SOUTHERN MINES CONTINUED.
RULES OF AN ENCAMPMENT--HART’S BAR COMPANY--ARTICLES OF
AGREEMENT--CANAL--AQUEDUCT--RESULTS OF MINING.
April 5th. Having arranged all our matters, also inclosed and dug up a
spot for a garden, and planted potatoes, turnip, cabbage, and other
seed, we started this afternoon, under the direction of Colonel M., upon
a scientific prospecting tour. This gentleman has spent his life in the
gold mines of Georgia, and possesses great experience and skill in the
business of mining. We spent some hours upon the Kanacca Creek, making
one excavation after another, down to the rocks, the colonel panning and
testing each. We had no success. The colonel could show a few specks of
fine gold in every pan, but, like all old miners, threw it out as not
worth preserving. Finding our efforts fruitless, we climbed the sides of
a high mountain, hanging over Jacksonville, to obtain a view of the
country. There was not much in the view to please, but we soon found
ourselves enjoying a most exciting sport. It was that of rolling down
large stones from the summit over the precipitous sides of the mountain,
and watching them as they rushed, leaped, bounded, crashing and tearing
far away into the valley.
It is yet too early to do much in the river diggings, except in the
making of canals, and other preparations for working the channel when
the rivers are low. A large company have been thus engaged at this place
for six months. Their canal is a stupendous work for this country, and
is intended to drain more than a mile of the river. They expect to make
at least $10,000 for each member. Their shares are sold at $1200. They
are governed by strict regulations, and their officers consist of a
president--a most worthy, efficient man--a vice-president, a secretary,
a treasurer, and a board of directors. They have some of America’s best
and most esteemed citizens. One of their number is B., of New England,
an original, and always full of fun. His wit and his anecdotes do much
to keep up the spirits of his companions. With his good humor, he
possesses also a good heart. One very warm day I passed the canal where
they had been at work, but were resting a short time under the shade of
a tree. As they were rising to resume their spades and picks, B. said,
“Keep your seats, gentlemen!” Then he continued, evidently under the
impression that his own quiet lounge was at an end unless he could
contrive to interest his listeners by spinning one of his yarns, “That
reminds me,” said he, “of an old lady in our town, who was very
self-conceited, and withal somewhat deaf. One Sunday she came to church
very late. As she entered, the congregation, which was a crowded one,
were rising for prayer. Thinking that the stir was on her account, and
that all were rising to offer her a seat, she spoke out, loud enough to
be heard half way up the aisle, ‘Keep your seats, gentlemen! keep your
seats! don’t rise for me!’ So, gentlemen,” he continued, pulling one of
his companions, who had risen, back again into his seat, “keep your
seats!” A stranger, standing upon the bank of their canal, and looking
down upon such a gang of Irish-appearing, hard-working miners, habited
in their red flannel shirts, rough as the grisly bear, long beards, long
hair, old hats, no shoes, or shoes variously patched, would hardly
believe that there were those among them accustomed to the etiquette of
Broadway and Chestnut Street, carrying beneath that rough exterior all
which made them valued friends and citizens, faithful husbands and
fathers. There was among them the nephew of Sir Robert Peele, who was
accustomed to the gayety and fashion of a life at court. The miners are
like the gold they seek, surrounded with dirt, rough looking, yet often
possessing that sterling worth which will give them currency among the
good, the gifted, and the beautiful.
As the bars upon our rivers are being occupied by such communities, it
may not be uninteresting to know by what rules and regulations such
communities are governed. Those here presented were drawn up by
experienced lawyers, and men of wise heads and good hearts, and may
serve as illustrating the mode of government common among the miners.
The following laws and regulations for the internal government of the
encampment of Jacksonville were passed at a meeting held in the town for
that purpose, in front of Colonel Jackson’s store, on the 20th of
January, 1850:
ARTICLE I.
The officers of this district shall consist of an alcalde and sheriff,
to be elected in the usual manner by the people, and continue in office
at the pleasure of the electors.
ARTICLE II.
In case of the absence or disability of the sheriff, the alcalde shall
have power to appoint a deputy.
ARTICLE III.
Civil cases may be tried by the alcalde, if the parties desire it;
otherwise they shall be tried by a jury.
ARTICLE IV.
All criminal cases shall be tried by a jury of eight American citizens,
unless the accused should desire a jury of twelve persons, who shall be
regularly summoned by the sheriff, and sworn by the alcalde, and shall
try the case according to the evidence.
ARTICLE V.
In the administration of law, both civil and criminal, the rule of
practice shall conform, as near as possible, to that of the United
States, but the forms and customs of no particular state shall be
required or adopted.
ARTICLE VI.
Each individual locating a lot for the purpose of mining, shall be
entitled to twelve feet of ground in width, running back to the hill or
mountain, and forward to the centre of the river or creek, or across a
gulch or ravine (except in cases hereinafter provided for); lots
commencing in all cases at low-water mark, and running at right angles
with the stream where they are located.
ARTICLE VII.
In cases where lots are located according to Article VI., and the
parties holding them are prevented by the water from working the same,
they may be represented by a pick, shovel, or bar, until in a condition
to be worked; but should the tool or tools aforesaid be stolen or
removed, it shall not dispossess those who located it, provided he or
they can prove that they were left as required; and said location shall
not remain unworked longer than one week, if in condition to be worked,
otherwise it shall be considered as abandoned by those who located it
(except in cases of sickness).
ARTICLE VIII.
No man or party of men shall be permitted to hold two locations, in a
condition to be worked, at the same time.
ARTICLE IX.
No party shall be permitted to throw dirt, stones, or other obstructions
upon located ground adjoining them.
ARTICLE X.
Should a company of men desire to turn the course of a river or stream
for the purpose of mining, they may do so (provided it does not
interfere with those working below them), and hold and work all the
ground so drained; but lots located within said ground shall be
permitted to be worked by their owners, so far as they could have been
worked without the turning of the river or stream; and this shall not be
construed to affect the rights and privileges heretofore guarantied, or
prevent redress by suit at law.
ARTICLE XI.
No person coming direct from a foreign country shall be permitted to
locate or work any lot within the jurisdiction of this encampment.
ARTICLE XII.
Any person who shall steal a mule, or other animal of draught or burden,
or shall enter a tent or dwelling, and steal therefrom gold-dust, money,
provisions, goods, or other articles, amounting in value to one hundred
dollars or over, shall, on conviction thereof, be considered guilty of
felony, and suffer death by hanging. Any aider or abettor therein shall
be punished in like manner.
ARTICLE XIII.
Should any person willfully, maliciously, and premeditatedly take the
life of another, on conviction of the murder, he shall suffer death by
hanging.
ARTICLE XIV.
