Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1849-09-22
Truly yours, &c,
JAMES h. KELLY.
SAN Francisco, July 18th, 1919.
Ii. J. ALTERS, Esq,

SAN Francisco, July 18th, 1919.
Ii. J. WALTERS, ESQ,
Dear Sir :-Y esterday
| gave yoa hastily written. and imperfect
account of our journey across Mexico TO
this place, and in my letter | stated that ic
| had leisure moment before going to the
mines | would write you again. and give
you some items of California news. The
accounts we received in the states before
| left certainly bordered hard upon the mar
VeI'ous, and many there were who consid-
cred Them OF the Munchausen order. |
was credulous enough to believe them, and
on the faith of those representations | re-
7 solved to make pilgrimage 10 the Ell Do
RADIO. And row, that am here, see no
reason to change my belief, or TO doubt
even the most extrdVagant and highly col
ored accounts which | had read before |
left home. II is true, | have not as vet
been at the mines, and cannot speak from
personal observation. Yet | have seen
many persons here of the highest integrity
and OF undoubted veracity, who have been
there, and who have told me that even the
true. And then think a man is justified
in believing these accounts, when he takes
into consideration the apparently exhorbi-
tant, certainly extravagant prices, paid for
most kinds of goods. You can scarcely
see a man in the streets who has not his
pockets filed with silver and gold. and if
you look into nearly every alternate house
you will see one of those gambling hels,
which are curse 10 this, as well as any
other land. These gambling houses are
filled with persons, mostly miners. who
gamble night and day, stalking often as high
as $500 and $1,000 on single card. pre-
sumo there are a, least fifty or sixty of
these gaming tables in San Francisco.
with high piles of silver and gold to tempt
the weak and unwary. | have seen more
silver and gold here than ever did before
in the same time, and it IL very certain
that the supply mus be abundant from some
source. And then the prices of labor, &c.
indicate the same thing. The wages Of an
ordinary laborer is $40 to SIP per day,
and Iaborers hard to be had al that price.
Mechanics get from Sl2 to $40, and find
constant employment. Yesterday VIM
SCoTT of our company was offered $l4
day, to work at the building of anew Bap-
ilSt church, The first protestant church III
California; and promised constant employ
ment at those wages until the building was
completed but we wish him to 90 with us.
and he was therefore compelled to decline
the offer.
The prices of goods varies with the de-
mand for them, rising and falling like the
mercury IN the thermometer. Owing to
The vast amount Of flour, pork, ready made
clothing, DC, IN the market, these things
are cheap. Flour is SO 90 per bbl. here,
$50 at the mines. Pork from 3 8 to $40. /
Fresh beef, the best kind, III Cts, per
pound Ready made clothing is as cheap
as IN Philadelphia or New York. The
market is glutted with it, and the price of
storage is too high to keep it on hand, being
50 per month for barrel or package of thai
size. On the other hand. things made by la
Dor IN California are extravagantly dear. ]
saw wagon and two pairs of harness sold /.
for S600,-in the States they would be (
worth about $40 or $50. Wheelbarrows /
sell Tor S22 each. Picks weighing 4 .
pounds 81. Shovels SO. The price of .
boards here IS $500 per thousand feet. /
saw yesterday receipt given for 200 feet /
OF boards at 81 cts, per foot, board meas
ure. AT the mines it Is said thew sell FOR /
$500 per thousand feet, and yet timber I
is abundant IN the mountains. Where is .
Sam Hopper These prices of course
cannot last long, as | presume saw mills /
will be built or boards shipped from the .
States. If our merchants had sent boards .
or bricks here, instead Of -four and clothing, .
they would have taken away greater
amount of our gold. Butter sells for 81 so .
per h., at least it did this morning when
we bought little milk 8 per quart and .
yet there are thousands upon thousands of
wild cattle of the finest kind within a few !
miles from here. Boiled eggs are so cts,
piece. For pies paid yesterday rs cts.
apiece. To-day they are down to 62i.-
For common ginger cake 25 cts.-
WOuEdn' - - flourish here Ned .
Smith said TO a shrewd Yankee, who was
vending his ginger bread. that it was too
dear, that at home II was only penny
lie replied in true Y ankee slvle, "Oh, but
you must recoilect you are not 10 hmm ~
boarcing without lodging, at the principal
motel, IS $2l per week: with lodging, Sal.
}. M. DUNCAN, of our company, paid for
hIs EuDacr the first nirh, , f. - -