiary, pliocene, carboniferous, spirituous, and gaseous eras or epochs, retaining even to the present time a very vivid recollection of them, but more especially of the two latter epochs.

CHAPTER XII.

Mining Speculators—The Lost Brother—Gambling—A Generous Gambler—An Important Discovery—Beginning of Fruit Culture and Wine Manufacture in California—The First Church Organization in the Mining Regions—“Old Nick” and His Animals—“Old Syd.”

MANY persons were now continually ruining into the mines, and stupendous frauds were being perpetrated upon them in the sale of mining claims.

One very enterprising individual who had drifted into the low red hill or slide in the hope of finding a lead, being disappointed, loaded his shot-gun with gold dust, and discharged it into various places. Upon finding a newcomer who desired to purchase, he was requested to take a pan and prospect for himself, which the victim would often do with remarkable success. He, however, saw the joke after he had bought the mine, and procuring a shot-gun played the same game on some other chap; and I’m not sure, but I think that their descendants have inherited the same habit, and are yet shooting and selling old claims. One sale of a mining claim is worth mentioning. It was a rich piece of ground in the lower part of Hangtown, and located on a rich lead. A chap who had been hard at work for nearly ten days stripping the top dirt from his claim, about fifteen feet square and ten feet deep, prospecting a pan of dirt in one corner and finding nothing, concluded to sell it, if possible. Presently along came three or four young men who had just arrived, and he proposed to sell it to them, explaining that there was good pay a little deeper. They paid him his price—one hundred and fifty dollars—and early next morning started in to work. By 3 P.M. they were down to bed rock in various places, and water being handy they washed a pan just for curiosity.

The seller of the claim, who lingered around to see how badly he had fooled them, was, when he saw them wash out pan after pan,

containing from ten dollars to twenty dollars, fifty dollars, and one hundred dollars to a pan, the most disgusted man in California. He tried to buy it back, and offered five hundred dollars for it. They took out in about five days nearly $7,000, and this was their first mining venture.

The winter of ’50-51 as before stated was a very dry one, and there was hardly water enough to run a tom. Consequently the summer of ’51 was very dry, and the dry diggings throughout the country were almost entirely deserted. This season saw large amounts of gold dust taken from the river beds of the Yuba, Feather and Bear Rivers, as well as in the various forks of the American, and also in the streams in the central and lower portions of the State. Small towns were now being started in the various mining districts. School-houses and churches were conspicuous among all, and the country was now, more than ever, assuming the appearance of civilization, to the great disgust of the border-ruffian element, one of whom was heard to remark:

“That ef these Yanks didn’t stop with that ar’ nonsense of fooling away their time with school an’ prayin’ shebangs, the whole country would go to h—l.” But time has since proved that he lied.

The emigration of this fall was larger than that of the year previous and was that of a better class, consisting principally of families, many of whom were from States east of the Mississippi.

A bulletin board, or, rather, a book for registering the names of the newly-arrived emigrants in order that friends and acquaintances could learn of their destination and location, was put up. Many amusing incidents occurred in the search for those who had previously arrived. A young man, having just arrived, made inquiries among the various barrooms and hotels for his brother, who had, as he was informed by the bulletin board, come across the plains this season. The young man was from Ohio, and his older brother had left home some twelve or fifteen years previous. The new arrival, therefore, was very anxious to find his brother. The train with which the young man had just arrived was under the control of a man from New Orleans called the Colonel, his real name not being known by any one upon the train. In making inquiries in one of the barrooms, with the hope of finding some one who could give him the required information in regard to his brother, a gentleman from New Orleans, who was present, remarked:

“Why, the man you’re inquiring for, the Colonel, is here in town, and I saw him not ten minutes ago over there in that drug store.”

The young man went over and saw the Colonel, with whom he had crossed the plains, in the store, and of course mentioned the reasons for his coming in as directed.

“Well,” said the Colonel, “what was your brother’s name?”

“His name was William B. Richards.”

“Well,” rejoined the Colonel, “that is my name.”

Sure enough, this Colonel with whom he had crossed the plains was the long-lost brother!

It was the habit, or custom rather, in early days to give to each man a certain nickname by which he was usually known, his real name being, as a general rule, unknown, or even unasked for. “Whar air you from?” was the main question and the information most desired, and usually decided his nickname.

Here were “Old Pike,” “Big and Little Pike,” “Old Kentuck,” “Texas Jack,” “Texas Jim,” “Old Arkansas”; if Scotch, he was “Sandy,” or “Scotty”; if from the East, “Little or Big Yank,” and their mining locations would in some cases, also decide their names. There were “French Flat Pete,” “Sandy Hill Mike,” “Poverty Point Jim,” ad infinitum.

On one occasion, a young miner returned to his Eastern home for a visit, and one day, while visiting at some family acquaintances with his parents at a distance, upon looking over some daguerrotypes lying on the tables, he remarked that one of them resembled very much a young man with whom he had worked, and who was at present living in the same place, Mocklmne Hill, in a cabin near his. He could not tell the name, but he went by the name of Jack, and one day, being in his cabin, saw a book upon the table, and found upon looking at it, that it was the “Pilgrims Progress,” on the fly leaf of which was written the name of Elizabeth Andrews.

“Oh, Oh!” said a young lady present, “that is my brother, John Andrews, and we haven’t heard from him for nearly 15 years, and were afraid that some accident had happened to him somewhere.”

After the commencement of the rainy season, in the fall of ’51, the river miners flocked into the placer mining districts. Other arrivals from across the waters, soon swelled the population in all of the various mining camps. Gambling in all of its various forms became again the principal amusement. Barrooms and gambling-houses vied with each other in furnishing their patrons with the finest and loudest music, and bands could be heard playing in all of them during the greater portion of the evening, and until the wee sma’ hours of the morning. The professionals were as a general rule Southerners by birth, hailing from New Orleans, Louisville, Memphis, Richmond and St. Louis; whilst only occasionally would be found a sport claiming Boston or New York as his birthplace. Many of this class were men of good education and abilities, and many of them descendants of respectable families as well. They had been accustomed from childhood to associate with this class in their native cities, and therefore inherited or acquired the gambling trait of character. It is of course well understood that all men who gamble for money are necessarily very bad characters; but the professional gambler of early days formed, in many instances, an exception to this general rule, and should not be confounded with the lower ten-cent ante poker gambler found bumming and loafing around the gambling places of to-day. Among this former class were as many good, honest and square-dealing men as could generally be found among those engaged in any other business, and they were, as a rule, more charitable, being always ready to contribute their share, and a little more too, towards assisting those who were in distress.

A lady with two daughters arrived in the mines late in the autumn of ’49, her husband having died on the plains during the journey. They were in a very destitute condition and among strangers in a strange land, without a single acquaintance in the State, as far as they knew. Her great desire was to return to their Eastern home, and to enable them to do so newly-found friends used every effort, endeavoring, among the miners and business men of the town, to raise sufficient money for the purpose; but not enough money, however, could be collected. Some one mentioned the circumstance in one of the gambling houses, and one gambler, Lucky Bill, whose sad fate I have before mentioned, who was present, remarked:

“Well, if Mrs. S. wishes to return East again with her daughters, she shall go.”

Taking his hat around among the gamblers in the various houses, he raised in one hour about $1,500, which was sent to her, and in a few days the family went on its way rejoicing.

The winter of ’51-’52 was a very damp one, and mining throughout the entire region was carried on very extensively with toms, long and short, and towards spring sluices came into use, which enabled the miner to wash large quantities of dirt that would not pay by any other process. The greatest activity prevailed among all classes, and fortunes were realized by many. Among the arrivals during this year from the East, were many who had previously been in the mines and returned home; some to remain, while many had been to visit parents, wives and families as well, also in some few cases with the intention to return with a partner. Among the

latter class was a young man from Philadelphia, who had been absent from his loved one nearly two years. During the first year after parting he had written to her by every steamer; but, for some reason, for several months previous to revisiting his home he had neglected to correspond, not dreaming of the effect which such neglect sometimes produces upon the female mind. Upon arriving in his native city he hastened at once to the home of his adored one, knocked upon the door, and the mother of his darling Maggie, answering the call, invite him in with the greatest pleasure. Maggie is called; she enters the room, and the negligent miner goes for her, but hold! with a wave of the hand, she exclaims:

“Joseph, away, away! I thought you were dead, and I’m a married woman now.”

Joe’s advice to all young men upon his return to California was: “Boys, write often! Write often!”

During the winter, many ditches had been dug, bringing water from the mountain streams into the various mining districts, thus enabling the miners to work ravines, slides and benches, which never before had been worked. This extended the area of mining ground, and from this time forth it was possible to work nearly all gold-bearing soil.

In the spring of ’52, many who had succeeded in accumulating a sufficient amount of gold turned their attention to the cultivation of land, and to stock-raising in other portions of the State; and throughout the summer, ranches were pre-empted and located in many of the lower counties, for the very important discovery had now been made that a portion of California, at least, contained land suitable for agriculture. Up to this time, however, but very few people came with the intention of remaining, the principal purpose being to acquire a sufficient amount of gold, and then to return as soon as possible to their Eastern homes. But to thousands this quick return home was a delusion and a snare; for just how to return, or how to acquire the necessary means for so doing, was a conundrum that they endeavored to solve, but in many instances were finally compelled to give up.

Many left wives and families in the East, expecting to meet them again in a short time; but from sickness, misfortune, and poor luck, as well as in consequence of bad habits, the years rolled on, and they became weaned from their loved ones at home, who

were finally forgotten. In one instance, a man from an Eastern State, leaving a wife and several daughters to care for themselves, arrived here in ’50. He soon forgot his family in the East, but after a few years, being very unsuccessful in his mining and business matters, and hearing that his daughters had made wealthy marriages, concluded to surprise them with a visit. As the result proved, he was himself the most surprised man in that section of the country, for none of them knew him and would not even recognize him, a daughter saying that as he had never written nor sent them one dollar to assist them, therefore he could not be their father, and they kindly bade him farewell. He returned to California a sadder, but a more single man.

Previous to the discovery of the old river channels in the hills, it was the almost universal opinion, I think, that the mines would in a very few years be entirely worked out, and all would be compelled to return to their Eastern homes; but by the discovery of the hill gravel mining, the time necessary to accomplish this in was of course extended to a later day, and taken in connection, also, with the fact of the other very important discoveries, that good land was found in some of the other counties, it looked very reasonable to suppose that it would be possible to live here, and establish permanent homes in California. It was not until about three years later that this opinion became prevalent, and hundreds of families throughout the mining regions came to the conclusion that this might prove to be a pretty good country to live in after all.

Steamers were now making regular trips, bringing letters from home and friends semi-monthly. Besides, ships were continually arriving laden with all the necessaries of life, as well as its conveniences, and ladies could appear in the streets of the small, inferior mining towns sporting the latest styles of dress, hats and crinoline attachments, similar to those in the streets of New York or Boston, and what more could they desire? Wages were high in all of the towns and cities; provisions and groceries were reasonable in price, and the whole country assumed the air of a continuation of conditions of general prosperity of a more permanent character. The discovery was further made that, although malaria and mosquitoes were prevalent in certain portions of the country near the river margins, and also in the vicinity of certain flats covered by stagnant waters, and that fleas in swarms infested its chief city, yet the country in general was a very healthy one, the fleas being confined to their native soil and not allowed to scatter around over the State much.

The diverting of the water from mountain streams by means of flumes and ditches for mining purposes, changed entirely the character and general appearance of the mining regions, for the eye was soon greeted with the appearance of gardens scattered around among the hills, as well as in various camps. Cabbages raised their shaggy heads in their beds, adjacent to the bed of violets and daisies. Radishes, turnips and horse-radish, etc., could be found profusely scattered here and there, surrounded with rose-bushes, dahlias and the high, lofty and aristocratic sunflower. Beautiful cottages, surrounded with blooming gardens, could be seen dotting the sides and gentle slopes of the hills in the environments of the various mining towns, all denoting the fact of changed conditions, and telling in plain language that now we have come to stay. These changed conditions were not, however, confined to any one particular section of the country, but to all of the mineral regions that at this time were being worked, which included the central counties of the State, as well also as the chief towns and cities. All received the impulse of the change, and moved forward in their course toward a higher improvement of conditions.

With these changes came, also, from the far East, many who had previously returned to their Eastern homes, under the impression when they left that a total collapse here of all mining and business interests generally was a question of but a few short years, and being formed of that material peculiar to the pioneer, too proud to beg their way, would, therefore, be compelled to remain and make their future dwelling places in company with the Indians, amid the ruins of the once thrifty but now deserted mining villages. Many of these men returned, bringing their families with them also, satisfied that they found at last a suitable spot upon the face of the earth for a home, safe from the freezing blizzard and the destructive cyclone; and a country, too, where at night, after the toil of the day is over and all have retired to rest, and sweet, refreshing sleep is desired, the mercury in the tube of the thermometer hanging by the door, which has been through the day pretty well up towards the nineties, does not reverse the natural order of things as it does in the East, and continue climbing up during the night, forgetting to fall. On the contrary, here it conforms with the natural law, and gently descends from its lofty elevation of the day, evidencing a more agreeable temperature, necessary to sweet and refreshing slumber.

These things, and many other facts of a similar nature, brought to our State emigrants not only from the East, but from all other countries of the globe, who desired to live under such favorable conditions, and in a short time there could be found in the mining regions, as well as in the chief towns and cities, representatives from almost every nation. But a very small proportion, however, of those who came into the mountains in the year ’53 engaged in the business of mining, for previous to this time the very important discovery had been made that, by the use of water for irrigation, the soil could be rendered highly productive, and all kinds of fruits could be raised in the red and apparently barren soil. The German population commenced the cultivation of the grape vine, and from this point in the history of California can be dated the inception of the fruit and wine industries of the Pacific Slope, which in a few years swelled to immense proportions. The little valleys and level places, suitable for orchards and vineyards, were readily located, and everything indicated the fact that all had become convinced that this was the promised land, for which they had so long been searching.

It must not be supposed that the gold seekers from the Eastern side of the Continent, in their earnest desire to improve their financial condition, should entirely overlook their spiritual welfare; and that they did not forget their early training was evident from the fact that in the spring of ’51 a church was organized, and a suitable building erected near the mouth of Cedar Ravine, where services were held upon the Sabbath. The Rev. Mr. Owens was the first minister to officiate, and it was stated that this was the first church organization in the mining regions. The discovery was soon made, that although we had a church and a very respectable congregation, containing quite a number of ladies and a few children, yet there was something else wanting, something that had been associated in our minds from infancy in connection with a church, and this was a bell. The question therefore at once suggested itself as to how we could reasonably expect success in spiritual matters without a bell. Upon the supposition that this would be an impossibility, a committee was appointed, and money was raised for the purchase of one.

After much inquiry, the committee succeeded in purchasing in San Francisco an old ship’s bell. This upon its arrival was hailed with hearty cheers, and elevated in due time to its lofty perch upon the roof of the church. The sound of it could be heard for many miles around, reverberating among the ravines and cañons, telling to the miners far and near, in the plainest tones and in unmistakable language, that the holy Sabbath day had not only found its way across the barren desert and the mountain ranges, but had come to stay, and they must not forget it.

All persons are, perhaps, aware that the peculiar tone of a bell which we have often been accustomed to hear, and are therefore familiar with, can very easily be distinguished from the tones of another, even after the lapse of many years. Near the head of the Big Cañon, about two miles from the town, was a cabin occupied by three or four men who had followed the sea, and upon the first Sabbath morning when the bell was rung the sound of it reached the ears of the sailor boys; and one of them rushing from the cabin door exclaimed:

“Blast me eyes, shipmates, if thet aint ole Dick’s voice” (the name given to the bell on shipboard), “and I’ll jest bet a tar bucket agin an ole soldier, that the Capt’in of the ship has been on a spree, lost his bearin’s, and is a sailin’ up Hangtown Creek, and a comin’ to anchor off the town. We’ll scrub decks, trim sails, make all taut, me lads, and take a cruise down that way, and hev a talk with ole Dick.”

Jack was informed upon reaching town that the bell upon the church, sure enough, was formerly used upon the ship “Staffordshire.”

“Yas” says Jack; “I wud know that bell in any part o’ the world. For twelve years Dick and I sailed together the seas over, from the China Sea up through the Mediterranean, and the Indian Ocean; an’ we could all understan’ Dick’s language when he talked to us. It was Dick who tole us when the plum duff and ole horse was ready fur us to stow away in our lockers. When ’twas our watch below, an’ also late at night, when ’twas our watch on deck, we wud hear ole Dick sing out, ‘Aye, below there, me hearties! Rouse out, ye lubbers, an’ come on deck,’ an’ we always obeyed his orders.’ Well, me lads, ’tis quite a change fur ole Dick from the deck of a ship tossin’ about on the ocean, to the roof of a church up in Hangtown; but he’ll do his duty faithfully an’ if the land lubbers will be as quick to come on deck for prayers when he talks to ’em on a Sunday mornin,’ as the lubbers in the ship’s fo’cas’le were, they’ll all sail through life in safety with a fair wind. An’ then, when their voyage is ended, and Dick tells them that tis their watch below, they can slip their cables from this world without fear, sail over to the other side, an’ find a safe harbor in the next.”

About thirty-eight years have now passed since the old ship’s bell first made its appearance in the mining regions. It served its purpose well for a short time upon the roof of the church, in calling together the miners for prayers on Sunday mornings; but an increase in number of the congregation demanded a larger edifice. A larger bell was therefore deemed necessary, and Dick was transferred to the roof of the school-house on the hill, from which his voice can yet be heard, with the same cheerful tone calling upon the children to come and prepare themselves to take a part in the active duties of life.

The school was for a long time under the instruction of Mr. Cyrus Bartlett, of New Bedford, Mass.

In the fall of ’51, no little excitement was created in the town, by the entrance of a person whose name was Ben Nickerson, but who was generally known, however, as “Old Nick.” He brought into the mines with him a rather superannuated specimen of a grizzly, with a diminutive donkey as an accompaniment, and the posters upon the fences conveyed the valuable information that on the hill in the rear of the Court House, within an inclosure erected for the express purpose, at 2 P.M. daily, Sundays unexcepted, would be witnessed a most terrific combat between these two ferocious animals: tickets $1, to be had at the door; reserved seats for ladies and children at half price. To the credit of the ladies in the mining regions, it may be as well to mention that none ever visited old Nick, nor his inhuman exhibition. Occasionally the programme would be changed by the substitution of a wild Spanish bull, in place of the donkey. In a short time, however, public sentiment revolted against the inhuman exhibition, and the citizens, en masse, tore down the structure.

Many old-timers will remember Syd Ketchum, of Hangtown. He was full of his jokes, and was rightly named, for it was his greatest delight to “ketch ’um” (the boys) occasionally. One afternoon he took his station in the middle of the street in front of the Empire saloon, and casting his eyes upward seemed to be gazing

at some extraordinary object in the heavens. In a few minutes he was surrounded by others who were anxious to see what he was gazing at so earnestly, and among these was Anderson, the actor, who took his station in front of Syd, and gazed intently and long in the same direction. Finally, he turned to Syd and asked what he saw.

“Oh, nothing,” was the answer as he walked away.

Anderson, with his hands jammed in his pockets, stood in the same spot and watched the joker until the latter was out of sight, and remarked, as he turned to enter the saloon again:

“Well, I’ll be durned.”

“It was but a few days after this that Syd, rushing into the Belle Union gaming house out of breath, exclaimed:

“Horrible, horrible. The Coloma stage, with a full load of passengers, has just run off the Coloma street bridge.”