Any person convicted of stealing tools, clothing, or other articles, of
less value than one hundred dollars, shall be punished and disgraced by
having his head and eye-brows close shaved, and shall leave the
encampment within twenty-four hours.
ARTICLE XV.
The fee of the alcalde for issuing a writ or search-warrant, taking an
attestation, giving a certificate, or any other instrument of writing,
shall be five dollars; for each witness he may swear, two dollars; and
one ounce of gold-dust for each and every case tried before him.
The fee of the sheriff in each case shall be one ounce of gold-dust, and
a like sum for each succeeding day employed in the same case.
The fee of the jury shall be to each juror half an ounce in each case.
A witness shall be entitled to four dollars in each case.
ARTICLE XVI.
Whenever a criminal convict is unable to pay the costs of the case, the
alcalde, sheriff, jurors, and witnesses shall render their services free
of remuneration.
ARTICLE XVII.
In case of the death of a resident of this encampment, the alcalde shall
take charge of his effects, and dispose of them for the benefit of his
relatives or friends, unless the deceased otherwise desire it.
ARTICLE XVIII.
All former acts and laws are hereby repealed, and made null and void,
except where they conflict with claims guarantied under said laws.
ABNER PITTS, JR., Sec’y.
_Jacksonville, Jan. 20, 1850._
April 15th. Many rumors reached us respecting certain rich diggings ten
miles distant, among the mountains. They are named Savage’s diggings,
and lie upon or near the Rattlesnake Creek. Large numbers of miners have
been for some time going in that direction, while multitudes, who have
been but to be disappointed, are returning. One of our friends, the
president of the Jacksonville company, left for this place, promising to
send us back information as to his success. We were therefore much
gratified, the next day, to receive intelligence of the most encouraging
character, accompanied by a message for us to hasten up as soon as
possible. We made our arrangements very hastily--stewed venison, baked
several loaves of bread, and made some pies of the red berry called
_manzanita_, which has some resemblance to the cherry. It grows upon a
shrub ten feet high, the bark of which is smooth, and of bright orange
color. On the 11th instant we started for Savage’s diggings, in our way
clambering up one of the steepest mountains I have ever seen. After a
very fatiguing walk, we reached the ground by the middle of the
afternoon, and were so anxious to try our luck among the crowd of
adventurers, that we commenced prospecting at once. Our friend, who had
come up before us, had been successful the first day; but all this was
over before we reached him. Very little gold rewarded our labors. As
night came on, threatening to be a cold one, we prepared to pass it as
comfortably as we might. Piling up logs and brush, a bright blaze shed
its cheering influence upon us. Wrapping our blankets about us, and
stretching our feet to the fire, we slept soundly.
Our stay upon the mountain was brief. There was so little encouragement
that it was considered best to retrace our steps. Lame, hungry, and
tired, we arrived the next night at our encampment near Jacksonville.
During the following week we worked upon the banks of the river, with
but small success. One day we made $2 50 each, and the other days we
made nothing.
May 1st. Since my last date, we have not made enough to buy us our
provisions. Much of the time, my companions being engaged upon the
canal, I labored by myself. One day I made $6; and then, for a week, did
not average 6 cents a day: so uncertain is the employment of mining.
Cases are very frequent of persons making $100 in a day, and sometimes
in a single hour, and the whole week following making nothing. I heard
of a case which illustrates this point. A young man of rather indolent
habits, and without the perseverance and application which, it would be
supposed, are necessary to insure success in mining, happened into a
valuable claim. Hiring a man to aid him, he took out, in six weeks,
$4500. Near him was a company of six industrious and persevering miners.
They labored on assiduously, week after week, for a period of four
months, and at the end of that time they had all made about $1500. We
are hoping for better success in the river diggings when the water is
low. At present there is very little being accomplished. Laborers may be
hired at $2 50 and $3 a day.
May 15th. During the three days immediately following my last date, I
made, while working by myself, $17. Was invited to join a few miners
working near me, who intend to organize a company for the purpose of
mining at Hart’s Bar--a place two miles below Jacksonville--when the
river shall be low enough to be worked. All of these are Southern
gentlemen. One of them, a nephew of Commodore Turner, U. S. N., lost a
fortune by a sudden decline in the price of cotton, and, with the hope
of retrieving his condition, came to California. He has messing with him
two young friends, one from Annapolis, Maryland, the other from Mobile,
Alabama. There is also in the company a person who has spent eight years
in the gold mines of Georgia, and possessing great skill in tracing up a
vein of gold. I was not long in deciding to connect myself with them,
and the next day we labored together.
One day last week, as I was walking down from Jacksonville, where I had
been to purchase provisions, I saw a number of men dragging some heavy
object to the edge of a hill hanging over me. Presently they pushed it
over the brow, and it came tumbling, like a bag of wool, over and over,
down the side of the mountain. It was a grisly bear, which had just been
killed, and which weighed six hundred pounds. As the river was too high
to allow crossing that evening to my camp, I accepted an invitation from
the miner who had killed the bear to be his guest for the night. We
feasted upon the flesh, which was tender and sweet. During the following
week we had no success in gold-digging, the river being too high. It was
also too early to commence working upon our canal; but on May 10th we
organized into a company, put up stakes with flags, designating our
claim, and made advertisement of the same in Jacksonville, leaving a
certified copy with the alcalde. Then we adjourned, to meet for work on
the 4th of July, in the mean time having a common purse, and sharing
mutually in the profits of the whole till that time. A part of the
company went up to the Rattlesnake Creek, prospecting. At this time an
association--named the Adelphi Mining Association--was formed, chiefly
of miners from Jacksonville, numbering twenty-nine persons. Their object
was to drain a portion of the channel of Woods’s Creek, in which was a
deep hole, nearly the width of the creek, and twenty yards in length.
The place is two miles above the junction of the creek with the
Tuolumne. Much gold had been found all along the banks, encouraging the
belief that, could we drain the stream and work the bed of it, it would
“pay well.” The company was a very mixed one. There were the good and
the bad, the serious and the gay. As there was nothing else at this
time to occupy my attention, and as it was expected to work out the
claim before it would be possible to work in the river, I accepted an
invitation to join this company. With seventy pounds’ burden upon my
back, I walked up from Hart’s Bar, and accepted an invitation from a
miner to use his tent during his absence. Last night I slept upon the
ground, spreading my blankets upon a mat at the bottom of the tent. Here
I slept alone, and at a distance from any other encampment. This noon,
coming up to cook my dinner, a large snake crept from under the mat in
the tent, and quickly disappeared in a hole near by. With a spade I dug
him out, and, after killing him, found that he measured three feet ten
inches. I don’t know his name, but he has a flat head, looks very
brassy, and has a sharp horn at the tail. It answers the description of
the horned snake. It is said that, taking the end of its tail in its
mouth, it will form a perfect hoop with its body, rolling rapidly over
till it reaches the object at which it aims, upon which it inflicts a
severe, and sometimes fatal blow, with the horn in the tail. As I am
disposed to shun the society of such suspicious creatures, I have just
swung my hammock outside the tent, between two trees.
