Arkansas intelligencer., 1849-08-18

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Ahown to exist on paper only
wy oeing loo unwell on my arrival here TO lent
ou', was thought to be fortunate in oettpu ana r
,ers at Hotel. furnish my own lodging, and
I've me privilege OF sleeping on the dining table
HProVided get up early and put my bed out of
the way myself The eating part, a bout equal 10
whai would get in New Orleans for Sl2 a month.
mere pay SI5 per month. Washing Sc per do.
zen, II ordered done up nice it will be So. Few
sh'f's are washed, however, for can buy calico
o.es - mere 20 10 S6 per dozen, the same as paid
30 cents piece for in New Orleans. Persons
leaving here for the mines carry verv few clothes
win 'hem, and those, Of the coarsest kind and as
'ney would have to pay four dollars a month for
tne storage OF their trunks, generally sell them
t,he trunks) and throw them away If an old
Clio selling Jew should walk through the town.
NC "ould rub his hands in ecstacy at the sight, for
no couia gather cart loads of wearing apparel, and
~ lnuch OF 1t he could swear off as bran news
Setting aside house rents, the expenses of living
are enormous. Wood is verv scarce. and nv
landlord tells me it costs him $50 for evcry cord
ne burns. He pays $50 a month for his chief
waiter; as for private families, believe they ha We
no servants-every lady attends to her house,
hold affairs herself. Flour is low, having been
sold Inc last week for 81 per bbl.; ths of course
Is al a loss 10 the seller. Butter 81 25; lard 80
cents; cheese, 30 cents; coffee, 10 cents sugar.
IL cents; hams, 40 cents; fresh beef - Me.
chanics, particularly carpenters, get high wages :;
good workman readily gets Sl2 day, and
know Two or three now at work who get SIS, but
II Is on line work. Common laborers get
from 30 day 10 81 SO the hotr, the latter for
unloading on the beach in urgent cases. paid a
draymon. for carrying my trunk and carpet bag
from the shore 10 my hotel, about five hundred
yards, So. But this state of things viii! soon 5e
over, 1t is 10 be hoped and things settle down 10
their proper level.
Society here isl don't know what to say--
had nd
though large and very bad class of men have
arrived here, gone to the mines and got money,
and have returned to spend it in gambling and
drunkenness, yet no serious outrages have been
committed since | have been here. 1t is very
manifest to me, however. that the people here are
becoming restless and uneasy. the law less having
no law TO contend with, seem waiting for some
cause for an outbreak. The men Of property and
family seem 10 forebode evil ahead. As
regards the regular professional gambler, there
can be but few left in the States, if the number
here IS correctly stated, judging by the many
tented s. hells" dotted about the place.
have stated that this gold getting business was
misrepresented--l will explain it. There have
been letters written from here, and going from
one end OF The States to the other stating that gold
is found in solid Jumps, weighing pounds and that
you may SEQ it laying in stores, piled up like bags
of shot, This is all humbug. Letters, written
by Governor Mason and others, to bring large
land spectators and city makers, stated above.
have kept back part of tho truth, and have ST atcd
Just so much as will serve their own interest. That
there is gold in California to untold amount, is
admitted--so there are plenty of whales in the
Pacifc-and believe it is just profitable this
day TO engage in tho the other. At the
first discovery of gold, and for some time after,
persons obtained largo amount, but they got little
of 1t by digging themselves. At that time an
Indian could bo hired to dig week for rcd
blanket, string of beads or brass button. The
storekeePer sending goods among the miners, could
get $50 for pair of pegged boots; ounce for
jack knife that cost 40 cents; pinch of gold
dust. W orth Gf the sellers thumb and forefnger
were large) half an ounce, for glass of rum, cost
cents for pound of saleratus, he readily got
SIS. But this state of things does not now exist.
No Indian can now be hired at any price. There
are none at the mines. The Oregonans are the
eternal sworn enemies Of the Indians. They kill
them wherever they meet them, and havo driven
them from the s"diggins.' Goods as cheap
now at the mines as they are here, freight added,
so Whatever gold man gets hereafter, will be dug
by his own hands, or by the profits on his mer-
chandisc, equal now only TO his labor, the amount
that any one man can dig has been exaggerated.
number of Oregon men from the mines on their
way homo, have put up at the house am in, and
have taken much pains TO get al the truth. They
are strong, hardy, frontier men, used TO great
hardshps. They differ not materially in their
statements, and say, that the most any man
has dug out for the last ''diggn season." has been
81 900. That an average with them would be
about 50 ,OO0 some have made only s 900. They
also shy, that large numbers of persons make
barely their expenses, and may return, TO my GER
tain knowledge, without getting anything. Out
of char ry to the latter it should be observed, that
they never before knew what work was,
too lazy to work. The whole upshot of the mat
ter is, unless man is used to hardships and hard
work. ii is needless for him to hope to realize much.
Persons are continually going to and coming from
the mines and many hard working men among
them. and they say it is the hardest work, to use
their expression, that ever was invented.
do not wish to discourage any enc from COM
ing here by saying what have there is plenty
of room, (out doors), and many ways to mako
money, and no great trouble to get TO tho mines
from here, the cost about $500. Its all like
lottery, you may do we'll bur l would advise all
who are earning respectable living. to be content
and stay where they are {; and 10 those who are
determined to come, not to make any great calcu-
lations, or on their way out, be figuring with their
pencils the amount they intend to return with,
how they intend to invest 1t, in what style they
will iive etc.. etc., if they do, ,hey will certainly