The Nevada journal., 1859-08-19
Editorial Correspondence.
San Francisco,


A trip from Sacramento to the Bay
city presents only objects and events ia
miliar to everybody who passes down
the river and bays, as almost everybody
does once in year or two. We pass
several gardens and nurseries in -four
ishing condition, then through tule lands
the future rice fields of the State we
encounter strong cold winds which inviG-
ora,c the mountaineer grown bilious and
enervated by the hot. dry climate of the
mines we get glance at the city whose
locale is on the straits of Carquines op-
posite Martinez, passing view of the
Government buildings there. steamer
or two of the great monopoly company
and their works also; We see Mare Is
land and the United States property
thereon. and get barren sight of the
hills of Contra Costa we hear the runs
bling of the boats machinery, inhale
breath of sea air. and that is all till San
hcavcs in sight,
This day ten years ago, half starved
crowd of hundred men, myself among
the number, after voyage OF 81 days
from Panama, first cast our giaddened
eyes on San Francisco. 1t was in that
year which will forever figure in the
annals of C NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. in the
wild rush for fortune and adventure
thousands bade adieu to home, comfort
and happiness to try the privations of
long and tedious journeys h;ther by land
and sea, and still greater hardships in
the struggle for gold.
Then Portsmouth square was the heart
of the city, the Ell Dorado was tent,
Montgomery street was the front street,
and a few lanes ran down to the waters
edge which was about half squares
distance from Montgomery. The city
was without a wharf then and the hun
dreds of vessels crowding the harbor
discharged their cargoes by means of
lighters. Roach, Woodwork & Morris
had erected small building upon piles,
somewhere, think, on Clay street be-
tween Montgomery and Sansome. The
piles were driven slightly in the mud,
headcss hogshcad thrown over each one
and filled with stones gave stability to
the foundations. A small platform ran
along on one side of the building and
communicating with the land. On this
l made my first disembarcation in Cali
fornia, paying a boatman four dollars to
row me ashore.
Those were the flush times of Cali
fornia when gamblers used wheelbar-
row sometimes to carry home their win
uings or to transport the dust from
tapped bank to another to be tapped
Lichtermen made fortunes in few
DAYS. Lumber was worth dollar
foot, Auctioneers went into business
with nothing and found themselves
growing rich with hardly an effort. The
most grave and difficult cases were adju-
drcnted in Courts of the First Instance
and alcalde's without moments hcs'ta-
tion Rents were enormous. The Parker
House, an Indifferent wooden building
fronting on the Plaza and near the Ell
Dorado, was reputed to be worth for
rcn:age $4,000 a year. To board at
hotel if indeed one could be found would
bcgsar prince in few months if with-
out an income in keeping with the times
New corners with slender means were
compelled to pitch their tents in
Happy Valley, then out Of the city, and
live in the most economical manner till
they could begin to finger the gold OF
the country The sick found the best
Accommodations on board the idle ships IN
the harbor whose crews had been dis
charged, or more frequently the case
had run away to the mines.
What changes ten years have pro-
duced. San Francisco is no longer
number of tented sand hills. The hills
have been carted into the bay, aud
where once the waves dashed streets are
laid out and imposing structures OF brick
and stone are erected. Paved streets.
and substantial sidewalks have taken
the place of roads obscured with flying
clouds of sand and dust in summer and
Lottomless mud in winter. Cloth hous-
es have disappeared forever and gam
blers with them. Mexican laws and al
cades have given place to American ju-
isprudence. A city, promising to be
the great commercial metropolis OF the
Pacific, where libraries SCHOOLS. church.