“Of course there was a great rush on the part of the crowd to the corner below for the purpose of witnessing the horrible accident, and among them was Anderson, the actor, in the lead. Upon their arrival at the corner they saw the stage, with its load of passengers, on its way up Coloma street, and it at once occurred to them that the stage never could have gotten across the bridge without running off at the further end of it.

“Well,” says Anderson, “durned if I don’t get even with old Syd, if I have to live in Hangtown the rest of my life.”

He watched his opportunity and it soon came.

It was late in the fall and raining. In the large gambling house called the Trio Hall, sitting around a great sheet iron stove one afternoon were a number of men enjoying themselves, and among them was Syd.

All at once the front door was violently opened and in rushed Anderson, the actor. He was hatless, and, from all appearances, was in the full enjoyment of a full-fledged case of “jimjams.” He stepped to the stove and with his foot kicked open the door, at the same time drawing from under his coat a large powder horn, which he threw into the stove, exclaiming:

“Let’s all go together, boys.”

A few minutes afterwards Syd, with a few others, ventured to look into the door, and there stood the actor with his hat upon his head, who, with a pleasant smile, inquired of Syd if the stage had run off the bridge again.

Some one asked Syd how he got out. He said that at times he was at the top, and sometimes they were five or six deep and he was at the bottom of the pile, but he managed, by rolling, tumbling and crawling occasionally, with a hop, skip and a jump, to get outside before the stove blew up, and acknowledged that Anderson had got even.

Soon after the hanging of Irish Dick in the fall of ’50, the question of hanging a culprit in that promiscuous manner was objected to by many, and Syd opposed it strongly upon the grounds that, as a general rule, the hardest characters in the camp would be the first to pull on the rope and cry “Hang him!” as was the case when Dick was hung, the majority of those who were the most eager to hang him being men of the lowest class.

Syd claimed that if a man were to run through the town, followed by others who cried “Hang him! Hang him!” this crowd of ignorant barroom loafers would join in the chase and hang the man, if they caught him, without asking any question, and simply upon general principles and from the excitement of the occasion. To prove this it was agreed that a young man present should run down the street, a few others should follow in his wake and cry “Hang him!” The young man started as agreed upon, and before he reached the corner of Coloma street a dozen barroom loafers had caught him, and with a rope around his neck were using him in a very rough manner. No doubt they would have injured him severely, even if they had not hung him, but for the interference of Syd and others, who explained the joke as well as the object in playing it.

CHAPTER XIII.

Emigration of ’51—Churches Erected—Mines Deserted—The Chinese Miners—Hill, River and Quartz Mining—Nature Frowns—The Course of Events Change—Fruit Raising—Prospecting—On the Home Stretch.

IN the fall of ’51 there was a very heavy emigration across the plains, from the Western States principally, which I heard estimated at 25,000, but whether it was as much as this I cannot say. Great numbers, also, who had traveled by water during the fall and winter of ’51, came up into the mining regions, and the estimate was made that in Eldorado County alone there were in the spring of ’52 fully 30,000 persons, while in the mining regions there were nearly 100,000. Of this number only a small proportion engaged in the business of mining, the great majority consisting of business men including saloon-keepers, idlers, loafers, and a large number of sporting men. From observation, I should judge that less than one-tenth of those who came into the mining regions up to this time engaged in the business of mining.

It was during the spring of this year that the first newspaper, called the Eldorado News, was started in the mining regions by Harmon & Springer. It changed hands in ’52, I think, its name being altered to that of The Mountain Democrat, under the management of Gilwicks & Phillips.

It was the intention of many up to this time (about ’52 and ’53) to return home after a few years; but now the time had arrived when orchards were blooming upon the hillsides, and the grapevines could be seen bending under their luscious burdens, the prevalent question appearing to be, Why not stay and make our homes here? The society in the mining regions, as was doubtless the case in the towns and cities, was somewhat mixed, and at first social conditions were rather strained, owing, of course, to the difference in the manners and customs of the natives of the different States and countries from which they had emigrated. This state of affairs did not last long, however, and society soon adapted itself to such changed conditions, and continued upon a more favorable basis. Churches were erected in all the chief mining towns by the various denominations; school districts were formed at an earlier day, and school-houses were erected throughout the mining counties, not only in the chief towns, but also in all of the various mining camps that contained children enough to start one.

In the dry seasons of ’50-’53, when water was scarce in the placer mining districts, large numbers proceeded to prospect the beds of other rivers, both north and south, finding that almost every stream, from the Klamath, Trinity and Scott rivers of the North, to the Stanislaus and other rivers of the South, contained gold in paying quantities. Dams, ditches, tail races, wing dams and flumes were built at the most available points in the various rivers, and immense fortunes were realized by a few persons. River mining partakes of the same nature and character as other mining, and although the exact location was known in the river where the rich deposits were to be found, yet the trouble and expense, as well as the uncertainty and risk in getting it, offset to a great extent the value of the amount acquired; for, in some cases, miners were compelled to dam and flue three and even four years in succession before being able to get to work among the pay gravel in the river bed.

Frequent losses were entailed in consequence of the breaking away of dams, caused by rains in the mountains above coming upon them unexpectedly and carrying away flumes, tools, etc., just as everything was about ready for commencing the work of washing the pay dirt.

Gold mining, under favorable conditions is of a pleasing and exciting nature, and for this reason has great attraction for many; but such is the great uncertainty of success of this method of acquiring wealth, that although fully $50,000,000 of gold was being annually extracted from the mines and put into circulation, yet, strange and paradoxical as it may seem, a few years demonstrated the fact that the class who extracted the gold from the soil in the dry diggings, from tunnels in the old, ancient river beds, as well as from the present water courses, were the very ones who had, or who retained in their possession, the least amount. It would be natural to suppose, from the nature of things, that those who dug the gold should hold or retain in their possession by far the greater portion of it; the reverse, however, was the case, and in a short time the miners, as a class, were the poorest persons in the State. A few, of course, had acquired fortunes, but thousands who had, but a short time previously been in possession, of good paying claims were now barely able to make a living. It is a mooted question as to why this was, and in what respects the business of gold mining differed from any other occupation.

The true explanation of this paradox, in my opinion, can be traced to the great expense attendant upon the business, and to the fact that the outgo continues at all times, while little or nothing is coming in; an important factor being also an excessive freedom in the use of gold, for a miner who has a paying mine does not practice habits of economy; he does not know how, and if he ever did it has slipped his memory.

As the ravines, gulches and small creeks were now worked out, or at that point when they ceased to pay sufficient to warrant working, they were entirely abandoned. This gave to the mining regions a very desolate appearance; for in certain locations or districts where but a short time previous all was life and animation, and the clatter of the shovels upon the tom iron, the rush of water and gravel through the long sluices, and the laughter and jollity of the miners at work, evidencing the fact that fair wages were being made, could be heard, now the scene was changed and all was desolate and deserted. The numerous old cabins scattered around among the hills were silent, and tenantless, too; the old chimneys in some places were falling to the ground, and young pine trees were showing themselves among the ruins.

But again the scene changes; for now the Asiatic hordes, who had learned of the great wealth to be acquired here in so easy a manner, were on their way to honor the State with their company, and they soon flocked into the mining regions in swarms, well satisfied to work over the old abandoned claims left and deserted by others. They were welcomed by the mining community with open arms, as it was soon discovered that the Chinese would not preempt, or locate any new mining grounds, desiring only to buy at a fair price the old worked-out claims which had been abandoned. Here was the grand opportunity of the miner to re-locate and sell to the Mongolian emigrant these old mining claims; and well did these disciples of Confucius merit the title of scavengers of the mining regions, for many of the old claims which had been abandoned as worthless, were not so in fact, as it was soon discovered that from many of them the Chinese miners were taking out large amounts of gold.

The Chinese method of working a mining claim differed very materially from our own, being of a more systematic character. It was their practice to commence and take everything clean as they went, leaving not an inch of ground behind them unworked. They are very slow workers as compared with other races, but sure and steady, illustrating by their success in working these old claims the truth of the old adage that it is the steady mill that grinds the corn. So thorough was their work, that it would be entirely useless and a waste of time to work over any mining grounds that have been previously worked by a Chinese company, for they got it all.

Some attempts to prevent the ingress of the Chinese into the mining regions by levying or enforcing the previously adopted “Foreign Miners’ Tax,” were made; but this they paid without a murmur, and in many cases two or three times over, for it was often the custom of some to go among them with fictitious papers, and collect their taxes in advance of the regularly licensed collector.

In the summers of ’53-’54, those who still continued in the occupation of mining, turned their attention chiefly to river and hill mining, returning to the rivers in the dry season and to their hill claims in the fall, after the rivers had risen, and rendered such mining impracticable. Tunnels were run into the old river channels in all directions; with varying success, however, some being a perfect failure, whilst from others fortunes were realized. Among the richest of these were the forest hill claims, where was found the celebrated blue gravel lead, this being discovered principally amid the ancient river beds, in the central and northern mining regions of the State, but small sections of it ever having been found through the southern portions. These hill claims were very extensive, and many throughout the mining regions, upon which work was commenced nearly thirty-eight years ago, are yet being worked with success. The same manner of working as originally, by drifting, is still in vogue, although the gravel, instead of being washed as it was at that time, is now crushed in mills in the same manner as quartz, and with greater profit. Many of these old abandoned hill claims, from which the gravel had been previously drifted, were afterwards washed away by the hydraulic process, with good success.

This process of mining commenced, I think, in some of the mines in the spring of ’52, and such was found to be the great advantage of the method, and the facility with which whole hills could be removed from their foundations and carefully and evenly deposited among the farms in the low counties, leaving, of course, the gold behind, that it came into general use throughout the mining regions wherever sufficient fall and water could be obtained. Old abandoned mines were by this process made very remunerative, as was the case also with many ravines and flats which could be washed to advantage, without regard to the rights of those who had fenced in and improved their garden spots with fruit trees, vines and flower-beds.

It was the general opinion of the great majority of the mining classes, from about the year ’51, that this was exclusively a mining country; that it was fit for nothing else, and that no man had a right to question this opinion, or to build upon, or to fence in, any portion of the soil for any other purpose whatsoever for his own individual use, that a miner was bound to respect. This idea yet exists in the minds of many, or at least of that portion who are engaged in hydraulic mining, for in their opinion the business of mining, being the first and original industry of the country, must have precedence over all other kinds of business, and of course this priority gives them the right to fill up, cover up, and destroy the property of the farmers below who were foolish enough to get in the way.

It was some time during the early spring of ’52, that mining men and geologists turned their attention to the various quartz ledges which were found projecting above the surface of the ground among the hills, many of which, upon examination, proved to be very rich in gold. The opinion soon became general, and a well-demonstrated fact, that all gold found among the ravines, flats, hills and river beds, came originally from these same quartz ledges, and that locked within the solid quartz, in the finest of particles, was its original condition. In consequence of volcanic eruptions and glacial action the hills and ledges had, in course of ages, been broken up and worn away to their present elevation, the gold therefrom having been scattered by the force of the rushing waters among the ravines and river beds, where it is now found.

In ’53 the erection of quartz mills commenced, and soon the crash and rattle of their stamps could be heard echoing among the hills and cañons. In the first excitement of quartz mining, mills were erected upon all ledges which showed the least appearance of containing gold, but it was soon discovered that the greater portion of them did not pay expenses. The consequence was, it is safe to say, that hundreds of mills were idle in a year hence, and the valuable machinery was left to rust and decay. In the case, however, of many of these old abandoned ledges, further prospecting at lower depth proved them to be of value, and many of them at the present time are being worked with profit, owing to the improved methods of saving the gold.

It has been said that gold mining was not a legitimate business, and that the intense desire for gold created unnatural conditions. But observation and experience show us that the happiness of the human family, as well as the grade of civilization to which it is possible to attain, depends upon the quantity of gold which it is possible to acquire, and its proper use. Without gold in what would life consist? What would be its chief aim and consideration? Why, there wouldn’t be any aim at all, for there wouldn’t be any target worth the aiming at. It was the desire to possess this precious metal that prompted thousands of us to undertake such a long, wearisome, and dangerous journey around those gigantic obstructions at the extreme end of the continent, as well as a tedious journey across the barren deserts. It is this desire, also, or incentive, which builds our great cities, our great manufacturing industries, as well as our railroads and steamships; proving conclusively, in my opinion, that the individual who first invented and threw to the breeze the old saying that money makes the mare go understood the whole business.

But why should gold in such vast quantities be scattered here upon the western portion of our continent, and why was Nature so partial in the distribution of her favors? Was it accidental, the effect of chance conditions, or was it designed for some special purpose? The latter is the more reasonable, and therefore the more probable, theory, for observation shows us that Nature frowns upon unbalanced conditions, and that here, upon the western slope of the continent, lying silent and deserted, was an earthly paradise, unthought of, and as yet unknown except by a few, while at the East vast numbers were settling and making their homes amid the snowbanks and blizzards of an Arctic climate, totally unconscious of what the conditions were at the far West, beneath the setting sun. Under such conditions it is very easy to understand why Nature frowns. It is very true, as we had been previously informed, and rightly too, that Westward the Star of Empire takes its way; yet, by the natural process of settlement it would have required hundreds of years, perhaps, to colonize and to settle up this portion of our continent, and properly balance the conditions of increased population. It was for this purpose, no doubt, that the knowledge of the existence of gold upon the western portion of our continent was reserved for the Anglo-Saxon race, who understood its real value and knew how to use it as an incentive for the proper adjustment of unbalanced conditions; and we have come as the pioneers of an advancing civilization, intending to grow up with the country and to use our best endeavors (by all legitimate means) to restore the equilibrium by an increase in population.

The hills, rivers and ravines still continued to give forth their valuable treasure; but one fact was very evident, and that was that but a very small proportion of it remained in the mining regions. There was a continuous current of gold flowing into the chief city by the sea, and but a very small portion of it returning to the miners, who by their labor extracted it from the earth. Business men, also, among the various mining camps in the gold regions, who had succeeded in accumulating a reasonable amount, followed in the wake of this current to the big city, there to use and spend their earnings, and none, or at least but a very few, seemed willing to continue to live in and improve that portion of the country where they had won success.

The continuous flow of gold concentrated, therefore, in the hands of comparatively few men, and San Francisco became the head-center for all comers who desired to secure a portion of the golden stream. And now the city which, but a few years previous, was a mere cluster of sand-hills, began to assume the form and appearance of a great city, or the foundation upon which a metropolis was to be built.

Throughout the dry or placer mining regions, numerous towns and villages had grown up which in a few years assumed conditions of considerable importance under the impression that such mining would be of a more lasting and permanent character. It required but a few years, however, to demonstrate the fact that such mining was of a transient nature; the gold in the ravines, gulches, flats and benches, as well as in the small and shallow creeks, was soon extracted, what was left by the American miner in his hasty and careless method of working being subsequently thoroughly cleaned out by the Chinese miners. These sections being now almost entirely deserted by the miners, the business men and families in the towns and villages were forced to abandon them, their homes and property soon falling into decay.

A journey through these deserted and now silent villages, which but a few short years previous were full of life and animation, presents to the mind a scene which can only be paralleled by the New Zealander of the future, sitting upon the ruins of London Bridge, speculating upon the vicissitudes and the uncertainties of human affairs, especially in gold mining, and further illustrates the fact that although it is gold itself that forms the great incentive for building up our towns and cities, yet the precious metal does not possess the power to built up, or improve, the portions of the country in which it is found; but seemingly produces a contrary effect. It was for these reasons, that upon the placer mines being worked out, the various towns and villages soon went to decay; the country presenting a very desolate and deserted appearance. This desolation would have increased as the mines became exhausted, and in course of time the whole mining region would have been silent and deserted, but for the important discovery having been made that the abandoned mining regions possessed a value for agricultural purposes far superior, of a more permanent character, and of greater value to the human family in general than the gold beneath the surface. To this cause can be attributed the change in the course of events, as well as the character of the country, and which also will in time be the means of transforming the now silent and deserted portions of the mining regions into populous and thriving settlements.

As the various mines became exhausted of their wealth, and the once prosperous villages were abandoned and left to decay, the gambling classes, and the gentlemen of elegant leisure were also

forced to leave for other more populous sections—the greater portion of them following the golden current to the head-centers of population, i. e., the great cities below. Many, however, abandoned their calling, and becoming desperate engaged in the business of mining. A few, however, turned their attention to what in their opinion seemed the most remunerative, and most in accordance with their natures: they became travelling stage agents, upon the various routes throughout the mining regions; inspecting the various coaches which they met in lonesome out-of-way places. When found to be overloaded with a larger amount or weight of precious metal than the law allows in such cases, these vehicles would be relieved of the surplus, and in many cases a little more besides. The greater number of this gentry were, however, in course of time captured through the vigilance of certain well-known and energetic detectives, such as J. Hume and a few others.

In a few short years the placer diggings were almost entirely exhausted, and, as before mentioned, the annual yield of gold had been somewhat reduced in consequence; but the yield from the ancient river beds will, no doubt, remain a constant quantity for many long years, until they also become exhausted, or the profits becoming too small will lead to their abandonment, and ultimately fall into the hands of the Mongolian race, which will, doubtless, continue working them for the next three hundred years at least. Quartz mining, however, is of a different nature, and in consequence of the great number of ledges throughout the State, as well as the great depth in which gold-bearing quartz has been found, many ages will be required to entirely exhaust them, amounting doubtless to hundreds of years, or as long, perhaps, as gold is used for the purposes of exchange.

After a residence here among the hills of the mining regions of six or seven years’ duration, we had acquired a knowledge of the peculiarities of the climate of the country, the time of the changes of its seasons from wet to dry, and vice versa, and we found that there was no uniformity in the various changes, and no possible manner of foretelling what the following winter or its nature would be; whether it would be a wet or a dry one, or what the nature of the following dry season was to be. No two seasons were alike, but differed in many respects from all preceding ones. The Indians, however, pretended to have discovered a means of forecasting the nature of the following winters, but they missed it occasionally. It was also claimed that the squirrels were endowed with foresight, and would lay in a winter’s supply accordingly. These, too, missed it occasionally, from which fact it was evident, as the oldest inhabitant was forced to admit upon his dying bed, that no sure means of prognosticating the future condition of the weather in California were possible.

The rains commenced in the mining regions usually about the last of October, and continued at intervals throughout the season until on or about April 10th, and occasionally, with a few light showers thrown in as good measure, up to the 20th. These rainy seasons throughout the central portion of the mining regions were usually warm and pleasant, with but very little snow and ice, and, with the exception of a few days towards the last of December, mining could be continued throughout the year. The dry seasons, in some localities, were very hot for a short time during July and August, but the nights, however, in the hottest of weather were invariably cool.

The orchards and vineyards were about this time coming into bearing, demonstrating the fact that the soil was well adapted to fruit growing. Many of the ravines and flats, from which the soil had previously been washed away in the search for gold, were by means of brush dams again filled up to a proper level by the muddy streams from mining claims higher up, and converted into rich garden spots, giving an appearance similar to the older, settled portions of our country. It soon became apparent that fruit raising could be made remunerative, and hundreds of miners throughout the central portions of the mining regions turned their attention to this new and profitable industry. Orchards and vineyards in a few short years could be found blooming upon every available point where water for irrigation could be obtained; upon flats, benches and slides, and even in some cases upon the tops of the highest hills, for up here the soil was of a lighter character and better adapted to the vine than that of lower and colder localities. The long, dry summer seasons here are well adapted to fruit raising, and it was soon found that tropical fruits would mature and ripen in certain well-protected localities, such, for instance, as the orange, lemon and fig.

