The Newtown bee., 1905-02-24
To California In '49.
INTERESTING STORY FROM THE DIARY OF
 GLOVER HAWLEY,
Brought Out In a Vivid Way By the Pen of B. L.
 Johnson.
Oak ar,'Yuba River, Sunday, July IA, 1850.


 My Dear Wife: 1 last week received with much pleasure two kind letters from you, one dated March 10, the other April 20. The mail arrange ments between this and the states ap- pear to be much improved since last winter, the letters sent by Fairchild l have not yet received but hope to soon. You remark in one of your, letters, that you suppose my mind is so much engrOssed in business, that I do not feel the disappointment so mneh if my letters do not come to hand when due. But in this you are mistaken. You can imagine the bright lustre of gold as it comes fresh from the rivers bed, I can tell you, it is dross to the eyes of the miner when his letters come in to camp. He will part with his gold to pay the express more cheerfully than for anything else. A ounce of gold is often paid for bringing letters little out of the regular route of the express. Tbe regular price paid here is $3 per letter, but we have been very lucky in having all our mail matter up by some of our friends free of expense thus far. But what is gold to the miner compared with news from home. He reads them about 10 times over and then goes to his work again with renewed energy, being assured that there are those who think of him. It serves to tighten the toll and priva- tions he is subject to for them.
 But little has occurred to me of i'm portance since wrote you last month. l continue in fine health yet, which is the case with all of us. Our digging is still done to a great disadvantage on account of the water. We quit dig ging now for the present to put in a Wing dam in order to get at the bed of the river, which we expect is very rich. It will take perhaps week to do it. You say you want me to write more about my business, and not be so general in my informa tion. Now that is all well. enough, but how would my account of gold that I bag every day, or the amount of what have got in the whole look in company with the marvellous accounts you are in the habit of reading every day. l shall open the door but very little for you tc look in, just far enough to get a glimpse of July. The first week I only dug $106; the second week only $125, or S231 in the two weeks. Last week my days works were none less thar SIS or over S29. However, we hope te do more when we get the dam com pleted. I want to do what I came here to do, and then leave for those near and dear to me. l expect it il very near this place where the sur goes down to bed. I have not seer him do it yet, for he always gets be hind mountain that is near by about o'clock every afternoon. If g ct good sight it shall be entered dowr for you will all be much interested ii his manner of getting into bed. As; writes he don't know what to make O my being steamboat builder, theate l OulANN1, COC.3 AO1 ACAU VIII CA POCU O hear of my being on the stage, actin' the clown for the amusement of th audience. Poor fellow! Yes, poor ol' fellow! Just as if he did not know
 have all my life been on the stage act ing the part of the clown. This is
 great world, a great stage, and ther are some very great performance: done by very great performers. l an very glad he has got his health. agai and hope his sickness has not materla ly injured his memory, so that he wi forget what 1 told him in my last lei ter concerning Christmas.
 We now have it very hot in the mic dle of the day. We are obliged quit work about II a. m., and do nc go out to work again until or p. m but we are out very early and late make the difference. The way tt sun comes down between these moul
 tains in the middle of the day is terl
 ble. l have an excellent'appetite f.
 pork and beans, jerked beef with sou
 fresh beef with sauce made of dri'
 apples as we want it. We built fir