Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-07-13
THE MAGDALENA BAY REGION.
BENJAMIN T. BUFFERS BUSTED
COLONIZATION SCHEME.
Immense Fortunes Made by Flores, Hale
e. Co. in Gathering Orchilla-
A Strange Country.


I think it was somewhere about the
wear 1871, or ~, that what was known as
the California Colonization Company-of
which General B. F. Butler was one of
the leading spirits, in conjunction with
several other prominent men of the East
took formal possession of us leagues of
this peninsula, Immediately adjoining
Magdalena Bay For this princely terri
tory they paid to the Mexican Govern
ment $4,000 in solid cash, in considera-
ton of which sum the Government afore-
said solemnly agreed to hold as theirs for
ever a certain part of the land, whether
or not they fulfilled all the conditions of
the grant, and also to protect the colonists
who might settle thereon.
A good many families came, with their
goods and chattels, and for time all
went we'll with the California Com
pany" But when the French intervention
distracted poor Mexico, the Government
had more than it could do to protect its
own, and Mr. Buffers colonists were COM
PEELED to flee for their lives a number of
them being killed.
For a number of years thereafter nothing
was heard from this company, and no
further attempts were made at COLOMBIA
ton. 1t seems, however, that the spirit of
the scheme is not dead, nor sleepeth-only
hiding its time. There appears now to be
several claimants to a portion of this same
territory, whose boundaries were never
very clearly marked. The international
Company" of the northern half of the
peninsula, included some of it within
their jurisdiction, and have recently been
warned by Butler ct al. not to sell, settle
or otherwise tamper with foot Of it, at
their peril; a Mexican family assert with
vehement positiveness that they own the
whole thing, and show deeds and titles to
prove it; while the great orchilla export
ers, Messrs. Flores, Hale & Co., are in
actual possession and mean to keepit. As
possession is "nine points in law" and as
the latter claimants have abundant means
with which to support their pretensions
and the ear of the Government, through
the Mexican half of the firm, it is safe to
conclude that they will hold the fort for
some time to come.
FLORES, HALE & co.
Own Tor claim toy exactly 100000 acres,
extending 400 miles along the Pacific coast of
this peninsula, from the 2Sth parallel
away down to Cape st. Lucas, with an
average breadth of eighteen miles, The
quid nuncs say that Mr.. Flores is myth
cal creature, like Mr.. Harris, to whom
Sairy Camp so often alluded, to add weight
to her opinions but he is popularity sup
posed to spend his time at the Mexican
capital, looking after the company interests
with the Government. j. B. Hale is an
Irishman, now a millionaire twenty times
over-a mild-eyed, thick-set and very gal
liant gentleman, inst turned to the shady
side of middle age, and of so retiring a dis
position that newspaper items have to be
fairly wrung out of him by main force.
He has an elegant home and pleasant
family in San Francisco, and has been in
business on this peninsula for more than a
quarter of a century-frst in silver min
ing at San Antonio, and for the last fifteen
years busily engaged in gathering orchilla,
and his millions, in the vicinity of Magda-
lena bay.
The famous dye-stuff pronounced or
ehee-ya) was first discovered on this pc
ninsula by sailor from Nantucket, r.
l., and is found nowhere else in North
America. 1t is parasitic kind of air
plant, second cousin to the orchid family
which here attaches itself to shrubs and
trees up to height of twelve feet, in such
surprising profusion that the more is
gathered the more seems to grow in its
place. Doubtless it belongs to that genus
of ichens known to commerce as the
"archil plant" "white Swedish moss"
"dyers, weed, "cudbear lichen," ETC., which
are collected from rocks near the sea in
various parts of the world. That found in
the Levant, and on the Canary and Cape
Verd lslands-whose botanical name is
Rocetla tinctorid, or fucjo17nis- is supposed
to be the very best for dyeing purposes,
while somewhat inferior variety (Leca-
nora tdrtdred) is found il Sweden and the
south coast of England, and grows so
abundantly along the Mediterranean and
the coasts of Africa and Madagascar, as to
form thick turf on rocks near the sea.
The Castilian name for it IS orciqlid; the
French, orseille. When first picked it
presents a soft, greenish- brown messy APP
pearance 1t is of a substance almost car
tilaginous, branching out like tiny sponges
covered with little black warts that are
fiat and powdery. The branches are COM
monty less than two inches long, and the
size of in ordinary pin; but these Of Lower
California, has also some foundation on the
west coast of South America, near Lima
sometimes grow six or eight inches long
and large as goose-quill.
oRCHILLA
Is said to be the most valuable article
known to dyers for adding luster to all
fabrics, and the silks cannot be properly
dyed without it, though when used by it.
self, uncombined with other dye, the color
is not permanent 1t is marketed chiefly
in Europe, none of it being used on this
continent in the raw state; hut after hav-
ing been sent to England and France and
manufactured into dye, considerable guam
titles of it are reshipped to the silk manu-
factories of America. 1t is easy to see how
Mr.. Hale has made an enormous fortune
out Of this nasty-looking weed in few
years time: He keeps more than five hun
dred men busily picking. They pack the
moss into bales, weighing 200 pounds
each, and send it by ship-loads to England,
where its sells for 10 cents per pound, the
average yearly profit amounting to more
than $250000.
The coloring substance is obtained from
the moss by putrifaction and fermentation.
The lichens are cleaned, ground to pow
der, placed in tanks, and covered with
some ammoniacal liquid. After time
violet-colored matter is generated, which
gradually sinks TO the bottom of the vat
in the condition of moist paste. The
liquid is then drawn off, and the paste
mixed with chalk to give it consistence
enough to handle. The moss itself Is
soluble in water or alcohol, to which il
imparts lovely hue of rosy violet. 1t is
much used in dyeing lilac and lavender
shades, and though it gives to silken fabric
the richest and most delicate shades that
can possibly be produced, it fades SO
quickly on exposure to the sun that the
cloth is first colored lilac by some other
process, and then passed through the
archil or orc6iua dye II is seldom used
in coloring cotton. but is in great demand,