June 1st. The Adelphi Company commenced their labors on the 16th ult. We
were early at work, and toiled cheerfully on, sustained by the hope that
we were about to meet with success. I hardly dared to give myself up to
the bright, golden anticipations of my companions; and still they seemed
well founded and reasonable. The gold had been traced, in numerous rich
layers and veins, down to the very edges of the deep hole in the
channel. Doubtless, then, as it would naturally sink down, and settle at
the lowest point, washed in by every freshet, if that point could be
reached, we should find a rich deposit. A canal must be made so deep as
to drain the bottom of this hole, and then a dam must turn the water
around the hole, through a new channel. The canal was cut through solid
slate. The work was very heavy, requiring the largest bars and picks. We
worked all the time in the water. After nine days’ labor, we at length
completed the canal, which is about one hundred feet in length, four in
width, and five in depth. The only fear was lest it should not
effectually drain the hole, without which all our labor was lost. We
made the dam on the tenth day, and anxiously awaited the result. Fears
were expressed, but we left at night, to meet in the morning, by which
time the water would have been reduced to its level. In the morning we
were there, and found, after all we could do, that there were three feet
of water in the hole we wished to drain. Nothing but steam forcing-pumps
would have enabled us to prosecute the work, and we silently and sadly
abandoned it. I went up to my tent, and was there alone. All my efforts
had failed. I was already deeply in debt for my provisions. Had I any
prospect of success? Could I hope even to make enough to enable me to
return to my family? The future seemed dark to me. I was desolate and
disheartened. In the midst of my sadness and gloom, there came a
whisper! A voice dear to me had spoken it before in my sorrow; memory
now brought back the same voice, whispering to me,
“Fear not, but trust in Providence!”
That voice had never failed to cheer and comfort me, and it failed not
now. That kind Providence had ever blessed me, and I could trust on, and
hope ever!
The gold-digger may not stand still. No stone must be left unturned--the
treasure may lie beneath the next. This is the miner’s work: he must
spend his efforts and his years in rolling over stones, even though his
heart is sick with hope deferred--it may be under the next.
I had cooked my dinner with my breakfast--some venison and bread, with a
dish of beans and a dipper of coffee. Going to take my dinner, I found
the whole gone--eaten clean and the coffee drank, probably by some miner
more hungry than myself. I acknowledged myself indebted to some one, as,
by taking my thoughts from myself, and giving me employment, he did me a
kindness.
The next day I came up into the mountains to join my companions at
Rattlesnake Creek. It was late at night when I reached their camp, which
was a wild spot beneath some trees. A camp-fire, dimly burning, lighted
me to the place. The pure mountain air and my long mountain ramble gave
me a good appetite, for which the kindness of my friends provided most
amply. Our prospect of success here is good. Some miners have done very
well. We have been engaged for a few days in turning the water of the
creek, that we may work in the channel. We lead here a strangely wild
life. As we had no mules to bring our provisions, implements for cooking
and labor, &c., we were obliged to bring them ourselves. We therefore
left behind us every thing which could by any possibility be dispensed
with. An iron pan, which we use for washing gold, serves also for
boiling our coffee. A frying-pan is our only cooking utensil. In this
one of the company--who leaves work before the others for the
purpose--fries some pork, which is rancid, and then, in the fat, fries
some flour batter. After it is done on one side, he tosses it whirling
up, catching it as it comes down upon the other side, which is then
fried in turn. We have neither knife, fork, spoon, nor plate. A spade
answers very well for a plate. We use coffee without sugar, bread
without salt, salad without vinegar.
Our prospects so far are not favorable. Four of us were at work, when a
pretty vein of gold was discovered, passing down the channel and into
the bank. We have to-day made $18 25 each.
June 2d. The vein has run up into the bank, and all our efforts to find
it are in vain. This wild mountain creek is fast filling up with miners.
Some considerable sums have been taken out. Along the whole length of
the creek are closely scattered groups of Mexicans, Chilinos, Indians,
Europeans, Americans. At the head of the creek, upon an extensive plain,
several large lumps of gold have been found, and a company has been
organized to drain and work the lower part of the plain.
June 5th. We are still at work at the old place--still hoping somewhere
to find the lost vein. We have sunk several holes at some distance from
the channel, in the bank, thinking thus to intercept the treasure we
have lost. While thus engaged, a messenger arrived from the head of the
creek--a settlement named “Big Oak,” located upon the plain I have
mentioned--calling for all the men and guns, as the Indians had attacked
them. Not having any inclination to join in the fight, I remained at the
camp. One American and a few Indians were killed, and several Indians
severely wounded. The quarrel arose between the chief of the Indians and
an American, who were both drunk. After the flight of the Indians, their
encampment was robbed, and it was with difficulty that a few humane
persons present interfered to prevent the cruel treatment of some aged
and sick females left behind.
June 8th. For several days the Indians have kept us in a state of alarm.
All the white men upon the creek were summoned to meet at a log house,
which they fortified, to guard against a night attack. It was said that
fifty Indian warriors from the Mercedes were on the way to attack us.
During the next day the excitement was increased by the rumor that the
attack was to take place during that night. Nearly all left for the
lower settlements, or assembled at the log house. We remained quietly at
our camp, only taking the precaution to extinguish our camp-fires.
June 9th. The Indians have to-day manifested their desire of peace by
returning to the settlement, digging up and burning, according to their
custom, the bodies of their chief and the other Indians who had been
killed. All is quiet, and the miners are returning in crowds. Mr. S.,
the Georgia miner, having heard that six Mexicans had made seventy-five
pounds of gold in ten days, in a ravine near us, went over to-day to see
the place. He found every foot of it occupied. There is much sickness at
the mines. Many whose cases would yield to a little kind nursing, if
they were promptly attended, become desperately ill, and often die from
neglect of the early symptoms. We often hear of instances of success in
mining, some of them most remarkable.
At Sullivan’s Camp, a few miles from us, a Dutchman followed a vein of
gold down to a large rock, which continually became richer as he
progressed. Aided by some friends, he succeeded in removing the rock,
and in two hours’ time took out forty pounds of the precious ore.
June 21st. Since my last date we have not made
enough to defray our expenses, but to day have added
to the treasury $32.
June 22d. Company made 50.
“ 23d. Sunday.
“ 24th. Company made 25.
