The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-04-24

49, o esGTs aRe xss al H9 tsas n
1t was "wash day" and our folks and
some Of the neighbors were gathered in
the "wash house" while the colcred help
soused her fat black arms in the suds OF
the wash tub.
That was the first report heard from
California. Old Eben had been a man
of the sea; was once captured by pirate,
and when he told the story, which he
did once week, he concluded by rolling
I'D his trousers and showing the bullet
scars he had received.
California then was but blotcn of
yellow on the schoolboy's map of 1877.
1t was associated only with hides, tai
! low and Dana's 1.-TWO Years Before the
Mast" 1t was thought Of principally in
connection with long horned savage cat
! tie, lassos and Mexicans. Very near
this m generalvacancy and mystery was
the entire region west of the Rocky
mountains. What was known as the In
dian Territory covered an area now oc-
cupied by half dozen prosperous states.
Texas was then the Mecca of adventur-
ers and people who found it advisable to
leave home suddenly. The phrase in
those days. "Gone to Texas" had a
meaning almost equivalent to "Gone to
the -" Then California took its
place.
The report slumbered during the sum-
mer in our village, but in the fall it COM
menced kindling and by winter it was
ab3aze. Then companies commenced
forming. 1t was not entirely a strange
land to some of our people.
Ours was whaling village. Two
thirds of the male population were bred
to the sea. Every boy knew the ropes
of SHIP as soon if not sooner than he
did his multiplication table. Ours was
a travelled" community. They went
nearer the north and south poles than
most people of their time, and Behring
straits, the Kamtschatkan coast, the sea
of Japan, Rio Janeiro, Valparaiso, the
Sandwich islands, the Azores and the
names of many other remote localities
were words in every ones mouth, and
words, too, which we were familiar
with from childhood. Many Of our
whalers had touched at San Francisco
and Monterey. There had recently been
great break down in the whale fishery.
Whale ships for sale were plentiful
Most of them were bought to carry the
"'49" rush of merchandise and men to
California.
BY November, 1S4S, California was
the talk of the village. as it was all that
time of the whole country. The great
gold fever ragged all winter.
All the old retired whaling captains
wanted to go, and most of them did go.
All the spruce young men of the place
wanted to go. Companies were formed,
and there was much serious drawing up
of constitutions and bylaws for their
regulation. In most cases the avowed
object of the companies, as set forth in
these documents, was Mining and trad
ing with the Indians" Great profit was
expected to be gotten out Of the Cali
fornia Indian. He was expected to give
stores of gold and furs in exchange for
gilt watches, brass chains, beads and
glass marbles. The companies bought
safes in which to keep their gold, and
also strange and complex gold washing
machines, of which numerous patterns
suddenly sprang up, invented by Yankees
who never saw and never were to see
gold mine. Curious ideas were enter
tanned relative to California. The Sacra-
mento river was reported as Astounding
in alligators. Colored prints represented
the adventurer pursued by these reptiles
The general opinion was that it was q
fearfully hot country and full of snakes.
Of the companies formed in our vicin-
ity some had more standing and weight
than others, and membership in them
was eagerly sought for. An idea pre-
vailed that when this moral weight and
reSpectability was launched On the shores
of California it would entail fortune on
all belonging to the organization. People
with the lightning glance and divination
OF golden anticipation saw themselves al
ready IN the mines hauling over chunks
of ore and returning home weighed down
with them. Five years was the longest
period any one expected TO stay. Five
years at most was TO be given TO rifing
California of her treasures, and then that
country was TO be thrown aside like a
used-up newspaper. and the rich adven-
turers would spend the remainder of
their days In wealth, peace and prosper
Ity at their eastern homes. No one talked
then of going ont Ito build up the glori-
ous state of California" No one then
ever took any pride in the thought that
he might be called a Californian" So
they went.
People who could not go invested in
men who could go. and paid half the ex-
pense of their passage and outfit on con-
dition that thev should remit back half
the gold they dug. This description of
Argonaut seldom paid any dividends.
doubt If one ever sent back a dollar.
Eastern shareholders really got their
moneys worth in gil,led hopes. which
~ith them lasted for years. But people
never put such brilliant anticipations on
the credit side of the account. and merely
because that at the last they ere not real
lied.
As the winter of "'4S" waned the COM
panies, one after another, set sail for the
land of gold The Sunday preceding
they listened to farewell sermons az