Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-09-14
OLD DIARY TELLS OF
MAD RUSH FOR GOLD
Gives Vivid Pictures Of the Ar
oonauts of Fory-nine, Who
crossed Continent to Cali
fornia.

oro dav in January, 1siS, workman
engaged in digging a mill-race Oh 'he
AnorIcan River observed some SeiioW
nor,icles of metal gllttering In the sanu'
ra,heripa n quantity he took them to his
.,,r,ovor. and together the two men sub
Iooted them to some rude tests '"nich
.ousaed them that the shining grains
were pure gold.
a., ,,,a- tho famous discovery OF gold
:. r,i,eorrio The thrilling secret could
M, he kept, although California was then
.o remote place that several months
,ossed before the outside world became
ovore of II. Seldom has the news OF
,,scoverv been attended by more ora
rnatic consequences. 1t threw the civilized
-.ortd into a fever of anticipation. II
,,,tted throngs of fortune seekers-cut-
,hroats, gamblers, laborers, physicians
farmers, preachers-on mad race Tor
California. 1t precipitated the great sec
,onal crisis Of 1850, the most serious In
MIR history between 17si and 1851, and 1t
,or,peI,ed the Government to admit Cali
fornia TO Statehood before ever she had
been a territory.
An old diary. now in the possession of
.,o wisconsin Historical Society. por-
travs vividly the experiences of one WIS
oonsin band of Argonauts who crossed
the continent in the summer of 1919 In
snorcb Of the golden fleece. The fortune
seekers five in number, were all resi-
donte of Madison, the capital of the
vouthful state. Their first step was to
orgenize a company. equipped with appro-
nriate officers and laws and regulations.
The company, to which all contributed
eoualIy. then purchased the equipment
for the long journey, the principal items
beine n heavy covered wagon and a
six-m,Ile team One interesting bylaw
nrovided that in add .on to the company
property each member must equip himself
with "a good rife, pistol and knife"
From early March until August the toll
some tourney lasted. The route led over
rugged mountain ranges, and through
burning deserts where men and horses
alike we're in danger of perishing from
thirst. At one place ten men and ten
mules were barely sufficient to manage
an empty wagon" This place our diar-
ist with grim humor, decides to name
The Devils Stairs" Another time a
band of Crow Indians. bent on stamped
ing the mules of the party. raided the
camp by night. But the affray passed
off without loss to either party except
the powder and lead, which was wasted
profusely by both"
More successful thieves were the coy
otes who stole the last pound Of pork
from the party when we were awake
and had good watch dog on guard, and
the pork lying within four feet of our
heads"
No less than 10000 gold-seekers crossed
the plains this summer of 1S49, and as
many more reached California by water.
either crossing the Isthmus of Panama
or rounding Cape Horn Hardship and
privation awaited them all, dazzling for
tunes the few, and poverty, disease and
death the many Our party of Argonauts
was more fortunate than most but listen
to this picture which Is only one OF many
observed by the diarist: "A lone woman
riding on skeleton OF n horse, and drv-
Ing two cows that were but the shadow
of what they once had been. when graz
ing quietly on the prairies of Illinois,
The woman's dress consisted OF what
might once have been a decent covering
but at this time 1t was OF a truth the
evidence of things not seen"
The woman hailed from Illinois, and
she, with her decrepit livestock, was all
that remained of a husband. wife and
three children, 10 or 90 head of cattle a
wagon and $500 Even so. she was not
disheartened, and begged only for advice