The morning call., 1892-02-28

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! pound Of flour. could not be bought under
! dollar, and may remark that those people
! who had cattle would not sell them to the
emgTauts except at eXtortiOnate prices, and
! rs many Of the latter were reduced to the
/ lowest straits they took the cattle by force
/ and slaughtered them.
CAUGHT IN THE SNOW.
The warning to hurry forward and escape
! the danger OF being snow bound was. un-
| fortunately, uuavaiiing to many. We after
ward learned that 1000 or 800 people were
caught in the snow, aud they never
/ would have got through without Gov
! eminent assistance. Even people who had
! started a month ahead of us were caught IN
/ the trap. The women were carried across
/ tne mountains on mules and the men Aau
. TO wade through snow five or six feet deep.
! No language can describe the lntenSty OF
| the suffering that had to be endured on that
! dreadful passage Of the mountains; for,
! with all the aid rendered, there was great
! hardship. From LassenS we started out
| aud came down the Sacramento Valley.
! TIE first night We camDed we built a good
/ fire. and il was useful, perhaps in keeping the
/ wolves of. The wolves were bowling around
/ Us in every direction, and we had also some
! acquaintance with their sereuadeS IN the
/ mountains. Along the route, too, we fire.
! Queutly saw the tracks of big grizzly bears,
! but we had no actual encounter with any
! Wild animals. We got TO where General
/ Bjd"elIS house now stands They we're
! putting up log house at the place, and
/ here made the acquaintance OF man VINO
/ had brought down a good troop OF horses
! from Oregon. His name was Newell he
/ looked al my horse, with the raw back, aud
/ formed a good opinion of its qualities of
| blood at once. This horse" he SAID, Is
| of no use to you, because it has got to rest
! through the winter. l want 1t and You can
/ go out there ana pick out another horse"
/ Ven, BE picked me ont nne California
! horse and put good saddle and bride upon
/ 1t and jumped on its back. l had no more
/ walking TO DO From this point we
/ kept on down the valley and had
! no misldp until we got near the
/ Feather River, whittier l was bound on
/ the faith Of the report that the mines there
/ were very good. We reached little bunch
/ OF timber three or four acres IN extent and
| prepared to camp. What my wife and my
/ self had with Us on horseback was simply
! few pounds OF food and blankets. Some
! ST. Louis people whom we had come up with
/ said il looked Ike rain, and they invited us
! TO take shelter 10 their tent II It did come
/ on. Ih2tnIEht we went over to the far side
/ OF the clump Of trees because we were
/ afraid to picket our horses close 10 where
the stream OF eWlgrautS would pass, there
/ being possibility that they would be stolen.
/ Having hiJcLed up the horses and spread
/ our blanket, We lay down 90 sleep. and
about II or l. o'clock the rain came on
/ and Ii poured IN torrents. My vile was sick
I
/ the difficulties that had OyeTtaken rs. l
1 went III TO find tile people who had offered
/ As shelter but tie team instead Of stopping
/ there had gone ON, and we were all alone.
/ Looked around among the timber aud at
one spot found some dry wood, with which
/ IkiuGled q ire and then E9tmy wife under
/ leaning tree and that revived our spirits.
/ 1t poured half tie GIT Next morning the
/ sun came ont and the weather was
! beautiful My wife got on her horse and
/ pulled through the urney we'll enough
/ down 10 Feather RIVER Where Mays
/ Vile now stands there was only one
/ house. Nye's ranch We crossed the river
near by and above, also crossed back again,
ana then We got TO the Feather RIVER
I mines, where there were FROM 1890 90 1000
miners at work. This was AZ Longs Bar.
" ASKING for gold had been going Ga ali
around this place. We stayed there al,
night, and after bordering matters over
! made 40 my mind that person could make
money by going INFO business Out Of
! foTty-tw1 animals with which we started
only TWO reached the Sacramento Valley.
The rest ed by tile way.
VISIT TO SACRAMENTO.
left ny wife and nephew at the mines
enjoying the hospitality OF a family from 81.
/ l. us and went on TO Sacramento to buy
goods, with view % opening a store at the
mines. As l rode along l could see that
Mount Shasta was white with snow. Tie
Tamtu-O was dry and pleasant and l passed
thousands If people iu camp. Tie most
n1tttTiuE stores re- tod N success at the
mines and every body was lu radiant humgT,
I because everybody "as either fun OF hope
or h3d plenty u money. They We're, how
ever a little alarmed al the mines about the
rams even then. Waeu / got down 10 Nc
CLAUS, near the mouth Of the Feather
River, / halted and managed to get into the
house. ptivjlege which the old German dld
No la grI yl o.. fr1rf r4~f
| during two or three hours. but when l rose
in the morning il had cleared up, and eX-
/ Cept that the road was q a little muddy /
/ had no impeachment 10 the continuance If
my journey. Twelve or fifteen miles
from NicOiGuS brought NE 10 the
Sacramento. Along the road there
were people selling whisky and victuals.
got down TO the American River and rode
across II easily, rs the deepest place was
/ only three or four feet deep. That night
stayed at Sacramento and next morning l
came across an acquaintance from ST.
Louis, who was anxious to get goods and
60 up with me to start in business. On
sunday we looked around for goods and
DaTEaiDed for q team 20 convey them tO the
mines 10 tie afternoon il began 10 rain
very heavily and the d0wnpoUT continued
all through the night Next day il cOutu-
upd TO rain, and having waited until
o'clock ! C0uciud d that it was not going to
stop soon and that there was no hope Of
being able to send goods mp. l told my
I Trend 1 would g, but when II cleared
| would come back for the goods. OF
! started and got across the American
River by swimming my horse. On the other
/ side when l came down 10 Sacramento the
pain was covered with roaming herds Of
cattle. Now the whole OF the teams had
gone. Fer ten miles or more the scene was
one vast lake, and ducks, geese and
ether wild fowl were TO be seen In great
numbers Il took me from morning
10 II at night TO get back 70 NicOlaus'
Ranch. Half Of tie way the water was up
10 the middle Of my horse. From NcO-
laus' Ranch / went to Bear RIVER, finding
people IN camp on both sides Of that stream,
which was then a t0aming torrent / could
. not wait, and 1 told the people l was going
across as best ! could. My horse was a
spirited animal. / dtsmOUuted and tied up
MY coat inside one Of those Mexican
p0nchOs that come over the head aud sled
the rain OF. The horse was driven into the
water and sent across in safety. My watch
aud pistols and some other things l put
within the p9nchO and, having hltched q
! larIat to 1t, 1 threw the larlat across and
people on the other side pulled the bundle
over quickly without doing any damage.
The laTiat was thrown back TO me, and /
put IL around my shoulders and gave jump
and they pulled me across ] reached the
Yuba River, and found itn0w a large stream.
| But there they had a Whalc-bOat as ferry,
and / got across easily, aud thence had
no trouble in reaching the mines on Feather
River. Here nothing in the shape of food
was Obtainable, but by going down stream
and carrying the supplies l knew we could
obtain what was necessary. My friend had
left with his family during my absence and
my wife had got fTighieHed AS soon as
possible we made arrangements to 60
to Sacramento, and hired a man TO take US
down to Marysylle, where we could get
a whale-bOat for the remainder Of the
distance. When we reached Sacramento
the whole country was inundated. II was
about the last Of December and u most ter
ribe storm set in. At Sacramento we found
quarters, but only at the tune OF $40 or $50
IA in tho little Egft of a ni,p-sfortr bru-a