The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-04-07

GOING TO THE GOLD MINES.
Ahoat on the Pacific Almost withou
Food or Water.

Ahoat on the Pacific Almost Without
Food OF Water.
Especial Correspondence
SAN FRANCISCO, March lin the early
days going to the gold mines was picnic
Of widely varying incident and adventure.
Those who came overland had OK teams
for palace cars, and by making great haste
reached the mines In four to six months.
Others sought the gold fields by a six
months sea voyage around Cape Horn.
The writer took his chances on a steamer
from New Orleans to be landed at Chagres.
on the Isthmus OF Panama. About 1000
passengers were landed, and probably 200
held through tickets, 500 trusting to luck
for chances to reach California.
AT Chagres the passengers were turned
over to several hundred natives (mostly
tlotheslessl to be transported up the river
In huge ougouts or canoes made of mahog-
any or Spanish cedar At the end of nav
tgation. about stxty-five miles, passengers
without through tickets walked or paid
exoroltant prices for saddle mules and
transportation for their baggage, to be de-
ivered at Panama
AT the latter place we found four or five
thousand delayed passengers at the end of
~ waiting for chances to get 10 Califor-
MIA. Some had not money enough to pay
SPECTATORS prices for tickets. Others had
TO wait for their tickets to mature. At
this period repCted agent of c. K CARR
son chartered an old French whaling shin
and offered 800 tickets at $3.50 for each per-
son. It was asserted that the vessel was
provisioned and watered for sixty day
voyage In few hours the tickets were
all taken and the vessel put out to sea.
Strong evidences Of most cold blooded
fraud soon became evident. The quarter
master had plenty of good provisions to
sell, but issued very inferior quality.
Before the end Of week danger of starva-
ton was seriously discussed, and demand
made for committee of passengers to see
what supplies were Oh hand. They were
refused, with an insulting command to
erniRrate to very warm region. An in
dignation meeting followed and commit
tee was appointed to take charge of all
supplies on the ship and issue them as
they considered just and fair
The quartermaster defied the passengers
with insolence, but a rope around his neck
and over yardarm, with three minutes to
surrender the keys, brought him to his
senses. The amount of provisions found
on board was not considered sufficient to
last twenty days, much less sixty days.
The committee took charge and divided
fairly the scanty stores on board TO the
end of the voyage. For water, an old con-
denser was put into service, and made to
supply pint or more Of water each day
to each passenger.
The vessel being well out to sea and be-
Gained when these discoveries were made,
there was no alternative, no retreat. So
we still beat out to catch the trade winds
TO bring Us in at San Francisco. When the
vessel passed the Golden Gate, the forty
seventh day from Panama, every part OF
the ship that could possibly be removed
had been used for fuel TO keep up the water
supply. The anchor was dropped in San
Francisco bay when the passengers were
on their thirtieth hour of fasting, after liv-
ing on less than half rations the whole
voyage.
An officer came on board to investigate
the health condition, and finding a case of
measles, ordered a ten days quarantine
for fear Of smallpox; but he had no force
at his command to enforce his order. In
one hour the 800 hungry passengers had
left the ship. and in three days the old
craft was swinging on her anchor chain,
another of the thousand and over of aban-
doned vessels in San Francisco bay in the
spring of 1850. Passengers and sailors all
went to the mines. Nothing deferred the
gold hunter of that period-all went with
out regard to cost or obligation.
FoRTY-NINER.