Los Angeles herald., 1891-03-29
THE YUMA FERRYMAN.
THE INTERESTING CAREER OF
DON L. J. r. JAEGER.
An Argonaut Who Fsrrisd the Gold Seek
ers. Across the Colorado River-The
Features of His Life.

Don L. j. +. Jaeger is in the city. He
is probably the best known of the argo-
nauts now on this coast.
Mr.. B. A. Stephens, secretary of the
Southern California Historical society,
has prepared biographical sketch OF
the old gentleman, from which the fol-
lowing extracts are taken:
"Don Diego as he is affec-
tionately known by the natives of
Yuma, has lived since the year 1850 at
the place of ''historic hotness." He is
OF German descent. His full and true
name is Louis John Frederick Jaeger.
The German form is lager, hunter.
Cousins of his at San bernardino spell
it Yager, which form of the word is a
reminder Of an old-fashioned gun. The
nearest the Indians could come to pro-
nouncing Jaeger was Diego" so as
"Don Diego" has he been known all up
and down the length and breadth OF the
Pacific coast for the past forty years. For
twenty-seven years he pursued uninter-
ruptedly the occupation of ferryman at
Yuma. Hundreds OF thousands OF peo-
pie crossed and recrossed the broad Col
RADIO river upon his boats during those
twenty-seven years. For all of them,
high and low. rich and poor, Don Diego
had kind word. No poor man was
ever refused passage; no rich man was
ever overcharged. Travellers, soldiers,
statesmen, philosophers, historians,
journalists, lawyers and poets found hos
pitality in his hacienda and by none
was he immortalized more than by J.
Ross Browne.
OF all who came his way he kept a
brief record; the number OF persons in
the party, number of wagons, animals,
home, destination, etc. An idea may be
gathered OF the magnitude of this work
when it is known that in 1851, his first
pie crossed the Colorado river at that
there was large emigration from South
Diego reaped its benefits. The railroad
came in 1877, and built a big bridge
across the river, and like Othello, his
tional Importance had frequently called
him to Washington, and his counsel was
needed on grave matters. Few heads
on questions pertaining to Indians, Mex
leans, the frontier or the government
domain. The doors of the white
house were always open to him,
and cabinet officers and congressman
were equally attentive. HIS form now
is rounded and his locks are grizzled,
but at the advanced age of "a years his
eyes are not dim nor are his natural
forces abated. He is about feet 10
inches high, and weighs about $50
pounds. His hair is slightly gray, and
his full gray beard is trimmed short.
Clear blue eyes look out on either side
of an aquiline nose from under high
forehead which retreats slowly back to
thin locks. Genial, warm hearted and
communicative, he is prince among
pioneers for "reminiscences. His home
is now at Aqua Mansa, romantic Mex
ican village on the south side Of Slower
Ameroan tSRs atsar 81 fide IRON the
Don Diego was born October 8, 1924,
in Greenwich township, seven miles
east of the town of Hamburg, Berks
county, Pennsylvania. He is proud of
his German lineage. His great-great-
grandfather, and great grand grand
father, grandfather and father were all
Lutheran preachers. His father was
the Rev. Gottlieb F. I. Jaeger, and was
born in Illingen, Wurtemberg, Germany,
in 1897. In 1917, when he was 10 years
old, he left the Fatherland, and coming
across the Atlantic in sailing vessel.
settled in Berks. He married Miss
Mary Audenreid, by whom he had
eleven children. ila
At 16 years OF age he was apprenticed
to machinist to learn the trade, and
served till he was of age. He was work
ing in the Baldwin machine shops in
Philadelphia when the California gold
excitement broke out. He accepted an
uncle's offer to fit him out for the gold
mines, and spent Christmas, 164S, with
his mother, whom he did not see again
for twenty.nine years. He purchased
clothing sufficient to wear year, and
sailed from Philadelphia, February %.
1849, on the ship Mason, Captain Ma
son, bound for San Francisco. The voy.
age was eventless enough for the $50
passengers. They stopped twenty-five
DAYS at Rio de Janeiro, where they
found 10000 Americans like themselves
en- route to California. They made q
similar halt at Valparaiso, where there
was an equal number OF Americans. AT
the latter place forty-five American yes.
San Francisco was reached October 6,
1849, and Don Diego is, therefore, q
pioneer. He did not go to the mines,
but remained in the lively town OF
Yerba Buena, as San Francisco was
then called, and hauled sand to build a
brick block, the Montgomery bank, and
also did some carpenter work. He
| joined company which was organized
to operate a ferry at Yuma.
The company chartered sailing vessel
which conveyed them, in June, 1850
from San Francisco to San Diego, where
they purchased teams to convey them
across the desert. They bought horses
of Cave ]. Couts and Don Juan Bandini
Don Diego bought one good mule o.
Don Juan Warner, now living in West
Los Angeles, for the price OF SIS.
| Their trip across the jornada de-
muerte Journey OF death, as the Span
iards called long, waterless strips o
deselt), was fraught with danger. They
nearly perished with thirst. They saved
their lives by digging wells at points
where water happened to be found
The company arrived at the junction O.
the Colorado and Gila rivers July 10
1850, and Immediately commenced The
construction of a ferry-boat. They hac
no iron, and only such small tools al
axes, wedges, augers and what els'
they could afford to carry. The In
dians were numerous and bothersome
They became so saucy that the company