Various flowering plants, also, which in much lower latitudes of the Atlantic slope can only be raised in hot-houses, are here an ordinary garden plant, and but very seldom injured by the frosts of spring. The long, dry summers and cloudless skies are to the new comers an agreeable contrast with those at the East, and for a few years are very enjoyable, but in time become monotonous to those who were born and raised under less favorable conditions in colder climates, many becoming wearied at the continuance of such a long and cloudless atmosphere, which in some seasons embraces a period of eight to ten months. They seem to pine for other conditions, where heavy rains, hailstorms and cyclones are frequent and break the monotony of the scene. This desire for a change is a disease, the remedy for which is well known, for many who have returned to their Eastern homes to be cured have again wended their way to California, perfectly convalescent after spending one short year away, satisfied and content and willing to endure the tedious monotony of eight long months beneath the cloudless skies here, rather than to risk an unequal contest with the blizzards and cyclones of an Eastern winter.

The mining classes are usually of a restless nature and ready to wander forth at any time in search of new fields, and will, as it has been proved in the earlier experiences of Gold Bluff, Salmon and the Snake River excitement, as well as in the more recent discoveries of Frazer River, British Columbia and Montana, abandon ranches and good paying mines, carried away by the anticipation of finding away yonder rich mines and better pay than can be found nearer home. But the greater portion eventually return, satisfied that small wages at home are better than searching among the mountain ranges of other sections of the country for uncertainties. In the course of some eight years from the first discovery of gold in California, the entire country, extending from Arizona and New Mexico on the south, up through the British possessions to the Alaska line on the north, and as far as the Black Hills at the east, were traveled over and prospected by various companies of miners who were in search of another Eldorado. Although many rich localities were discovered from which a great amount of gold was extracted, yet the mines were spotted, the gold generally at a great depth and confined to a few gulches or ravines only, demonstrating the fact that no other portion of the earth’s surface, at least upon our own continent, will ever be discovered where the gold is

distributed so uniformly over the surface among the numerous ravines, rivers and gulches, and in such immense quantities, as was found to be the case in California. In fact, I doubt the existence of a similar deposit and of such an extent, anywhere upon the earth’s surface. Neither has there been so far discovered anywhere upon the Pacific Coast mining districts that contain within their limits such a vast number of quartz ledges bearing free gold in paying quantities, as can be found in the mining regions of California at the present time.

I have stated that the majority of the residents of California, at least in the mining regions, had now become well satisfied with their adopted home, and intended to remain; but there were a few, nevertheless, who still pined for their Eastern home, for various reasons. For instance.

I chanced to meet a family one day upon the emigrant road, evidently upon their return journey. It was during the spring of ’57. The family was composed of an old man and his wife, the former driving a yoke of cattle hitched to a regular emigrant wagon covered, and with all the trimmings usually found in connection with an emigrant team. It was so unusual to see a team of this description headed for the East that, from curiosity, I inquired of them whither they were bound:

“Wall, stranger,” the old man replied, “me an’ the ole woman air a-gwine away from hyar. We air on the homestretch to ole Missouri agin, whar we cum frum nigh on ter ten years ago.”

He explained further, that many years before he and his wife had become imbued with a desire to retire to some secluded place, to live in solitude away from the noise and confusion of society, and where, as he said:

“We cud jest enj’y outsels, an’ raise lots o’ chickens without interferin’ with anybody.”

So they moved away out West, and made their home in solitude upon the frontier.

“Wall stranger that wus a rale quiet place out thar fur a spell; but jest as soon as they diskivered gold out’n California, the jig were up, fer all them chaps, who wus a-goin’ thar, come right along my way, and just shoved that air frontier of ourn right along ahead of ’em t’ards the West. So one mornin’ Nancy ses to me, ses she, ‘Hiram! Hiram! ef we air a-gwine to enj’y a solitude along with a frontier

we mus’ git away from hyer, t’ards the West, and git a leetle ahead of all them fellers.’ ‘Thet’s so Nancy,’ ses I, ‘an’ ef you back pu ther duds, I’ll call ther chickens, hitch up ther team an’ load ther wagin, and we’ll git ahead on ’em and diskiver another frontier somewhar.’ But durn my buttons, stranger, we’ve been tryin’ to git a leetle ahead on ’em ever sence. But ’taint no use. We thot we hed struck a frontier in Californy agin’ fur sartin, when we fust got thar; but one mornin’ arter we hed hed a long wet spell, the fust thing I seen when I got up wus a steamboat right in ther back-yard. So ses I, ‘Nancy, Nancy, hyer they air jest a comin’ agin’. So we loaded our traps in the wagin, and went over ther mountains whar the ocean is, an’ we jest thot that we hed got it now fur shure; fur hyer was a sort o’ a nat’ral frontier that wouldn’t stan’ any pushin’. So we ontied the chickens an’ got ready, kind o’ hum like, when one mornin’ we heerd the awflest n’ise, and wen we went out, durned if thar wern’t a saw-mill right back of our chicken house, an’ they were jest buildin’ ’nother one ’cross the creek, and some ships was a-sailin’ along in frum ther ocean to load up ther lumber. Now Nancy never did like saw-mills. Sed she’d rather hear it thunder enny day, ’cause the sawin’ n’ise sets her teeth on aidge so. On’y she haint got a nat’ral tooth in her hed annyhow.”

“Well,” said I, “where did you go next?”

“Wall,” the old lady replied, “we thot we mought try it further north fur a spell, so we moseyed ’long up thru Oregin, an’ ’way off up inter Idyho; whar we foun’ a frontier at las’, fur sartin. An’ I reckon ’twill stay that fur a spell, too. We stayed on’t a hull year, but had to git off on’t agin on ’count of ther chickens.”

I asked her the reason.

“Oh, shucks,” she replied, “a sawmill was nothin’ t’ ther racket up thar, an’ I’ll tell ye how it wuz. Yer see, in ther winter ’tis tornal cold, an’ ther roosters couldn’t crow, fur yer see jest as they ’gun to crow it all fruz harder’n a icicle, so jest soon’s spring’s thaw cum on, why all their crowin’s thet wuz fruz in ther winter ’gun t’ chirp, and sich a crowin’ time ye never heerd in all yer born days. An’ fur mor’n two weeks me nur Hiram didn’t sleep blessed wink. Well, stranger, we jist packed up agin, and thot we’d try the southern kintry, ’mong th’ cactuses in th’ sandy desert down in Aryzony. Frum ther looks o’ things down thar we thot mebbe we’d be ’way frum ’em all and hev the frontier all to ourselves, but we wuz hasty, though. One mornin’ Hi run, and sez he, ‘Nancy, Nancy! ’taint no use.’ They wuz comin’ agin sure ’nuff; fur ’way up ’n ther valley we cud see th’ dus’ a-risin’, and we knowed what that meant; and now yer see we air jest a moseyin’ back to ole Missouri agin.”

“Yaas,” says Hiram, “the kintry’s gittin’ to be no ’count, an’ purty soon thar won’t be a mite o’ frontier lef’, fur they air just a-crowdin’ on’t way down inter Mex’co, an’ ’twon’t be long ’fore they’ll be a-tryin’ ter chuck it ’way up over inter Kanady. Yer can’t fin’ enny solertude now anywhar.”

“Nary a solertude,” says Nancy. “Fur ’tis jest fizz! buzz! buzz! geerat! whang! slang! kerbang! all over ther hull blessed kintry. Now we’ll go back to ole Missoury agin, whar we kin git suthin’ fit ter eat, anyhow, an’ we’ll try an’ stub thru ther rest o’ our days ’thout enny frontier in our’n.”

I asked the old lady if she could not find anything fit to eat in California.

“Oh, yaas, sich as ’tis; but nuthin’ ter wat we kin git in Missoury,” she replied.

When I inquired of her what it was that she could get to eat there that was so much better than anything to be found in California, she answered,

“Wall, stranger, yer never ett poke-greens’n bacon down in Missoury, fur if yer hed yer never wud a-ax’d sich a question.”

I asked the old man what he thought of California, anyhow.

“Wall,” he replied, “‘tis a big kintry, and I tell yer ’twon’t be long afore ther’ll be a powerful heap er folks a-livin’ all over, thicker’n rats in Sacrymenty City” (“Yaas, or fleas in San Frixo,” interjected Nancy), “but when yer cum to talk about yer climate, there aint none t’compare with climate in ole Missoury. W’y, jest think on’t, stranger, ten an’ ’leven months o’ sunshine in Californy an’ no show fer a pore man to get a minit’s res’, an’ every mornin’ ’long ’bout daylight, yer jes’ hear the ole gal a-chirpin’, ‘Cum, cum, Hi, git up thar! the sun’s a-risin’ clare, and yer got a heap er work ter do, yer know.’ No, stranger, I couldn’t stan’ it; so we’ll go back to ole Missoury, live on poke-greens’n bacon, ’n hev a show wen it rains t’ talk politics with ther boys outen ther corn crib, or take a nap with ole Boz in ther chimney corner fer a spell. It’s so drefful cheerin’ like in ole age.”

CHAPTER XIV.

The Discovery of Silver in Nevada—The Stage Road—Hank Monk—Road Agents—The Parson—The Stool Pigeon—Spirits—The Boys Who Captured the Thief—a Young Dick Turpin—The Irishman and the Road Agent.

ABOUT the year 1858 occurred another very important event in the history of mining upon the Pacific coast, this being the discovery of silver mines in the State of Nevada. The mines of California contain gold principally, but small quantities of silver being found, and in a few locations only mines of copper, although, except in a few cases, not in paying quantities. In the State adjoining, however, upon the eastern slope of the Nevada range, the rule was reversed, the principal character of the ore being of silver, but small quantities of gold having been so far discovered.

The excitement throughout the mining regions was intense, and thousands could be seen upon the various roads on their way to the new Eldorado. Hundreds deserted their ranches, miners forsaking their claims, and business men and mechanics also joining in the almost universal stampede. At the commencement of the silver mining industry it could not, for the want of proper machinery and facilities for working the ores, be reduced or worked on the Pacific Coast, and it therefore became necessary to export it to other portions of the country for the purpose. The ore was packed in sacks, placed upon the backs of mules, and in this manner transported across the mountains to San Francisco, from whence it was shipped to the various reduction works in New Jersey, or to Swansea, Wales. In a short time, long trains of mules heavily laden with the valuable silver ore could almost daily be seen wending their way slowly but surely among the rocks and over steep declivities of the mountains, destined for the sea coast.

The roads through the mining regions were rough, and across the mountains steep and precipitous, it being almost impossible to convey freight or supplies into the silver mines, except upon the backs of mules. This state of affairs was soon changed, however, for roads were immediately commenced, starting from a point a few miles above Placerville, a system of toll roads being constructed across the mountains nearly one hundred miles in extent. The completion of these roads changed, in a short time, the character of the silver mining industry; for by means of them, all the necessary machinery for working the rich ores could easily be transported across the mountains from the foundries and work shops of San Francisco.

Soon were seen long trains of heavily laden wagons, drawn by mules, containing an endless assortment of iron wheels, pulleys, boilers, smoke-stacks and enormous fly-wheels, as well as all of the various tools and parts of machinery necessary for the working of the mines. Heavily loaded “schooners” also, drawn in some instances by twelve large mules, could often be seen in large numbers stringing along the road for miles, laden with household goods, hardware, groceries and provisions for the use of the vast numbers who had congregated there and were engaged in mining, prospecting, and also in laying foundations of the principal town, Virginia City.

These toll roads were grand affairs; broad, smooth and as hard as a floor, for they were kept well watered by regular water carts, which being filled from the numerous springs by the roadside, traveled back and forth, sprinkling them thoroughly. This road, during the dry season and when not encumbered by heavy snows upon the summit of the mountains, for several years presented the appearance of a busy street in some cities. Men on foot, and vehicles of all descriptions, were continually passing in one direction or the other. For the convenience of this immense traffic, houses, barrooms and way stations for the accommodation of teamsters and travelers, were necessary and numerous, being situated but a short distance apart along the entire length of the road. Some of them were fine and costly buildings, while others, again, were of the cheapest character.

This also was the regular stage road, from Sacramento City through Placerville. During the summers of ’58-’59 the travel over this stage route was very heavy, and for a greater portion of the time two and three stages loaded with passengers left Placerville daily for the silver mines. To drive a stage upon this route the most expert drivers were required; sober and steady men who had great presence of mind, for upon these qualities the lives of a load of passengers, numbering in some instances as many as eighteen or twenty persons, depended, and among them would always be found a few ladies and children. The horses used were usually of a Spanish mustang breed, the wheelers generally being old and steady American horses. Six horses was the usual number required, and the leaders being, as was often the case, only half broken, untamed mustangs, it required drivers who thoroughly understood their business.

Among these experienced drivers, and the most prominent, was the one who brought Horace Greeley through on time, Hank Monk, and who had the reputation of being one of the most expert drivers on the coast; he died recently in Carson City. Hank Monk was what is termed among stage men a lucky driver, seldom meeting with an accident and no passenger ever having been injured who rode with him. If an accident ever did happen to him upon his route, he kept cool, puffed his cigar, and kept his own counsel.

A passenger, who on one occasion occupied an outside seat, relates that in descending the steep grade from the mountain side into Carson Valley, and when within about a half-mile of the foot of the grade, the brake bar gave way. The stage, with its load of passengers, rolled forward upon the wheelers, but Hank took an extra turn of the line around his hands, held his cigar firmly between his clenched teeth, and speaking quietly to his mustang leaders said, “Gerlang! gerlang!” and they certainly did, for never in the history of staging was faster time made down that or any other grade. The passenger sitting beside him became frightened and started to jump, but Monk said, “Set still!” which fortunately for him he did. The passengers inside were frightened at the rate of speed with which the descent was being made, and not knowing the cause of it naturally supposed that some accident had happened to the driver. One of them, therefore, upon thrusting his head out of the window to reconnoitre, met the smiling countenance of Monk, and quieted the fears of his fellow passengers by remarking:

“We are making pretty fast time; but Hank Monk has hold of the lines, and it’s all right anyhow.”

The running wild mustangs were guided safely to the level valley below, and brought to a standstill in front of the hotel for lunch. When asked by some of the passengers why he drove so furiously

down that grade, he replied that he was a little behindhand for lunch, that was all.

There were other stage-drivers also who drove upon this mountain road, although not so well known perhaps as Monk, yet who had high reputations as expert drivers. Among them were Watson and Nelson. There was another one, who, if not so expert as a driver, and possibly did not acquire so great a notoriety in the business as others, at least when alive, created a greater astonishment at death, and this was Charley, the noted stage-driver who had followed the business of stage driving for some years upon various roads throughout the State, and upon whose death, which occurred only recently, it was discovered that the noted stage-driver was a woman.

It could hardly be expected that a well-traveled road like this, over which so much treasure was being transported, and where so many teamsters were returning with their freight money about them, should be free from the inquisitive eye of the road agent, although it was for a while. The temptation, however, in a short time became too great, and the unusual facilities for operating this species of industry rendered the conditions such that it followed from necessity. The business of certain classes of the sporting fraternity among the small towns of the mining regions, had at this time become almost entirely destroyed, and many of them in their desperation had actually gone to work. But with the opening of this new road, with its immense travel and unusual facilities, other opportunities of a little better nature than hard work were brought into existence; and the result was that many availed themselves of them. Teamsters were robbed of their well-earned freight money; travelers on foot, on horseback, and under all conditions, were relieved of their surplus at all points, and at all hours of the day or night.

It was often amusing, as well as very instructive, to stop by chance at some large hotel where a number of travelers and teamsters had put up for the night, and hear their stories of how they were ordered to stop and pungle by these knights of the road.

It happened upon one occasion that I stopped for the night at Yank’s Hotel in Lake Valley. There were about forty teamsters stopping over for the night, and they commenced relating their experiences. Several had been relieved of their freight money quite recently, and they explained, in very graphic language, just where, when, and how it was done. One teamster present was called by his

brother teamsters “Big George,” and well he merited the name, for he was a large, powerful man, and drove a twelve-mule bell team. He made it his boast that these chaps on the road knew enough to let him alone, for up to this time he had never been troubled by them; but, singularly enough, upon his return from this very trip he was robbed of his freight money, amounting to something over $500. On his way home he took the Dutch Flat road, and was robbed within half a mile of the town of Marysville.

By coincidence, about two weeks later the same crowd of teamsters, including “Big George,” I being present also, met again at the same hotel in Lake Valley for the night, and now the remark of “Ah, George, they know enough to let me alone!” would be heard from various ones. After hearing this repeated a number of times, George said that he would give up, they were too much for him, and upon request he gave a very graphic description of the whole affair. He stated that when he was within sight of the town, which was visible a short distance ahead, it was about sundown and he was seated away up in his accustomed place upon his sheepskin, and that just as the wagon was opposite a great boulder which had slid down from the bank above partly obstructing the road, a little bit of a black-eyed cuss, who wasn’t much bigger than a good sized cud of tobacco, jumped from behind it, and placing his foot upon the hub of the forward wheel, at the same time pointing the muzzle of an immense revolver up towards George, commanded him to stop the team.

“Well, boys, I stopped them,” said George, “but at the same time I put my hand upon my revolver, which was lying all cocked and ready for business right under the sheepskin. He knew pretty well what I was going down there after, you bet, so he jumped on the hub of the wheel and shoved his howitzer close up to my eyes and right down into the barrel I could see the big leaden balls. They appeared to me to be as big as my fist, and just squirming to get at me. Says he, ‘Take your hand off of that,’ and I did. Then the little cuss, says he, ‘Put your purse into my hand.’ At the same time extending it up towards me.”

“Well, George, what did you do then?” some one asked.

“I just kept my eye down in the barrel of that six pounder, took out my purse from under the sheepskin carefully and tenderly, for I did hate to give it up to such a little insignificant squib as he

was, but ’twas no use. I just reached over and laid it gently into his hand, like a little man. He jumped down, thanked me kindly, and remarked as it was getting late I had better hurry up or I would lose my supper.”

Many were the incidents related by these teamsters of their various experiences with the road agents and how they escaped, for at this time many, for fear of robbery, would express their money over, or take in its stead a check which they would have cashed in San Francisco or in Sacramento City upon their return home.

A gentleman was driving a buggy on his way from Dutch Flat to Virginia City, when, near his destination, he was stopped by a man; a pistol was presented, and the usual formalities were gone through with as is necessary in such cases. The gentleman handed over a $20 gold piece, at the same time remarking that he was very sorry, but that was all he happened to have with him. He noticed in handing it over to the road agent that the latter appeared to be very nervous and frightened, and he remarked to him that he believed he was new to the business. The agent answered that he was and that it was his first offense, and that he only did it from absolute necessity. Upon being further questioned, he stated that he had worked for a whole year in a livery stable as hostler in a town not far away; that the livery stable keeper failed, and he never received a single dollar. Upon further inquiry it was learned that he had a young wife and two small children living in the State of Ohio.

“They are really suffering, and, by George,” he said, “I was determined to raise money somehow to send them.”

The gentleman then informed him that he himself kept a livery stable, and promised to give him a good job if he would get into the buggy with him. After some persuasion he did so, and it was afterwards stated that he proved to be a faithful and competent man, remaining there in the Samaritan’s employ for nearly four years, and the gentleman never stated the facts of the case until after the hostler had returned to his family in the East.

