Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1877-10-13

ma, on board the Peruvian hide drOEeT. afs .r
ask months passage fron :hs safes. ant
ulnety-dve days on the Pacific. The human
Carg arrived All alive, o-t much the worse
from exposure 20 the elements. and a diet
only just removed from ABSOLUTE Starvation.
Ten half barrels or pork. a few hundred
pounds of AIS. scsnt supply OF Gillian
lard bTeat few bales o. Gillian jerxai
beef, bo.h br al aud D sef alive with vermtn
an insufficient supply OF wafer, and one
hundrel and dfLy human beings coopei up
on hundred and forty two ton vessel, com
binsd horrors equal 10 that of the middle
passage and with several cases of Panama
FEVER o board, the " DDder was tn At no de sth
occurred, no poor wretch wrapped ia his
blankets, with a stone tied to his feet, found
floating grave in the depths of the Pacii,
But the King of rerrors had his revenge, for
SIX months after landing not ouehslf the
Ricoa Point, aud around Happy Valley.
others at Sacramento, aud a larger number
scattered through the mining regions were
placed in shallow graves by strangers.
''Unkueed. uncoff ned and unknown"
From the first of Marc1, 1919, till July,
cholera and yellow fever declmste1 those
who were detained for want of trsnsp Drtatiou
on the Isthmus. So anxious were all 10 get
away that almost everything that would
float was pressed into service. Wusle boats
were fitted up aud advenJurers started on,
exposed to the elements, for voyage of !, 800
miles. Several of the native bu ioss or dug
outs, were lifted with keels AMI false sides,
TO sail away and never be heard OF more.
While one vessel lay in A sapu leo the pas
sengers in a whale boat were brought 10 in
the last state of exhaustion, having been
picked up off the harbor. A ten ton schooner
came in. short of provi Sions AMI water, the
poor wretches, dozen i nu ND IT, in a half
delirous state from the su ferings they hal
endured, in voyage of fOrty-six days from
Panama.
In the brig "Copiapo," in which Twas a
passenger. we were fifty-siX days from "A
pulcO TO San Francisco, and the passenger
were reduced for three weskS to four ounces
of jerked beef, one hard biscuit, two spoon
fuls OF mol asses and one pilt of water for
twenty four hours. A company o. thirty
had agreed to live I'm the long boat and to
have no privileges below decS. They ware
exposed to the rains OF the tropics, to the
col nOrtherly winds of the coast of Cali
fornia, which, in addition to scant AMI ul-
wholesome foot, brought on disease from
which nearly ALL died within few m paths
from the terms natiD1 of the terrible voyage.
When we arrived, two hunjret sail of
abandoned vessels were anchored in the
beautiful bay. Not wharf existed. Mont
gOmery street, next nearest the water, was
rushing tide of humanity. The buildings
were principally of canvass, ami a wealth Of
merchandise was piled out of doors, exposed
To piilage, but all Were too busy. tor az
SoTbed In matters OF greater Importance to
steal 1t.
On the west side OF the Plaza, already
named Portsmouth Square, was an a lobe
building which was afJerward used as the
post Office. Another adobe stood on the SOUTH
east corner, noted q the place whara the
great rire of Isl! commencet. Ga the east
Parker house, and next 10 it, on The corner of
| W'ShingtOn street, was the FL Dorado, the
grea st gambling house in the city. Appar-
emily every nation on the face of the earth
was re presented in the motley crowd. Board
with no room in private, and no bel bat the
floor, each lodger furnishing his own blan-
kets, cost from SO to $50 a week. Liquors
were sold at fifty cents drink.
Some of our passengers were solicitous on
landing, 10 roll a lot of half barrels pork up
the bank from the boat landing, and were
,NafA n ia1l A. H. ;Nh
with fever to walk, was taken to a stor,
and given bank to lie On. while prepare
lions were being made for oar passage TO
Sacramento, and there j watched the mar
vicious traffic in merchandise. A ma cam
| in aud inQU ired:
"Have you any matches ?"
Yes was the lacOnic reply.
:" How much gross"
'" Sixteen dollars"
! =" Pretty stiff price, Amt it?'
| Z !" Take them or let them alone, as you
| please" was the answer.
At that moment the dealer cast his eyes
upon his customer, when he exclaimed :
Il" Why Brown, my dear fellow, is that you :?
| i ain glad to see YOU" and after a mutual
| Interchange of friendly sentiment, said "Do
you want some mat ches 2"
eyes," was the answer; 4" lam Just start
Matches"
"Well, shall charge you about two dol
lars gross" and with a reduction of ONLY
fourteen dollars gross he proceeded to put
1
Never was such a bewildering state OF
/ things. Men who came into the country q
few months previously, mere laborers, were
| in the receipt of princely incomes. Lawyers
doctors and literary men We're acting az
walters In hotels and restaurants, ami doing
light labor of many kinds; no style in dress
| to distinguish any class few women to he
seen, no homes, but all chaos of activity;
such as no man could imagine.
AT Sacramento the crowd was a little less
| than in San Francisco. but it was of quite a
different character. There was rush from
The mines, coming after stores or to have a
grand carOuse. All had gold dust aai nearly
all drank whlskey. II was no urcOm q IN
| occurrence to see miner call up every per-
| son around and spend an ounce or two in
treating. The lmpalpable dust, which rose
ia clouds from the parched earth had coated
the faces of the miners and teamSters till it
was hari telling whether they were W hife or
black, and water was too precious to uss for
washing "reminiscences in San Francisco
| Bulletin.
No MORE DROwNING- Interesting and