Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-03-16
A NIGHT OF FEASTS.
Interesting Banquet Of the Famous
California Forty-Niners.
MANY BREAKS NOW IN THE RANKS.
A Number Of Stories Of Lively Experiences
Related Yesterday.
BRICKNlKERs AT THE FEsfAL BOARD


the Argonauts who made California, are
irrepressible. The old Forty-niners suffered
hardships and had experiences on thu
Western plains which are the envy Of tn,
youth of the present day. It would be i'm
possible now to duplicate their adventures
for the railways cross the continent and run
through every section of the country that
they reached in the early days with thei,
horses and wagons
The remnant Of the Pittsburg and Cali.
fornia Enterprise Company held its annual
meeting at the Duquesne Hotel yesterday.
They commenced their experience meeting
at o'clock, and at sat down to an elab.
crate banquet Of the 800 members orig.
inally in the company, who were attracted
in 1S49 by the gold fever, only 20 are living.
Of this number SO are now residing in
Western Pennsylvania Most of them
come from Pittsburg and vicinity.
Those Who Have Conc Before.
Since the meeting ofa year ago six men,
bers have died. Within the last three
months Richard Wilson, a pork packer,
Henry Wilson, freight clerk on the Lake
Erie road, and Jonathan Aiken, a farmer, ,liv.
ing few miles from the city, passed away.
Just IL members were present at the
meeting and banquet. These were:
]. K. Dorrington, Jacob Cupps, Springdale;
j. c. Anderson, Sewickley; William Will
son, w. Shaffer, w. M. Murray, w. G.
Reid, John Kearns, GAINESVILLE; H. Dick
son, Pittsburg; DR.. Thomas Galbraith,
Tarentum; w. j. Bender, John Glenn,
Tarentum; F. c. Negley, c. F. Kirkland,
Poland; George M. Dosh, II. c. Heineman,
Butler; Thomas Gregg, Monongahela City;
James E Kearns, visitor, Tarentum.
Major F. c. Negley, of Pittsburg, is Pres
ident, w. j. Bender Secretary and Henry
Dickson Treasurer. These officers were re-
elected for another year.
The average age of the members present
was about 6a DR.. Galbraith, of Tarentum,
is regarded as the father of the society. He
is rs years old. The youngest member at
the meeting was William Wilson. He was
13 years old when he crossed the plains
with the forty-niners.
Major Negley acted as toastmaster.
s'Our country, was Dr. Galbraithi's sub
ject; c. f. Kirkland spoke on the "Cali-
fornia Pioneers;" ''Our Absent Comrades'
was assigned to Henry Dickson. The toast,
"Our Comrades Who Have Passed the
Divide" was answered in silence. Major
F.. G. Negley spoke on "California, the
Effect of Its Admission as Free State on
the United States and the world" ''Cali-
tornia Then and Now" was the subject of
W. j. Bender.
Tho Great Work Accomplished.
Major Negley spoke of their great work
in making California a free State. He said
If it had not been for the votes of the forty
miners California would have been admitted
as slave State; and it would have made a
tie Of IL in the Senate, and ever atterward
the Shareholders would have insisted that
every othIr State admitted should be
slave one. Under the circumstances he
claims California was the first State to de-
clare against slavery, and figured extern
sively in the political history that finally
led tothe civil war. The Major told how
they went to the polls with their shotguns,
so bitter was the feeli1g against them. A
week before the election the shareholders
thought they were sure of a majority.
Numerous stories were told of their ad-
ventures with the Indians and wild beasts
on the plains Their first meeting with the
soda and chimney rocks and the beer and
soda springs were related by members 1t
was decided to meet next year at Chicago
during the Worlds Fair with the Pioneers
of California, the parent society. The date
has been fixed as September 9.