The Newtown bee., 1904-12-02
Brought Out In Vivid Way
 By the Pen of E. l.. Johnson.

ward trip on the Atlantic and the upward trip on the Pacific. Sailing from Rio the 18th of April, and reach ing San Francisco the latter part of August, and anxious to reach the gold diggingS at once and before the rainy season began, he took sailing vessel up the Sacramento river for Sacramento City, September 5. What strange mixture of hopefulneSS, of doubt and wonder must have gone with those old adventurers as they took their life in their hands and went forth into the wild unknown. We first hear from them under date of October IA, l849, and we give the letter, to tell the story.
 Their varied experiences in journey ing to their destination, prices of ma terial as they found them, and the al- most inSurmountable obstacles to Over- come will have vivid interest to the careful reader. John Dick, who went from Sandy Hook, is the "Dick" allud- ed to in the letter.-[E. L. J.
 Gold Diggings on Yuba River.
 October 14, 1849.
 l have at last reached my journey $ end, in this far-famed country in very good health, only two days since. l have shad much to detain me in San Francisco after wrote my last to you. My freight in the ship l could not get tained some days hoping every one would be the last, the captain ordered the hatch to be put down and locked up until his case and the passengers was tried before the Alcald of the city.
 He had charged us with everything we had on board. Even my trunk and chest of clothing was charged. You recOllect 1 was allowed on my receipt 600 spounds by his own handwriting This, he endeavored to set aside, and my bill for freight was S27 30 right iri the face of the printed bills which Say each passenger shall be allowed four barrels extra freight. I at last was resolved to wait no longer, the old September l started for SacrametC City, 160 miles up the Sacramento river, and arrived Septemberu8. The weather in the middle of the day is the hottest ever saw, and the nights the coolest for the season.
 l had left my business with the cap tain to be settled by a friend of mine, MT Stacey, who was similarly situated. 1 here camp with pr Green and Oth- CTS, my particular friends who wish to accompany me to the Tuba river. l learn here of much sickness at all the mines.
 September II. My freight does not come up and my friends all start Foot goes to the Feather river and pays $50 per hundred for carting his freight. Dr Green & Co. start for the north fork of the American river. ] am now alone with James Smith.
 September l2. l this day buy whale hoot uith MT pI111occ nd of rf mn n river for Springfield with BullesS and James Smith. This is 30 miles.
 September 13. Arrive at Springfield and learn that Dicks company are nearly all sick at the mines, 40 miles distant by land.
 l feel some symptoms of dySentery, which admOnishes me to go no farther towards the mines for the present. l then returned to Sacramento City and took in nine passengers for San Fran. cisco returning sick from the mines with fever and ague. This amounted to S1OO. Another object l had in re- turning was to get out lumber. Shin. gles are here worth $40 and $50 pei thousand and boards $500 to $500 pel thousand feet. I began to feel the want of my freight, which was another reason of my returning. We get back UU Cdu II dllClSCO cCPUCuUCl 10. Ndll my tent with me wherever 1 go, anC the river. Still have some of my com. plaint. I am very careful about my | health. Your caution in large letters perhaps did some good. Since begin ming this letter l have an opportunity to send it to the pOstOffice. l have much to write to you and my friends They must excuse my neglect of them My time here is worth, 1 won't Sa, how much per hour. Suffice it to say 1 am doing very we'll. l built me quick silver machine in the woods a Springfield, in three days worth $500 It weighs 70 pounds You may depen, on it my health is now good although the sickness in this country has beel terrible through the hot season an' hardly two in 20 have escaped dySen tery and fever and ague.
 A company from New Haven, Conn of 54 has lost nine, or one in six, but i is now quite healthy here. If m friends want my opinion of the cour try l have but little to say that tlattering except the chances of ge1 ting rich, and that is at a great risk C health. The climate has been con pared to Italy, but it ought not to b mentioned on the same page with thi place. The thermometer rises to 13C and over in some instances in tn shade. It is fit only for Africans. Th Indians here are a stunted, third rat race of beings, without the least prid or energy and often go naked, bot sexes. 1 look forward, and have pr' vided myself with my provisions whi
 1 am here. Three of us, MT Nafe
 MT Hawkins and myself, have hel two barrels of good pork, one of bee two of flour, two of bread, one sack corn meal, one keg of molasses, son beans, rice, sugar, tea, coffee, saleratu etc., so if you hear of much sutferir
 from want in this land, you may re
 quiet about me. I am with. that
 in, the neighborhood of the Newton boys and doing we'll.
 We do not intend to make less thf
 one ounce of gold per day and fro
 that, upwards. l am now writing u sixth day after my arrival and son