Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-03-06
A SEARCH FOR GOLD.
The Excitement in Lower
California.
INCIDENTS OF THE RUSH
Ensenada Left without a POST
master-RumOrs From
the Mines.

which periodically crop up In the West
ern States. The reported discovery oil
the new placer fields in the Santa Clara
valley, a section of land situated 125
miles south of San Diego, and fifty miles
east of Ensenada, has led to a rush
which is undoubtedly unparalleled by
anything since the famous Ceur d'Alene
excitement. San Diego is being de-
populated at the rate of about 200 day,
Ensenada has scarcely an able
bodied man in sight, and from
remote places such as Ferris, San
Jacinto and other interior towns the ap-
plications for transportation to San Diego
show that the inhabitants OF those
places have also been stricken with the
gold fever. The International Company,
taking advantage of the situation. has
advanced the rates of passage from San
Diego to Ensenada from 81 to $40, but
even this exorbitant increase does not
effect travel, and every outgoing boat is
laden down to the waters edge. The
Santa Rosa, Which came down from San
Francisco, carried 800 passengers from
the upper part of the country, many San
Franciscans having also embarked on two
small coasting vessels which left the Bay
City few days ago. The reports come
that twenty of the walters of the Corona
do have doffed their aprons OF servitude
and are off to the front, and the night
clerk of the Horton House excited by the
fabulous tales of wealth has also dropped
his pen and exchanged it for gold-pan.
Probably one of the most interesting
episodes connected with the affair j. that
in which the San Diego Union figures.
1t announced cditorially the other day
that it had despatched special commits
sioner to report on the mines, and the
article stated che will go there as fast as
horsefesh can carry him, and will at once
send to our readers full de-
tails OF the exact situation" I"
The special commissioner was none other
than the well known Cap. Friend, and
he went in the manner stated, but in
the language of well-known ditty, che
never returned" Not so much as a
word was received by the expectant
Union editor, for the Captain doubtless
found a quicker road to wealth by the
medium of a gold-pan, than through
writing up specials to appear double
loaded in the San Diego dailies. Another
story of the same type, though rather
more humorous, comes from Ensenada.
1t appears that a good deal of mail had
accumulated in the postoffice there
for the miners, and it being
necessary to get it over to
them, the Postmaster dispatched his
right-hand man. of went the deputy,
but, as ia Cap. Friends case, his return
was waited for in vain; and, thoroughly
indignant, the Postmaster went in search
of his recreant assistant. He shared a
like fate, however, for the potent mag
netism which is drawing throngs to the
place also acted on the Postmaster, and
the office at Ensenada is now locked and
the mail accumulating at rate that, if
ever the missing official gets back, will
give him an attack of brain fever to cope
with it.
REPORTS FROM THE MINES
Proper are very meagre, consisting OF
mere hearsay, for no one who has yet
gone oct to them has come back. All
sorts of stories are afloat as to rich finds,
and if half of them be true there will be
more millionaires in ESouthern Cali
fornia than there are on Mob Hill.
The placers are located in a
very cold section, being 1850
feet above sea-level, and consequently in
the region where Jack Frost finds
admission. Provisions are said to be
very scarce, and it is rumored that -four
is selling at $50 sack, other necessaries
being in proportion. 1t is also said that
the usual jumping of claims has COM
menced, and rumor hath it that two men
have already died with their boots on.
The claims are very hard to reach owing
the steep grades, but nevertheless every
road is lined with procession
of teams and wealth-seekers, many
of whom are travelling by the
Tia Juapa Road. As the Mexican duty
on teams is very high, those WHO at
tempt to cross the line in vehicles find
themselves confronted with heavy toll
dues, but money with which to get these
eeems plentiful, and the intending pros
pectors ante up willingly. Mr.. Collier,
banker from San Diego, who arrived
here yesterday, stated that gold from the
new camp has already started coming in
and that he has already received several
nuggets ranging in value from 50. 30 to
$50. Meantime the rush goes on, and
the railroad and steamship companies
are jubilant, for the excitement means
increased traffic for them. At the Santa
Fe offices here yesterday was received a
request for rates per carload on wagons
to the Mexican line, and dispatch from
Tucson was also received stating that a
carload of burros was en- route to San
Diego, evidently to help out the trans
portation facilities from that point.
WORDS OF ADVICE.
Old residents OF this city look on the
craze as a mere bubble that will break in
the course of few days or weeks and
leave all its participants stranded with
emptied pockets, wasted time and moth
ing in return but dearly-bought expert.
ence. They allude to the fact
that San Diego is in the habit
OF launching ole of these excite
ments at intervals so as to attract
attention to that part of the country, for
getting, however, that there are many
about who can recall similar and long
since exploded projects. 1t is an insur-
mountable fact that to work placer
claims successfully, water must be on the
spot, and although the reports from. the
new region state that there is a stream in
the gulch where the miners are at work,
yet it must be remembered that all of the
California creeks carry water at this time
of the year, and that the Santa Clara
creek will probably, like the others,
parch up when the summer comes along.
A NEW RAILROAD.
A Line that Will Be of Great Benefit