The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-23
THE FIRST RUSH FOR GOLD.
rYEyTs THAT CALIFORNIA rs TO
CELEBRATE THIS MONTH

-, TbInrs Recalled By Jobn ~. Bourne. WHIT
s.r the FIRST Geld Flakes BrouGht 20 nan
pr.rcI.co-MiEhty Upheaval Caused By
,hs pi.covery-somo Early Great Ftnas.
POMONA. Cal, Jan. l5.-Among the pioneers
- Gill have places Of honor at the Golden
,.h,,ec with which San Francisco will celebrate
40 aftieth anniversary Of tho finding Of gold
a california, on Jan. 81. 20, and 90, will be
80 II Bourne. lie Is one of the very few
ss..ors now alive who saw the first California
"a broupht to San Francisco, and he was
smonp tho first fifty mon to go hurryinE to
,ho mines when the news OF tho diggings on
.ho American Fork reached the sluggish old
.o.rort town Of San Francisco. Mr.. Bourne 10 n
.esident of Pasadena, and is 81 years old. He
hos lived in California sixty years, and his
nemory is u~ncommonly clear and accurate.
.The strangcst fact in connection with the
discovery Of gold by James Marshall on Jan.
n. lsis,' said Mr.. Bourne to q Sun reporter,
sss that the discovery was not thought Of much
conseouencc by any of the 200 or 800 ranch
man and lumber workers in the locality of the
ard until a week afterward. Frank A. Folsom,
vbo was living in the same shanty with Mar
.holl nj the time of the find, told me moro than
etv wears ago that Marshall was 30 bent on
huilding the mill race and getting the httlo saw
mill in operation that the gold seemed unim-
nortont by tho side Of timber operations. In
,bo summer of ls4s, while I was mining at
CoIoma, 1 talked with dozens of people who
ware at work at the spot when Marshall found
the first gold nuggets, and they all have said
that 1t was fully ten days before Marshall
thought enough about tbs discovery to go some
thirty.H five miles across the country TO Suffers
Fort where the city of Sacramento has since
uovn, and show his find to his friend and part
ner. Capt. Suffer. The news did not get down
IN San Francisco, about $50 miles away, until
three months later. Capt. Suffer said when the
rold was shown him, Yes, that's gold, and It
will be the curse Of u.s. meaning that 1t was the
end to their schemes for a big saw mill and
-four mill along tho American River.
"Ah, well do / remember the day the news
of the gold find came to tho little village on the
eand dunes about San Francisco Bay. One
nfternoon-May 4, I believe 1t was-when I
came rowing in from fishing, I saw q gathering
Of about q Mexican saloon on the thorough
fare that sprawled over the sand hills. When
I squeezed myself into the saloon, I saw q
small bottle Of yellow flakes or scales tho size
Of muskmelon seeds handed about from one
person to another for inspection. A dozen
men were scrutinizing tiny heaps Of the yellow
stuff on the bar.
"'You bet that's gold,' Yes, sure as preach
ing, that's the article No, it's q copper forma.
tion,' l heard as I came into the crowd.
"That was the first California gold that came
to San Francisco. But it was q week or ten
days before the belief that those yellow flakes
were genuine gold had become SO well founded
that any one started for the diggings. The
San Francisco Star pitied people who could be-
lieve there was gold enough in all California
to buy even a respectable meal. A week later
on May IL, 1 believe-a Scotch ranchman came
riding into San Francisco directly from the
divoinUa Ha waQ an infallpenf and ranutahle
man. He brought with him about two pounds
OF gold dust and nuggets to trade for merchan-
disc at the mines.
Talk about excitement It began In the
town Of San Francisco that came hour. All
that night the saloons were thronged with men
who talked of nothing but the chances there
might DO for them in mining. One great lank
fellow, a Mormon, was SO wild with excite
ment at the thought of digging gold that he
went up and down the bay shore yelling, Gold,
gold. gold,' like a mailman. Several saloon
men who could not sell their stock locked up
their places, determined to let them go to the
dogs while they were washing gold.
Still there were scoffers at the very idea that
gold could be found in California. The editor
of the Star deplored the lying reports sent out
by adventures to lure tho unwary to the in
terror of California. Capt. Swan, U. S. A., sta
toned at the Preside, said he had a good
knowledge of metallurgy, and he begged many
men. who were leaving homes and good livings
for mining, to pause in their mao rush and
consider that the yellow nuggets and flakes
were but a peculiar form of mica. The Rev.
Mr.. Davidson declared that he knew the gold
stories were designed fctions to draw popula.
ton into the interior of California. All tho
members Of old aristocratic Mexican families
such as the vallejos, Sepulvedas, and WARS
were sure that the strange yellow metal was
some new conglomerate got up by ingenious
Yankees to wean the Californians from their
Did Mexican flag to the new American flag.
when. however, the rush for the diggings
along the North Fork of the American River
did begin, on May Is, 1s4s. it was mighty ear
nest. Over 200 men started on that day and as
many more on the following day. went three
days later and was in the very first party to go
up the river to Stockton, and then across the
fFGSntdis to c at fhe mines Ts were Re, the s6a first San n
little steamboat, and started out with a supply
Of PROVISIONS that lasted us but two weeks.
FRANCISCO that bad ever seen gold mines.
cry had gone as far down the coast as Mon
terey. The gold diggers at Coloma were by
yiaio Iime eo sending ing out 50 much gold to buy pro
Sehce OF the richness OF the sandbars and creek
banks followed closely upon the heels of the
MIA who could get away went chasing over the
country toward the American Fork. Less th an
one,twelfth the male population of San Fran
cisco remained, when June had come. Whole
families packed up and went to Coloma with
out Soa stopping to sleep. On: two long streets of
MONIES ana stores none but women and children
remained, Hall, the stores and every public
Inn IAN were closed, because both boarders and host
nag gone to the American Fork. The village
oi santa Cruz packed up and started for the
nnihes IN twenty.four hours. The news of tho
fLId ma and samples of the gold reached Mon
.efey late In May. and in two days every male
IN the village but FIVE had started for the Amer.
,can Fork. The village of San Miguel, CON
LINING some 300 souls, was absolutely desert
gu py every human being during the first week
ihr JGn e. ana don't believe there were even
In California in the spring and summer of 1915.
T. reme1ber hearing, a fellow miner tell how
ne had found the iail ut Monterey empty, the
prisoners; Sheriff, and all the peace officers |
tbo 70 me mines, and of seeing Gen. Mason of
me ! nlted States Army and a Commodore of |
Inc hited states Navy cooking their own food |
~ = deserted hotel at Monterey, because all |
sleir servants and men had deserted In the
AH Hnrid ana had followed the rush toward the
by luly there p,t,St ha.a koon about q nnn ,-t |