The morning call., 1892-03-13
EARLY DAYS In CALIFORNIA.
4 Pioneers ReColeCtionS Of San Fran
cisco In 1850.
High Prices Charged for Everything - The
First Newspapers Of the Young City.
Sacramento Flooded
NUMBER FOUR.

On the LIST of March, 1850. left Saera-
mento for San Francisco. taking passage on
the steamer Senator. The fare was $50. and
this did not include anything more than the
passage-not even a slice of bread. Yet the
Senator was full of passengers We did
not arrive until or 3 O'clock in the morn
Ing, so L wisely stayed on board, and for
lack OF better accommodation slept on a
sofa. How it did rain when l went ashore,
landing, think. near Cunning hams Wharf
L made my way TO the Phoenix Hotel, where
i had breakfast at the heavy charge char
acteristic OF the time, and in the hope of
finding better accommodation, in which,
however, was disappointed, proceeded
10 the Crescent Hotel. My stay In San
Francisco lasted four days at this juncture.
At that time the best lodgings were pro-
durable IN the direction of Telegraph Hill,
but quarters were difficult to get on any
terms. One place l Saw-and no doubt
there were many such-had hunks, as in a
caoln. placed one above the other IN tiers.
San Francisco was then a very small place,
but small as II WAS the wayfaTer on foot
had sad time of it, The bay extended
up to Montgomery street. Pavement there
was none, and the mud and puddes
were three or four feet deep. Here and
there planks and tobacco boxes had been
laid in the mud. and with care you could
cross from point TO point The city itself
was very strange spectacle. As there
were neither wharls nor wharf landings
you had TO get ashore across the decks of
vessels, which had been pQTpOSely run
aground and converted into stores, hotels
and lodgjng-houSes for the accommodation
of the multitude. The crews of these yes
sells had fed ashore with the intention
of going TO the mines, and even If that deser-
ton had not happened there would have
been few return caTgOes. l should think
there were from 100 TO 200 such vessels dis
masted ana stranded. AS you may antici-
pate there were few buildings, large or
small, and Of those erected considerable
number had been turned into gambling
houses. Gambling was the attra elton for
crowds of people, and the houses were kept
open all night.
APPEARANCE OF THE CITY.
On Sunday morning the rain had cleared
OF, and | went through the city, back
from the landing on tour of exploration.
AT the very least from 15,C00 TO 10000 per-
sons were camped out on the slopes. How
they lived nobody can describe. Most of
them were destitute of means, aud they
lived as they could, from hand to mouth.
Most Of them, also, were without tents and
their misery must have been extreme. |
counted 10 the bay so sailing ships lying at
anchor. These had all come with passen-
gers or merchandise, or with both. 1t was
strange sight While looking around up
the hill an acquaintance hailed NE. | had
not seen him III California before. and | did
Rot know he had come here. He was an
EngllShman who had been in business in
81. Louis, where he had got 10 be well eff
l had myself transacted A considerable
amount OF business with him. Are YOU
here?" he said with laugh. Then he added,
Il am broke" | asked how that had hap
pen ed. Why, he replied. Il heard that
lumber was bringing 500 to $500 thOus and
feet and l put ali my money into it, But
freight was very high and the price OF lum-
Der went down. and that is how | AIN broke"
His family come ont a year or two after
ward. He struggled along and finally got
on bis feet again and acquired d good deal
OF property.
THE FORTUNES OF MINERS.
The rains set in early and the country be-
came impossible. Everything was costly
up in the mines where | was You could
hardly buy -four at all. By the barrel you
would pay 81 80 a pound and cheese cost
from SIS 10 81 pound. But early in the
season persons had f1Ocked 10 the mines
and had dug out vast quantities of gold.
Under these circumstances eyeryb body was
encouraged and had plenty of money. This,
however, did not last The minute the
rains came all work was stopped. There
was no pros pect Of carrying on mining and
very little prospect of getting provisions.
People therefore got frightened at the
mines and large numbers came down into
Sacramento and San Francisco from fear of
starvation. Sacramento was virtually a tent
twO-stOTy buildings and the inhabitants had
10 camp out. Both in San Francisco and in
Sacramento people died in every direction,
principally from exposure. Half the people
we're without any kind Of covering further
than a blanket. / was In the Feather River
mines, and there l got horse and wen /
down to Sacramento, thinking | would send
up goods. | LETT my wife and nephew at
the mines. Well, everything was pleasant
when l started, but before | got to Sscra-
n n raff mad nd In of ho rjy
bed where il was usually dry l had to
swim my horse. When / got back again
you could not buy pound Of anything to
eat All that part of the winter every
where, even In San Francisco, provisions
were very high in price.
FLOOD AT SACRAMENTO.
Al Sacramento when the food came
was staying UP on j street, near Third.
l had rented a tent-eOyered house 10 or IS
feet square. 1t was simply a rough floor
and all the rest was tent canvas. Yet |
paid $500 a month for that house. had to
pay SI25 each week in advance. Well,
bought stock OF merchandise and was
doing pretty well. when the flood came.
One Sunday the people expressed their
fears that the American River would break
out over the bank, but nobody thought it
would come up over the city. 1t was run
ming out little in some OF the sloughs.
On Sunday night l went TO bed, and my
bed was on the top Of the counter. My
slnmbeTs were soon disturbed. Some en-
piOyes who were sleeping on the floor be-
meath me jumped up and shouted. The
water is coming inl That we soon had
proof Of. In the morning the water was
almost level with the top OF the counter,
and all over the city it was not anywhere
less than four or five feet deep. Very few
Of the buildings had second story. In the
morning boat came to us and we succeeded
In getting itno to a building owned by ~
bridge & Tweed, where we roughed it and
ate I'D all the provisions we had. Some Of
the h0Oded-ou people found safety ON
board vessels, while others managed to get
on the high ground, and lived as best th ely
could until the inundatOn subsidized.
FIRST NEWSPAPERS OF SAN FRANCISCO.
At this time in San Francisco there were
four principal newspapeTs-the Alta Cali
foTnia, the Herald, the Pacific News and the
Journal OF Commerce-and there were also
the Courier and Pieayune.
The journal OF Commerce was started by
Washington Bartlett, and associated with
him was John 4. Robb of ST. Louis. Print
ing material lad been shipped by Bartlett
from New Orleans for this purpose. The
Alta California was, however, tie trst paper
brought out in this city, and 1t was also the
leading paper. 1t was owned by Kemble
Durlyege, Conner and others, who were
worth at the very least million dollars, bat
IL two or three years every one Of the pro-
prletors was bankrupt A member of the
firm was elected to Congress-the principal
Man in conducting the paper-aud he was
killed in duel with Denver. The premises
were burned out during the great fire in
1851, and then came hard times for
the pr0DrietOTs. The Interest on money
was very high You could not get
money on loan except at 10 per cent per
month, and a good many had to pay 20 per
cent per month. After the fire the business
fell oil and the propretors went to work.
Conner got hold Of the paper and kept up
the publication Tor several years, but finally
had to give it up. Washburn and several
others then bought the paper and carried it
on for some time, when they also were COM
PEELED to give ii w. The A ta was put m