The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1888-08-29
EARLY CALIFORNIA DAYS
THE FLUSH TIMES AFTER GOLD
WAS DISCOVERED.
Eggs at Eighteen Dollars a Dozen
-OscillatinR Prices-Gambling
and Drinking in San EranciscO

and Drinking in San Francisco
The following article is from the New
York Suns review of Mr.. Hubert Howe
Bancroft's new book, entitled "Cali-
fornia Inter .Pocula."
1t seems that "during the flush times,
although credits were freely given, debts
as rule were promptly paid. Business
was dsne upon honor. There was no
law; at distance from the larger
towns there was no legal machinery for
the collection of debts" The uns cad
iness of prices in the days when the diff
| ticulty lay, not in selling food staples,
but in procuring them at all, is illus
trated by the following incident: cone
day George Eggleston stood behind
box of fine fresh eggs talking with Bob
Parker, from whom he rented his stand,
when a customer came up: How much
are eggsP six dollars What, a boxF
| No, a DOZEN Give me a DOZEN
| Something in the transaction
struck Peter as ludicrous, and
the plot of joke arose in his mind
! George, said he, when the customer had
gone, you will never make anything if
you don't keep better posted in prices
How soP demanded Eggleston. why,
] hSiN gOu oiS oNliihS NSSo az W dNOLOhI
when the regular price everywhefe is
$1s.' But / know where can get all
want at 49, said Eggleston. That's it,
replied Parker, you haven't the business
sense that tells man how to make the
most of his opportunities. Pretty soon
another customer came up and asked the
price of the commodity. We'll, replied
Egglestou,. somewhat slowly and de-
! l,tfla &c
ing; those are S1Sa dozen All right
was the rejoinder, I'll take two dozen,
and laid down $50 ungrudgingly." Mr..
Bancroft mentions another instance
where a man had received 1900 dozen
eggs by coasting schooner, and sold the
whole consignment for 31l cents a dozen.
Observing that the purchaser Logan to
sell them at 81. so a dozen, the original
salesman bought them all back at that
price, took them to Sacramento, and sold
them at So dozen. Let us cite two
other examples of oscillation in prices.
Once, when tobacco was down, a man
desirous of building a house on soft
ground tumbled in enough boxes of to-
bacco to make a foundation. Before the
house was completed tobacco commanded
81 per pound, and the sunken boxes
were worth dozen such buildings. An
other San Franciscan, wanting to lay
crosswalk over made ground, threw in
sacks of beans, which soon after were
worth thirty cents a pound.
Gambling, of course, was rampant and
defiant in those early years, and Mr..
Bancroft fills chapter with recollections
tof it. 'In 1850 on two sides of the Plaza
were brick buildings devoted almost ex-
clusively to gambling. There were the
El Dorado, the Bella Union, the Rem
devious, the Empire, the Parker House
and the Verandah. Here large halls
were fitted up, some of them by com
panies formed in France, with Oriental
splendor. In one the ceiling, rich in
fresco and gilt, was supported by glass
pillars, pendant from which were great
glass chandeliers. Around the walls
were large paintings of nude female fig.
ures, and mirrows extending from floor
to ceiling. Entering at night from the
unlighted street into an immense room
glowing with dazzling brilliance, and
load with the mingled sound of musical
instruments, the chink of coin and
glasses, and the hum of human voices,
was like passing from the dark depths to
celestial brightness. Some of the
saloons were open day and night and
brought in enormous rents; six thousand
dollars a month was paid for the FL
Dorado. Moth ng but gold coin was
issued, and the stakes ran into the hun.
dreds and thousands. A bet of any sum
less than five dollars was regarded as
contemplate. One assertion made by
the author in regard to these places
will be read with some surprise, namely,
that " from 1S49 to 1852 gambling was
followed in San Francis o as legiti-
mate business, and there was no disgrace
attached to the profession. Among the
dealers of gambling games at that time
were some of the most influential citi-
zens. Among the many anecdotes OF
the public gambling era recounted IN
this volume we reproduce the following,
promising that it was the custom to allow
a miner to lay upon the table a bag OF
gold dust or Mexican dollars, and wager
the estimated value of the contents.
"One night a Mexican with his face halt
concealed in an old serape entered the
FL Dorado, and, edging his way through
the crowd, stopped before monte table.
After following the game tor short
time he drew forth an old linen bag of
coin, supposed of course to be silver
dollars, and placing it upon a card and
leaning over the board, watched the
dealers fingers with breathless anxiety
The Mexican won; the dealer, with in
difference, pulled the bag over to him,
united the string, and emptied out the
contents. His face turned white as a
sheet, his customary GOODNESS deserting
him, for out of the bag had rolled, not
silver dollars, as every one expected, but
golden doubloons, more than enough to
break the bank. The gambler, however,
borrowed what he lacked from his ne gh-
bOrs and paid the Mexican, who with.
drew as quietly rs he had entered.
Ii gambling was common and undis-
guised, liquor drinking was almost uni
versal In 1858 there were in San Fran.
cisco 537 places where liquor was dis,
pensed. Gin the larger saloons tobacco
and cigars were sold from stand fitted
up in one corner, and an elaborate
luncheon was set out on table once OF
twice a day, from which he who bought
drink might partake without extra
charge. This free lunch as it was
called, at first consisted of only crackers
and cheese, but competition gradually
enlarged the ideas of saloon proprietors
until finally it grew into sumptuous
repast Of soup, fish, roast meats, and