Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1877-11-21
San Francisco Twenty.Seven Years

We found bleak and meagre frontis-
piece to our Book Of Fate. A few low
/ houses, and many tents, such as they
were, covered the base Of some Of the
wind-swept treeless hills, over which the
June fog rolled its chilling mist De
serted ships of all sorts were swinging
with the tide A crowd of men swarmed
about what is now Montgomery Street,
Aladdins old lamp, however, homely as
1 it seemed, and fortune was there for
those who had what my father used to
call "a stomach fora fight" or those
who born lucky, succeeded by virtue of
the unknown force to which we concede
/ that term.
The mere landing of the passengers
was problem The crews who took
boats to shore were pretty sure not to
come back. The Ohio Captain APP
Catesby Jones commanding, was there
Captain Jones very kindly invited me
on board to remain until Mr.. Fremont
shoul arrive, for had the disappoint-
ment of finding he was not yet here.
Mr. Howard wealthy merchant, had
brought out his boat, and | accepted his
/ INV IldbIOll. aS ulttl 81 lllllNii SCH llaN I'll
the land was best for me.
There We're then some three or four
regularly built houses in San Francisco,
representing the Hudson Bay and the
Russian hide business; the rest were
canvass and blanket tents. OF course
there was no lumber there for building,
and there were not even trees to be cut
down; nor would any man have divert
ed his attention from the mines to 90 to
house-building A little later, when they
found the hardships of mining life too
great and the returns too uncertain, the
tide turned, and many men came back
| to make fortunes at steady work in
building up the town. Sixteen dollars
q day was ordinary pay for carpenters.
The young officers of the army and
navy there used to lament to me that
! their business was so tar less profitable
One of them turned to profit his having
been on the Wilkes surveying eXpedi-
ton, and made really great sum Of
money by plotting in the thick incom-
/ ing fleet of vessels of all sorts.
| was taken to one of these houses
which had been the residence of Liedes-
dortl the Russian consul, who had re-
Gently died there. 1t was time of
wonderful contrasts. This was we'll
built adobe house one story high, with
good veranda about it, and beauti-
full garden kept in old-world order by
Scotch gardener. Luxuries of every
kind were to be had, but there were
wanting some necessaries. Fine car
pets and fine furniture and fine Broad
! wnnI onI no III Tho
one room with fireplace had been
prepared for my sleeping-room, and
! had French furniture and no end of
mirrors, but lacked IL fire.
The June winds were blowing, and |
! felt them more from recent illness,
which had left the lungs however, very
sensitive. There was no fuel proper;
and little fagots of brush-wood, broken
up goods boxes, and Sodden ends of
| old ship timber were all that could be
had.
The club of wealthy merchants who
had this house together had
excellent Chinese servants, but to
make every thing comfortable to me
they added the only woman that could
be procured, who accepted a temporary
! place us chamber-maid at two hundred
and forty dollars month and perqui-
sites. One of the perquisities was the
| housing of her husband and children
as well rs herself. She had been
washer-woman to- New York regiment,
and was already the laundress of these
gentlemen. She was kind enough to
tell me that she liked my clothes, and
would take the pattern Of certain dress
eS, and seemed to think it matter OF
course that / would let her carry off
gowns and wraps to be copied by her
dreSs-maker Il Chinaman. | declined
this as civilly as | could, but the result
was that she threw up the situation.
The only really private house was
one belonging To II young New Yorker,
who had it shipped from home, house
and furniture complete IL double two
story frame house, which, when in
place, was said to have cost ninety
thousand dollars. At this price, with
the absence of timber and the absence
of labor, it will be seen that il was
difficult to have any other shelter than u
tent The bride for whose reception this
house was intended arrived Just before
me. but lived only few weeks the
sudden and great changes of climate
from our northern Northern weather
: into the tropics, and from the tropics
again into the raw, harsh winds of that
season at San Francisco, were too much
for her even with all the comforts of
her own beautiful home. At party
given to welcome her the whole force
of san Francisco society came out, the
ladies sixteen in number.