Gilpin observer., 1913-03-13

VINO ndu aug UP ITCm Ine secret
hiding places the means to send the
adventurer to his long sought goal.
Uncles and staid aunts were re-
paid with interest in the shape of
tokens and relics Of far off country.
By stretch of Imagination, New
England was united with California
i'm one vast America, divided by
barren desert. Communication was
solely by slow OK team beyond the
Missouri taking year or little less
in its consummation BY water the
time of journey was less. but the.
straights of Magellon was a bugaboo
which many feared. The overland
trail was beset with dangers. Red
skins lurked in unknown places. A
man who made the trip was a hero.
Our grandmothers were presented
with ring made of the little hoard
of gold, so carefully guarded on the
long journey home. The balance of
silver service at a shop in Bangor,
pieces Of which are treasured amcmg
the scattered defendants. While the
material results of grandfather's trip
are mill today, he left a treasure of
memory ON the many TALKS which it
was his pleasure to regale his WON
dering grandchildren with, is almost
am impossibility; he was continually
interrupted with questions that broke
the narrative and disconnected his
story. The writer will try to com
fine this article to some of the con-
d.tions that prevailed at the time of
the first rush to the new found gold
en- golconda. AS we remember, none
but the bravest made the trip. Each
and every man had definite object
in view, viz, to gain sufficient of the
precious metal to return and make
independent for life those of his re-
latives and himself.
The golden sands were removed a
hundred miles or more from the port
of entry at the mouth of the Sacra-
mento river. A mad scramble was
made to the diggin's. A piece of
ground little more than a bed spread
| in size was taken up by each individ-
ual. Fifteen by fifty feet was a large
claim. In this each man gathered the
golden grains as best he could. either
by the slow process of panning or
winnowing the dirt and picking UP
'ruggets, large or small. as seen by
the eye. Picks and shovels cost $25
each. Flour so cents per pound, and
beans the same. Hired help as much
as $4,000 per day with board. With
in a week the hired man jumped his
job stalking himself to hike out ami
get claim of his own. Luxuries
commanded almost any price asked.
Gold dust was the medium of ex-
|Ghange. WithiR year the lure of
Vice was rampant, the game of
chance on the route from the gold
diggins to Frisco flourished. Men go
ing in, stopped and gambled their
all. Some of those departing staked
their hard fought treasure on the
games of chance. South American
vampires lured many from the
straight and narrow path of virtue
of their home raising. Many reach
ed home with fortunes ranging from
$1,000 to $4,000, others remained to
help build up a new empire. We
children often asked, did he not wish
that he had stayed with it and be-
come rich, his invariab,e answer
was, where would grandma have been
il he had not come home? The sight
Of piece Of coarse pyrite, treasur-
ed as one Of grandfather's finds in
far off California, brought back the
memories of childhood which we
have tried to relate here.
-Sleeks.