Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-11-07
], w. MARSHALL.
Memorial Address on the Death of
Wel-Known Pioneer.


port:
Mr.. PRESIDENT Your committee, to
whom was assigned the melancholy duty
of preparing memorial address on the
death of our late brother, J. W. Marshall,
beg leave to report
That his reputation is worldwide, con-
nected as his name is with the early his
tory of the discovery of gold in California
We do not claim for brother Marshall
that he was discoverer in the same sense
as was Columbus. He was never COM
PEELED to kneel to royalty for the poor
privilege of proving to the world that one
could approach the jewelled east by going
west. and he did not work out in his brain
the northwestern problem in navigation,
which opened to the civilization of Europe
and Asia new world destined to take the
lead in future civilization.
Nor was he a discoverer in the same
sense as Leverrier, who, by his genius in
mathematics and close observation of
planetary and cometary bodies, with q Just
appreciation of the forces of nature in the
motions Of heavenly bodies, was able to
point out that an unknown planet existed,
and its place in the heavens, thus adding
to our discoveries another planet, which
now bears his name.
Nor did he add to our known chemical
compounds an unknown explosive, or to
our letters new method of communion
ton. or TO our machinery an unknown
force.
But he was .discoverer, notwithstand-
ing, whose additions to the knowledge of
the world wrought more changes in affairs
economic and political than is generally
conceded to him.
We take no account of any pigny at
tempt to rob him of his laurels.
Is the name Columbus any less illustri-
GUS because the Mortimer may have
visited these shores before him, or
because Vespucius wrote and published the
first account of the condition of the New
Continent, and gave it its name?
Did Leverrier occupy any lower place in
the niche of fame because he divided his
| honors with La Place, and had Arago for
his bosom friend and co-worker? Neither
does the reputation of Marshall as dis
cOverer suffer because some Indians had
picked up the shining. precious metal in
rowing before him and sold it in the
market, or because some obscure miner
had before applied to the Mexican Govern
ment for leave to work mines never deyel-
| oped.
Our late Brother was born on the - day
of - 1912, in Hope township, Hunterdon
county, New Jersey OF his early life but
! little is known, except that he learned the
trade of wagon making from his father
His frame was strong and sinewy and he
had by nature a sturdy Will and restless,
rowing disposition.
He was a born pioneer, and could not
content himself with travelling in the foot
steps of his father. His first movement
was to Charlottesville. His next to Warsaw.
| Illinois; next, to Plat Purchase. near Fort
Leavenworth, in Missouri. From this place,
in May, 1874, he started for California. with
a train of one hundred wagons, and went
TO Fort Hall. In the spring of 1845 he
started for California by the way of Oregon,
reaching Shasta in June, and reaching Sui
ter's Fort in July, 1915. Hence his trade
was of use making plows, spinning wheels,
machinery, wagons, etc. Passing over the
stirring times of the Bear Flag war (if we
may use that expression), in which Mar
shall was an active participant, and the
nomadic life our Brother led at Suffers
FoIt, in the spring of 1S47, with an Indian
Interpreter furnished by Captain Suffer. he
started to explore the foothills for a suitable
location for sawmill, and finally selected
place at what is now called Coloma
where the water-power was abundant and
timber plentiful. He returned to Suffers
Fort and induced them to Join the enter
prise.
BY this contract, dated August 49, 1S47.
Suffer was to furnish capital, whilst Mar
shall was to be the active partner and mill
wright, with the understanding that If the
country became Mexican, Suffer a
Mexican citizen, should be owner
if American, Marshall was to own it for
the use of both and with Peter WINNER
and six mill hands, several wagons CON
tanning provisions, tools, etc they started
for COloma and commenced the mill, con-
tinuing it until January 10, 1913.
In cutting the tail-race, WINNER. with
eight or ten Indians threw out the larger
powders, and by night the water was run
through the race, sluicing away the finer
materials.
January 10, 1915 Marshall, as was his
wont, after shutting down the gate, passed
down the sluice to see how it had washed
during the night. At the lower end of the.
race his practiced eve caught the color of
gold in a nugget, which had lodged in
a creyice or rifle of soft granite, some
six inches under water. He knew the
malleable quality of gold, and then and
there tested it between two stones.
He was practical man, without much
enthusiasm He showed the nugget to his
men, and continued work, but kept close
watch for more, collecting several ounces
in few days.
About four days thereafter, Marshall
taking with him about three ounces, came
to Suffers Fort and gave to the world his
discovery. The very foundations of the
eternal Sierras had been deeply inlaid with
gold when they came from the hands of
the Almighty. Gold had been set free by
the action of the elements, and mingled in
masses and coarse and fine dust with gravel
ground, smoothed and polished by glaciers
and deposited in river beds, ancient aud
modern, and distributed far and wide
through the western slopes Of these noun
tains
But the deer, the bear and the wild In
dian roamed over all unheeding; huge
conifers interlaced their roots with the oak,
forming a network and hiding the auriter-
Gus deposits from sight.
Brother Marshall, with his energy in
advance of his time whilst drawing the
plowshare of civilization into those noun
tain gorges, opened up those treasures to
the nation.
True, he " builded better than he knew
so did Washington ana the other fathers of
our republic. But the results OF his dis
covery were none the less fruitful. 1t took
the wear 1S4S to verify the magnitude of
the precious metal, sold in the public marts
by the hardy miners, satisfied the most
skeptical Whole bodies of men in villages
became feverish with excitement, and
rushed for the mines. Ships in harbor
could not retain their seamen, and must
lie idle at their anchorage The fever
spread East-compenies were formed and
ships bought to be laden with adventures
for California. New channels were opened
for transportation, and pilgrims crowded
the thoroughfares to the land of
gold. AS 1S49 approached the Eastern
world prepared to send their. delegation.
Cows, oxen and mules were pressed into
service, and the spring found long lines of
teams en- route for California through the
South Pass, and the great Salt Lake basin.
Through Mexico and Oregon an enterpris-
ing population poured into California in
search of fortune, and thus was founded
this empire of the Pacific whose gold
poured into the circulation of the world
has done so much to civilize the world, t.
preserve our nation intact and to enrich