Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1878-10-08
Letter from California.
SAN FRANCISCO, S,


have been talking with Comstock miner. one
| who, for years, has been more familiar with the
| lower levels of those Il. ines which have startled
the world with their immense bullion product than
ne has been with what has transpired in the sun
| light of Mt. Davidson. From what he SAYS the
timber used in the Comstock for bracing the walls
and roofs of the tunnels is perfectly enormous.
just think Of of these mines consuming 10000
| cubic feet of lumber day Already the amount
| of timber used in these mines would build city
as large as San Francisco. One of these days
| who knows but what men will be mining for lig-
| mite 10 these bonaDzasi Many of the mines at
| their lower depths literally TEEN with rats
These rodents are so ferocous in their hunger tina,
| they will jump at the miners lunch in his hands.
If their hunger is not appeased then they will de-
YOUR each other. At these lower levels of the EARTH
the miners work in nude state on account of the
intensity Of the heat. 10 the hottest drifts they
work with the Thermometer at 400. and when they
cool off they retire to place where the mercury
stands at ll00. 1t is so feariully hot that purga
tory is often mentioned a cooling off station.
Ice water is drank by the miners in immense
quantities ard is not hurful. About ninety five
pounds of ice are used by each miner daily. In
many places there is no oxygen, it being all con
sumed by the many candles used. There is 3 vast
region where there is no circulation of air. When
the miners ascend to the top of the shaft they are
dripping with floods of perspiration, and look as if
they had been afboied in steam sudron. The
heat is terrible that were it not for this perspr
alton the men would be cooked alive. The mo-
ment they cease to perspire then they become de
hrious. How men can work in these sslamanders
is really remarkable, but they do. and they all
seem to be rugged and enjoy good health. As
may be supposed the intense heat greatly retards
ore extraction and development.
FEMALE ToGGERY.
San Francisco feminines run to dry goods of
the costlest description. If only some of our
Augusta bellies could behold the many birds Of
gay pumage of their sex that swarm Kearney
street on a sunny afternoon, fancy they would
give up in despair as they think of their Owl
habiliments, and with one accord declare that
they, themselves, had nothing to wear" Such
elegant apparels Why, the wealth of fabrics which
sweep the sidewalks and street crossings which
one sees in an hours walk, would amount to a
| princely fortune. l don't wonder that men get
broke by woman's worship of imperial fashion
Dresses costing roll Of $40 pieces and personal
adornments as much more are frequent. You can
hardly see suit worn but that lie en- regleall Of
the latest and most approved styles, and scores Of
them imported directly from Worth's Partisan es-
tablishment. San Francisco fashionable never
stops TO enquire of her ege lord whether times
are hard or money scarce, when she wants a new
dress or a new hat. Coin with her is a secondary
consideration. Her own sweet will must be graft
fed, or else there will be tabeau in the domes
tic circle better imagined than de scribed With
our eastern custom of pricing goods the San
Francisco woman is unfamiliar When she il ont
on shopping expedition she pays the tradesman
his price for her purchases and asks no questions
| The emporiums of fashion here are numerous.
and the goods of foreign manufacture are
all imported direct from abroad. More black
silks are worn than any other color. Silk dresses
are frequently seen costing $500. This includes
making and trimming. A large number of ready
made dresses for women and girls are imported.
Imitation laces from England and France are
largely worn, and SO skillfully are they wrought
that but few judges can distinguish them from the
real, hand made article which it is no uncommon
thing to see in dainty founces costing $500 yard
and in superb shawls costing 81, 900 apiece.
| AUCTIONS AND AUorIoNEERs.
| Since early times San Francisco has been "a
nous for its auctions and auctioneers. Old Cali
fornians at the East will well remember when al
most every store on Commercial street was Cheap
John auction house. Now, there is not one in that
LOCALITY Where the bank of California now
stands was the site OF the Tehama House in early
days. The foundation of this hotel as well as of
The Mantle hotel was boxes Of tobacco which could
be bought cheaper than stone or any other kind of
building material those times. These boxes of
tobacco were brought round Cape Horn, and were
sold at auction at a ruinous price. In those DAYS
there was a shrewd, misery fellow named King
who used to attend auctions and buy anything, no
matter what, if he could buy it cheap. He made
fortune out Of his purchases which he sold
again generally at big advance. One day he
attended an "old boss" sale by one of the express
companies, when he bid off a trunk for $40
which he supposed contained valuable contents.
When he opened the trunk to his utter amaze.
ment ne found that 1t contained a corpse This
sckehed king oil buying goods at auction, and
after that he became a money lender, and wore
upon his breast an immense gold shield ON which
| was inscribed "Money cheap
Most of the pioneer auctioneers have retired and
their places been filed by others. There are eiubt
or ten firms who sell invoices of goods to dealers
| and spectators, and who do a heavy as well n.
a strictly legitimate business. or late wears tb;.
has been great market for the consignment Of
bankrupt stocks from Eastern cities which are
sold here at auction at tremendous sacrifices. Al
auctions where furniture and household goods are
sold, the business is not quite so honestly
conducted. Articles Of furniture are fire..
quently sold over and over again, and each
time at profit Numerous lodging houses are
fitted up with cheap furniture and then sold under
the hammer, by which trick good thing is real
lied. The horse auctions are an institution, and,