“ 25th. “ “ 83.
“ 26th. “ “ 98.
“ 27th. “ “ 68.
“ 28th. “ “ 84.
“ 29th. “ “ 7.
-----
In eight days $447.
Dividend to each of five members, $89 40; average per day to each one,
$11 17.
The Sabbath is generally observed as a day of physical rest by the
miners. There are few who engage in mining upon this day. But all find
it indispensable to give attention to some necessary personal business.
In every encampment are found those who improve the day in reading the
Bible and other books, and in singing the songs of home in a strange
land. Still, it must be confessed, there is more gambling and drinking
upon that day than upon all the other days of the week. When there is
preaching at the mines, which is rarely the case, it is well attended,
and listened to with respect.
July 29th. We continued at Rattlesnake Creek till the 3d of July, but
without much success. On that day we came down from the high mountains,
to attend the meeting of the Hart’s Bar Company on the 4th. On our way
down, an old Californian showed us the valuable medicinal plants “Buena
herba” and “Canchalagua.” We found much alarm prevailing at Jacksonville
on account of the many murders recently committed in the vicinity. A
nightly patrol has been kept up. The river was very high. Several have
been drowned in attempting to cross. On the morning of the 4th we
endeavored to cross at the ferry. There were nine persons in a boat of
the ordinary size. Before putting out into the current, which runs very
rapidly by, we passed by a cluster of young trees and bushes in the
water. One of the passengers unguardedly caught at one of the bushes,
which caused the boat immediately to sway about and dip water. It was
instantly half full, and five of the passengers had jumped out, and were
clinging to the bushes. The others of us made our way as soon as
possible to the shore, and then contrived to rescue our companions from
their dangerous situation.
On that day dined with my kind friend A. from Philadelphia, on the bank
of the river, near Hawkinsville--a sort of pic-nic, with “porter for
two.” While in the village, I was introduced to a miner from Virginia,
whose brief history while at the mines is interesting. On his arrival at
San Francisco, about a year previous, he purchased a good supply of
provisions, which he packed upon mules, and with a muleteer he started
for Deer Creek. Not meeting with any person to direct him, he crossed
the creek, not knowing that it was such. Going on for some distance, he
came suddenly, and to his great alarm, to a settlement of Indians, who,
however, through his Mexican muleteer, expressed friendship and a desire
to trade. He was induced to pitch his tent, and remain with them. The
business proved so profitable, that he returned to Stockton for a larger
supply. In a short time he had many Indians working for him, and in a
few weeks was able to send home $17,000, retaining $3000 for his future
operations. Since that time he has had no success; had sunk the fund he
had retained, and was now working as a hired laborer for the means to
take him to his family.
On our way back we met the mail agent, who had letters for me. He
declines taking gold-dust to San Francisco, on account of the danger.
Remarked that he traveled feeling that he might be shot at any moment,
and that the assassin might be concealed behind the next bush. Twelve
murders have been committed within a week in and near Sonora. There is
so much alarm that a volunteer company has been organized, till a
regiment of dragoons can be ordered here. This state of things is no
doubt owing, in part, to the heavy tax imposed upon foreigners, which
deprives many of them of employment. In consequence, they become
desperate, often being destitute of the means with which to purchase
their daily supplies. They are accordingly driven to steal and to
murder.
The river being yet too high to allow us to commence our work upon
Hart’s Bar, we postponed our meeting for a week, and returned to the
mountains, hoping to find another vein of gold; but our efforts were not
rewarded.
On the 9th instant we came down to Hart’s Bar to attend a company
meeting; but the river being still too high for profitable labor, we
returned again to the mountains, where, and at Woods’s Creek, we have
worked till this time, not averaging 50 cents a day.
To-day we have come down to Hart’s Bar, to make all necessary
arrangements--lay in our provisions, purchase mining tools, pitch our
tents, erect brush arbors--before we begin the work. I have selected a
spot for my arbor-home, a little above the bar, on a gentle rise, and at
a short distance from the encampment of my companions, which consists of
a picturesque group of tents and arbors on the bar below. Just behind me
the mountain ascends abrupt and steep. I am making my arbor beneath a
large pine, the only tree upon the bar. It is called the
“medicine-tree,” because its pitch is used as a balsam for all burns and
bruises. This tree forms one of the supporters of my arbor. Driving into
the ground three posts, and putting poles across these, supported also
by branches of the pine, I have covered the frame thus formed with brush
and boughs, throwing them on the top, and interweaving them into the
sides. This forms for me a cool, shaded room, about ten feet square,
where I may find a shelter from the intense heat of the sun, which is
to-day 113° in the shade. Between a pin driven into the tree and a post
at the back of the arbor I have swung my hammock, in which, dressing
myself and creeping into the bag, as I have already described, I shall
spread my blankets over me. I can fancy this will be a sort of magnetic
telegraph office, whence, as soon as I am asleep, I shall be transported
home with lightning speed, and spend many a sweet hour with my distant
family. On a post in the middle of the arbor, which supports also the
poles and boughs overhead, I have left the short prongs, upon which I
hang my clothes, bags, &c., excepting the small bag containing my
letters and Daguerreotypes, which hangs upon the post at the head of my
hammock. My provisions are stored in the back part of my arbor, while my
kitchen is all out doors.
July 30th. We have to-day commenced our labors. So much has been said of
the mining operations upon the rivers, especially upon the Tuolumne,
which is believed to be very rich, that I am led, for the information of
my readers, to go more into detail in describing this, the closing
portion of my mining life. The gold is often found, in rich deposits, in
the channels of these rivers. To be obtained, the river must first be
turned by dam and canal. As this is an operation requiring the united
labor of many individuals, it is customary to form companies, which
elect their officers, form their laws, and mutually share the expense
and labor of the preparatory work, and also divide equally the profits.
The Hart’s Bar Draining and Mining Company was organized in May. The
following Articles of Agreement were adopted in July, at a meeting of
the company, when twenty-one entered their names as members, and elected
their officers. It should be remarked that mining associations enjoy all
the privileges and immunities of corporate bodies; their just claims and
rights are sacredly regarded; and any violence done to these rights
would be visited by the vengeance of all the miners for miles around. No
code of laws or staff of police could more fully establish a miner in
the possession of his ten feet square. No well-drawn writing, from the
royal charter down to the simple deed of conveyance, could be a surer
guarantee. He would not be obliged to wait a tedious process at law, or
pay his last dollar for a bill of ejectment. The work of restitution and
retribution at the mines is speedy, summary, and effective.
ARTICLES OF AGREEMENT OF THE HART’S BAR DRAINING AND MINING
COMPANY.
PREAMBLE.