There were numerous incidents of a similar character constantly occurring on this road.

A tall, lean and lank specimen of a Downeaster, who was engaged in mining, was very leisurely walking along the road one Sunday afternoon on his way home.

He had been out visiting among some of his lady acquaintances and was dressed in the regulation store-clothes style; in place of a collar, however, he wore a plain white handkerchief for a necktie. In consequence of a close resemblance to a certain minister of the gospel who frequently visited that part of the country, he was called by all his acquaintances “the parson.” All at once one of these polite road agents stepped out from behind a tree, and, presenting his weapon, demanded the “parson’s” money instantly, or off would come the top of his head. Now, the parson was totally unprepared for such an encounter, and as he had in his pocket a purse containing about $250, which he didn’t like to part with without a struggle, the question suggested itself at once as to how he could save it. An idea occurred to him, and the fact of his being called a parson could now be made good use of, since he was well aware that he very much resembled one. Especially was this true when dressed up with his old-fashioned black coat and his white necktie, and they saved him. He replied to the demand in a drawling tone, that unfortunately the profession in which he was engaged didn’t enable him to carry about much money, but that he had a prayer-book which might be sold for a trifle, at the same time putting his hand into his coat pocket for the book. The agent, ordering him to take his hand from his pocket, again repeated his demand, or off would come his head and at once, if he didn’t hand over. Then says the parson, in his drawling style:

“If I must go hence, first let me pray, won’t ye?” at the same time kneeling down in the proper attitude.

The road agent, being now satisfied that he had sure enough struck a genuine parson, turned in disgust and remarked as he went away:

“Oh, pray away all night, if you like, and be d—— d!”

But this little incident, like many others which often occur among the parsons, has a sequel.

Some four years later, in Sacramento City, the parson and some of his acquaintances were enjoying themselves as miners usually do when visiting the large cities in the barroom of one of the hotels. During the course of the evening, a well-dressed man, who seemed to be serving in some capacity in the hotel, took him by the arm to one side, and asked him if he ever lived up on the toll-road a few miles above Placerville. The parson replied that he did, and that his residence was in a cañon near the road, where he was at present mining. The man then asked:

“You were a minister some four or five years ago, were you not?”

“Why, no, I wern’t at all; they only called me parson because I looked so much like one. But say, stranger, why do you ask me these questions?”

“Well, because when that road agent demanded your money, you remember you said you were a preacher, and got right down in the dust to pray.”

“Yaas, I know that; but you see that chap got the drop on me, and as I had no weapon with me I was bound to save about $250 that I had in my pocket.”

“Well,” says the man, “and you did it well, too.”

“Why,” Yank asks.

“Why? because I was the chap who was concerned in that little funny business.”

“The h—l you was! why, you don’t say so! really though?”

“Yes, sure. You see I was on the way home from the other side and was dead broke, and I just thought to myself, now here is a good chance. It was my first and last trial in the business, for the idea of robbing a country preacher broke me all up. Do you notice that I am now bald-headed?”

“Why, yes,” answered the parson; “what’s the matter?”

The man replied. “I was so disgusted with myself that I shed my hair all out on the way home.”

“Well, I’ll be doll garned!” exclaimed the parson. “Let’s go and take suthin’.”

And, by the way, this reminds me of another incident of a similar nature, where the principal actor could not resist good chance.

The robberies or attempts to rob became so frequent within a few miles of town, that it was very evident that the men engaged in the business were a part of the sporting class, with which the town at this time was filled. They would go up the road, leaving town late at night, and return before daylight. Many were suspected, but for want of evidence they could not be arrested. The sheriff, equal to the emergency, employed a man who had himself been in that business in some other quarter of the globe but who had reformed, to act as a spy or stool pigeon; to go out upon the road at night and endeavor to recognize some of these sporting chaps.

On the day following, an old gentleman complained at the sheriff’s office of having been stopped upon the road and robbed of quite a sum of money, and remarked that he believed that he could recognize the chap if he could see him, as it was not a very dark night. Just at this moment our stool pigeon, or highway detective, entered the door. The old gentleman took a good, square look at him, and exclaimed:

“There! There! That’s the chap who robbed me!”

The sheriff said to him:

“Tom, did you rob this man?”

“Oh, yes,” he replied, “and here is the money,” at the same time throwing the purse upon the table.

When asked why he did it he replied,

“Well, it was such a good chance that I really couldn’t help it.”

The murder and robbery of Capt. Harmon of Smith’s Flat, a mining camp a few miles above Placerville, is worth mentioning, for there is one very mysterious circumstance in connection with this man which is difficult of explanation.

The captain had been a seafaring man for many years, and, having become tired of the sea, he came up to this mining camp in the spring of ’57 and opened a small store. It was noticed by many, in fact it was well known among all who had made his acquaintance, that he was almost daily in the habit of seating himself in the back part of his store and holding a conversation, as he very earnestly maintained, with his wife who had been dead about seventeen years, and with a daughter also who had been dead but a few years.

It was useless to argue or to reason with him in relation to the matter, for he maintained most positively that such was really the case, and they often conversed upon their family affairs and of events which had occurred in early life. It was the general opinion among all that the captain was of course insane upon that subject, and for this reason but little was ever said about it. Spiritualism, at this early day, at least in this part of the country, had not yet been invented, although at the East it was being developed gradually, having at this date progressed as far as table-tipping and other similar phenomena. For this reason, when the captain maintained that he was conversing with the spirits of his wife and daughter, it could not be accepted.

If I am not mistaken, I think that he had been in the camp about eighteen months, when, one day, he made known to a number of his customers that he had been informed the day before by his wife that he was soon to leave all earthly affairs and live with his family in the other world. He said that his wife did not inform him just when he should die, or by what means, and she had refused to enlighten him any further, only insisting that he would soon be with them. The news seemed to make him feel rather down-hearted; not, as he said, from a knowledge of the fact of his going, but the means which would be used to take his life. He had no enemies that he knew of, and was, furthermore, in very good health. The boys tried to laugh him out of the thought of such a thing, but it was of no use. He received the news from his wife upon a Sunday, and on the morning of the Thursday following he was found upon his bed dead, having been killed with an axe by a Mexican. The safe was broken open and robbed also. The axe was soon found in a shaft, and the Mexican who owned it was arrested, tried and executed.

Another instance in which two courageous and bright specimens of young America took a very active part, occurred in Eldorado County, some time during the year ’63.

These two boys, about 12 years of age, with their shot guns started out one pleasant morning on a hunt, and in passing the cabin of a miner, they saw coming from it a strange, suspicious looking character, who was loaded down with plunder. Being satisfied that the man was a thief, they ordered him to return the goods to the cabin, which he did. With their guns in readiness, they then ordered him to walk in the trail ahead of them, and in this manner they marched the fellow into Placerville, a distance of nearly three miles, into the hospitable arms of Sheriff Rogers, who gave him a very cordial reception. Upon investigation, he proved to be an ex-convict, and a very dangerous man, but unfortunately for him and very fortunately for the boys, too, at this time he was unarmed.

On the way to town, he tried every means to prevail upon the boys to lay down their guns. He offered to bet them five dollars that they could not kill a bird perched upon a bush near the trail. One of the boys remarked that “Them wasn’t the kind of birds we’re huntin’ for; we’re huntin’ only for jail birds.” He promised them in case they would just lay their guns down in the grass for a minute or so, he would give each of ’em a great many shares of stock in one of the richest mines in the Comstock.

They politely informed him that the only kind of stock they cared about just then was gun stock, and that they had shares enough of that to go round.

One of the most laughable cases of highway robbery occurred a few years later in Sonoma County, the agent in the affair being a youth about fourteen years of age. Commencing in fun, he unfortunately ended his joke in dead earnest.

This young man was walking out upon the road one evening, and hearing the stage coming behind him, in order to avoid being run over, climbed upon the bank alongside of the road. The latter was very narrow and sandy at this point, and the horses were walking.

Now, near to the edge of the bank where the boy was standing was a picket fence, and to keep from falling he was obliged to hug rather closely to it. In doing so one of the pickets became loose, just as the stage had got opposite to him. In a spirit of fun, without calculating upon the effect of the movement, he pointed his loose picket toward the driver of the stage, and in a coarse professional tone demanded him to stop; and, to his astonishment, the driver stopped the team. To carry out the joke, he then ordered the driver to throw out Wells & Fargo’s treasure box; and he was again astonished to see the order promptly obeyed and the treasure box fall near him upon the bank. It now became necessary, in order to continue the joke to a favorable termination, to give one more peremptory order, and to hesitate was to be lost. So he commanded the driver to “Go on!”

The stage with its load of passengers started onward, leaving the treasure in care of the picket guard. Now came the crisis in the affair; the last act in the drama which was to determine the future destiny of a bright specimen of Young America.

The boy seated himself upon the box and rubbed his eyes and scratched his head to satisfy himself ’twas not all a dream. He said to himself:

“Now here is an opportunity come to me that I never dreamed or thought of before. Is it my destiny? Now shall I be a good little boy, take back the box and tell ’em that I only done it for fun, or shall I keep on jest as them bank cashiers and other fellers do sometimes, and make the most of such opportunities that come without huntin’ for um?”

He concluded that if it was only done for a joke, he had carried it a little too far, but if it was done in dead earnest, he hadn’t quite finished the job. While thus meditating between the two opposite courses and upon the future possibilities, he finally decided that he would finish the job, and adopt the profession of a road agent, conscious of the ability to make it a complete success, and even rival Black Bart himself in the profession of a stage inspector. He also thought how he could jest make Jime Hume hump himself a-trying to follow his trail.

The boy was, perhaps, justified in this conclusion by what he had accomplished with the aid of a single picket, and therefore judged of what he might be able to do if backed by an entire fence. With such thoughts running through his mind, and which, no doubt, he had acquired from the perusal of certain papers published exclusively for the benefit of such boys, giving very graphic accounts of the exploits of “Three-Fingered Jack,” “The Bandit’s Bride,” as well as others of a similar character, and with such bright visions of future notoriety looming up before him, he wrestled with the treasure box for a few minutes, the latter soon looking as though it had been chasing a cyclone, and had caught it. By means of a big rock he had turned the box wrong side out, and the golden coin was scattered about among the grass, glistening in the starlight. But unfortunately for our infant hero his career was short, and for the same reasons, perhaps, that other great enterprises often end in failure; he had engaged in a profession that he had not the capacity, experience, or the necessary qualities to fill, and it therefore ended by his being locked up.

It was about the year ’66 that an Irishman drove ahead of him into the town of Placerville a road agent, whom he had captured out on the toll-road a few miles above.

When asked by Mr. Griffith, the sheriff, how he had managed to capture such a man, who, by the way, was much the larger as well as the younger of the two, Pat replied:

“Indade, thin, I was jist a thraveling along the road alone by meself, do yez moind; attinding to me own business and havin’ no thought of harum at all, whin, all to onct, this dirthy spallpeen came out from behoind a bush, and, pinting his gun at me hid, says to me, ‘An’ will yez plase be afther handing me ther kine that yez are carryin’ about with yez, and be hasty about it, too, or darmed if Oi don’t blow the hid off av yez.’

“Says Oi: ‘Yez will, thin?’ Says he: ‘Indeed thin Oi will.’ ‘But hold aisy, now,’ says Oi, ‘divil a bit will yez do that same,’ and I comminced to fale about in me pockets to say if Oi cud sthrike some kine, but divil a bit cud Oi sthrike ther color of it at all at all. An’ so says Oi: ‘Bad luck to it, thin, but Oi have left me purse with me agent in town.’ ‘An’ who’s yer agent in town,’ says he. ‘Indade, thin, would yez loike to make his acquaintance?’ says Oi. ‘Oi would,’ says he. ‘An’ yez shall, thin,’ says Oi. An’ jist at this pint, do yez moind, Oi extinded out me lift hand an’ saized his gun, an’ thin yez cud say nothin’ at all fer the dust that was afther continually risin’ from the ground, begorrah. An’ be jabers it seemed to me that two of thim cyclones had met at ther spot, and was afther havin’ a wrestlin’ match, do yez see? Prisintly there was a dull sound, do yez moind, and thin all was quiet. The dust clared away, and jist there in front of me, be jabers, was sthanding ther chap who wanted me kine. But phawt was Oi a doin’ mesilf dooring the toime, do yez ask? Indade, thin, it was doorin’ ther great commotion of the illimints, do yez moid, thet Oi succaded in turnin’ his right flank, be jabers, an’ gittin’ aroun’ to ther rear of me inimy and climbin’ up over his shoulder to ther top av him, do yez see. Oi was jist afther holding him at bay, and wid dee phunny end of me gun jist a swaiping the flois from his oibrows, do yez see. Thin says Oi: ’ ’Tis me agent yez would loike to see?’ ‘No, not to-day,’ says he, ‘for Oi’m busy.’ ‘Indade, thin, but Oi’m sure thet yez do,’ says Oi, ‘an’ we’ll be afther thraveling to*-gither to say Mr. Griffith, me agent in town, sor. He is a foine gintleman, and the latch-sthring av his hotel is continually hangin’ handy to raich for ther loikes of yez. He’ll be afther tinderin’ to yez the hospitality av his foine manshun, an’ indade, thin, it will not cost yez a cent. Now forward, march, and Oi’ll follow yez, an’ ’twill be an honor to yez, too, to be sane thraveling the road wid an honest gintleman loike meself a followin’ afther yez, as a varlet o’ chamber, begorra.’”

CHAPTER XV.

Where are the Pioneers?—The Overland Stage—Pony Express—The Sound of War—A Wet Winter—The Hotel on the Road—The Railroad.

UPWARDS of ten years had now elapsed since our arrival in California. The excitement in relation to gold mining has somewhat subsided, and all human affairs seem to have become established upon a more permanent basis. All residents, with but few exceptions, are now well pleased with their adopted home, and intend to remain and grow up with the country.

But how about the pioneers at this time? They were very numerous throughout this portion of the mining region. In December, ’59, they numbered in this county at least 25,000, a small portion of them only, however, engaged in mining. And now, at the expiration only ten years, I find upon investigation that there are not to exceed 600 in the county remaining. A few are yet engaged in mining; many have left for their Eastern homes, and some have crossed to the other side, while many have fenced in tracts of land and are engaged in fruit raising. But the great majority have scattered throughout the length and breadth of the Pacific Slope, some to engage in agriculture or in stock raising in the valleys below, and others entering into business of various kinds in the Cities of San Francisco and Sacramento.

With the discovery of the silver mines in Nevada there ensues another very important event: The overland stage, a boon to old-timers, for they can now communicate with their friends in the East much quicker and oftener than by water, is established, and which again in its turn, as a means of rapid communication with the East, is superseded by the pony express. The first arrival of the pony express occurred, I think, in the fall of ’59. The wild mustang was ridden by Harry Rolf, now a resident of Oakland, and he came flying through the city of Placerville, on his way to Sacramento City, amid the waving of flags, the firing of guns, and the hurrah of the multitude which lined the sides of the road to witness the important event. But although we were occupying a new and as yet an unsettled portion of the earth which we had only recently occupied, yet the progressive spirit of the age, for which our nation is noted, was not wanting, for in a very short time these primitive means of transit and of communication with the East were again in their turn thrust aside and superseded by the iron horse and the telegraph. Soon came, also, the sound of war and strife between the North and the South, and now the very important question which had agitated the country for nearly a century was to be decided for all time, viz., should the whole country be for freedom or for slavery? There were many throughout the State who believed the latter to be possible, but the sentiment was almost universal that we in California would prevent, by all possible means, any attempt upon the part of either side to involve the residents of the State in the conflict, and all such attempts, therefore, were very effectually suppressed and peace and quietness reigned throughout the State. There was, however, a stage robbery which occurred upon the Virginia City road, a few miles above Placerville. A large amount of silver bullion was stolen, and in effecting the capture of the robbers one of the officers was killed, his name being T. G. Caples. In their defense the robbers claimed that they were commissioned officers, acting under orders from their commanders of the Confederate Government; they were, consequently, not outlaws or robbers, and demanded the rights and usages due to prisoners of war. But unfortunately for them our judges did not take that view of the case, and they were found guilty of highway robbery. One of them (Poole) was found guilty also of murder and executed in Placerville in the fall of ’63, if I am not mistaken.

The winter of ’61-’62 was a very wet one, and water therefore was abundant throughout the mining regions, enabling the miners to work and ground-sluice many good paying claims located above the ditches which furnished the water for mining purposes below. Sacramento felt the effects of this unusually rainy winter, for twice during the season was the city flooded, causing great damage and loss.

A little incident resulting upon this flood in Sacramento is perhaps worth relating, as it illustrates not only the uncertainty of

things generally, but also that each and every locality is subject in its own way to certain events peculiar to the surrounding conditions.

A certain emigrant from the Fatherland, who lost all his earthly possessions during the flood in Sacramento City, came to the conclusion that he would in future make his dwelling place in some more elevated locality, above the reach of the raging floods and at high water mark. He therefore, in the fall of ’63, in accordance with this desire, bought an old station or wayside hotel, located in the toll road a few miles above Placerville. During the succeeding winter, our German friend, with his family and a few others, were sitting around the big stove one afternoon. It was storming heavily outside, and the landlord was congratulating himself upon the fact that he was far above all danger from the floods and earthquakes below, and that he had found at last a safe home for his family. Just at this moment his wife jumped from her chair, and exclaimed:

“Mine Gott! vat vas dat noise I hear?”

They all jumped to their feet, and none too soon, for at this instant, the rear end of the room in which they were sitting fell in with a crash, and a huge boulder went crashing through the house, taking in its flight the stove, and, smashing through the front of the building into the road, rolled away into the creek, some seventy-five yards below.

To say that our German friend and the rest of them were astonished, or astounded would hardly express it, for they were simply paralyzed. After recovering his senses, he exclaimed, in the most solemn accents:

“Ach mine Gott! mine Gott! How vas dot den? Oh! mine grashus, vere ve go next! I vas most drowned out mit dose vaters in Sagramento, vas shaked all to bieces by dem earthquakes at San Francisco, und den I vas gone up here, vare dem earthquakes or dem waters do not come at all, vid mine family, und, but up here, mine grashus, dem mountains shust come right through mine house und smash dem all to bieces. Mine Gott, vare ve goes now to py oursellufs?”

His wife suggested that they had better go to San Francisco.

“Oh, mine grashus, no no. Dem earthquakes down dere vill shust shakes mine head off righd avay, und gife mine families the shakes all ofer. No I tink ve vill go pack to Shairmany, for we can find no blace to life here in dot strange country. By von blace you vas shake all to bieces by dem earthquake; den you go to anudder blace, und der vater come und vash you all avay; den you vas find anudder blace, vare you don’t see dem shakes or dem vaters, und den, py shiminy, dem hills is all loose, und dey shust dumble down right ofer on to mine house. I goes to Shairmany, mine frent, pooty quick; now don’t it?”

