Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1849-05-26
SAN Francisco, March 3, 1910.


writer ..
-.t- SAN Francisco, March 3, 1910.
DEAR -: a most singular state of things
prevails here. Ii is, believe, without pre-
cedent in the history of the world. The
cold weather and snow haze have driven all
the miners from the mines into this, place
and Monterey. They are devisng all sorts
of modes of spending their gold and killing
time, of which gambling appears TO be The
mos, in vogue. In fact, there is nothing go
ing on here but gambling and drinking.-
Everything is selling very hisi, al retail;
whole sale prices are more moderate. Flour
SIS per barrel, pork sac. beef sic. All
kinds OF thick clothing very dear; cioaks at
retail $780, coarse pan:s SIS TO Sls per pair,
flannel shirts So TO 81 esch, shoes 50 TO 5l2
per pair, boots SIS to :s25; blankets $50 10
$40; butler 81 per h.; brandy 81 10 $40 per
gallon; milk S5 per gallon: cnt nails &c
gents pei lh., wrought do so cents. lnmbar
siCo rer lCCo feet. There are in this har-
Dor about fo,iy merchant vessels, ships, bugs,
>choonets; many with cargoes aboar,l, there
being iew places on shore for storage. The
greater portion of these vessels are from The
South American Pacific coast, aud are tieigh-
ted with flour and assorted dry gOOts and gro
ceries: some are from the Sandwich lsiands,
with sugGr, fruit, &c. The yariety Of figs
among Inc shipping strikes one with surprise
there are American, English, hungarian,
Spanish, F,ench, German, Ecuador, Peruvian,
Chiiian, Russian and Mexican vessels, all
huddled together. Labor, especially me-
chauical, is high; carpenters command from
81 o 50 per day; Il man wiki horse and
cart can earn from $40 10 $50 per day
Board is quite reasonable under the circum.
s,ances-S3 and S4 per day being the usual
price washing is Sc per dozen-SS is fTe-
quently paid. y seams'ress can easily make
500 or $50 per day, making pants Wood is
$3.50 per cord Nearly all Inc vessels in port
are withou, men their sails are unbent and
slowed away in The hold, with perhaps the
captain and n,ate aboard, as ship keepers.
Sailors have offered 10 ship for Oregon, or
on short trips 10 southern ports tor Sl00 per
month. Jack appears 10 delight in the at,no-
sphere Of California, and generally refuses 10
90 beyond lis il Guence. All we hear in ihe
States bout the gold mines is fully confirmed
here. There is gold in abundance. All who
20 TO The mines do wel-somc return with
fortunes; new discoveries ale made every
day. The millennium, so far as a plenty Of
gold is concerned, cannot be far Off Tha,
This mining region, so extensive and so rich,
and travelled over by lndians for hundreds of
years, should so long have remained secret,
is certainly astonishing. have seen sim
gle lump of gold, found near the "Midd!e
Fork" valued al $1,000.
-Four has been sold at the mines at Sa per
h., $50 per bbl.; shoes $50 per pair; pants
$40; whiskey or brandy So Il drink, and
not allowed TO help yourself. Prices are now
ii little reduced, though yet very high, but
will fall considerably on arrival Of the stocks
from The States; yet, | believe all will DO a
fair business Transportation hence 10 set
Tiers on the Sacramento Is terribly high Sl2
per bb. for -four, SIS for pork, and other
things in proportion. a palisy launch OF a
few tons earns $1,000 or $500 in few days
| o! for steamboat, Il fla,boat, or anything
with steam engine in it! saw $4,000 re-
fused for an old leaky launch OF about siS
| ,,.h; oh i,,hf bs. S.ufp
or $3.50. There are plenty of foreign schoon
ers here, but Commodore Jones will not al
low them 10 run up the Sacramento, hence
the high rates of transportation.
A small iron steamer, TO rnn coastwise be-
tween here and Oregon, on the north, and
San Diego, San Angeles, Monterey, &c, on
lhe south, would do splendid business. A,
the existence Of coal in This region is donb,,
ful, steamer should be so built that wood
might be used 10 make steam
hear lha, all official surveyof the gold re-
gion is to be made during The sumner
Things canno, remain long as they now are
The mines mus, be sold, leased, or worked
by the Government; which latter / do no
think would be done. immense fortune:
will 10 doubt be realized from the mines
Gold is worth here from fifteen TO siX,eer
dollars The ounce-lhere is plenty of silver
and no demand for ii. You will hear from
me again shortly. Il. E. R.
FAST Day IN THE SAYpwIcH ISLANDS
The Hono'ulu Friend announces that the
King had appointed Dec. 9Th as day o
fasting in consequence of the prevailing sick
ness and mortality. Both the foreign and
native population are suffering under wide.
spread pidemics--measels: whooping-cough
and influenza. Among natives, the mortality
is very great, not only at Oahu: but also OF
the other islands. 7112 90 ,97e.I On
Grateful mention is made of the hospitable
reception given to Rev. T Dwight Hunt al
San Francisco. Charles BTockway, of East
Lyme, Conn, was drowned on the 2s,h Nov
Diowned, by falling overheard, George Jack.
son Of Trenton, NJ j., seamen on board whale