We, the undersigned, having associated ourselves together for the
purpose of draining and mining that part of the Tuolumne River
known as Hart’s Bar, and to work out the portion of the bed of the
river so drained, do adopt the following articles of agreement, to
govern us in the prosecution of the said work:
ARTICLE I.
This company shall be known by the name of The Hart’s Bar Draining
and Mining Company.
ARTICLE II.
This company shall not number over twenty-five members.
ARTICLE III.
The officers of this company shall be a president, a secretary--who
shall likewise perform the duties of treasurer--and four directors,
which shall be elected from its own body, in such manner as they
may see fit, a majority constituting an election; and the officers
so elected shall continue in office during the pleasure of the
company.
ARTICLE IV.
It shall be the duty of the president to call all meetings of the
company, and to preside at them. He shall put to vote all motions
duly made, and, in all cases of a tie in voting, he shall give the
casting vote.
ARTICLE V.
The duties of the president shall devolve on the chief director in
all cases of his absence or disability to serve.
ARTICLE VI.
It shall be the duty of the secretary and treasurer to keep minutes
of the proceedings of the company, and to take charge of all books
and papers belonging to the office. He shall keep an accurate
account of the time, as given him by the directors, and shall
report to the company each Saturday evening, immediately after
adjourning the work of the day. It shall likewise be his duty to
take charge of all moneys belonging to the company, and to pay such
demands upon the same as may come to him approved by the company
and signed by the president.
ARTICLE VII.
The board of directors shall discharge the duties of engineers.
Each director shall keep an accurate account of the time employed
by each man under his charge, and shall report the same to the
secretary every Friday evening. They shall superintend and direct
all operations of the company. They shall divide the company into
parties, each party to be headed by a director, who shall oversee
their working, and take charge of the daily proceeds of the same,
which he shall deliver to the treasurer every night, and take his
receipt therefor.
ARTICLE VIII.
Of the proceeds arising from the operations of the company for the
current week, ending on Friday, the treasurer shall make a report
to the company on the next day, in the following manner: The weekly
distribution shall be equal among the members, except in cases of
absence, when an amount shall be deducted from his share
corresponding with the hourly earnings of the company for the week.
In cases of sickness or unavoidable absence, substitutes may be
employed, if approved by the directors.
ARTICLE IX.
All specimens of unusual beauty or value shall be sold at auction,
and the proceeds put in the treasury.
ARTICLE X.
The working time of the company shall be from seven to twelve
o’clock A. M., and from half past one to half past five o’clock P.
M.; and each member shall be charged at the rate of $3 per hour for
the time he shall lose, to be paid at or before the regular meeting
next after the one on which it is reported.
ARTICLE XI.
All amendments and additions to these Articles of Agreement shall
be decided upon by a two thirds vote.
ARTICLE XII.
All applications for membership in this company shall be determined
by votes with black and white pebbles; and two black pebbles shall
exclude from membership.
ARTICLE XIII.
Any member wishing to sell his share, the company shall have the
first right of purchase; which if they decline, he may sell it,
but only to such person as the company approves.
ARTICLE XIV.
No member of this company shall be allowed to hold two claims on
the river, capable of being worked, at the same time.
* * * * *
The following officers were elected: T. P. Hotchkiss, president; D.
B. Woods, secretary and treasurer; William Marlatt, chief director;
R. E. Thompson, second director; F. Ridout, third director.
I have received into my arbor, as a camp-mate, my valued friend M. He is
a young sailor--a man with a brave heart in danger, but with a kind
heart to those he loves--rough or gentle, like the ocean he has
navigated. He has to-day made a bed-frame, nailing some bags on the
bottom for sacking; also, some camp-stools, while the company’s
carpenter has made me a table; so that our mining home presents an
unusual air of comfort. We have sent to Stockton for a supply of
provisions. M. is a first-rate cook, and many of the dishes he can
furnish would be relished in any place where there are good appetites.
The living at the mines is much better than it has been. We have more
vegetables, better flour, and a greater variety of provisions generally.
Provisions are also cheaper than they have been at any time previous.
The work before us is truly an arduous one, made doubly so by the
limited means we have of prosecuting it. The clay for the construction
of our canal must be carried in hand-barrows, borne between two
persons, from the side of the hill down a steep bank, then along over a
stony path to the canal, a distance varying from one eighth to one sixth
of a mile; and this must be done day after day for weeks. Then the
lumber for the aqueduct is to be sawed by hand, from logs cut and rolled
from the tops and sides of the mountains, with whip-saws. This part of
the business is under the direction of a master architect from London.
Sept. 24th, 1851. We prosecuted both parts of our work at the same time.
A part were employed in carrying the clay to the canal. An account was
kept one day, and it was ascertained that each barrow was carried,
during the day, fourteen miles. Since my last date I have carried such a
barrow four hundred and twenty miles. The clay was put in large heaps,
where we could easily obtain it when it should be wanted in the making
of the canal. This was a most arduous undertaking. Sometimes it must
pass through a solid ledge of hard asbestos rock, and then through deep
holes in the river, where it has washed into the banks. In such a case,
a heavy wall, filled with clay, must be made. When completed, the canal
was six hundred and thirty-eight feet in length, and sixteen in width.
Making the aqueduct to convey the water from the canal, which passed
through Paine’s Bar, above us, was the most difficult task. The logs,
which were cut upon the mountain, were rolled to the pits, and then
sawed by hand. Piers were constructed by making crates of logs, which
were firmly pinned together, then sunk in their places by being filled
with large stones. Another large pier was made by rolling and carrying
stones into the river a distance of thirty feet. The sleepers of the
aqueduct were laid upon this and the laden crates. When it was finished,
it was a handsome piece of workmanship, of which we were justly proud.
It was one hundred and two feet in length, and twelve wide. This kind of
labor--yielding no remuneration, only being preparatory to the more
exciting, though laborious process of gold-digging--was prosecuted from
July the 30th to this date, Sept. 24th. We were awakened at dawn by the
second director, who came out before his tent, and sang, in a loud,
clear voice, “Up in the morning early, boys!” That song, which often
brought me out of my dreams, to this day I carry back into my dreams.