An event was now about to take place which was to change to a great extent the future condition of our new home upon the Pacific Coast. For although all were apparently content and well satisfied with our relative position, yet there was a certain feeling of disconnection, an impassable barrier between us and our old homesteads with the pleasing associations connected with them; there were between us high and lofty ranges of rugged mountains and barren plains that to many were absolutely impassable, while yet by water the voyage to visit friends and our Eastern friends was a long and tedious one; under such circumstances it was evident that something yet was wanting which would enable us to enjoy to the fullest extent the favorable conditions afforded by a residence here in California, and this something which all felt the necessity of was a rapid means of communication with our former Eastern homes. The great event, therefore, to which I alluded was the commencement, by a few energetic old-timers, of a railroad across the mountains. In early days the possibility of a railroad across the continent was often talked of among the miners, and those who had traveled and prospected among the deep cañons and rugged cliffs of the mountains were very strongly impressed with the conviction that the building of a railroad across and over them would be a physical impossibility; consequently, when all preparations were made for the purpose, it was the general opinion among them that it was the wild fancy of a few lunatics who were ignorant of railroads in general, or what natural barriers and obstacles were to be encountered in the building of this railroad in particular. Notwithstanding the protest and prophetic warnings of the old mountaineers, the work was formally commenced in Sacramento City in ’63, and the last (golden) spike driven in ’68, which formed the connecting link between the two roads, making a continuous line between the Atlantic and the Pacific Coasts. The effect of this connection was at once apparent, for we now felt as though we formed a part of the nation and under its protection; but whether the iron rails had any effect upon the electric conditions of the country (as was maintained by certain ones), causing atmospheric changes here, is immaterial; at any rate, social conditions, which heretofore had been unbalanced, were now properly adjusted, for, instead of dwelling away off in some remote corner of the universe, in a foreign land, as we imagined, separated entirely from intercourse with higher conditions of existence by mountain ranges and barren deserts, the iron rails had now broken down the barriers, and from this point in our history we felt more at home. But what said the old miners who had predicted all sorts of troubles, disasters, and failure of the lunatics, the originators of the undertaking, after its successful completion? “Well” (as one of them expressed himself—an Englishman), “give a company of Americans the right of way and a subsidy, and blast me yies if they wouldn’t run a tunnel through the earth and build a railroad to China, yer know.”

An observation of Nature’s works shows us that the wise Creator, in scattering upon the surface of our planet his treasures in the form of gems and rich mineral ores, decided it best to give to such portions of the surface as were the most barren and desolate, the most rugged and mountainous, as well as the least attractive and unfit for cultivation or civilization, the greatest amount of treasures in the form of precious stones or valuable mineral ores as some compensation for such defects, and an investigation of the earth’s surface shows us that this is almost universally the case. But in the case of California however, for some wise purpose, he saw fit to make one grand exception; for although containing, as it does, some of the richest mines in the world, yet it contains also some of the richest and most valuable farming lands, the low, red hills in the mining regions, the best adapted for the cultivation of the vine and all other varieties of fruit. It contains, also, the largest trees, as well as the highest waterfall in the world, the grandest scenery and the finest climate, as well as many other advantages possessed by no other country. The effects of this railroad connection with the East was to enable thousands to make their homes here in this favored country, or to travel through it for observation, with a design at some future time of again returning to dwell amidst the orange groves, and to breathe the pure air of this favored country, and, furthermore, to enable many of the old pioneers, who had abandoned all hopes of ever being able to visit the familiar scenes of their early days, to once more journey towards the rising sun; to visit their early homes in the East without fear of Indians, or starvation upon the desert plains, or of shipwreck upon the water.

CHAPTER XVI.

The Forty-niner—Syd at the North Pole—The Homes of the Old-timers—The Remains of the Cabins of the Forty-niners—Panning Out the Old Cabins.

IN all mining excitements which have occurred upon the coast when new discoveries have been made, the forty-niner was as a general rule the first to be afflicted with the fever, and they would invariably be found in advance, leading their friends to victory or to ruin.

Great numbers caught the fever and stampeded during the Frazier River excitement, as well as of the Salmon River, Gold Bluff, Caribo, Alder Gulch and other occasions, but returned again from their useless search for new fields, not in despair, however, but only to make good preparations for the next occasion that should offer in some other section of the country. Many are at present trying their fortunes in Montana and among the rugged cliffs of the Coeur d’Alene silver regions, in the hope of yet being able to strike at least a paying mine of some kind, if it is nothing more than pewter, sheet-iron, soap, paint or putty, at any rate a paying mine, which will enable them to do once more, before they depart for that happy land where prospecting is an unnecessary business, a full suit of store clothes and a biled shirt, including the usual accompaniments known to civilized society. It is this incentive that gives energy to the old forty-niner, that gives strength and elasticity to his limbs, and which enables him to wander forth through deep and rocky cañons; to climb the steep and rugged cliffs of the mountain ranges, in many cases where younger prospectors are unable to follow, to discover if possible, some location where he can get several colors to pan, and find the bed rock pitching. But the old-timer, however, desires something more than this; for it is not altogether the discovery of a fair prospect, and with the bed rock pitching, that he wants. Not at all. But as Old Syd the Badger, as he was titled, remarked after his return from one of his excursions away north, at the time of the Frazier River excitement:

“Oh, yaas! Thar is gold along up thar, but dogearn it, a feller can’t go nowhar to prospect now, but that he will find that some sneaking tender-foot has been thar a little ahead of him; darned if I don’t hunt for some spot to prospect whar no miner’s pick was ever struck yet.”

When it was suggested to him that there was but one spot where no miner has ever prospected yet, and that that was at the North Pole, he remarked that he’d be dogearned if he didn’t go thar, then, and it was afterwards supposed that he did, for, some years afterwards, some miners upon the Yukon saw the apparition of an old veteran miner packing upon his back an immense roll of blankets, cooking utensils and mining tools, going in the direction of the Pole, and at a distance, the apparition, when seen through the fog, resembled in appearance to a native the huge form of a mastodon wandering in the forests. We have therefore every reason to believe that the first expedition which succeeds in reaching the Pole will find the remains of Old Syd, the Forty-niner, seated comfortably upon the top of the Pole upon which he has put his mining notice, and with his glass carefully examining a piece of it which he has broken off, to see if it contains mineral. The idea seems almost universal among the residents of the State, and in fact the coast, that the remnants of the Advance Guard of gold seekers, the Forty-niners, are at present the poorest class of men of any upon the coast; but this is a mistaken idea, for an investigation as to the facts of the case show conclusively that many of our wealthiest men were Forty-niners, although the great majority of them are now poor. That they were energetic and restless, as well as adventurous is evident, for it was the possession of these traits which made them Forty-niners; for without them, they would certainly have waited for others to take the lead. It is for these reasons that we now find them roaming around upon various portions of the coast for new mines, not that they care so much for the wealth buried there, but this restless spirit of adventure to find wealth is from force of habit, that others who follow them may enjoy the full benefit of it. And for these adventures they were always ready, and at the first alarm when there was wafted through the mining regions a bare suspicion that new diggings had been found somewhere, the blankets were bound up at once with all the necessary paraphernalia, ready at a moment’s notice; and in some cases, they (the blankets) had been so accustomed to be bound up, that (like the chickens of the man who was constantly moving with his family from place to place, whenever they saw the old familiar wagon at the door, would invariably lie down and cross their legs to be tied), upon the first appearance of any unusual noise or confusion, they would immediately roll up, the rope would wiggle and twist itself into a knot around them, and the old coffee-pot, the fry-pan, as well as the pick, pan and shovel from beneath the bunk, would all begin to crawl towards their accustomed place upon the top of the blankets, ready to be tied.

It is remarked throughout the mining regions that these ancient relics of a former period are a tough and a hardy race, healthy and vigorous, and are capable of standing as much fatigue and severe labor as the great majority of younger men; the reasons for this, of course, are that those who remain of that great multitude who first arrived here, took better care of themselves, as a rule; for if they had not, they would not now be here. This fact, therefore, is a fair illustration of the truth of the Darwinian theory of the survival of the fittest.

To an old-timer of this day, it is pleasant to wander amid the old scenes where we mined so many long years ago with the pan and cradle. The ravines and gulches have somewhat changed, it is true; for we find where once the ground was clear and free from trees is now a dense forest of thrifty pines. Yet the old localities have a familiar look, and sitting upon a large boulder, which we well remember working around and of panning from beneath it quite a respectable amount of gold, we can almost in imagination go back in time to work over again the events and scenes as they occurred in the past. In traveling among the ravines and cañons at this late day in some portions of the mining regions, the rambler will occasionally come across a log cabin hidden in some recess, or upon the side of the hills among the forest trees, and occupied by an old-timer. They once lived in camp or nearer to the town, but such changes in course of time occurred—the old-timers having scattered, whilst their places were occupied by strangers—that in a few years those old-timers who remained, and who still continued to linger around their old familiar haunts, were now in consequence of these changes dwelling among strangers. This was disagreeable, and could not be thought of. They therefore made their homes in these out-of-way places, and seldom visit the towns or villages, but hermit-like pass their time in company with their favorite cat or dog.

But a short time since, an old-timer having occasion to visit the mining region, traveled through a section of the country where he mined in early days, but which is now a lonely and desolate region. He was therefore greatly astonished to find two log cabins which were occupied in this deserted region; but he was much more surprised to find that the occupants of both of them were old-timers with whom he had been acquainted many long years before, and both were supposed to be dead. They seem to enjoy life. They cultivate small gardens, and by the use of a cradle, are enabled to find gold enough to furnish them with all the necessaries of life, which, as one of them stated, consisted of one part flour, two parts potatoes, two of bacon, and the balance in whiskey, as far as their claim would stand it; which meant of course about ninety-five parts of whiskey, with occasionally a dish of beans for variety.

It was with the greatest pleasure that I wandered a few years ago among the old ravines, across the flats, and through the cañons where we used to mine, and to visit the old cabins or the places where they used to stand, for the greater portion of them have gone to decay; but there upon that point under the big oak tree you can yet see a few decayed logs, all that now remains of a large cabin once occupied by a company of boys from Philadelphia, who came around Cape Horn in the good ship “Susan G. Owens;” while over there upon that bench above are the remains of a cabin that was occupied in the fall of ’49 by a French Count. He never spoke to anyone; neither did I ever see him smile; but he worked hard in the ravine below and was always dressed in real Paris style with plug hat, black dress coat buttoned up to his chin, and wearing upon his feet a pair of cloth gaiters.

Around upon that flat yonder, by the spring, you can still see the outlines of a miner’s cabin. The lower part of the chimney is yet standing, and that great flat stone was the door step. That cabin was occupied in ’49 by a company of young men from Providence, R. I., who came around the Horn in the bark “Floyd.”

There at the foot of the hill, you can now see the remains of an old cabin built by some boys from New York City; while a little further down you can see the remains of an old chimney which was built of flat stones. This was occupied by the Russell, Chase and Gibbs boys, a delegation from Nantucket. Crossing the creek, and going up that ravine, you will see the remains of numerous cabins; the first one perched upon that bluff above was occupied by a few boys from Maine; another one further up, was the home of a company from Massachusetts. The latter came through the Straits of Magellan in a small schooner named the “Emily Bourne,” and the Captain was taken prisoner by the Indians at Patagonia, but finally escaped. The sites formerly occupied by the cabins of the old Forty-niners are undergoing great changes, for the grounds where many of them once stood are now being covered with fruit trees and vineyards.

Up on that rocky point now covered with grape vines was the site of a cabin occupied by Tompkins and three others, who were passengers in the ship “Areatas” from Boston. Just below them was located a cabin occupied by Rowland, Hayden and Moore, passengers in the schooner “John Alyne,” from Massachusetts. A walk up Oregon Ravine would bring to view upon the flat to the right, and upon the side hill beyond, the remains of numerous castles, built and occupied by the Forty-niners. One in particular, at the time of my visit among them, was yet standing; and for nearly twenty years this ancient edifice, erected at a great sacrifice of mental energy, and occupied by the writer and three others, passengers of the ship “America,” was desecrated to fowl purposes, being used for a hen roost.

Down there, below the spring near the creek, you can yet see the remains of an old chimney and a level spot, where in ’49 stood a cabin in which were domiciled three or four passengers who came from Panama in the good ship “Niantic,” the old hull of which is now lying beneath a large building at the corner of Clay and Sansome streets, San Francisco. A little further down on that gravel bench stood the cabin of a few of the boys who came out in the bark “Diamond,” the old hull of which was moored to the levee in Sacramento City for more than twenty years subsequently and used for a storehouse.

If you would follow that trail for a short distance up the ravine, you would see the remains of the chimneys, and a few old, decayed logs, all that now remain of two cabins, one sheltering a few young men from the State of Kentucky, the occupants of the other hailing from Indiana, and all of them fought under Taylor in the Mexican War. They came across the plains, arriving in Hangtown in September, ’49.

You see yonder, on that rocky point among the trees, the few decayed logs of an old cabin. You observe also that a portion of the old chimney is yet standing, for ’twas built of rocks, through which the nimble flap-jack often flew, to be caught again at the door. This cabin was occupied by a number of Boston boys who came around the Horn in ’49 in the staunch ship “Capital.”

A walk up through that cañon beyond will show you also the ruins of many pleasant homes, but in many cases only the sites which they occupied are visible. These were all occupied by gold seekers from the New England States, who had come around the Horn.

Upon that level spot to the right two men from Connecticut made their homes throughout the fall and winter of ’49-’50, with nothing to shelter them from the rain but an old wagon cover. They were industrious, out at work early in the morning, and generally the last to quit work at night. During the time which they worked in the mines, which was a little less than a year, they never struck what was termed a rich pay streak, but only what was termed an average paying claim or wages. Yet Scoville and Davenport, which were their names, took home with them in the fall of ’50 something like $11,000 apiece, as the express agent afterwards stated, thus proving that industry, even in mining, is the main thing in luck.

You observe away up that ravine a level spot now covered with trees. If you take the trouble to walk up that way, you would see a few old logs and the remains of an old chimney, being all that is left now of the once pleasant home of two young men from the city of Baltimore. They arrived here early in ’49, and found that ravine very rich. Starting for their native city in November of the same year, they took with them, as stated at the time, about $20,000 apiece, but in the course of a few weeks they returned to the mines, wiser perhaps, but poorer men, having spent their money, as one of them explained, in the study of natural history at one of the gorgeous and inviting gambling menageries in San Francisco. As I have before mentioned, they resided in that cabin for many years but finally left for other mines.

Just over yonder, on that level spot at the foot of the hill, now the Chinaman’s garden, was the cabin of Dr Wakefield with his wide-awake wife, hailing from the State of Connecticut, and she had the whole field to herself in one respect, at least. She furnished the miners with the regular, old-fashioned mince pies that they had been accustomed to eating in their Eastern homes, and at a price too which no one could cavil at, it being for pies plain $2 each, sugared upper crust 50 cents extra. Whether it was owing to the healthy nature of the pie material, or from the fact that the lady herself never ate any of her own pies, perhaps will never be known. At any rate, she is at the present time in good health, and a resident of the city of Oakland.

In the lower part of Hangtown, and nearly opposite to where the foundry now stands, was the cabin of John Cook, and his wife was the first washerwoman in Hangtown.

Just below them, on the bank of the creek, was the cabin of the two Russell brothers, from the city of New York, who returned home in December of ’49, taking with them about $12,000 each, which they took from Oregon Ravine.

On the opposite side of the creek, upon the side of the hill, could

be seen for many years the remains of an old cabin that was built and occupied in September, ’49, by a company of pilgrims who came around Cape Horn in the good ship “Mayflower” from New Bedford, Mass.

Up there by the bank, on the opposite side of the creek, was the old log cabin in which lived Uncle Ned Keegen, and he continued to occupy it for many years, at the present time living with his family on the same spot.

Nearly opposite, on the flat, was a more pretentious residence: a costly edifice, and an illustration of the expensive habits of the Forty-niners, being constructed of shakes and pine poles. In this were domiciled A. F. Bee, his brother F. A. Bee, C. C. Batterman and others, who came around Cape Horn in the ship “Elizabeth Ellen,” from New York.

During a walk down Weaver Creek, we saw the remains of the old building used by Darlington as a store in ’49, and upon the flats and points, as we passed along down the creek, we noticed the remains of numerous chimneys, which are the indications of the former existence of cabins that were occupied by the Forty-niners; and a short distance below the village of Weaverville a few years previously could be seen the old decayed logs and chimney of the cabin in which resided Mr. Frank Pixley, now editor of the Argonaut, San Francisco, who engaged in mining on the creek. A short distance below, the remains of an old chimney were seen that belonged to a cabin which was occupied by three or four Nantucket boys, who came around Cape Horn in the good ship “Fanny.”

In following down the creek, the old decayed logs and ruins of ancient chimneys could be seen upon various points and flats that were used as homes by the Forty-niners; while near Cold Springs, there upon the side hill, is plainly visible the remains of a cabin erected in ’49 by W. Salmon & Co.

Over there upon that point, those old logs and fallen chimney is all that is left of a store owned by Sturgess & Hill, which was the first store, I believe, that was started at this camp.

I might continue in describing the present appearances of the pleasant homes of the Forty-niners, located among the ravines of the mining region; but the reader in imagination can see scattered around about, upon every available spot, the ruins of what was once the pleasant abode of this now almost extinguished and forgotten race.

But what an interesting book that would be to the Forty-niner, if we could read the history of each and every one of these old Forty-niners, the former occupants of all these now decayed log cabins; to read of the success of a portion of them, as well as of the defeated expectations of the greater number, and of the present condition, where living, and of their final success or failure in life. And although no doubt such a history would show us that but a small proportion of those old-timers who are now living have achieved success, or who are at least at present in the enjoyment of it, yet it cannot be doubted but that the desire or wish would be unanimous to live over again the scenes and incidents of the past, and to experience once more the exciting pleasures and expectations found only among the mountains of the mining region. Oh, yes, one would answer; if we could only know what we have since learned in relation to gold mining; but such knowledge would break the spell and utterly destroy all interest, since the charm not only in seeking for gold, but in all other human affairs, consists more in the anticipation than in the realization.

There is one fact in relation to all of these old cabins, which were built and occupied by the Forty-niners, which may be of some interest to mention. In early mining days the conveniences for storing and taking care of gold dust were very poor. It being plentiful, the miners were very careless in handling when engaged in drying and cleaning it, which was usually done upon an old shovel or an old pan. The consequence was that much of the fine dust was scattered among the ashes or around upon the floor. The small buckskin sacks, also, in which each one usually carried about with him for present use a quantity of fine dust, were of poor quality, and through the seams of them fine dust would work its way out.

The discovery was made by some inquisitive prospector, in the spring of ’53, that the most of these ancient castles would pay to pan out, as well as the ash heaps in front of the door, and one enterprising prospector, previous to the fact being generally known, bought up a number of them, from which he realized quite a sum. From one in particular, that I remember, which was a large cabin and had been occupied by a number of miners who had rich claims, he realized the sum of $600 from the dirt scraped up from under the floor and the fire place. These old cabins were hunted for among the various cañons and ravines (for it must be remembered, as I have previously explained, that this portion of the mining region around Hangtown, as well as Coloma where the first mining was done, was worked out, and was almost entirely deserted by the spring of ’54), and they all paid well; the amount cleaned from the floor and ash heap, as a general rule, giving some indication of the success of their former occupants.

Many of the old-timers, when starting out for the new discoveries in the spring of ’50, not wishing to be encumbered with their gold, and for fear also of losing it, would in such cases bury it somewhere around the old cabin beneath the floor or stones in the fireplace, or in some other locality, until they returned. Some of these hidden tin cans were afterwards found, and there is no doubt but that many of them are yet remaining securely hidden among the rocks, or beneath the roots of some large tree; for a portion of the miners never returned to the old mining camp, having died perhaps in some other part of the mining region. In other instances as of those who did return, two or three years afterwards, perhaps, they had forgotten where they had buried their gold, and searched for it in vain.

