Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1883-03-15
ROWING ARGONAUTS.
Romance in the Life of Gold Hunters,
The Sweethearts Left Behind Consoled
by Promises of Untold Wealth.
From San FranoiSno Cbro,;olo

1hlrty-1our years ago, one June morning i
IS4S, old Eben Latham came into our "wash
house," and about the first gossip he unloade
, was that "them stories about finding gold i
Callforny was true" Itwas "wash day." an,
"our folks" and some of the neighbors wer
temporarily stopping in the washhouse, Will
the colored help soused her fat black arms il
the suds of the washtub. That was the frs
report heard from California Old Eben hae
been man of the sea; was once captured b,
pirate, and when he told the story, which he
did once week, he concluded by rolling W
his trousers, and showing the bulletscars he
had received.
California then was but blotch of yellow on
the schoolboy's map of 1S47. 1t was associated
only with hides, tallow, and Dana's "Two
Years Before the Mast" 1t was thought ot
principally in connection with long-horned,
| savage cattle, lassoes and Mexicans. Verv near
this in general vacancy and mystery was the
whole region west of the Rocky mountains.
What was known as the "Indian Territory
covered an area now occupied by half dozen
prosperous States. Texas was then the Mecca
of adventures and people who thought it ad-
visable to leave home suddenly. The phrase
in those days, "Gone to Texas" had meaning
almost equivalent to "Gone to the -"
Then California took its place.
EAGER TO GO TO CALIFORNIA
The report slumbered during the summer in
our village, but in the fall it commenced kind
ling, and by winter it was ablaze. The COM
panies commenced forming. 1t was not en-
tirely strange land to some of our people,
Many Of our whalers had touched at San Fran
cisco and Monterey. The North Pacific was to
them well known. There had recently been
great break down in the whale fishery Whal-
ing ships for sale were plentiful Three -fourths
were bought for the Argonauts. Of these some
became historic in San Francisco The Mantle,
on whose timbers stood hotel, recollect see
ing when very small boy, coming to our vii
lage wharf, when purchased in New York from
the merchant service. The Caa1uus, broken up
in San Francisco years ago, before being in the
whaling service, was merchant packet, and
brought over Lafayette in 1924. We used, ere
gold was heard of in California, to descend
into her cabin as she lay in port, and steal the
ornamental bits OF carving as patriotic memen-
tos. What in 1850 was known as "Rotten
Row." consisted of dozens of these old whal- !
erS, moored in lines together off Rincon Point, |
there waiting to be broken up. Some went up
the Sacramento and some to Stockton, and their
muddy bones lie there to-day, unknown save to
the few.
GREAT EXPECTATIONS.
BY November, IS4S, California was the talk |
Of the village. All the old retired whaling
captains wanted to go, and most Of them did |
60 All the spruce young men of the place
wanted to 60. Companies were formed, and
there were much serious drawing up of consti
utions and bylaws for their regulation. In
most cases the avowed object of the companies,
as set forth in these documents, was Mining
and trading with the Indians" Great profit
was expected to be gotten out of the California
Indian. He was expected to give stores of
gold and furs in exchange for gilt watches,
BRASS chains, beads and glass marbles. The
bought safes in which to keep their
gold, and also strange and complex gold
ng machines, of which numerous patterns sud-
lenly sprang up, invented by Yankees, who
never saw and never were to see gold mine.
Curious ideas were entertained relative to Cali
ornia. The Sacramento river was reported as
,bounding in alligators. Colored prints repre-
ented the adventurer pursued by these reptiles.
The general opinion was that it was fearful
lot country, and full of snakes.
MORAL COMPANIES.
Of the companies formed in our vicinity,
ome had more standing and weight than others,
md membership in them was eagerly sought
or An idea prevailed that when this moral
weight and responsibility was launched on the
hores of California, it would entail fortune on
III belonging to the organization. People with
he lightning glance and divination of golden
saw themselves already in the
mines hauling over chunks of ore and returning
lome weighed down with them. Five years
vas the longest period any one expected to
tay. Five years at most was to be given to
fling California of her treasures, and then that
ountry was to be thrown aside like used-up
newspaper, and the rich adventurers would
pend the remainder of their days in wealth,
'eace and prosperity at their Eastern homes.
70 one talked then of going out ''to build up
he glorious State of California" No one then :
yer took any pride in the thought that he (
night be called californian" So they went. t
PeOple VINO cOulQ not go lnVcSteu III Hen I
gho could, and paid half the expense of their I
assage and outfit. on condition that they should {
emit back half the gold they dug: This de- ,
cription of Argonaut seldom paid any divi- S
ends. doubt if one ever sent back dollar. !
Eastern shareholders really got their moneys Z
,orth in gilded hopes, which with them lasted 9
or years. But people never put such brilliant G
on the credit side of the account; a
nd merely because that, at the last, they are 9
OF realized. Surely, if such an investor has '
good time for two years indulging in golden b
opes, and goes to sleep every night for that n
eriod lulled by auriferous dreams, he might a
redit the man who gives rise to them FIVE or i
N per cent on the capital stock. I
8I 90 MEMORABLE SUNDAY, -, P
As the winter of -",4S waned, the compan- z
$, one after another, set sail for the land of
old. The Sunday preceding they listened to
rewell sermons at church. / recollect seeing
score or two of the young Argonauts thus
reached to. They were admonished from the d
ulpit to behave temperately, virtuously, wisely