After a short time allowed for taking breakfast, the roll was called,
and we went to our daily labor. And oh! when night came again, how
sweet, after a bath in the river, was “the rest of the laboring man!” On
the 20th of September the pleasure was ours of seeing the whole channel
of the river opposite our bar laid bare for our operations. It was
_ours_, after contending with difficulties, privations, and hardships
innumerable, and of no ordinary kind, and which have deprived of health
many of our company. It was all _ours_, with the joyous anticipation of
soon receiving the reward of our efforts, and returning home with at
least a competence. About two weeks since--it was the 6th instant--we
were alarmed by a considerable rise of the river. While at breakfast
upon that day, the water of the river became suddenly muddy. Soon after
we perceived this, intelligence was brought down to us from the
Jacksonville company that they were expecting to see their dam washed
away. The river continued gradually to rise for an hour, when there was
a sudden freshet, caused by the giving way of some dam above us. We
hastened, with the aid of other companies, to open the head of the
canal, and to roll heavy stones into the aqueduct. The water came up to
the floor, then a few inches above it. We looked on, expecting to see
all our works, which we had spent weeks in completing, at once
destroyed. But the water ceased to rise, then slowly subsided, showing
behind it the wet ground and the line of foam, chips and dirt marking
the limits of the encroachment. Soon we were able to return to our labor
with lightened spirits, and some with other kinds. Many cradles,
buckets, and other things floated past us in the river.
The shares of the company immediately advanced several hundred dollars.
One share was sold for $1200, while $2500 was refused for another.
Two days since we commenced making a ditch under the wall of the canal,
to carry off the water which leaked through its embankments. Two cradles
were set, and the dirt from the bed of the ditch was washed through, and
in three hours there was deposited in the treasury $176.
Yesterday we continued to work upon the ditch, adding two more cradles,
and during the day made $415 75. At midnight, and in the rain, we were
called out to repair the walls of the canal, and stop several leaks. The
river was very high, and slowly rising. After several hours’
night-labor, we succeeded in stopping every leak but one. In one place
the water rushed through in a torrent.
This morning--Sept. 24th--the water was rising in its might.
Notwithstanding our aqueduct and canal, the bed of the river was nearly
full. We hastened to remove all our mining implements. Slowly, but
surely, the freshet came, till the destruction of all our works seemed
inevitable.
We thought not of hunger, though we had been laboring hard much of the
night and all the morning. About ten o’clock there was a pause of
fearful suspense. The rising seemed arrested--might it not be on the
turn? For a short time there was hope; the pendulum vibrated each moment
between our hopes and our fears. We hastened up the hill side--after all
had been done which could be--to a spot commanding a view of the whole,
to see our hopes or our fears realized. We perceived at once that the
existence of all our works depended upon the Paine’s Bar dam above us.
Would that stand the torrent? Should that maintain its position, we were
safe; let that go, _all_ would be swept away! As we kept our eyes fixed
upon this--it was a quarter of a mile above us--the black line of wall
was suddenly broken, and the torrent poured through a small opening
forced in the dam, and in a few seconds the river ran foaming over the
entire length of the wall, which bowed and sank before the irresistible
force. Then and there was heard a sound new and strangely startling to
me. It was caused by large stones _rushing_ and _grinding_ under water,
borne on by the tremendous power of the current. It might be imagined
that the thousand submerged chariots and cars of Pharaoh’s host were
driving impetuously over that river channel. As soon as the dam above us
gave way, the water rose with great rapidity--two, three, four, six,
eight feet--till it poured over the top of the aqueduct. Still it nobly
stood, held in its place by the immense weight of the water which poured
through it from the canal above. It was indeed surprising to see a thing
so light resisting that mad and mighty force. It was but a moment!
Gently and gracefully it yielded, swayed forward, and moved away with
the ease and rapidity of a thing of life. Thus, in one moment, we saw
the work of _one thousand and twenty-nine days_ done by the company
swept away and rendered useless. Within five minutes of the time when
the aqueduct disappeared around the bend of the river, a meeting of the
company was called, and a resolution presented to proceed with our work
by means of wing-dams.
Oct. 8th. From the time of the freshet to the 30th of Sept., the river
was too high to permit us to commence our new operations. On that
day--Monday--the directors led the way, shuddering, and actually
shrieking, from the sudden chill, into the cold stream. A line was
formed, extending out to the middle of the river, those at the end of
the line working in four feet water, where the current was so strong
that our feet would often be forced from under us, and we would be
whirled away down the current, to scrabble on shore as we could. To
appreciate the difficulties of our arduous and dangerous task, and to
understand the kind of work which was to be done, let my reader imagine
himself standing by me, and looking at what is going on below us, while
I describe the scene to him. The whole force of the company, aided by
some thirty Mexicans we have employed to work for us, is concentrated
upon the wall which is to be the head of the dam. This is to run from
the shore out to the middle of the river, or about forty feet. Two walls
are thrown up parallel to each other, and about two feet apart. The
difficulty of this is almost inconceivable. We must roll the stones and
adjust them where there is a rapid current four feet in depth. Sometimes
a whole section of this will be swept off at once, and must be done all
over again. After the walls are completed, strong cloth is spread down
against the lower wall, and over its whole surface. The space is then
filled up with small twigs, sand, and clay. After the wall is carried
thus to the middle of the river, it must turn, forming a right angle,
and run down through the middle of the river, parallel to the shore, a
distance of two hundred and fifty feet, till it passes over some falls,
by which means the water is partially drained from a portion of the
channel. This portion so drained is then divided off into pens, which
are surrounded by small walls, so made as to exclude the water, which is
then bailed out, and all the space within the walls of the pens is thus
worked. The cradles are set just over the walls, on the outer side, and
some six or eight of them are sometimes being rocked at the same time,
supplied with dirt by the dozen or twenty miners in the pens. It is a
busy scene. It will be seen that this work is not only laborious, but
in an extreme degree exposing. At times nearly all the company may be
seen working together, waist deep, in the water, which, coming from the
Sierra Nevada, is very cold. This we must endure, while a burning sun is
shining hotly down upon the head.
There are two servants, belonging to members of the company, at work
with the rest, and right hard-working men they are. One of them, who is
from Mississippi, is as athletic and vigorous a man as I have ever seen.
If any work is to be done which requires great strength, he is called
upon; and he always engages in it singing some merry song. The other
servant is an old man, named Allen, belonging to our president, who
tells me he shall give him free papers when he leaves the country.