I remember the case of one old miner in particular, who, previous to starting out upon his prospecting expedition, took the greatest pains to bury his can, containing several thousand dollars worth of dust. And he did it in a very scientific manner: measuring so many yards due north from a certain stump; then so many yards due west; then so many to the right, and so many again to the left, etc., burying his can at the last point of measurement. Of course he made a chart of all this in true surveyor’s style; but unfortunately for him he lost the chart, and the old stump was gone also. So, after digging and prospecting around for more than a year to find where that last point of measurement was, he was finally compelled to give it up, and the can yet remains hidden only a few feet below where that last little peg was stuck into the ground.

CHAPTER XVII.

Meeting of the Old-timers—The Buckeye Tunnel—The Best as it is—Boozer Who got Skunked—The Hydraulic Miner—Mike’s Explanation.

TO an old-timer who is socially inclined, and I believe this is a trait of character peculiar to the most of them, there is nothing, at least of a social nature, that can be more agreeable or pleasing to him than to meet with the old-timers with whom he was acquainted, or with an old pard with whom he lived and worked nearly forty years ago.

It was upon a certain occasion, but a short time ago, when, having to pass through an old mining locality, that I met by chance at a miner’s cabin in the now dreary and almost deserted mining camp a company of old miners, and among them found five old-timers whom I had known nearly forty years before in the mining regions, where they were engaged in mining.

For instance, here was old Mike, a rare specimen from the “old sod,” who was one of our company when at work at Kanaka bar upon the South fork of the American River, in the winter of ’50-’51. He was a man overflowing with humor, of rare intelligence and generous to a fault.

Here was Tennessee also, who was a fine specimen of manhood from the State which gave him his sobriquet, a man who was true to his friends and with few enemies, and they were careful to keep out of his way, although he was always ready to forgive an injury.

Another one was Jeff, who was a happy-go-lucky specimen of an old-timer, who delighted to tramp around among the deep cañons and high rocky cliffs for a prospect; not, however, that he expected to derive any benefit from the rich discoveries that he might make, but, as he expressed it, it did just make him feel awful good to see his friends and relatives enjoy it.

Here was Jim also, a character similar in many respects to Jeff, and who like the latter had washed from the soil a respectable fortune but had scattered it among his friends and relatives in the East, this manner of using it affording him the greatest enjoyment.

And last, though not least by any means, was Jersey. The latter in early mining days had been very fortunate in all his mining enterprises; had made and lost several fortunes in assisting others, and even now in his old age was confident that it was to be his good fortune to once more strike it rich in some far away and remote mining region, for to his mental vision distance seemed to lend enchantment to the view.

There were present old Pike and Boozer, who were yet in harness, tramping about among the various mountain ranges of the coast, wherever the indications were in their opinion most favorable for another raise that was to exceed all previous ones.

Here also was Julius, a venerable colored individual from Boston, an old-timer, too, and who had, like Mike, and for similar reasons, abandoned mining, and was engaged in ranching.

The day after our meeting was a rainy one, and was spent in relating our experiences for the past forty years in the various mining sections of the coast; narrating our prospecting adventures among the various mountain ranges that we had climbed over, and the deep, dark cañons through which we had tramped in hopes of once more making a raise.

It was interesting to hear each one in his turn relate how near upon certain occasions he came to striking it awfully rich, or what he might have done if so and so had not occurred, or what he didn’t do and ought to have done, while another would explain how near he came to making a big thing if he had only stuck to his claim a little longer, or had only run his tunnel in a little farther.

Yet another would relate how he spent every dollar upon his claim by sticking to it a little too long, and found at last to his sorrow that it was of no value whatever.

And this led to an argument upon the question as to how long a miner ought to stick to his mine.

Many instances were related to show how a great number missed it by abandoning a claim too soon, before bed rock had been struck in the shaft, or gravel in the tunnel; while other cases would be

Yank. Mike. Jim. Jeff. Jersey. Pike. Tenn. Julius. Boozer.

MEETING OF THE OLD-TIMERS.

mentioned of how miners had spent their last cent in prospecting a claim that they ought to have quit long before, as all their friends advised them to do.

But upon the whole it was the general opinion that owing to the nature of the business it was very uncertain and difficult to tell exactly when a miner should abandon his mine, for it was found that after all it was about an average, since just as many hit it by quitting a mine as others missed it by hanging on too long, and the number who hit it by sticking to it about equalled those who missed it by quitting too soon.

It was, therefore, decided that there was no rule to be governed by in arriving at a conclusion, but that a miner must use his best judgment and trust to luck.

One miner related how it was that he missed making a fortune by running his tunnel a little too “fur” to the right, and another who run his tunnel a “leetle too fur” to the left. A third, who worked a whole year in running his tunnel into a hill where the rock was hard, and no gravel making its appearance, quit in despair, but soon after others went in to work and running the tunnel but a few feet farther struck rich gravel.

One old-timer related that in ’53 he and five others worked about fourteen months in running a tunnel into a rich cement-capped hill, expecting when they started to strike gravel at least in six or eight months. The storekeeper in town who was furnishing them with supplies told them that he would be compelled to close down, for he had not the means to continue furnishing them. They were in a bad fix, and a portion of the company were in favor of abandoning the mine at once, but were finally persuaded to run one more week, and then if not through the bed rock to quit for good and all.

At noon upon the Saturday following they quit the mine where they had worked faithfully for more than fourteen months in the hardest kind of blue porphery, and concluded to try another hill near at hand, where the prospects seemed more favorable.

In the afternoon five of them donned their store clothes, went into town and reported to the storekeeper the state of affairs, but promised to go to work immediately in the ravine and pay up their indebtedness as soon as possible. The old miner, continuing, said that “one young chap they called Sandy didn’t go into town with

us, but as soon as we had started for town he takes his tools and candle and goes on a prospecting expedition in the tunnel which we had abandoned forever.”

When we quit work at noon there was a large block of prophery overhead which seemed to be loose, but we didn’t think it worth while to remove it.

Sandy said afterwards that while eating his dinner he was thinking all the time about that loose rock, and that we ought to have wedged it out, and that was just what he remained at home for. With the gads and sledge it soon fell from its place, and upon examination he discovered, to his astonishment, sand and gravel on its upper side. Upon holding up his candle he found that we had sure and sartin struck pay gravel. Sandy tried a pan of it and found it rich beyond all expectation.

Upon our return from town to the cabin at night we found the table all set in the very highest style of art, and bottles of champagne were included in the bill of fare. We thought Sandy had gone crazy sure in thinking perhaps of his great disappointment, but when asked for an explanation he only pointed at our gold pan which we saw in the center of the table and resting upon the bottles of champagne. Upon looking into the pan we saw several dollars’ worth of gold dust in the bottom of it, and when we asked him where it came from he pointed his finger in the direction of the tunnel, but we wouldn’t believe a word of it until we had all marched in, in single file, to the end of the tunnel and seen with our own eyes the rich gravel above.

Well, we invited in the boys around, and you bet we just made the night howl. The next day was Sunday and the folks around that camp were astonished to see the whole of the Buckeye Tunnel Company march into church dressed in their best for the first time since they had been in the country. For you see we all felt kinder inclined that way after our good fortune in striking pay gravel.

And these illustrations led to a discussion by the old miners of the uncertainty of not only the mining industry, but of human affairs in general, and old Mike remarked:

“Yis, yis, me b’ys, so goes ther wuorld, for ’tis now yez do and now yez don’t. And again, jist as ye do ye don’t at all, at all, for ’tis jist always afther being a leetle too fur to the right, or a leetle too fur to ther left, de yez see, with all of us. I tell ye, b’ys, this mining business is afther being like all other kinds of business jist; ’tis always jist a leetle ahead of us, de yez see, and jist at that pint when yez are afther ixpecting it ther most, and jist as yez are commincing to faigure out where yez be afther goin, and what yez be afther doin, and how yez’ll be afther spinding all your money, do yez moind, ’tis jist at this pint, me b’ys, ther bed rock kicks up and shlaps yez in ther face, and thin ther purr divil of a miner curses his luck, piles his blankets and tools upon his back and thramps around to find another rich mine that’ll sarve him ther same thrick. But ye ould miners are always jist afther foinding ther spot thet’ll stick right by yez, where yez will some day be afther makin yer pile, and ’tis these ixpectations thet kapes yez agoin’, thrampin around among ther hills, all over ther country, hunting for that same, but ’tis always jist a leetle ahead of yez, jist as ’tis in all other kinds of business in this wuorld. And, be jabers, ’tis moity few of them who are ever afther catchin up with it at all, at all, do yez moind thin.”

“Yes Mike”, Yank remarked, “all human affairs are mighty uncertain, and few of us meet with what we expect; but then we must keep pegging away, and never say die, as long as our grub holds out.”

“Tis thrue for yez, yez must do that same, an’ be jabers thin, yez’l be afther findin’ some toime, if yez sticks to it faithfully, that yez will be afther sthriking it rich, and with the bed rock pitchin’ jist whin yez are ther laist ixpicting it at all, at all, for that’s the way it works with all of us.”

Then Jersey remarked: “Well, boys, what a heap of trouble, vexation, and disappointment would be saved in this life, if we all knew just where and when to begin; where to stop; when to turn a little to the right, or when to turn a little more to the left, or just how long to keep a goin’ either way in all of our affairs; then, when we come to get old, and to look back upon our past life, we would escape from all the vexation of thinking: oh, now if we had only done so and so at such a time, if we had only gone a little further to the right upon such an occasion, or a little further to the left at another time, or had only quit, or had gone on, or had gone to such a place, how much better would it have been.”

“No, no: not at all, at all!” interrupted Mike, “for if we was all afther doin’ that same, we wouldn’t be contint at all, no more than we are at presint, for then ’twould be ther great quantity we would all be afther ixpictin’ ther whoile, do yez moind! jist for ther sake of batin all ther rist of ther bys do yez see, and we wud all be disappointed ther same, an now, be jabers! ’tis ther best as it is now in me own opinion afther all. And thin agin’, me by’s, if all ther knowledge an’ exparience which it takes a life-toime to learn is all afther bein’ understood in ther begining, ther problem of life wud be solved; but, be jabers, b’ys, what wud sich a life be good for at all? Fray from all vexation and trouble, indade thin we wu’d live like ther baists in ther failds; satisfied and contint under any condition, an’ begorra! we wu’d soon larn to browse by ther wayside, an’ be thankful for the loikes of it.”

Just at this point another old miner, a long lean specimen of antiquity from the State of Arkansas, and who had been asleep in the corner, now aroused up and remarked: “Well boys, that is a fact as Mike says, for ’tis now you do, and then ag’in you don’t; but I never told you boys how I got skunked once out of a good claim did I? No, for I don’t like to tell it, for it has sich a smell that it makes me sick.

“But this is how I got left, by going a leettle too fur to the right or to the left, I never knew which.

“You see ’twas down in Calevaras, along in the spring of 51. I took my gun one day, and went out a few miles among the hills on a hunt; well I come across a deep ravine that looked as though it might be tolerable rich: it never had been prospected much anyway, and I concluded to do a little panning jest for fun; there were some boys livin’ about two miles from this ravine that I knew, so I went over to their cabin, and borrowed a pick, pan and shovel, and I tell you that I struck it rich; I found the gravel about four feet deep to the bed rock, and I got as much as ten dollars to a pan. After panning out about $75, I filled up the hole again, covered it over with brush, so as to make it look jest natural like, and started for home.

“When I took home ther borrowed tools, the boys wanted to know if I found anything over in that ravine where I was prospecting? I said no, nothing much; but they kinder suspicioned from my looks that I had found good prospects; I hurried home, and made up my mind to git my tools, mining notice and everything ready, and start out early in the morning before daylight for my rich ravine.

“Well I was on the way out thar about daylight the next morning, and went around another way, so them chaps that I borrowed ther tools from wouldn’t see me.

“When I had got almost to ther ravine, in crossing over a hill, I jest ran a-foul of a big skunk right in ther trail, I tried to git around him, but he walked right up towards me, so I threw down my tools, picked up some rocks, and went for him; but, somehow or other, I couldn’t hit him, and he jest kept on drivin’ me back down ther hill, but I picked up a big club and laid him out cold, after foolin’ away more’n an hour trying to kill ther odoriferous cuss; then I took up my tools and hurried over ther hill down into my rich ravine.

“But I tell you, boys, jest as soon as I come in sight of it I was mad clean through, now you bet, for right down thar on my rich claim, and hard at work, was them chaps that I hed borrowed ther tools of; they had got ahead of me, while I was foolin’ with that skunk, and hed taken up the whole ravine.

“I tried to reason with ther fellers, told them that I hed sunk a hole thar the day before, and had therefore a right to it; they wanted me to jest show them where I had sunk a prospect hole, so I went to ther pile of brush, and says I ‘right thar,’ they said thet no hole had ever been dug thar at all, so I jest kicked away ther brush to show ’em, and I’ll be dolgerned, if thar wasn’t a slate ledge right under it; them boys had moved that brush either to the right, or a leetle to the left, so I couldn’t tell whar ther spot was myself, and thet’s how I got skunked out of a rich claim.”

“There,” says Tennessee, “now I have found out ther reason why we never could get old Boozer to play a game of euchre with us, he was afraid of getting skunked again.”

“Well, now, old pard,” replied Boozer, “I reckon yer hev struck it right squar on ther head, don’t want any more of the animile in mine. Why, boys, I hev been studyin’ gee-ology and gee-ography for nigh forty years, jest to see if I couldn’t find some country whar they don’t raise skunks, and as soon as I can find one I’m jest agoin’ to emigrate thar, you bet.”

Another miner now explained how it was that he and three others who owned a valuable mine up in Nevada County lost it. He explained that it was an hydraulic mine, and they had used all their means, as well as more than two years of hard work, to get started in working it, when up come the officers and forbid them running their tailings into the creek, and he continued by saying:

“This was an infamous outrage, after having spent our money and labor, then to be compelled to quit work just because a few little one-horse ranchers below in the valley made a fuss because our gravel covered up their potato patches and radish beds. Now it is plain to any reasonable, sensible man that mining being the chief industry of the country, and the original industry, too—for ’tis just what brought us all here and nothing else—we have the first right to mine or to get the gold from the hills in any manner we see fit; and these ranchers have no right to settle upon, or to undertake to cultivate the ground in the valley and on the flats below where our tailings will lodge. If they do, in my opinion they should be the ones to suffer the consequence and not the miners. Why, just see the effect of stopping all of this hydraulic mining. There is $15,000,000 in gold taken from our money circulation yearly; now how many centuries would it take them little ranchers to raise that amount of money upon the land that they say we have ruined forever? Why, they never could do it, and we have got to lose our valuable mining property jest because the judge is agin us.”

At this point Mike interrupted the hydraulic miner by asking:

“Do you understhand ther raisons why ther judge was aginst ye?” He said no, he couldn’t exactly understand it, unless he owned a potato patch himself somewhere and was afraid it might git covered up.

“No,” says Mike, “that’s not ther raison at all; for don’t yez know that in a fray counthry ther loikes of this, where ther paple thimselves are ther rale sovereigns, thin it is recognized be universal consint, do ye moind, that no man shall be afther following any business, do yez see, that shall in any manner be afther continually injuring or destroying ther property of anither.”

“Oh, yes,” replied the miner, “that is all right, but remember that this is a mining country. We were here first and bought our mining ground from the government with the privilege of working it to the best advantage.”

“Faith,” retorted Mike, “‘tis thrue ainough that we miners came here ther first, but, me b’y, that cannot prevint others from comin’ here and engagin’ in any other koind of business they plaise. Because we miners came here first is no raison why we should control ther forest or ther mountain strames. We would have no right, because we was afther using ther wathers first to dam them up and prevint thim from running into ther valleys below. We have a right to moine, that none can deny, and in any manner we plaise, so that we aren’t afther harmin’ anybody else; but, begorra, thin, have we a right to wash all ther sile from ther hills above into ther valleys and straims below jest for ther gould that’s in thim, and prevint the paple from making an honest living upon the rich flats and bottom lands, that we wud be afther covering up with our tailings, begorra. An’ thin agin, if that same idee or priority of right was the true one, where thin, be jabers, wud yez be afther stopping, for wouldn’t Mr. Marshall thin who was ther first diskiverer of gould, have ther right as ther first diskiverer of bossing ther whole business, be jabers.”

“Well,” says the old miner, “you must admit that the loss to the country of fifteen millions a year is a heavy one to take from our money circulation.”

“Indade, thin, yez miners who dig it out from ther sile, are not afther saying much of ther same. ’Tis thrue that it is not afther drawin much interest whilst lying idle there in ther hills, but, be jabers, ’tis ther safest place to kape it thin, and yez can always find it, for there it is; but when ’tis afther gittin into thim bank vaults in ther big city below, divil a bit are yez afther sayin’ ther color ov it agin, at all, at all. And thin, agin, me b’y, did yez ever know of a miner, or many of thim at laist, who was willin’ to pay ther rancher for ther land, fences, or for ther crops they desthroyed? And indade thin, are yez yourself willin’ to go and pay for ther damages yez wud be afther doin’, and don’t yez think that wud be right?”

“Oh, yes, in some cases, if the ranchers would be satisfied with a fair price for damages.”

“Ah, yis! if they wud only let yez, the miners, assess ther damages thin, but, begorra, ’twud be little ainough they wud be afther recaivin, in moi opinion.”

“Well, I admit,” says the miner, “that ’tis very unfortunate. But we are not responsible for their loss, for the ranchers should not have made their homes in such localities.”

Jersey now asked Mike if he didn’t think that dams could be constructed that would prevent the sand and gravel from doing any injury. Mike answered “that sich dams wud answer only for a toime, for owin’ to carelessness, accident or bad wuork, ther toime wud come whin ther sand and gravel in thim dams wud all raich ther lower livils be ther natural law of gravity, begorra, and for this raison, in me own opinion, it wud be a waste of toime and money to attempt it; but the only way it can be done, if at all, wud be to build brush and log dams high up among ther hills ter kape back ther big rocks and ther coarser stuff, and thin by ther mains of flumes to run ther sand and finer material out upon ther tule lands.”

An old rancher now made the remark that in early days he thought the miners, or at least a portion of them, were rather of a selfish nature, and were not disposed to pay much respect to the rights of anybody else but the miners.

“Why, in the opinion of many of them,” said he, “no man had any right to fence in or to cultivate a piece of ground.”

“A neighbor of mine in ’53, up in Placer County, had a fine garden; but it happened to be in the way of some miners who were at work above. They tore down the fence and covered ther garden with tailings, and refused to pay for any damages, maintaining that the country belonged exclusively to the miners, and no man had therefore any right to fence in or to use ground for any other purpose than for mining.”

Another old hydraulic miner now remarked that hydraulic mining did not cause all the injury to the lands and streams in the valleys below that it was supposed it did; for the discovery was made by a man up in the mining region, a very observing man, too, who testified upon the stand at Sacramento, during the trial between the miners and ranchers, that a portion of the injury to the farmers, as well as to the streams, was caused by the tramping of cattle among the hills in the mountain regions, an’ the heavy rains of winter washed this loose soil which their hoofs had loosened up into the valleys below, thereby causing much of the damage which has been heretofore attributed to mining. “Now,” he asked, “aint that a very ingenious, as well as a very reasonable view of the question and who can deny it?”

