The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1850-07-07

= GouD RIFFUu IurrrrN.nr FIRST REGIMENT
- - =, - - ~. 4,
NKw YORK VOLUNTEERS. PHILADELPHIA; LEA q
BLANCHARD. 1850
u.,sis !. hoo, r., II, n.-.,o xhi,h a vortbv NJ
mere oooA ABOUT IL DORADO, ~n'en "0''"y =.
p'rusai IL has all the charms OF romance, Ahd
.bopnds with astsus of the Greatest interest The
~, h.s 80, a., -, ,hrsa x.ars in California.
~ ' 'Pe"' '"e "'' -. -,
and his military life has made him acquainted with
Abe climate and Of the whole country which
h. has xsrv tbo,onghl, explored
yhs ,",m n.,ars ns is record Of his personal .x.
psrience as gold digger, during the autumn, winter
"a .n,;no os ,sls O and gives the reader a remark
aho spring Vi i''o - 80
ably lifslike view OF the iAiS' pleasures ana suffer-
ipss of a " Life in the Plscers"
The first chapter opens WIN graphic description Oh
the journey to the nines:-
soutred in a red flannel shirt corduroy pants, and
heavy boots and accom- panied by two friends found
myself the afternoon OF the 18th OF October 1913,
vending my way to the only wharf in San Francisco,
take passage for the golden hills Of the Sierra Ne
vada The scenes that for days had met my eyes and
have damped the ardor Of a more adventurous man
hole launch loads of miserable victims of fever and
ague were daily arriving from the mining region-sal-
low weak emaciated and dispirited-but had nerved
se 10, ,ne did aps e' ds bss thu
srch-enemy Of mankind himself stood helmsman on
the little craft that to bear to FL Dorado We
had engaged and paid our passage, and such
sagerness to get conveyance of some kind that we
had not osked at the frail bark in which
to .ntrust our Low more than ever before valuable
bodies
The nm was a little launch o. about ten tons bur
den A mere ships boat entirely open, and filed with
barrels and merchandie OF every kind ana eight hu-
man beings, who besides ourselves had taken passage
in her Hooked at her-there not room upon her
deckIess hun to stow a brandy bottle securely. We
tried to the captain into idea of the danger
of with 80 uch freight but the only reply
be gave us was that he received dollars hun
dred for it There alternative, so in we jumped,
with fair wind across the bay Of san Francisco.
There was, of room to cook on board, and
there was galley furnace to COOK in; and in
A..a thoro poh DVt tn As m We had
elected to make purchases of any necessary articles
OF food aud expected TO be furnished with our meals
among the other accomm odations OF our boat. The
captain generously offered u some cheese and
crackers, and after regalng ourselves on these we
IL was by this time dark and black clouds
sweeping over the sky. The wind had changed, and
were beating of and on Angel Island while the
spray was dashins over our boat sides wnich were
nearly ievei WIN .ne water; from ner great loau ~
issn q, M With a nrospect of rain and snray forced
md Of sleeping the piles Of barrels
tssn.ss " '
sharper. sighted than my companions had spied
S mass asound r. and mon which bv doubling
mv,sit into q most unnatural and ungen.iemaniy po-
rh1a M, haais rast.s on the chimes ~ a nork barrcI
st an angle Of about forty. Ave degrees above INV
IA WI s.IesInsss n.y.ni;a, ~ FL. hnman rae.
.nnronriatea tho whole 81 this couch 10 mv..N AVID
Va airrady in the land of dreams with bright visions
r. ms sn;rifnal eyes Sbsp 7 felt myself ro9yhlv
shsksn and swating found Higgins one of NV com.
I'm sid ho olly info mad
tPest nv time rss nn and Il was now his turn IL
.ecm. mat during INV absence in the visionary
dssdeS ans r..ossd Tr,t tsat
tL.rsxss no oth.r fsa.hIe .leepny nlace than ths
box then oe en-; by mel Secondly that was
sboula sonronriste 10 his own nriynts and inai
yiduai use ali Of this worlds goods" and Thirdly
shnnid In rotation tshe a nan unon the box ;, Whsn
IisSns woke me the rain dreps were pattsrinr upon
uA "a ha,t a"Isen r nmnsd nm ams rdI;n,
1yyxard found a lttis nlace vbere I copld half lie
down. and in this manner With the rain. drops and
W.. 80; 800 IN ia -, Iii =, ar Si,,t ~,
sLrsst.n;n 10 cast m. man ,hs vatsrs na.ssd th.,
n,rh, on RI. bsy OF sam Eranciscoa mint hitch I
.bsn I've, treat eomnanion. and ella "a
han no, o.cn6~i,. III hoP w.r sS,hsr s,sh'n an
o.rss,snsi wink in ticusr no.ition or sitng
.non ,bs chimes of = harrsI vish,pg S;th an ,bsisr
Sppsr,s tor SaxI,ybt "NA"s WIN ~N '"''
The author does not thiak the gold vashins'" are
"ine1haustble" He 'ays -
Experience has proved, In the workings Of ether
ihe surface Of the earth have been speedily displaced
and that with an Immense influx Of laboring popas-
ton, they have totally sissppesr.d Thu, in Sonora
nifty dollars per day were the rewards OF labor IL
fosnd difficult at present, with the common imple-
nents to dig and wash from The soil more than IRON
nifty cents TO two dollars per day 70 man 30 has 1t
partially In the richer and more extensive plasers
Of California When nrst discovered ere the soil was
oletted by the pick and the shovel every little rock
erevee and every liver bank was blooming With golden
fruits, aud those who hrst struck them without any
severe labor, extracted the deposits As the tide Of
emigration teyan to dow into the mining region the
lucky hits upon rich deposites, Of course brgan 10
grow seareer, until When an immense population
scattered throughout the whole golden country, the
success Of the mining operations began to depend
more upon the amount Of labor performed than upon
bs good fortune to strike into unfurrowsd soil rich
In gold. when fret saw the mines, only six months
AMER they worked and when not more than three
thousand people were scattered over the immense ter
ritory, many rsvines extending for miles along the
mountains we're turned completely upside down, and
portions Of the rivers banks resembed huge canals
that had been excsyated. And now, when two years
have elapsed. aud population OF one hundred thou
sand, daily increasing. have expended so great an
amount OF manual labor the old rarines and river
hanks, which were abandoned when there were new
and unwrought plaeers to 20 to, have been wrought
ana wrought, and some Of them with good
cess Too years have entirely changed the character
OF the whole mining region at present discovered Over