Direct your attention once again to the interesting tableau in the river
below us. Among the group of Mexicans and Americans--black, brown, and
white--is one remarkable person. He is a tall, stout man, having the
appearance of one accustomed to command, and some of the severity of one
who has commanded those who never dared dispute his authority. He had
been a boatman upon the Mississippi. He was our chief director; and,
though he ruled with unquestioned sway, he was light-hearted, jovial,
and free. He was known among us by the name of “Red,” from the fact
that, whenever there was any fighting to be done, or when he was “going
upon a spree,” he put on a red flannel shirt. By our “Articles of
Agreement,” in the absence of the president, the duty of presiding over
the meetings devolved upon him, as chief director. At a meeting which
was called at the regular time of work, the president being absent, the
chair was to be taken--speaking figuratively, for such a thing as a
chair was unknown at the mines--by this remarkable individual. The
thought that he was so far to submit his own opinion to the decision of
others as to permit them an opportunity of expressing dissent even by
their votes, did not seem to enter into his calculations. The meeting
had been called to decide whether or not we should work on that Saturday
afternoon. Under the circumstances, most were in favor of adjourning
work till Monday morning. What was the dismay of those who had
anticipated no difficulty in carrying the question in the affirmative,
and who came prepared to talk down or to talk _out_ all opposition, if
they had to talk till night, when Red entered with the air of one who is
for deeds, and not words. He was strongly opposed to the proposed
measure. “Boys,” he said, as he came by, spade in hand, as if on his way
to labor, impatient of any delay, and waving all ceremony--“Boys, I say,
go to work. All who are in favor say ‘Ay!’” One emphatic “_Ay!_” by
himself, was the only response. “Those who are opposed,” he continued,
at the same time starting on his way, “say nothing, and go to work!” In
five minutes every man was at his post, wondering how it had happened. I
was desirous, for one, to have the afternoon to myself, as I had
promised to preach on the morrow, and wanted the time to arrange my
thoughts. As it was, I selected my subject, studied and arranged my
plan, while at work in the canal. Early the next day--Sunday--I stepped
to the entrance of my brush arbor, and to a post driven into the ground,
upon the top of which was nailed a chip, hewed flat for the purpose,
which served for a reading-desk. My audience were already seated about,
some upon rude stools, and most upon the ground.
This afternoon, our wall being completed, and two pens, twelve feet
square, inclosed, we set our cradles, and commenced “rocking.” The books
of the treasurer exhibit the following results to Nov. 9th, when river
mining was generally suspended for the season:
Oct. 8th $50 00
“ 9th 26 00
“ 10th. Work upon the wing-dam.
“ 11th 155 25
“ 12th 1,280 00
“ 13th, Sunday 302 00
“ 14th. Work upon the wing-dam.
“ 15th. “ “ “ “ “
“ 16th. “ “ “ “ “
“ 17th 1,404 00
“ 18th 4,198 00
“ 19th 894 00
“ 20th, Sunday.
“ 21st 1,449 00
“ 22d 688 00
“ 23d 1,102 00
“ 24th 1,034 00
“ 25th 701 00
“ 26th 27 50
“ 27th, Sunday.
“ 28th 179 00
“ 29th. Work upon the wing-dam.
“ 30th 6 00
“ 31st. Work upon the wing-dam.
Nov. 1st 297 25
“ 2d 437 25
“ 3d, Sunday.
“ 4th 949 10
“ 5th 809 60
“ 6th 168 00
“ 7th 547 00
“ 8th 380 00
“ 9th 40 00
----------
Total $17,123 95
Deduct company expenses, viz., }
implements, labor, and incidentals, } 3,528 05
-----------
Leaving in the treasury $13,595 90
Dividend to each of twenty-one members of the company, $647 42. Average
per day, from July 30th to Nov. 9th, 1850, $7 28.
* * * * *
A large amount of gold came into the treasury, the care of which was
somewhat burdensome. It puzzled me to know what to do with it. There was
no lock and key in the place. My arbor was upon the hill, retired from
the rest of the settlement. There were many Mexicans and strangers
constantly upon the bar, and it was dangerous to have a large amount of
gold in possession. As a means of security for myself, I changed my
quarters every night; and to secure the gold, I tied the various
packages into one bundle, to which I attached one end of a string,
tying the other end about my wrist. The bundle, so secured, I folded
within my coat, placing the whole beneath my head as a pillow. Any
attempt to take this from me would have been instantly detected.
It will be seen, by reference to the dates, that the company labored at
mining on one Sabbath. When it was decided, at a meeting on Saturday,
the 12th of October, to work the next day, I was allowed to enter my
protest, which still remains upon the records; and I was also excused
from manual labor. By noon of that Sunday, all had left work, and it was
never even proposed again.
During the last weeks of our labors, we hired many Americans, and more
than fifty Mexicans. The heavy tax upon foreigners has driven them to
seek employment from companies. They may be hired at $4 and $6 a day.
These Mexicans, who speak imperfect Spanish, are generally very
indolent, and must be closely watched. Many times in the day, whatever
may be the business, they will stop, take out a small, square piece of
white paper, and putting upon it a small pinch of loose tobacco, roll it
into a cigarito, and lighting it with a piece of punk or a match, smoke
with apparent relish. The women are as fond of their cigaritos as the
men.
A few nights before I left the mines, I accepted an invitation from
“Red” to accompany him on a night fishing expedition. He carried in his
hand a long and peculiarly pointed spear, with a spring barb, which
opened as it entered the flesh of the fish, and prevented his escape.
Several others bore torches made of light wood, which, while they
dazzled the fish, showed the spear-man where to strike. After two hours’
fishing on the banks of the river, we returned, rewarded for our toil
with several large salmon.
A remarkable instance of an attack made by a bear upon the inmates of a
tent occurred lately near us. He was no doubt attracted by the smell of
the fresh meat which was being cooked. Infuriated by the resistance
which he met, he made a most violent attack upon his assailants, killing
two men and one woman, who was cooking. One of the men and the bear lay
dead side by side.
A bird of very large size has frequently flown over us, soaring very
high in the air, which we have supposed was the California eagle; but
one, coming within the range of the rifle, was shot, and fell at our
feet upon the bar. It proves to be a species of the vulture, and
measures, between the tips of its wings, eight feet and eleven inches.
The quill which I now have is of great size.
There was upon the bar a case of delirium tremens, that most fearful
display of the Divine displeasure against intemperance. The young man
was from England--had been an officer in the British army. Soon after he
came to the mines, he gave himself up to intemperate habits. He was
suddenly attacked in the night, imagining himself pursued by horrible
fiends, which came to torture him. At midnight he came rushing into my
tent, and almost knocked me out of my hammock as he crept under it, to
conceal himself from his enemies. He would then dart through the side
of my arbor, densely interwoven with brush and boughs, and into a tent
near by, where he narrowly escaped being shot as a robber. In the day he
would sit near the bank of the river, and converse by the hour with
imaginary persons on the hill opposite. He carried on a curious
courtship with a woman who was dancing over the river, surrounded by her
fifty children. He requested me to marry him to this woman of his
imagination; and then, soon after, came in trembling, and told me that
the husband was alive, and in his jealous rage was seeking to kill him.
There was much sickness upon the bar during the latter part of the
season. Much of this was the result of the fearful exposures to which we
were subject. The sickness at length assumed a malignant and dangerous
form. It commenced in a violent attack of diarrhœa, running into
symptoms resembling the cholera, which was then fatally prevalent in the
cities of California. The first person attacked was a vigorous and
strong German sailor. Nothing could be learned of him or his
friends--even his name was unknown to us. We buried him deep in the
sand, on the banks of the Tuolumne; and while the burial services were
being performed, a crowd--not, however, of our own members--surrounded
the gambling-table on the bar. At this time there were three or four
gambling companies with us, called into life by the short-lived success
of our mining operations.
