The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1895-05-31
INCIDENTS OF FORTY YEARS AGO.
As They are Remembered by an Old
SaCramentan,
Now Living at Berkeley - He Jots
Down Some of His Reminfs.
cences of 1856.

A correspondent at Berkeley. who signs
UNION as follows:
have often thought "reminiscences Of
the early days in Sacramento would be
interesting reading, not only to those
who resided there in the early days. but
to the general public. The writer's per-
soDal experience and observations only
date back TO 1854. During and previous
to that year the Sacramento UNION was
established by Anthony and others.
The plank road to the American Fork
House, nine miles, via Brighton, was
constructed and tolls collected.
Two large and destructive fires had
swept the city, the last being in 1852. :sssss.
Charles Crocker, the railroad magnate,
Kept dry goods store on J street, be-
tween Ninth and Tenth.
Booth IL Co. were on J, between Sixth
and Seventh, and Stanford on Front
street.
The railroad to Folsom was built, and
Uncle George Bromley was the first con-
ductor.
a. d. Patterson was Sheriff, and p.
Hunt and John Waters deputies.
Mckenzie, who was either Sheriff or
deputy, was shot and killed from the
door of a squatter on the Brighton road,
near New Helvetia, or Suffers Fort in
an attempt to eject him.
Three mon were hanged on cotton
wood tree at or lear the corner of L and
Sixth streets.
All county prisoners were confined on
the old prison brig anchored in mid
stream of the Sacramento River
After the first big flood an attempt was
made to move the city to Sutterville, a
few miles below. Many merchants built
stores and moved their goods there, but
they soon returned to their first love.
Nearly all goods and supplies were
freIghted from Sacramento by mule
teams. Prairie schooners roamed the
valleys and were lnlstresses of the mount
aims.
1t required sixty days to communicate
with New York. On the arrival of the
Eastern mail it was not remarkable to see
formed double lines from the POstoffics
Tor two blocks.
The fare from San Francisco was SIS for
ticket by steamer. So for a stateroom
and 81 for dinner. Under favorable cir
cumstances it required from six to eight
hours for the trip, but if you were unfor-
tunate enough TO get stuck on the Hog s
Back the time was indefinite. Often the
steamers would be so crowded that Sleep
ing berths could not be procured and
dozens could be seen sleeping on the
floors in the cabins.
Ia the early spring March, think
the steamer Pearl. plying between Sacra-
mento and Marysvllle, blew up on her
down trip at the mouth of the American
River, with about seventy-five passen-
gers on board, seventy of which were
killed. About five escaped, three OF
whom were women. They were in the
cabin on the lower deck. which was in
the extreme after part of the boat.
The bodies of the dead, as they were
taken out of the river, were carried to
the old station-house and laid in rows for
Identification. A few were Cinnamon,
and several thousand dollars in gold
dust were taken from their bodies.
Wells, Fargo u Co.'s agent, whose name
has escaped me, was taken out dead. He
was evidently observing the time of ar
rival, as his watch was tightly grasped
and the case sprung in his hand. Cannon
were fired to raise the bodies, and the
river dragged for several days. Wells
Fargo's treasure box was blown over
board, and large reward was offered
for its recovery. 1t was dragged for
and finally secured. A. j. NJ.