Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1866-12-13
Written for The Chronicle
A Voyage to California.


sownsmen might be Of interest to your readers, adj
dress you. have also two-fod object in view, viz:
Sword Of advice to those contemplating this trip,
should It meet the eyes ofany disposed.
COMPANY.
There are two distinct and separate companies the
foremost and oldest of which known as the Pacifc
Mail Steamship Company carrying the United States
mail and exprese goods, from which it derives large
portion of its revenue; and exercising as it does
controlling influence the railroad across the
fsthmus makes the trip in less time, and with less
inconvenience to the passenger. The rates by this
line are-for the stearage, 500 in greenbacks; an
honorably discharged soldier producing his discharge
half that price. This opposition line charges about
se5 for steerage; but there is much delay by their
small boats grounding in the Chagrss River, and
being obliged to depend upon mules for transporta.
zion.
THE "HENRY cHAUNcEr."
This Is one of the newest and fastest boats of the
Pacific Mail Transportation Company, and is Differed
by very courteous gentlemen On this we took steer
age passage We wish the reader 10 distinctly under
stand that in relating experience on ship-board,
We refer only to the Storage; We know nothing of
life in the cabin. The line dividing us from that i,
an impossible one.
On purchasing our ticket, we are informed by the
pleasant faced agent that shall have all necessary
comforts yellow blanket and mattra S. and he will
commit himself even further, by giving you bill
OF faro but you cannot be too cautious in believing
this oft repeated story Ono. out of sight of land
and the melancholy truth that you have been decey
cd begins to dawn upon you. These promised things
are not forthcoming; but the servants have their
various modes of extracting money from YOU -
one dollar for taking of your valse ice water
for the passage 80 much and an occasional piece of
soft broad ). cost you almost as much as a ful
weeks board at home. But we exercised that job
like quality patience and tcntedly as possible
nunched our bareback, chawed our salt-iunk wash
Ing it down with miserably weak decocion they
called respectively tea and coffee
OUR PASSENGERS.
The list OF passengers is in the main mostly made
up OF emigrants; among them are a number of Cor
nish miners, who will bring to the 81 Dorado of
America, with their stalwart FORMS a valuable ex-
perience. There are many Gsrmans-some bound for
the mining districts, but the majority will most
hKey settle ABOUT the cities and towns. Gamblers
are aboard in large numbers. seeking among strau-
gers 10 ma their victims; and class of women
even more fallen than they, are here seeking new
nome 10 ply their loathsome calling And thus we
are mixed together, good, bad and Indifferent only
anQ
we may speedily and safely reach land which we did
Sunday morning, October q.
AsPlNwALL.
About eight o'clock our signal gun notified tba na
nveS OF our approach, and they swarmed about the
wharves, mostly made up of Spaniards and molasses
coored Negroes, dressed muchn the airy costume of
our first parents. could make but little ont of what
was said, they speaking in poor Spanish We were
soon ashore, and greeted by lot of women who
hsd stands by the road side, buy of their fruits
inc nrst thing done was to change our greenbacks
Tor silver receiving sixty on the dollar Coca
nuts lemons, bananas, and pine apples growing by
me road SIDE, were of course very cheap and were
purchased freely and devoured greedily by those who
had 80 long been on so poor diet. And there was
another class, addicted to the of liquor who by
fher unsteady motion, showed they had been wor-
shpng at the shrine of Bacchus. 1t must have drawn
heavily on their pursestwenty-fve cents in silver
grass walk OF quarter OF an hour showed us all
there was to be seen in the place. fire of the week
before mad destroyed portion of the town. The
buildings are OF wood, small and dirty, as are the few
streets which the place boasts Of 1t being Sunday
snd the one church being open we walked in and
viewed its interior, which, in contrast with it's spr
ronndings, presented very creditable appearance
1t belongs to the Jewish pursuation The merchants
sre coiorsd the soldiers doing guard duty are color
ed; In fact, everything the eye meets is colored.
ana It is no wonder, for 1t impossible that
white man could live under so hot a sun.
AT two o'clock We were seated in the cars en- route
fer Panama, distance of thirty mles-way fare
across. twenty-five dollars in gold This seems ex
travagant but if we may believe the story that in its
construction there many lives lost by
IS there are ties on the road it does not seem so nm
reasonable. We counted but three houses the whole
length OF the road that would all compare with the
dwellings at home. There were innumerable thatch-
Cd nuts. with open spaces for doors and windows
owing to the heavy grades. the trains move very
slowly about ten miles per hour. Arriving at Pana-
ma we were hurried aboard lighter and carried out
'N'' INC haroor' where our steamer lay at anchor.
"THE GOLDEN AGEp
~ was oark when We got aboard, AMI We at once
'sec'ea lhe oest place We could find and were soon
As'eep. payhght revealed the unpleasant fact that
VIC n"u got out OF the Trying pan into the fire. The
officers themselves claim this the worst vessel Of e
line, and do not doubt their veracity. Werwaited
mere until Monday evening, hoping to connect with
French steamer due, but failed to make the con-
nectlon The harbor of Panama is beautifully dot
ted with islands, rich in tropical f,liaga w. n.
ed tomb stones amid the trees of the most nro,oi
nent ones the ground at Panama being 81 low and
marshy they are obliged seek this snot for the in
termentof their dead. One OF two meals IN hoard
OF this vessel convinced our fare as far as varit
was concerned was growing by degrees beautifully
1885, ana The water was of quality and temperature
that would have failed to have found drinkers ON
'hs desert And as if to place the last straw which
should break US completely, find the officers petty
tyrant treating us individually and collectively alike
Ash We were all that goes to make up deep-dyed
risn by their actions they forfeit all claim to re-
spect and am sure they receive none never saw
such nranImisy of feeling in hating set of men as
there is manifested towards these officers Int what
with card playing, novel reading and an occasional
then or fight to relieve the monotony of the voyage
Ne wear the time away till we reach
AcoAPULcA
which We do on the evening of the 9th Here we co,
Many of the passengers improve the opportunity and
gcashore. and replensh their exhausted larder while
those remaining aboard patronize the rum boats
which in large numbers sailing about the ship
They of.r for sale mostly fruits and native liquor
they call brandy. The houses as seen from the Ship
little than low huts, the streets are very
narrow and dirty One church spire is visible, and
it's said there very costly figures in gold
and silver among its adornments on the hill, back
Of the town what is called the Liberal Party is en-.