The Davenport daily gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1856-1869, 1856-09-22

" erkinr harder than a co,ton-heid negro, /
,hreshng barley in the dust and hot sun |
when the thermome ter stood at los degrees
ia the shade, During the entire time the |
sun was no, obscured for one instant by
cloud Though totally unacqaainted with
farming. went al il with energy, and dis
covered that knew. as much about 1t as
any one. | had grub" California phrsse)
slep, in the hays,ack and received S2,5o per
day This side OF Cash Greek they only
paid 81, and farther out on the plains the
wages were So. | worked from sunrise
til dark, eat as much as three lrshmen,and
became remarkably fat and sunburn,. |
discovered that had perseverance to stick
1t out ill threshing was over, and that |
contained considerable "hsrd mule work"
There was one mighty mean. stingy man
We did few days threshing for, who had
"buttermils COW" At last we had but
iermilk three times day, and never saw
any butter-worth 63 cts. in market-so
we naturally supposed the COW gave the
pure article.
Last Wednesday | arose at daylight,
walked three miles TO breakfast, threshed
80 bushels Of grain, washed myself and
SHIRT, lay around till the latter dried. walk
ed tive miles to dinner, and then "A miles
, farther INTO the city. Considerable OF
1 I IAllNrs : Inc
by walking the "a miles. Tha, night |
slept under s root for the first time in near
y month. This working in the hot sun
for $3.50 day gives me an idea OF the val
We OF money, which never possessed be-
fore, and resolved hereafter TO squeeze
every four-bii piece I'LL it gave forth sever
al quarters before let go of it.
All the land near Knights landing by the
river and on Cash Greek, 10 clsimed and
cultivated these ranches are quite extern
siye and valuable, though their title lie rem
dered imperfect by old Spanish grants
Farther out on the plains the land is SIS lev
Ell as aoor, covered with Tulla mot SPELL
ed right) swamPs, and SO highly alkaline as
to be incapable Of supporting blade Of
grass or grain. The ranches are very ex-
tensiye, generally several hundred acres
enclosed by prairie ditch fence, and cult
waited by bachelor, who lives in a misera-
bic little cabin, without garden, fruit trees,
or anything TO make him comfortable
There are many scattering exceptions to
ihis. where families are fixed comfortably.
The land is very poor compared with your
rich Iowa soil The timber ls scattering,
presenting the appearance Of an old ORCH
ard Of scrsggy aPPle-uees.
Upon my return sgain 10 the city | find
great many miners, who have left their
"dggins' on account OF the failure of wa
lar. They wish to procure work here till
the rainy season again sets in, but in most
cases this i impossible. Some have OBJ
tanned work on the ranches for $50 per
month. and some as deck hands on the riv-
er steamers iof $50 per month, harder
work than on the lower Mississippi and no
better pay. They represent their claims as
paying well, that is, four or Eve dollars
day straight along, as they mus, necesssri-
~ lose some days; this doss not amount TO
over 500 per month. These claims con-
tain all the latest Improvements Of sluics-
1Iss, heavy work, etc, and require the |
hardest OF labor 10 work them. They |
would all "liks 10 60 back home from this |
miserable country their Words if they |
could ouly sell their claims we'll; but still /
they intend to work on one more season as
they think they could save few hundred
4 liars, and not spend il as they have the
most Of lsst seasons earnings.
Bu; the persons most to be pitied are the
6 forty-niners. There are a great many
Of them here and through the mines scarce
~ one of them worth red" They GER
tainly present singularly moral lesson to
persons who can read the human character.
These persons, many Of them the most ill.,
t. llgent and liberal men in the State, think |
that California has wofully changed and is
not worth d--u;' they look upon emf
giants as interlopers and express kind Of .
"queer pity for their ignorance Of mining,
and the same for those who have only been
here two OF three years. They cannot be
made to belIeye hut that these newcomers
expect to rake the gold right up with
kaiie.
The "Iorty-niners" don't Ike the iaUori-
oas method Of extracting the gold now prac-
tieed; they long for the time Of Rockers"
and Long Tens" that time which has
passed for Cal!fornis. No intucement
short Of actual starvation will cause them
to work for wages. Why they have been
be re since ~, and skould have adyanta-
gee over these upstartsl They know that
they know too much. They must be Pros-
2ecting, aud even when working their own
slai me are dissatisfied with four or FIVE dol.
ar. day; lhey want something big;' they
Saat to make "a STRIKE" but al the same
ime advise others, rightly, that they are
,ooiish for leaving three dollars day, sure
sashings.
Many miners would not hire "forsy-
inner" even II they would work BY the day,
pet these miners agree that they are the
pest men in the country. Poor fellows
they have been tojliug for years, still led On
by the delusiFe beams Of hope; bat "hope
de erred msktIb the heart siek;" but still
they toll on,iet by the infatustion that they
nay make "chance strike" 1t is no"
nfatuGtiUn and can hardly be CHASED Us
fright hope alone. They cannot bring
themselves down to mere pay and hard la
,yr, when once they rocked and Panned
heir ounces. They will sull continue TO
oil on and would scorn the idea Of any
me expressing pity for them. This Is the
aosl singular feature Of California lile' yet
have never seen an item Published 10 re-
rafd to it, though true in every porhcuiaf'
Col. Sem. Medsry and WIN. Deshier' Of
, olumbas, bad kght IT fsticufs 10 that