The record-union., 1894-02-10
A PACKERS TALES OF '49.

Compiled for the REcoRD-UNIoS from the
experience of pioneer packer by Professor
l. II. Bugs.
For over year [ was the only trader
that ventured among the miners of the
upper Mariposa. My first expedition.
which was made in the latter part of May,
1849 saved them from the horrors of a
starving time; my timely arrival with
train load of potatoes put their foul
specter, scurvy, to flight, and my regular
semi-monthly trips to Stockton afforded
them communication with the great
world, which, remembering and missing
them so little. they remembered and
missed so much. But levied ample con-
tributions on the recipients of my bounty,
and, therefore, contrived to endure the
hardships of uncivilized life with firm,
cheerful temper.
My first visit to Coldwater Diggings
found the habitues of that camp with
plenty of gold, but dust and nuggets were
inconvenient on the hazard table. and as
gambling was the only excitement which
in the intervals of gold-seeking would
aInuse their leisure, l was vehemently
importuned TO bring up coploUs supply
Oh cClu Will Ill0 On lily hS2AI u ps NAO
so, and bought thousands of dollars
worth of prime crude gold at the rate OF
! 81 per ounce
The American gambler who had come
! with me from Mexico accumulated
wealth so rapidly that he was able to pull
! out tor better diggingS In lew weeks
with over $40, ,0O0. | found this man wan
! dering in the woods of Mexico a ragged
tamished, barefooted and emaciated tugi-
| tive from justice, who had been subsist-
| ing for weeks upon roots, berries, bark OF
trees and such like. He piteously inn
plored me TO assist him to fly the coun-
try, and, with perhaps too generous COM
passion, | allowed him to come along up
| to the mines with me. After making
| fortune at gambling be bought ranch in
! Southern California and became an eX-
emplary citizen.
The distance, as the crow flies, from
| Upper ShirlOck's Digglngs to Stockton IS
about 100 miles. l once made the trip on
a good mule in one day, but my train
ordinarily consumed three or four days
in coming down. 70 make the trip up
| loaded required from one to two weeks,
according TO the weather.
The winter of '49 was extremely juicy
at times, and to progress three or four
| miles with laden pack-mules over the
submerged plains above Stockton was a
| whole day of lrksome toll. On one occa-
sion of this nature myself and two mon
waded through the water, which was
frequently waist deep, for hours, in
order to be on the alert to rescue disap-
pearing mules. Every stream that |
crossed was river, and every river had
to be followed up almost to its source be-
fore it could be forded. While proceed
ing up the Merced one of my mules
caved off high bank, and, descending
heels upward, sank never to rise again III
the boiling waves of the angry, turbld
torrent below.
On another trip l fell afoul of a snow
storm in the Mariposa mountains. All
day the wind had blown a whitening
snow blast About dusk came filter
winged down the spectral snowtlakes.
But | pushed on until l came 10 glade
in the forest which had been formed by
the falling OF large number of huge pine
trees. A few minutes alter L dlsmounted
there, a tremendous conflagration, which
Illuminated the forest and redeemed the
sky for miles around was in progress.
Soon the mountains on the leeward were
alive with fire. on swept the roaring,
cracking battalion with impetuous, IRE
sistible valor until leagues OF forest were
ablaZe.
A verbal portrayal of a flashing, scintil-
latng, irridescent scene like this, In
glowing natural colors, would be mas
ter piece of glittering rhetoric. There
fore l shall not attempt to depict 1t.
| wish merely to remark that we passed
comfortable night in spite of the bliz-
Zard that swirled and hissed in a frenzy
of ungovernable fury and resentment
around US. and that, during a breathing