Year: 1861

The Weather-M MaiIS-Hokday AmuSementS


-Quartz, &c. sc.


HooPERvILLB, Siskiyou Co.


January 9Th, 1861.


EDITOR DEMOCRAT We are having winter
at last-winter in sober earnest. Above us is
spread gray sky, which is almost constantly
dripping rain or showering down snow-hakes;
around us, the mountains look like huge piles
of snow, the bushes on their sides being COM
pletely buried, and the trees so covered as to be
scarcely distingushable from the general mass.
In the lowlands, the ground is covered to the
depth of eighteen inches, and in Scott valley,
where snow seldom lies twelve hours, there has
been most excellent sleighing for nearly two
weeks. five may judge from present appear
ances you will hear no complaint of a scarcity
of water from this section during the coming
year, for the chances are that the present sup
ply of snow will be doubled before we get
sight of blue sky again. This state of thingsis
viewed by business men with pleasure and sat
isfaction, and is certainly indicative of season
of prosperity near at hand; but while it is
fraught with promises and hope for the future,
it is the source of much annoyance and incon-
venience to us just now, not the least of which
is the interruption of communication with 9TH
er parts of the State.


The only road over which the stages from be-
| low now come, is that through Trinity and over
Scott mountain. The deep snow on the noun
tains, and high water in the streams beyond,
have played the mischief with the mail arrange
ment, and it is seldom that either letters or pa
pers get through until their contents are so old
as to scarce deserve the name Of news added
to this, the telegraph wires are down, and have
been so such a length of time as to justify us in
the conclusion that they have been coiled and
snugly slowed away in winter quarters some
where. This is particularly annoying to us
just at present, when our Legislature is in ses-
sion, and news from the States is looked for
with so much eagerness and anxiety, but it is
an evil to which we are subjected without the
possibility of being able to apply an immediate
remedy, and we are forced to seek consolation
in that good old quotation from true philosophy
which has been on the lips of the defeated de-





''What can't be helped must be borne" We,
however, have promise that this is the last
season that we shall suffer such inconvenicnccs,
and that by the time another winter gets around
the California Stage Co. will have completed
their Sacramento river road, over which stag
ing may be carried on without interruption
from snow or high water.


We had fine times during the holidays; our
people enjoyed themselves hugely. They danced
and snow-balled, sleighrode and drank egg nogg
to their hearts content. The sports were kept
up through the entire week and although a
great deal of noise was made at times, yet no
serious disturbance Of any kind occurred. Our
neighbors Of mining camp few miles dis
tant were less fortunate in that respect than
we. They passed through very near the same
list Of enjoyments as we did, but instead of fol-
lowing the same peaceful track to the close,
they wound up on New Years day with grand
free fight, from which about dozen individuals
came out most Interestingly bruised and SCARED.
1t seems that Dutch baker who had been do
ing business in the village for several years. sold
his establishment few weeks before Christmas
to another Dutch baker. Hardly had the trans
fer been made, however, when Dutch baker No.
l took it into his head to open in opposition to
! No. 2. This, No. 2 considered an exceedingly
unkind and unfair act on the part Of No. l. and
as the latter persisted in carrying out his de-
signs in spite Of No. rs rcmonstrances,
very unamiable feeling was engendered between
the two. This went on until New Years Day,
when No. l, pretty well charged with lager, and
spelling for a muss, found his way into No. rs
saloon, and with but little difficulty succeeded
in getting up an equally hostile feeling on the
part Of No. 2, when into each others wool they
went in good style; hardly had they got fairly
at work, when several of their countrymen who
were drinking lager in the saloon, and were
friends to both parties, started in with view
to separate the combatants and restore peace !;
but unfortunately for their kind intentions,
they had too much Of the beverage aboard, and
becoming confused they too got to knocking
and wool pulling. Outsiders hearing the rack
ct, came rushing in, and number Of them
pitched in and most delightful free fight was