Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1850-02-16
From Californi a.

/ have both arrived from ChagreS, the Tor
mer with more than a million, and the
latter with half million of California
gold dust, besides large amount in the
trunks of passengers.
The account OF the great fire, as at first
published, was much exaggerated, but the
property destroyed was immense, being
estimated at a million and half.
A correspondent of the Herald, writing
from California gives the following account
of the
PROGRESS OF SAN FRANCISCO.
| Since the commencement of the present
year 1000 houses have been erected in
San Francisco, and the leyee at New Or
| leans, or the wharves of the East River,
do not display such an amount of business
rs the banks of the San Francisco bay ex-
hioit. Among the other Improvements,
several wharves have been built the most
extensive, the Central, built by a joint
stock company, already extended 800 feet
into the bay, thus enabling vessels to lie
alongside and discharge which will, when
completed, be 2l00 feet in length. Seven
! churches have been erected-2 Episc0-
paiIan, Presbyterian, Baptist, | Meth
| odIst, and l Catholic so that we now en-
JOY " lhe stated preaching Of the Gospel"
in our churches, beside having a tearing
sermon on the plaza every Sunday after
noon. from a brass-lunged Methodist itin-
Grant. A large theatre is now in progress
Of erection, under the auspices of Col II.
j. Myers and saw-dust and dimty fly
right and left III a capaclous and well
managed circus.
THE CALIFORNIA ADVENTURES.
The town is crowded with people.
Every day some new vessel pours It's
hundreds on our shores, many of them
with fine prospects awaiting them, and
many destined TO be most bitterly disap-
pointed Many poor devil landing here
with bright visions of big business be-
fore him, finds himself, in few days,
rendered penniless by the enormous Cal
ifornia prices, and the next we see of him
IS peddllng newspapers in the streets, or
shoyelllng gravel for the corporation in
filling up mud holes, Many man finds
night coming on him in this town, where
gold appears 10 be the staple commodity,
without place to lay his head, or where
wlthal to purchase him supper. fear
that much misery will occur this winter.
Almost every morning dead body is
found in the streets, This is owing, how
ever, in most cases, TO drunkenness and
dissipation. But California is a great
. country for a that" and men with
strong hands and stout hearts need never
fear to come and see our elephant.
sQUATTING AND MEXICAN LAND TITLES.
Extensive "squalting" operations are
in progress throughout all portions of Cal
liornla in some cases extending so far as
locating upon town lots and mission lands.
THE BURNT DISTRICT.
The rebuilding of, the burnt district of
San Francisco had commenced, with an
energy surprising anything we can recof-
lect 10 have been recorded in our Atlantic
cities, after similar disasters. The fire
occurred on the 24th, and on the 2Sth
several house frames had been erected
over the ashes, and two of them were al
ready weather-boarded and shingled; the
frame of the Exchange was up, and was
to be completed, as per contract, in Is
days, at n cost of between 25 and $780,
O00-the builders forfeiting $3.50 day
for every day beyond that period. Lunt-
Der was bringing 1925 thousand.
a FREE SCHOOL.
At San Francisco a movement was IN
progress to establish free school, under
the charge of Mr.. ]. c. Pelton.
DISCOVERY OF ANCIENT RUINS.
A long account is given by writer of
the discoveries he has made in Northern
California and New Mexico of ancient ru-
ms. pillars of granite, | feet high, which
still retain numerous traces of the pictures
OF men, plants and animals, intermiXed
with hieroglyphic characters. Another
discovery, on the Colorado. was that of
American pyramids.
THE GOLD-GAMBLERS.
The New York Tribune saws, al intel
ligent friend, who enjoyed good opportu-
mites for information in San Francisco,
estimates the amount of gold in the hands
of the gamblers alone of that city on the
lst of January, at fourteen millions of dol
lars. These sporting men, by the way,
have done the largest business of any class
of operators in California during the last
year. Toil-worn diggers who had bagged
their thousands at the cost of unsurpassed
fatigue, privations aud exposure, have come
down TO the city and gambled, and lost
their last dollar within a week. The
gamblers, il should be stated TO the credit
OF their forecast, never hesitate in such
cases to lend a " cleaned OUT digger 800
or 500 To enable him 30 return TO the
mines. Nor do they condne their tarors
entirely to their customers. They sub
scribe literally to new churches, and as