Republican vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1857, 1849-11-19

CITY Ca'sras 1fouses-Loas on Goods Curl
Gus State Of afars-La,cyers and Doctors
Gentlemen 1'unaing U'heelba~ors- Goods
1hroavn .aacay-.sloney .Mahing- Coed Stale
g Socsety--Gambitng- Prescription for
the Gold Feeer, Sc.
The following letter from hsrd-6sted BALI
more mechanic will be read with interest:
SAN FaAxcIsco, Sunday Mnrning,a
September 49, 1910.
On entering the bay | saw a great number of
vessels Of every desert Plon closely nio1ted inge.h
or, all deserted; some retaining their captains
who had out signs of 'sorsEe,' "baarding'' Sc
On the beach was pitched an immense number Of
tents, OF all sorts and sizes. filled with persons Of
all nations and cnes; and far IS the ey,. could
$50, the shore was strewn with every thing ever
manufactured by man. The news brough. 81 us
greenhorns by those who boarded rs varied as
'nuch as the looks Of those vino fetched it, no two
telling the same tale. But all charged 81 -pircs
to carry US on shore, distances Of Two hundred
yards.
About one half the city is built Of canvas ana
rnuslin-lunber being $3.50 PER Coo feet brick
sou per 900 and shingles SO. I'nese thee
articles are all that are saeabe or viii be fur five
years to come. Every thing else is almost dead
loss to the owners, some actually refis ny 10 take
their goods ont Of The SHIPS where they have not
PAID the freight, and others take them Oh shore
and pie them up, and they rotting away under
your feet.
In the city have seen thousands Of bags and
barrels Of good -four. brought from Chilli, bursted
and heads out, srewn all About The streets; and
ct this date there probably as MANY more Ships
on tho tive oceans loaded with freight as ,he,e RS
here NOW.
The Lord only knows what will become Of one
half, at least, Of tbs people rusti ne here. You
may see doctors. lawyers. and all kinds Of gentle
men, with their sti!rts outside al their ifewseIs
'randling Sheehafrows, showing 80 carts, carry
ing trunks and dning everything else to make
something to bay food. yon cannot board sny
where for less than two dollars per day. This
class Of men is the last i'll the world 10 come to
California, for they cut big swell at the ports
where we stopped, and many Of them thought
themselves above rs wording during the
voyage. Some of them spent the las, cenf they
had before getting here, but tried to hold Oh to
what little had for fear d! accidents
We learn thai working in the mines is the inasi
lasorcus business ever igan done, but he that can
and will work can make all he wants, ii he will |
take good care oft, which is not the case with |
one half OF those who even do woTa. have seen |
number who never worked at home, and who /
thought they could find q fortune sticking cut of |
the GROUND without digging it oat, that rave now
made their way ho,ne again around Cane Horn |
with not the second salt to their backs have |
seen Others come from beside them. vine Syetage
their 500 per day, and look as well and hearty as
men could look.
Wages in the city are rapidly falling every day,
owing 10 the vas! nulnbers WAC are arriving that
are unfit for the n,iaes and lag IN the city, as many
Of the enigrants from Europe d at home Wages
are only SlZ per day for carpenters and IS fer Ia
boring work short slime ag0it WAS aea7iy double
that.
Along the shore there can be seen beds, chests.
hats, boots and clothes OF all descriptions, some
better than have on, abandoned by these going
to the mines, as j, is ai.nast Impossible 10 lake
them along at sach hi prices for coaveyance-
\ man coming cut here should not have more than
two suits to his BACK and not nlaahfal 81 pf.-
visions, for they cost him TO get them eat
Of the ship Oh shore than their orisinal eesl in
Baltimore with the freight ajdef. 10 IT, ou may
Judge when they pay $40 per thousand for light
ening brick shore at higi, water, and throw them
overheard. There is but one burnt brick house
going up in the city, which will cost abaat St0,-
600. There is good clay here, | an informed.
but by the time you pay from to SIP day far
work and $40 per cord fer inferior wood, ii would
cost mint Of money to get a kin, but when it
was got, it would make nam fortune.
There is the most curious state Of things here
ever saw OF heard Of fyoa want to sell any
thing yon cant get first cost, but if you bay yen
have to pay double. The reason is, anything
shat maa pns his hands to, his labor costs rs much
az the ;hing ITSELF
intend 10 sell OF my provisions and stpro my
trunk Of clothes here end pat ogst ir the diggins
as soon as possible, and 'yy my lack among the
hard workers. | feel satisfied, il had come OFT
here TO stay long could make money; but feeling
my lies to my family 100 strong, / shall Try and
make hay while The sun shines, and he uff' qnck
Though We have had long and tedious, bat safe
passage, vet we have arrived in the best season,
as all say, for tbs rains will commence aboHt Jan
uary, and that is considered the richest harvest -
! intend to give the mines Z lair trial of at leas;
six months, if am spared.
am wonderfully disappointed in the state Of
society in this place. Such thing as stealing is
not heard Of, for they hang for that offence, and
you may leave your trunk or any thing elsa, week
in and week out, exposed in the streets, without
ever being touched. Guns, pistols and knives
are nuisance. worth nothing. no person wanting
them. Rum is as cheap water, and / have
ssen but two persons drunk. The greatest bnsi-
ness done here is gambling. You cannot 90 amss
for houses filled with tables Of every game, having
piles of silver coin and gold dust s. bars enough to
load any single horse team that haus in your city
fi'hese places get most Of the money, for those
who have never been used to wor! get hold of a
little and try to get more by gambling. and loose
all. Others who 60 to the mines and labor hard
get few hundred or thousand dollars come down
here and bet sometimes from l2t cents up 10 SO,
900, hoping to get it easier than digging for it,
loose all and have to 90 back again. 1t takes a
moral, upright, thorough going, peFsevering, in
dus!rious. healthy, working man fr this place
Such q one can do better here than in any other
place in the world, and if had my family here,
do not think should ever reiurn But as it is.
six Or eight months in this place will do me, even
if I return again to the brick yard. Upon the
whole, am very glad have came, but l would
not advise one soul that know of to come out
here, for, knowing what have passed through,
and expect to, if were at home / never should
start again. We run out of provisions before get
ting here, which was not very pleasant but
counted the cost before started AL If Us On
board kept our health remarkably we'll.
r2alti