Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1891-04-11
GOING TO THE GOLD MINES.
AHoat on She Pacific Almost without
Food or Wafer.
[Special Correspondence

LSPeChl IOfIHsponNeuCcsl
SAN Francisco, March H. In the early
days going to the gold mines was a 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 n steamer
from New Orleans to be landed at Chagres
on the lsthmas Of Panama. About 900
passengers were landed, and probably 200
held through tickets, 500 trusting to luck
for chances to reach California
At Chagrc> the passengers were turned
over to several hundred natives (mostly
clotheslcssl T., be transported up the river
in huge dgg0uts or canoes made Of mahog-
any or Spanish cedar At the end of nav
igation, about siNty-tive miles, passengers
without through tickets walked or paid
exorbitaut prices for saddle mules and
transportation fer their baggage, to be de-
Gvercd at Panama,
AT the latter place we found four or five
thousand delayed passengers at the end Of
40 waiting for chances TO get to Califor-
MIA. Some had not money enough to pay
spectators prices for tickets, Others had
to wait for their tickets to mature. A.
this period a reputed agent of G. X. CARR
son chartered an old French whaling ship
and offered 500 tickets at $50 for each per
son. 1t 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 a very inferior quality.
Before the end of q week danger of starva-
ton was seriously discussed, and a demand
made for a committee of passengers to see
what supplies were on hand. They were
refused, with an insulting command TO
emicrate to a very warm region. An in
dignatiou meeting followed, and commit
tee WIS appointed to take charge of all
supplies on the ship and issue them rs
they considered just aud fair.
The quartermaster deled the passengers
with insolence, but a rope around his neck
ami over yardarm, with three minutes to
surrender the keys, brought aim 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-
deuSer 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 ont to catch the trade winds
to bring US in 1T 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 use' 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 lv-
ing on les than half rations the whole
voyage
An officer came on board to investigate
the health condition, and finding a case Of
measles, ordered 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 abau
doned vessels 10 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.
ToBTY-NINER
white Iruterates.
Education is most common among the
nations Of the Teut0nic family Germany,
England, the United States, etc less
common in the Latin countries France,
Spain. Italy etC.} and least common in
the Slavic nations Russia, Roumania, Ser
via, etc. In the three last named coun-
tries fully 50 Der cent. Of the population are
unable to reed and write Spain stands at
the foot Of the list az the Latin nations.
with about 60 per cent OF illiterates. Eng
land has about I3 per cent. Of uLiterates,
ireland "A the Initel States lwhite 7eo-
pie 5, Scotland :, Switzerland 8 and Ger
uasnF 2s--~f InaiS Glf.h.- Democrat