“Yis, indade, thin, it is a very raisonable view of ther question,” answered Mike, “which none of yez can deny at all: an’ be jabers thin, he might have included, too, that thim barnyard fowls also in scratchin’ for ther wurms to fade ther chicky-biddies, loosened up ther light sile, do yez moind, an’ ’tis ther jint operation ov these two moity forces, begorra, that not only kiver up an’ destroy the potato, an’ ther turnip patches of ther farmers, but ’tis thim which fill up ther navigable straims too, an’ unless previnted in toime, will destroy thim all, an’, be jabers, they will transform thim big bays below into shallow swarmps an’ frog ponds. An’ faith thin,” continued Mike, “I’m afther thinkin’ that ’tis ther jint operation ov these same tirific fowl an’ cloven hoofed forces, from havin’ been continualy in operation through long pariods of toime, do yez moind, that have scooped out thim dape cañons, an’ goughed out thim dape channels ov thim mountain straims, too, do yez see; which has been wrongfully attributed by all ov thim scientific b’ys, as an effect of volcanic an’ of glacial action, begorra.”

Jim now enquired of Mike, if the fact of their desire to work their mines was, in his opinion, an evidence that the miners were of a more selfish nature than any other class of men, or more inclined to encroach upon the rights of others? “No, indade, not at all!” Mike answered, “but ’tis only in ther opportunity that yez have of showing it thin, owing intoirly to ther conflict betwain ther two intherists, that is av ranching an’ minin’, for human nature is afther being ther same in both ov yez; an’ be jabers! if thim hydraulic miners was after changing places wid ther ranchers, do yez suppose ther latter wud be afther stopping ther minin’ business, for fear of injurin’ ther b’ys below, any quicker than ther prisent miners wud do? Divil a bit wud they be afther doin’ that same, for, indade, me by’s, we are all ov us afther being built of ther same material, an’ be jabers! ’tis our interests which detarmines ther view that we take ov things after all. An’ indade thin,” continued Mike, “I remember a case that occurred up in ther mountains in early days, that illustrates this p’int. A miner tore down the fence, an’ run his tailin’s upon the garden ov a neighbor, ah’ to hear this miner talk ov his rights when the gardner objected to the outrage, be jabers, yez wud jest be afther concludin that the great Jehovah made ther counthry ixpresly for ther miner, an’ that noboby else hed any business here at all, an’ that this stoyle ov man, ther miner, was the only one worth ther trouble av putting ther breath av life into at all! at all!

“Well now, do yez moind, it happened a few years afther that this same miner was afther tryin’ ther business of ranchin’ himself, an’ about ther same toime, too, this gardner sold out his ranch an’ followed ther business ov minin’ and, quare enough, he found a good prospect upon ther ranch ov ther other chap, an’ now be jabers! here was ther case jest after bein’ revarsed.

“It wud hev done yer sowl good to hear this ould rancher, who was now afther bein’ a miner, jest give it to ther ould miner who was now afther ranchin’, an’ he paid him off swately in his own kine, begorra! Well, afther quarrellin’ awhoile about ther rights of aich one, they finally was afther concludin’ that both of thim had certain rights, an’ if they were careful and aich one of thim to do ther fair thing, there wud be no throuble at all, at all, so ther miner agreed to do as little harrum as possible and fill up his diggings again.”

Jeff now inquired of Mike if he didn’t consider it a great injury to the country in general, but more especially to the working classes, shutting down the hydraulic mines, consequently taking such a large amount of money from our circulation?

“Ah, yis,” said Mike, “indade thin ’twud be a blessing to ther workin’ men of ther counthry to have that same in circulation among thim, if they was afther handling much of the same; but, me b’ys, I tell yez that ther workingmen of the counthry have but little opportunity av aither saing or handling much av ther same at ail, at all.”

“But,” queried another, “in the circulation of money each one gets his share, does he not?”

“So he ought, thin, if he was afther earning the same; but divil a bit is he afther doin’ anything ov ther koind, an’ for this raisin, me b’ys, that if that same was ther rule, why, ’tis plain enough, do yez moind, that ther more gould there was afther bein’ scattered about among us, ther greater quantity aich one av us wud be afther gittin’ hould ov, sure. But do yez moind, thin, it don’t wurruk that way at all, at all. It is not becase thim b’ys who hev scraped togither ther biggest share ov money are more selfish than any the rest ov thim, devil a bit, but, b’ys, ’tis in ther nature ov gould itself, which is afther follerin’ a law of its own, begob! an’ has a way ov scrapin’ itself in a hape into ther hands ov a few of ther b’ys, who have already more than they are afther having any use for. And ’tis for that raison, b’ys, that in me own opinion ’tis jest as well for that gould to remain in thim hills where it belongs, and kape it out of their hands.”

“Ah, Mike, but that’s a wrong idea you’ve got about money,” remarked Jeff. “Fifteen millions a year from the money circulation means poverty to many a poor family. Why, what would your little ranch be worth, with its grapevines and its peach trees, if we should all quit mining? Ain’t it us miners who give you a market for your stuff?”

“Oh, yis, me b’y, to some extint ’tis thrue that we depind on you miners to buy much ov our stuff, but not entoirly, thin, begorra! Ain’t it thrue ainough that as ther yaild from ther mines decreases other industries are containually improvin’ ther whoile in ther same proportion, be jabers? Indade, thin, to hear some of yez old miners talk, we’d be afther thinkin’ that if mining wud stop entoirely the earth itself wud stop revolving upon its axis thin, an’, be jabers, all human affairs, too, would jest be afther remaining stationary. But divil a bit wud sich a state of affairs occur at all, at all! Thim river mines and ther quartz ledges will continue to yaild sufficient gould for ther business of ther counthry for hundreds of years yit, without the necessity in me own opinion ov coverin’ up and destroyin’ ther property or ov fillin’ up ther straims below.”

“Oh, yes,” said the old hydraulic miner, “that is all very well, but what’s to become of all of us miners who are depending for our living upon the hydraulic mines, and how are we to support our families?”

“Be jabers, thin!” answered Mike, “yez can be afther doin’ what a hape ov other ould moiners have done, thin, who loike meself couldn’t make a dacent living at ther business, begorra; fince in thin a paice ov the sile, an’ plant into it thim grape vines, ther fruit trees, an’ ther loikes ov thim, an’ be jabers yez’ll be afther foindin in a short toime that ’tis ther best an’ ther aisiest way ov fightin the battle ov life; lyin’ in ambush for yer inimies among the grape vines an’ trees ov ther paich orchard, or skarmishin’ with distiny from behind a gardin fince, begorra! For do yez moind, thin, an’ ’aint ther taties, ther cabbages, ther fruit trees an’ ther loikes of thim, afther growin’ ther whoile whin yez are slapein. Now, me b’ys, jest be afther doin’ that same and yez niver’ll be sighin’ or gravin’ for ther loss ov thim hydraulic pipes that are ther whole toime throwin’ thim grand ould hills into ther vallies below, be jabers!

“And indade, thin, in obsarving ther immense power ov wather, the aise and ther great ripidity that yez have in washin’ away thim big hills from above, I have been afther thinkin’ to meself what a foine hand ther Prophet Mahomet wud be after houldin’ if he could only descind with his followers from ther heavenly regions above, an’ strike bottom up in the Sacramento valley.

“Wudn’t ther b’ys jest, with thim hydraulic giants, be moighty willin’ to accommodate ther auld gintlemen, whin he demanded one of thim big hills above to jest be afther comin’ down to him thin, an’ they wud sind it down to him by the aisiest an’ quickest mode of conveyance, be jabers; they wud ship it by wather, C. O. D., comin’ on demand, do yez moind, an’ begorra! wudn’t ther ould gintlemen jest be afther houldin’ a strait flush, thin, faith an’ he wud.”

CHAPTER XVIII.

Why Are so Many of the Old-timers so Poor—The Uncertainty of Mining—Tex and Barton Lee—Tex and the Hound—Tex on Board the Steamer—Tex at Golgona.

AN old rancher, a neighbor of Mike, who was present, now asked the question, why it was that so many of the old pioneers were so poor? for being here at the first, when the mines were so rich, the gold so easy to get, and all kinds of business so good, they should all be wealthy now.

“No! not all!” explained Mike. “It is thrue ainough that we old pioneers got ther crame ov it by being here first, but yez see we thought ’twas jest agoin’ to last ther whole toime, and that there could be no ind to it, do yez moind, so we spint our money frayly, for it come aisy, an’ went ther same way. Whin ther shallow placer mines begun to give out, an’ we could only make small wages, do yez see, thin ther b’ys commenced to tramp about among ther mountains to hunt for richer diggings, for after workin’ such rich claims at first, they were not contint to work for smaller wages, an’ ther most of thim spint their money in that way, do yez see, in thrampin’ about ther country prospecting for richer diggings.

“An’ thin, agin, the old Forty-niners are as a general rule better known and more prominent than any other class thin, an’ many ov thim being poor, yez are all afther concludin’ that we are all afther being that same. But do yez moind thin, me b’ys, I tell yez that there’s jest as great a proportion ov the old pioneers who have made their pile, an’ who have kept it, as yez’ll be afther findin’ among any other class ov min, be jabers. Tis thrue enough, me b’ys, that a very small proportion ov yez old pioneers who are at prisint livin’ in ther minin’ regions have saved enough to harrum yez, becase if yez had that same, yez wudn’t stay here at all, at all, but yez wud be afther strikin’ out for ther big cities below with the rest ov ther b’ys who made their pile in the minin’ ragions an’ wint down there to spind it, begorra. A great many of thim wint into business in ther big city an’ are in business yit, many ov them wint Aist an’ hundreds ov thim are now in business in the cities ov New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, an’ other places, an’ be jabers they are afther houldin their own, too, with ther best of ’em. Now, me b’ys, yez know that the greater portion of thim old pioneers are a long-lived race, an’ be jabers you’ll foind that they continue workin’ good pay ground as long as any other class of paple in ther world.

“For don’t yez know, b’ys, that no class ov min in any business continue to prosper only about so many years? A great many ov thim in early days spent their kine fraly in prospecting thim river beds, in building quartz mills, as well as in runnin’ long an’ expinsive tunnels in ther hills in sarching for thim ancient river beds, an’ be jabers! they wern’t afraid to spind their kine fraly to develop ther country for ther benefit ov all ov yez who was after follerin us to make their pile in ther country, do yez see, now? But the ould time prospectors are ther poorest ov the lot do yez moind, an’ ’tis for ther raison that they spind their toime thrampin’ about among ther mountains searching for a rich mine; an’ indade thin ’tis thrue enough that many ov thim do succade in foindin one of thim occasionally that was afther havin’ a fortune in it, but divil a bit can ther ould-timer work it at all, for, be gob, he has no kine to do that same. So ther poor divil, afther havin’ spint his toime in huntin’ for a mine, is obliged, do yez see, to spind more toime in huntin’ for some chap who has got ther kine to help him work it, or else to buy it, an’ he is finally obliged to sell it for jest what they plase to give him.

“This is soon spint, an’ thin he is afther commincin’ his endless thramp agin over mountains an’ through ther various minin’ ragions from Arizona up to ther Arctic ocean, to diskiver anither rich mine to sell in ther same style. ’Tis for this raison that yez ould prospectors are afther bein’ continually down on ther bed rock, be jabers! Oh, yis, ’tis thrue enough, as yez say, that yez have ther pleasure of thraveling over the counthry an’ of makin’ rich diskiveries for others to rape ther benefit ov, an’, indade, that is some satisfaction for yez, be gorra!”

Another one remarked that “Some of the reasons why many of the old-timers were at the present time so poor were that they acquired the habit of spending their money freely in early days, because it came easy and they thought that the rich mines would be more lasting. In my opinion, therefore, it is in the nature of the business, as placer mining was in early days, when wages were an ounce a day and when hundreds were making double, and even treble that amount daily; such conditions had the effect to destroy all habits or ideas of economy.”

“Yis, indade,” said Mike, “but ther great majority of yez niver larned the manin’ of ther tarm economy at all, at all. But ’twas not ther nature of ther business of minin’ entoirly that taught yez to spind yez money so fraely thin; but, be gorra, ’twas natural to ther most ov yez, an’ indade, thin, ’twas this fault that made yez ther Forty-niners, an’, be jabers, it saims to stick right by ther most of yez.”

“That reminds,” said Jeff, “of a remark I heard a Dutchman make once who kept a store up on Bear River in ’56. Says he, ‘I could always shust knows dem ’49 vellers ven dey was come into mine store, mit mine eyes all shut up.’ ‘I asked him why.’ ‘Vei, den, ven one of dose vellers comes in to buy sometings, he says, Old vellers, have you got some of dot stuff dot vas pooty goot? I says I was. Vell, den, he says, you shust fills up mine jug; So I fills up dot jug, and he pays me, und den he goes right away pooty soon.

“Vel, den, pooty quick some dose other vellers, he comes in mine store, und he says, “Jacob, has you got some dem tings?” ‘I speaks to him I vas. Vell, den, he dells me how I sells dem, and I speaks to him how mooch.’ “Vell,” he say, “couldn’t you sell dose a leetle more cheaper as dot.” ‘I speak to him no. Vell, den, he tells me shust to gives him drei pints, and put em in mit vour of dose bottles. Vell den he shust goes mit de corner round, and dakes up one of dem bottles under his nose, und pooty soon he speaks, “Jacob, von’t you shust fill up dot bottles vot leaked out?” ‘So I puts ’em in a leetle more, und den he pays me dem monies, und he goes right away mit dem bottles. Und dot vas vy I does, ain’t it?”

At this point in the conversation in regard to the present poverty of many of the old-timers, Jeff remarked.

“Well, Mike, ’tis true enough that the most of us old prospectors have failed in our expectations of making another raise at mining, or at any rate in being able to save what we have made in the past; yet ’tis some consolation for us to know that there was a time once when we were able to make a big splurge in the big city below when we made them a visit with our pockets filled with dust, and give the chaps down there to understand that we knew where there was a plenty more of the same sort of stuff when that was gone.”

“But divil a bit, thin,” retorted Mike, “is ther thought ov thim days ov plinty an big diggins any consolation to yez at all, at all, in yez ould age. Indade, thin, ther thoughts ov sich prosperity in ther past only makes our prisint poverty saim ther greater by the contrast, thin. For, begorra, ther ain’t a divil a one ov us but who’d be moity willin’ now in our ould age to swap off all ov thim years that we was afther splurgin down in thim cities below with our pockets filled with dust. Yis, indade, we wud swap all ov thim, an’ we wuldn’t be afther askin’ any boot aither, for just a few short years ov rest an’ quiet now in our ould age, fray from want an’ care, without bein’ obliged to be containualy thrampin’ about all over ther counthry tryin’ to make a dacent living.”

Tennessee remarked: “Well, Mike, after all the great uncertainty in the business of mining, yet there is a fascination about it that many of us cannot resist, for there is a continual expectation that we will soon strike the right spot.”

“Yis, indade, there is that same, thin, an’, be jabers, I was afther thinkin’ meself, in early days, that moinin’ was jist ther finest an’ the most facinatin’ business in ther wuorld; for do yez moind, thin, it made no difference how much we was afther makin’ on our claim. Whither ’twas one ounce or tin ov thim, we was always afther ixpictin’ that ther nixt day ’twud be double, do yez see. ’Twas these containual ixpictations, do yez moind, that made ther business so facinatin’, begorra! Whin at wurruk in ther ravine we was ivery day ixpictin’, do yez moind, that soon we wud be afther jist shovelin’ ther gould up by ther bucket full, as they did over in Georgetown gulch. An’ thin, again, we wud soon be after ixpictin’ to find a rich crivise, when we could take out ther gould by ther ton, as they did over in Alder gulch, Montanna, be jabers. Thin, agin, we was always jist ixpictin’ in our tunnel to sthrike a spot ov blue gravel, whin we wud take out ther gould by ther car load, as ther b’ys did from Forest Hill. Faith, thin, me b’ys, ’twas these containual ixpictations in early days that made ther business of minin’ so facinatin’, but thin ther containual disappintments that many ov us met with destroys in toime ther facination av their business, an’ we are contint to thry to make a livin’ in some other manner an’ let thim b’ys who havn’t lost ther faith in ther business still continue it, in ther hope that some day yez’ll be afther sthrikin ther right spot, where yez’ll foind a fortune ready waitin’ for yez.”

Some one asked Mike what had become of his old partner, Pat Kennedy, whom he worked with on French Flat in ’54. Mike answered that Pat got hurt in a shaft up in Placer County in ’56, and died soon after. He stated that Pat and Uncle Tim Winn were at work sinking a shaft and that Tim let the bucket slip out of his hands, and down it went upon the top of Pat’s head.

“I had a talk with Uncle Tim about it,” said Mike, “an’ Tim says to me: ‘An’, indade, Mike, I was jist afther hookin’ on the tub to sind it down to Pat, an’ it slipped out ov me hands an’ down it wint, an’ I took a glance down the shaft thin, ixpictin’ to see Pat somewhere in the last stage ov a rapid decline, do yez moind, but divil a bit was he decloinin’ at all, for he was standin’ upon his fate an’ reclinin’ against the side ov the shaft. Says I: “Is it much harumed that yez are, Pat?” “Divil a bit am I at all, but me brains are all knocked out intoirly, and ’tis spaichless, too, that I am, Tim.”’”

“Say, Jeff,” says Tennessee, “do you remember Tex who worked with me in that gulch down in old Tuolumne? ’twas long in the spring of ’50.”

“Oh, yes,” answered Jeff, “that tall, good-looking, blue-eyed chap.”

“Well, when I was up in the Salmon River country in ’65, I heard some of the miners speaking about a chap they called Tex, who was said to be an old Forty-niner, and was at work in a cañon a few miles above. I jest felt that he might be my old pard that I hadn’t seen or heard of for ten or twelve years, so I found the trail to the cañon and went up to see him. Yes, sure enough, ’twas Tex; I knew him as soon as I come in sight of him. He had found a rich spot and lived like a king. He put me onto a good claim in the cañon above him, and I worked there for about a year and made quite a raise; but I found the winters too cold for me up there, so I sold out and left. I tell you but Tex was clear grit, though. You remember the time when Barton Lee of Sacramento City busted up and swindled so many of the boys out of their gold dust? Well,

Tex had $5,000 worth of gold dust deposited there in Lee’s safe. I think ’twas long in the spring of ’50 that we first got the news that Lee had busted. The boys who had deposited their dust with him made a rush for Sacramento City, now, you bet. But, oh, pshaw! it wern’t any use. They couldn’t git anything. A few of them, I heard afterwards, made out to git a little something. Well, now, you see, when the news first come up, I asked Tex if he wasn’t goin’ down, for I noticed that he didn’t seem to hurry or fret about it. ‘Oh,’ says he, ‘I reckon I will, but there’s no hurry about it.’ Now Tex waited for some of the boys to return, and report what the prospect was, and then he started down. I tell you there was black sand in the corner of his eye as he stepped into the stage the next morning, and says I to myself, ‘Old Barton, old Barton, take keer of yourself, for you are agoin’ to have a visitor from old Tuolumne!’ Well, upon his arrival in Sacramento, he found Lee’s office, and in front of it was a large, powerful negro acting in the capacity of doorkeeper. Says Tex to him, ‘Is Mr. Lee in his office?’

“‘No, sah, no, sah, he am not, sah!’

“‘Well, I know a d—— d sight better,’ says Tex.

“‘Well, you can’t see him, sah, for he’s busy, sah.’

“But before the astonished doorkeeper could scrape himself together again from among the pile of old rubbish in the corner, Tex was inside the room, and with the door locked upon the inside.