Poor Charlie! would it lessen the loneliness of your last resting-place
to know that you “sleep your last sleep” by the side of the gifted and
noble-hearted friend who watched over you night and day in your
sickness, and who thus contracted his own death malady? Alas! how sad
and overpowering are my thoughts, as I stand, for the last time before
leaving for my own far-distant home, by the grave of Franklin H. Ridout,
of Annapolis, Maryland! Soon after the death of Charlie, he was
prostrated by a most violent attack of the same disease. During his
short sickness, every possible attention and assistance was rendered him
by a few devoted friends; but how often he must have felt the want of
the attentions of his own happy home--the home of piety and refinement!
After he had received from his physician the intelligence that there was
no hope in his case--intelligence to which he listened with Christian
resignation--he sent for me. It was the 21st of October, and so warm and
genial was the weather that the dying man was outside his tent, lying
beneath its shade. That conversation, and others which followed, I shall
never forget. I was the learner, and he the teacher. His quiet Christian
resignment to the will of the Supreme Being, while it was very
affecting, was also consoling to our feelings. But one thing he seemed
to wish different. “If I might die at home,” he said, “it would be so
sweet!” The last sentence he spoke contained the dear and sacred name
“mother!” His last thought was of her. A short time before his death,
the sacrament of the holy communion was administered to him, at which a
large number of persons were present. A meeting of the company was
called in the evening, and the following resolutions were passed:
Whereas it has pleased Almighty God to take from among us a beloved
friend and companion, therefore,
_Resolved_, 1st. That by the death of Franklin H. Ridout we have
lost one whom we all esteemed most highly for his many virtues.
_Resolved_, 2d. That we sincerely sympathize with his afflicted
mother and relatives in this sad bereavement.
_Resolved_, 3d. That we will attend his funeral to-morrow, at
twelve o’clock, M.
_Resolved_, 4th. That this company will defray the expenses of his
funeral.
Resolved, 5th. That a copy of these resolutions be sent to the
family of the deceased; and that an invitation to attend the
funeral be extended to the neighboring companies.
DANIEL B. WOODS, Secretary.
_Hart’s Bar_, Oct. 21, 1849.
Several were dangerously ill at the time of Mr. Ridout’s death, and,
soon after, our worthy president was at once prostrated by a similar
attack. For many hours we watched over him, endeavoring to cheer and
comfort him. At the last, he came to the conclusion that he must die.
Sending for me, he made me promise to visit his family on Red River, and
be the bearer to them of the sad intelligence; also of many messages,
which he delivered with the fortitude of a Christian philosopher; but
once, when speaking of his wife, his voice was choked, and the strong
man turned aside his head to weep. To my earnest entreaty that he would
postpone the subject till he was better--indeed, my own feelings were
so much overcome, that I feared I should lose control of myself in his
presence--he replied that he must finish, and then his mind would be at
rest. He feared not to die, but he would have desired to be at home, if
it had been the will of God; but he could not complain. He gave me, for
his family, his journal, a few articles of value, and his bag of gold.
His tent, clothing, tools, &c., he gave to his servant, old Allen, to
whom he had promised his freedom when he should leave the country, and
to whom he requested me to give free papers in the event of his death.
He told me, in conclusion, where he wished to be buried, and the mode of
his burial. Hearing that my valued friend, Dr. Candee, of Park Place,
New York, was in the neighborhood, I sent to him, urgently requesting
him to visit Dr. Hotchkiss. To my great relief, he was soon at his side,
and his prescriptions were blessed to his recovery.
These cases of sickness very much hastened the breaking up of our mining
operations for the season. Many of the company left for the mountains,
to be ready for the winter diggings.
Nov. 9th. This is my last day at the mines. We removed our cradles this
morning to the portion of the channel from which we had taken out the
largest amount of gold, hoping that we might find the vein again. There
were favorable indications close under the centre wall; but the vein
dipped below the wall, and we worked on, at every step undermining it,
and still led on by the hope of reaching one of those rare deposits in
which thousands are found. We were more encouraged in this idea by
learning, on good evidence, that from one small spot near us, in the
same channel, one miner, the last year, took $17,000. Why might not we
strike it also? Every appearance encouraged us, when we were aroused by
a sudden and loud call from one of the directors, who had discovered two
leaks in the dam, a few feet apart. In an instant we all rushed, with
our spades and barrows of dirt, to the breaches, which each moment gaped
wider, and presented a more hopeless appearance. All our efforts would
have been vain, and the dam swept away, but for the aid of another
company near us. There was no more work, however, to be done that day,
every thing being under the water. That was the last of my gold-digging.
Nov. 10th. For the last time, I have just climbed the mountain above
Hart’s Bar. On looking back, below me is spread out the narrow, winding
valley, between its two mountains, widening at that point into an
extensive bar, through which, on account of the many dams, canals, and
other obstructions, the tortured river seems to have infinite difficulty
in forcing its way. There is also the collection of tents, and the
miners engaged in cooking, and collected in small groups about their
camp-fires, for it is a cool morning. There stand the wrecks of our
aqueduct and canal; the bare half channel of the river, and the surface
of the bar scarred and pitted over. There is the scene of my labors for
long months. There is my own arbor, and its last fire still smoking; and
there our place of worship; and lower down is where our company meetings
were held. And there are the graves of our lost companions. But I must
break from these scenes of disappointment and sadness--of broken hopes
and broken hearts--and, invoking the blessing of a kind and gracious
Father in heaven upon myself and those left behind, direct my steps to
San Francisco.
On the road, where before there were only tents or rude arbors, are now
some frame buildings. And it was cause of surprise to see the great
number of wagons and mule-trains, heavily laden for the mines. Where
were to be found consumers for all this? Then came the news-man, with
almost a mule-load of New York Heralds. I had come alone, and entirely
unarmed, and it was a source of amusement to me to meet the emigrants on
their way to the mines, completely armed. A mile out from Stockton, I
met a Frenchman, armed with a double hunting-gun, pistols, dirk, &c.,
who came up to me, looking carefully on this side and on that, and
inquired anxiously, “Is there any danger about the bear?” He seemed
surprised when I told him I had come down from the mines alone and
unarmed; that on my way across the plain I had seen a few elk and deer,
and immense herds of antelope.
At Stockton I received letters from home of three months’ later date;
and the same evening left, in one of the river steamers, for San
Francisco, where I arrived early the next morning.