The San Francisco call., 1909-12-19

dering pioneers celebrated in California in
the gold year, 1s49 The word Forty
miner" itself is little more than legend, a
term for characters in fiction or drama these days.
But in New York two men are still living who OBJ
served the day 90 years ago the virgin soil of the
new up springing state. And they have story to
tell
They are veterans of notable era, these men. In
the strength and hope Of their youth they had part
in the struggle that gave all our magnificent do
main toward the sunset that wresed an empire from
nd the hopeless bulwarks of desert and isolation
eel savagery. We know the glamor of that time and
.fal struggle But they have known the bitterness
o- a.
One of the men is Joseph J. McCloskey, 83 years
old dean of the actor playwrights of America, who
has much of life and yet active and alert and
ready for much more of It He is clerk of the city
court goes to business every day and has mitless
fund of anecdote. He was % years old at his '49
Christmas. The other is Hermann J. Sharmann, II
years old. After successful career he has passed
his large brewing business to his sons, and he
lives now, quietly, happily, at his home in Central
park South He was II years old at his '49 Christ
mas.
The contrast between their Christmas experiences
90 years ago finds an echo in the men themselves.
Mr Sharmann is placid dgniled heavily built, with
commanding face and an impressive manner Mr..
McClos1ey is slight volatile, smiling, with ready
tongue and expressive gestures. The one had very
sad and the other right merry Christmas, and it
may seem that each still bears the mark upon him.
Both represent the best type of Americans and are
well worth knowing They the only survivors of
the eastern branch Of the Society of California Pio-
neers the Argonauts who were classed in that organ
ization as Forty miners"
Mr.. McCloskey was born in Greenwich village,
home Of famed New Yorkers and ancient tradition.
The "old Ninth ward" he calls it, and thereby proves
his birthright When he was youngster Fourteenth
street was way out" and he remembers having had
Aaron Burr, then decrepit old man. pointed out to
him in Broadway And this is his story:
when the gold stories began to come in there was
nothing for II but l must go west Transportation
was the great problem, and the separation of the
sheep from the goats on the basis of whether a
wanted to &c with reasonable comfort by sea or
with unreasonable discomfort by land Fortunately
! in position to choose the former
Young with the gold fever used to gather into
hundreds for the trip. AT time there three
four meetings of hundreds every night at the old
Ashland house l fell in with hundred with my
little stake and became of the proud possessos of
the Flavius, full rugged ship which bought
right at the dock and stocked within week
IN MIXED COMPANY
we had eventful voyage. AT Rio we helped
the emperor of Brazil celebrate his marriage, off the
horn froze and battered about for six weeks. in
Valparaiso got into trouble with the vigilantes.
mounted police, and off Juan Fernandez our crew
mutined The ST. Mary's, then war vessel, after
ward the schoolship to our aid, and we en-
tered San Francisco harbor with American blue
jackets ia the forecastle.
Early in December l was a full hedged placer
miner at Woods creek, tent village which clung
and gripped and slipped along the banks of ravine
below the point where the first corners had built a
dan. ] TO-. y c-..-, -le ssads and had more