“He found Mr. Lee alone, writing at his table. He laid his certificate of deposit upon the table in front of him, and remarked in a very quiet, pleasant manner:

“‘Mr. Lee, that paper calls for $5,000 worth of gold dust, and I will give you just two minutes to open that safe and pass it out.’

“Mr. Lee would like to make an explanation and argue the case; but ‘not a word, sir; when you open that safe, and I find there is no money or gold dust in it, then I will listen to any explanation which you wish to give, and not before, so hurry up, if you please.’

“Mr. Lee then in a very haughty manner turned and looked Tex in the eye. He saw color in among the black sand in the corner of it, fixed his eyes upon that funny, innocent-looking gold saving machine which Tex was holding in his hand, slid in a kind of hurried sort of way over the back of his chair to his safe, unlocked it, counted out $5,000 all in slugs, put them into a little canvas sack, and handing it to Tex, remarked that it was all right. ‘You bet,’ says Tex, and politely bidding Barton good-day, he left.”

“Well,” says another old-timer whom they called Pete, “that reminds me of another one of the same breed who lived up in Coloma. His name was Crumie, George Crumie, if I remember. This chap kept a saloon up there, and I believe was the only one in the camp who had an iron safe at that time, for this was along in the spring of ’50, I think. Now, Mr. Crumie was a very obliging man, and was willing for us miners to keep our sacks of dust in his safe. Well, one day Mr. Crumie concluded that he had some very important business to attend to in San Francisco, and now was a grand opportunity for any of the boys to send down for any little thing they wanted, as Mr. Crumie was willing to attend to anything of that kind, and wouldn’t charge a cent for his trouble. The consequence was that he had quite a list of articles to purchase for us, and the dust in his pocket to pay for ’em.

“The morning Mr. Crumie left the camp ’twas noticed that his baggage was rather numerous, and quite hefty, too, for a man who was jest goin’ down on business and who was intending to come right back agin, do you see. But little attention was paid to his baggage, however, and all was supposed to be right until a few days after he had left, when word was brought up to Coloma that Mr. George Crumie was on board of a steamer, and on his way to New York. Upon receiving this unwelcome news, the boys concluded that something was wrong. The safe was at once broken open, for he had taken the key with him, and found empty. It was estimated that there was at least $25,000 in gold dust deposited there by different miners, besides about $7,000 belonging to his pardner, John O’Donnell, who was then living in Hangtown. That explained the use of them heavy trunks that some of us helped to load upon the stage for him the day he started.”

Pete was asked if Crumie had ever been heard of since? “No,” he answered, “not that I am sure of; but only a few years ago I was informed that a Mr. George Crumie was residing in the city of——, and following the profession of gambling.”

Tennessee now remarked that there was another little incident or two in which his old pard Tex took an active part that he would like to tell; one of them occurred in a small town upon the Mississippi river near Memphis, in the fall of ’51. “Tex and I concluded to go home on a visit for a short time in the fall of ’51, and on the way we stopped at the little town for a few days to see some old acquaintances, and it was there that the little incident occurred. We met rather unexpectedly a man that we didn’t think of meeting. Of course you all remember that company of outlaws that created so much excitement here in California in ’49, called The Hounds.

“There was, I think, about twenty of them, and their object was when they first formed to clean out the Mexican horse and cattle thieves who infested the central and lower parts of the State at that time. They accomplished their purpose, and very effectually, too, in a short time, but this job finished what to do next was the question to decide, which they were not long in doing, however, for the precedent had been established many years before by the renowned Captain Kidd, with which fact they were all doubtless familiar. They therefore decided to go and do likewise upon their hook, and roam at will among the hills of the mining regions, as well as among the ranches of the valleys, as land buccaneers.

“They were a desperate set of men, and had no scruples whatever about taking the life of any one who opposed them. Rewards were offered by a committee of citizens for their capture or destruction, and the band was finally broken up and dispersed, many of them being forced to flee the country.

“One of these Hounds was a man whom Tex had heard of before, and a few years previous had resided near the small town where I have said that we stopped for a few days. By the way, while in San Francisco a few days before starting on our voyage home, by accident Tex picked up an old handbill from a table in the hotel where we were stopping, signed by the committee of citizens and Governor Burnett also, I think, offering a reward of $1,000 for the capture of this very man I refer to. Well, while sitting in the bar-room of a hotel in the small town, in conversation with old acquaintances, Tex made the remark that this man, who formerly lived near here, had been a member of the band of outlaws in California called The Hounds, and inquired if it was known what had ever become of him, and I tell you, boys, we were both astonished when informed that that man was at the present time a resident of the place, and was running a faro game in a house across the street. We were further informed that he was a very dangerous character.

“Now you may depend that this news to us was not very pleasant at this particular time, and if we had known it we should never have mentioned his name, but Tex was in for it now, and of course I was bound to stand by my pard.

“One of this man’s friends, who was present and heard the statement from Tex, went over and informed him at once that a man at the hotel, right from California, had stated all the particulars of his connection with The Hounds, and of the reward offered for his

capture. Well, we expected, of course, to receive a visit from the gentleman, and we didn’t have long to wait, for in a few minutes the door was thrown open and in walked a large, powerfully built man who was every inch a Hound, and he showed it in his black, glistening eyes. He walked right up to Tex, who was sitting in a chair, and demanded his authority for the statement, or instant satisfaction for the foul slander, at the same time placing his hand upon the handle of his weapon. Tex drew his weapon instantly, and, rising to his feet, replied in a very quiet manner:

“‘Well, sir, you can have both if you wish, and first here is my authority,’ at the same time taking the handbill from his pocket he shook it out, and stepping backwards a few steps to the side of the room, fastened it to the wall, remarking: ‘There, sir, is my authority for the statement I have made, signed by the Governor, and now if you demand satisfaction you shall have it at once, but if you make the least motion to draw your weapon you are a dead Hound.’

“The man immediately left the house, and that night left the town upon finding that his friends had all deserted him.”

One of the boys asked Tennessee what steamer he sailed on when he returned East in ’51, and if there were many other forty-niners who went East upon the same steamer? He stated that they took passage in the steamer “Sierra Nevada” from San Francisco, and upon the steamer “Illinois” from Chagres to New York, the latter commanded by Lieutenant Herndon, who was lost when the steamer “Central America” foundered a few years later in the Caribbean Sea. There were about 700 passengers on board the steamer when we left San Francisco, and as near as we could judge at that time about 500 of them were Forty-niners. Some were going East to remain, but by far the greater portion were going to see their friends, relatives, and the girls they left behind them, and with the intention of returning soon again to California.

It was while crossing the Isthmus that another little incident occurred, in which Tex took an active part. It illustrates the character of the man, and how ready he always was to help any one in trouble. In crossing the Isthmus at that time we traveled on foot or by mule power to the small town of Golgona, which place is at the head of navigation, and from here down the Chagres River by boat to the town of Chagres. Now, Tex, myself, and a few others, arrived at Golgona ahead of the crowd of passengers from Panama early in the afternoon, intending, of course, to take passage immediately down the river. But as we were upon the point of starting we were informed by one of the passengers of the steamer, John L. Stevens, that a friend of his, who was also a passenger upon the same steamer, was confined in the calaboose there upon the evidence of one of the natives, who swore that the American had refused to pay him for transporting his trunk from Panama. Upon this accusation the American was arrested and confined in the native prison, a large log house near the town. Upon investigation we found this man to be a Forty-niner, a man about 60 years of age, and from the State of Ohio. We were allowed to converse with him through the iron-grated window, and he stated that he paid the native in advance at Panama one ounce, as agreed upon, for transporting his baggage, and didn’t think it right to compel him to pay it again upon the evidence of the native.

To leave this old Forty-niner locked up was not to be thought of. Tex proposed, therefore, that we wait until our passengers had all arrived in the place, then make a demand for his release of the Alcalde, and in case of refusal, to release him ourselves and take him down the river with us.

About four P.M. the passengers had all arrived and we were ready for business. A committee was appointed to wait upon the Alcalde, a large powerful negro, dressed in full regimentals, with a cavalry sword suspended to his waist, and explain to him the facts in the case and demand the man’s release; but the old commander felt the dignity of his position, and in a very lofty and dignified manner refused to liberate the Americano until he had settled the account.

Suspecting trouble the Alcalde called out his native troops, numbering about 200 men, to guard the prison. They were armed with a great variety of weapons, consisting of the old-fashioned flint-lock musket, pistols, swords and clubs. Among them the old style brass blunderbuss was numerous, as well as other styles of deadly weapons. I tell you, boys, they were about as ferocious and formidable a looking set of warriors as you would care to run afoul of in a dark night if you didn’t know who they were; but during an engagement the safest place, in my opinion, would be right in front of them.

Well, Tex took charge of the boys, and with a big sledge hammer in his hand we formed into line between the native troops and the calaboose. Tex drew his watch from his pocket and holding it up before the eyes of the Alcalde gave him (the latter) to understand, by pointing to the hands of it, that when the short hand had got to the figure five if the door wasn’t opened he would open it with his sledge, and, furthermore, if he ordered his troops to fire off their guns and things that some of them would get badly hurt. The Alcalde drew his huge sword from its scabbard, flourished it above his head, and at the same time ordered his troops to turn around, face the music and make ready, which they succeeded in doing after some little trouble; but at the same time Tex remarked: “Now, boys, show ’em what you’re got, and we’ll soon show ’em that we know how to use them, too.” Every man instantly drew his gun. They were mostly single-barrelled pistols, although there was a great number of the latest style of revolver, the Smith & Wesson, among them, but they were sufficient for the purpose.

As soon as the time was up Tex held his watch up before the eyes of the Alcalde, replaced it carefully in his pocket, at the same time raising the sledge above his head and advancing toward the prison door. Would the swarthy commander order his troops to fire? He ran his eye along the line of his brave army, then took a careful survey of the crowd of Americans in front of the prison, and looked at the little insignificant weapons that they held in their hands. Would he uphold the dignity of his position and give the order to fire and save his reputation as a warrior? He hesitated; suppose he should get hurt and his army annihilated? Taking the key from his pocket he unlocked the prison door, and the old Forty-niner was free.

Upon our return to California a few months later the fact had been made known that the native did actually receive his pay for transporting the American’s trunk. He was tried and found guilty, and the Alcalde sentenced him to receive 100 lashes and confined him in prison for one year.

CHAPTER XIX.

Tennessee’s Letter From Tex—The War in Chili Gulch—Sam Brown and the Chap With the Mild Blue Eyes—Sam Brown and the Policeman—Old Kentuck and Sleepy Ben.

ANOTHER little incident took place on board of the steam ship “Illinois,” that is worth relating, continued Tennessee “because Tex bossed the job. When we first went down to the dinner table in the steerage, we found that there wasn’t any sugar on the table for our coffee; Tex thought that very strange, and turning around to the ship’s steward, who was standing in the door of the pantry, inquired of him if there was any sugar on board? ‘Oh, yes sah’!’ replied the colored steward, ’there’s two barrels of white sugar here in the pantry sah; but dem is fo’ the cabin sah.’ ‘Well’ says Tex; ‘we must have some of that sugar here in the steerage, for we have all paid the price of our passage, and are just as much entitled to the use of that sugar as the cabin passengers are, and if you don’t bring it out in two minutes we will go and help ourselves.’”

So the steward immediately locked the pantry door, and sent word to the officers of the ship that there was mutiny among the passengers of the steerage. In a few moments Lieut. Smith with a guard of six marines armed with cutlasses descended into the steerage and demanded to know what the trouble was. Tex replied that there was no sugar upon the table, and as there was plenty of it in the pantry reserved for the cabin, the boys had concluded that they were as good as the cabin passengers, and therefore demanded some sugar. And without meaning to show any disrespect to the officers of the ship, sir, yet we must have some of that sugar, and we’ll give the steward five minutes to bring it. If he doesn’t, then we shall be obliged to get it ourselves. The officer then ordered the guard to arrest that man, which they started to do, but as they advanced toward Tex with drawn cutlasses, a hundred of the old

Forty-niners surrounded Tex, and gave the officers to understand that it wouldn’t be safe to attempt the job. Captain Herndon was immediately summoned and drawing his sword demanded of Tex in a very threatening manner if it was his desire to raise a mutiny on board of his ship? Tex replied in a very calm and quiet manner, oh, no, not by any means Captain, for we are not that style of men at all. We are a lot of Forty-niners on the way to the East to visit the old folks and to see our girls, and have no desire to raise a mutiny, but we are simply trying to raise some sugar.

Captain Herndon took a good square look at Tex right in the eye, for about a minute; then he ordered the guard to go upon deck, sheathed his sword, and walking round to the other side of the table where Tex was standing, laid his hand upon his shoulder, and with good nature beaming from his eyes said:

“Then all you are trying to raise is a little sugar is it, sir?”

“That’s all, Captain, said Tex in a very quiet and polite way.”

“Well, remarked the Captain and you shall have it. Steward divide that sugar with the boys in the steerage,” and then shaking hands with Tex and a few others, he went upon deck.

Some one asked if Tex was yet alive and where he was; and Tennessee replied that Tex returned to his native State about twenty years ago; bought a ranch somewhere in the northern part of the State; went and got married, and settled down for life. He continued by saying that he heard from Tex occasionally, and said he; “The last letter I received from him was only a few months ago. I have the letter with me now, and if you would all like to hear what Tex has to say, I will read it to you.” Upon all present expressing a desire to hear the letter read, Tennessee took it from his pocket and read as follows:

“California Ranch, Jones Co., Texas, }
“September 25th, 1887. }

“Dear Old Pard:—

“Returning home, after an absence of about three weeks, from Galveston, where I had been with a drove of cattle, I found your letter awaiting me, and you can imagine the pleasure we all enjoyed in again hearing that you are in good health and still continue in the old business of mining, with fair prospects ahead of you, and we sincerely hope that your fullest expectations may be realized from your silver mine up in Cœur D’Alene. My family are all in the best of health and my two oldest sons are now of that age to be of great assistance to me upon the ranch. This, as you know, is quite a pleasant country in which to settle down for life, and we are all reasonably contented. For this reason, I ought not to complain. Yet this is not California, by any means. Although having a pleasant home, yet I am continually thinking of the happy years I spent in California, and with a desire to make that my future home, which I certainly would do if I could dispose of my property here. You tell me that great changes have taken place in some portions of the mining regions. That in many places our old piles of tailings have been levelled down; the places where we mined filled up again and planted with fruit trees and grape vines, and also that pleasant homes can now be seen among the hills where formerly all was desolate and dreary, and where in the opinion of all of us at that early day no reasons were known why they should not so continue. You tell me in your letter that the old-timers are fast disappearing, and that not more than 500 or 600 are at present living in the mining region. This fact I am sorry to hear, although ’tis what must be from the nature of things expected. If circumstances are such that I shall not be able to sell my property here and remove with my family to California, I shall, at any rate, make you a visit, perhaps next winter; if not, then the winter following, for I tell you, Pard, there is no spot upon the face of the earth more dear to me, except my home, or filled with such pleasant associations than the mining regions of California, and a residence there of fifteen or twenty years unfits a man for a residence in any other portion of the Union, or, in fact, anywhere else. When I come we will get Yank and Jeff, if we can find them, and start on a prospecting tour around among the old camps, where we mined in early days. We will go to Mokelumne Hill, then over to Angel’s camp, then up through Jackson in old Amador, and then we’ll strike onto our old trail up past Duncan’s store and pan out a few pans on the MacCosmy (Cosumnes). Then, if we have time, I would like very much to visit Chili Gulch, over in Calaveras County, that historic spot, where you remember the Chileans captured the Kentucky boys. Then we’ll strike on to the old trail up through Fiddletown, where we’ll find, I think, a few old-timers; then along up through old Hangtown, in Eldorado County, where you tell me that fifty or sixty old Forty-niners are still hanging out. We’ll prospect around up Cedar, Oregon and Spanish Ravines, take a look over in the big cañon and at that rich spot we struck at Poverty Point. We will lay in a fresh supply of provisions from Coleman’s store, if he is yet in business in Hangtown, lay in a few mince pies from Doctor Wakefield’s wife, under the hill, and continue our prospecting across the South Fork, up through Coloma, Georgetown, Spanish Flat, up on around Forest Hill and vicinity, where the boys used to roll the dust out by the million. And if we have time, Pard, we’ll visit Nevada, Rough and Ready, Squaw Hollow, Last Chance, and all other camps and river bars where we used to prospect in early days. And I tell you that such a trip, for me, would give me more pleasure than a journey through the Holy Land or any other portion of the earth’s surface. Give my best respects to all old acquaintances that you run across in your wanderings, and please tell them for me that from a residence of about twenty years among the mountain ranges of California I acquired that trait of hospitality which is peculiar to your State, and if any of them should ever chance to visit this portion of the country, they will always find the latch-string hanging outside the door. Don’t forget, either, what I have before mentioned to you, that when the storms of adversity strike you too heavy, or if the bed rock in the diggings is inclined to buck, and the claim don’t pan well, we have an extra room prepared and ready; an extra chair at the table, also, always ready for my old Pard which he is welcome to occupy the balance of his life. My family join in sending their respects, and hoping to hear from you soon again, I remain, as ever, Your old Pard,

“Tex.”

Tennessee having finished reading the letter, and after each one had given his opinion in relation to the kindness and noble qualities of the writer of it, it was suggested that they all unite in drinking to his health. The toast from old Mike upon the occasion being:

“An’ now, me b’ys, here’s a long life, hilth and prosperity to our ould comrade, Tex, an’ may the b’ys who are now afther drinkin’ to his hilth be able to mate togither yearly for the balance ov ther lives an’ repait the same operation, be jabers.”

Three cheers were then given for Tex, while old Mike was not forgotten.

Tennessee was asked if he was acquainted with the particulars of the incident that occurred in Chili Gulch referred to by Tex? He replied that he was, as he got the whole account of it from Kentuck, who was present and took a part in the affair:

“This Chili Gulch is a few miles from Mokelumne Hill and empties into the Calaveras River. It was given this name because ’twas discovered by a company of Chileans numbering about thirty, and they had worked there for several months, and were taking out gold by the bushel. In the winter of ’49-’50 a company of men composed of Texans and Kentuckians, with a few from Arkansas and Missouri, numbering about sixteen in all, camped near Chili Gulch, and finding that these foreigners were getting more than their share of gold, concluded to drive them out and take possession of these rich claims. They therefore posted notices in the gulch ordering the foreigners to vacate within twenty-four hours or suffer the consequences. But no attention was paid to the order for the reason that no law had been passed by the Government to prevent them from mining in California. And from this fact they inferred that they had as good a right to mine as any one. The miners, finding that they did not intend to leave, drove them out by main force and took possession, not only of their mining ground, but also of their tools, tents and even of some of their clothing. The Chileans went up to Mokelumne Hill for assistance, but the officers of the law refused to assist them. The sheriff did, however, in order to get rid of them, give them a blank warrant with the privilege of filling it out and serving said warrant in any manner they pleased. Armed with this authority they went early in the morning and took the whole company of miners prisoners, but unfortunately one Missourian was killed and another one badly wounded during the affray. They tied the hands of their prisoners, and driving them along in the road ahead of them, started for the town of Stockton, distant about eighty miles. Kentuck said ‘that they was jist the maddest set of men you ever did see, for the idea of bein’ driv along the road like a flock of geese by them d—d greasers, with their hands tied behind their backs, was terrible.’

“And said he, if we could only have got loose, we’d have killed the whole lot of ’em.