The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1917-01-19
THE LURE OF COLD
How It Drew the Hall Craze1 East
to California In 1e49.
WAS A WILD RACE FOR RICHES
The Excitement Caused by the Dis
covcry of the Precious Metal, the
Fury With Which the "Yellcw Fever
Raced and the Rush to the ccast.

covcry of the Precious Metal, the
Fury With Which the "Yellow Fever"
Ragged and the Rush to the ccast.
One of the most exciting periods In
the United States of q commercial
character was the wild rush of people
from the eastern part OF the country
to California IN 1913 and lS40 follow
ing the announcement of the extensive
discovery of gold 1t looked ms if the
faces OF all eastern people were turned
west through the exaggerated stories
that were published of the vast guam
titles Of the yellow metal that were
everywhere i'll evidence.
The height of the excitement was
reached when on Dec. ). 1913, Prcsi-
dent Taylor announced the discovery
in his message. The abundance of gold
was such. he said, rs could hardly be
believed were it not for the reports of
officers on the public service who had
seen the mines.
The first question that entered the
mind of the eastern prospectOr was
how TO reach the diggings. Til spring
came the overland route was closed.
dwellers on the seaboard was far the
better.
Then began series of most unusual
advertisements In the newspapers.
Manufacturers of rubber goods adver-
tised tents, beds, gold bags and camp
outfits One publisher got out bool;
containing fifty-four engravlngs of i'm
plements used in washing gold from
sand. a manufacturer advised all 20
ing TO the gold country TO take along
one Of his gold washing machines.
Such advertisements as "An oyster
house win be sold low; proprietor is
going TO California" and "For sale.
for a hundred dollars. half light,
easy business that pays n handsome
profit, as the advertiser is going TO Cal
ifornia,n became COMMON.
Every ship, brig, schooner or sloop
that was half fit TO 20 TO sea was
scraped. painted. fitted with bunks or
cabins and advertised rs an Al. fair
sailing, copper bottomed, copper nailed
vessel, bound for San Francisco direct
or via Chagres Before the middle Of
December four ships loaded with adj
vcnturers left New York, and six 9th
ers were to sail in a few DAYS.
A New York paper found fifteen yes
sells loaded for California and reported
many more ready 10 80 to that country
from Boston, Salem, Philadelphia. Bal
timorc and New Orleans.
Many went out as individuals. while
thousands joined companies or associa-
lions which chartered or bought ships,
Many associations chartered ships and
sent them around the Horn. while they
journeyed overland. Many of these as
sociations had odd titles-as. for in
stance, THE New York yellow Fever
company"
BY the end Of January. lS49. eighty
vessels had set sail for San Francisco
vim Cape Horn. fourteen for Chagres
and two for Vera Cruz, carrying. all
told, over 800 passengers.
The newspapers spread broadcast all
sorts of exciting rumors, and with the
arrival of each batch of letters the
gold fever RACED more iiercely than
ever a letter from gentleman in
California stated that Jumps of gold
a pound In weight had frequently been
found and that good sized pieces could
be dug from the crevices in the rocks
Every ship that sailed was so crowded
that temporary houses We're built on
its deck. and by the middle of March
more than 1900 gold hunters had left
for California.
Much trouble followed those who
passed through Mexico on account of
the bitter feeling that had been on
gendered by the recent war With that
country. aud all along the route
through Mexico were said to be strewn
the bones Of those who had been muir
dered
Early in March the great emigration
overland began. and scores of cotnpa-
mics and thousands of men attached
to no company set off for the gold
fields. In less than three weeks. II is
said 2,S5U wagons crossed the Missis-
sippi ut st Joseph and 1900 at Sayan-
nah Landing and Council Bluffs The
country. it was said, for miles and
miles represented a great tented Geld.
Toward autumn the first of the over.
land eniieranis came streaming across
the mountains. In less than two years
after the discovery Of gold close to
100000 emigrants found their way to
California in search of the yellow met
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