Part 1 (1/2)
The Adventures of a Forty-niner
by Daniel Knower
PREFACE
The discovery of gold in California, in 1848, with its otherthe Alamada quicksilver mine at San Jose, which is an article of first necessity in working gold or silver ore; and the great silver mines of Nevada, in 1860, the Coht hundred er amount than was ever taken fro the secondthe largest, said to be owned by the Rothschilds Its effect upon the general prosperity and development of our country has been immense, alold in the United States was estimated at about seventy millions, now it is conceded to be seven hundred millions
The Northern Pacific coast was then ale as New York and Oregon and the State of Washi+ngton, all now being cultivated and containing large and populous cities, and railroads connecting them with the East Why that country should have rees, where universal stillness must have prevailed as far as human activity is concerned, is one of the unfathomable mysteries of nature It is only one hundred and twenty-five years since the Bay of San Francisco was first discovered, one of the grandest harbors in the world, being land-locked, extending thirty miles, where all the vessels of the world could anchor in safety
The early pioneers of those two years iold was discovered (of which I a away As Ossian says, ”People are like the waves of the ocean, like the leafs of woodyblast, and other leaves lift up their green heads” There is probably not five per cent of the population of California to-day, of those days, scenes and events of which I have tried to portray Another generation have taken their places who can know but little of those ti one of the pioneers, felt it a duty, or an inspiration seeation I owed to myself and compatriots of those times, to do what I could to perpetuate the memory of them to some extent in the history of our country as far as I had the ability to do it
THE AUTHOR
THE CALIFORNIA PIONEER SOCIETY
The California Pioneer Society was organized in August, 1850 The photograph of their building appears on the cover of this book, WDM
Hoas their first president A their early presidents, and prominent in the days of Forty-niners, were Samuel Branan, Thomas Larkins, Wm D Farewell, and James Lick--who liberally endowed it
[Illustration: BUILDING OF THE SOCIETY OF CALIFORNIA PIONEERS]
It was organized for the purpose of perpetuating the memory of the events of those days and for the benefit and ible for membershi+p except he had arrived in California before the 1st of January, 1850, and the descendants of Forty-niners when arriving at the age of twenty-one are eligible At the opening of the World's Fair in San Francisco in January last, in the cereh the streets of the city, they were received with the greatest enthusiasm and cheers, which was a marked manifestation of the veneration in which they are held by the people of California
THE ADVENTURES OF A FORTY-NINER
The writer was practising his profession in the city of Albany, his native place, in 1848, when reports caold in California In a short tis were on exhibition, sent to friends in the city in letters
Many of Colonel Stevenson's regiment had been recruited in that city
Soon these ruold were dug by individuals named Soon the excitement extended all over the country, and the only barrier to wealth, it see to the Eldorado Why the discovery of gold there should have produced so much excitement cannot be fathomed It seemed an era in hureat importance that occur Your correspondent becaold rivers and secure a fortune for all interested in it, and it seeet there and return in a short tie and astonish your friends with your riches Suffice it to say, this coovernment drawn up by the writer), and sailed from the port of New York on the shi+p _Tarrolinter_ on the 13th of January, 1849, to go around Cape Horn, arriving in San Francisco on the following July Froold regions, and losing confidence somewhat in the certainty of a fortune froh price of lues oftheall the work put on thees, and to have them arrive there before the rainy season set in, and thus realize the iinary fortune that I had expected fro I had twelve houses constructed The et them to San Francisobfore the rainy season coht for them in the fastest vessel Fortunately for me, as I conceived at the time, I found the day before I arrived in New York, the _Prince de Joinville,_ a Havre packet shi+p, had been put up to sail for the port of San Francisco, and as yet had engaged no freight I ain with them at once to take my houses at sixty cents per square foot, and had the contract signed, half to be delivered at the side of the shi+p by such a date and the other half at a subsequent date I delivered the first half of the houses on the tie on a tow I sent the second half on a barge to get there on the day they were due, apprehending no trouble, I going downat the shi+p that they would not have rooh I had their written contract to take thereat California excitement about this time, and other parties had come to the conclusion that the _Prince de Joinville_ was probably the fastest shi+p taking freight for San Francisco I saw them accept of offers at 150 per foot, when their contract with me was for less than half that price, which would make a difference of several thousand dollars in their favor So, if the balance of my houses did not arrive within the time stated in the contract, they would not be taken on that vessel, and my speculation ruined The time was up the next day at twelve o'clock I was down on the Battery the next e with my houses The shi+p was at the dock in the East river About ten o'clock, AM, I had the good fortune to see the barge rounding the Battery I cried out to the captain to cut loose fro and I would pay the bill, which he did, getting on the side of the vessel by eleven o'clock, thus savingthee of 20 per day for detention In the ia_ to the Istho on the 1st of July which was but a few days off They, seeing that I had theo on their shi+p according to contract, if they had to throw other freight out, and that they would sign a regular bill of lading for all the material deliverable to me upon the arrival of the _Prince de Joinville_ at the port of San Francisco, and take my carpenters' specifications for the description of the is an article fro Atlas_ of June 23, 1849:
”CALIFORNIA HOUSES
”Our estimable fellow citizen Dr Knoho is to start for California by the Crescent City _via_ Panama, is about to shi+p to that place twelve houses, complete and ready to put up on arrival at San Francisco The venture is a costly one, the freight on the s in this quarter, and the projector, we think, has ment The best timber has been selected, and the best work men employed, and a plan of architecture pursued, which is supposed to offer the greatest advantages with the most econos are 18 feet front and 25 feet deep A partition running lengthways divides the buildings into two rooe enough for bedroo materials and tools of miners
Two others are 18 feet front and 18 feet deep, with a small extension in the rear of 8 feet Two are 16 feet in front and 22 feet deep, with the entrance on the gable front; and the four others are 18 feet front by 14 deep The sides of the building will be corooved and tongued, fitting air tight on each side of the ti either filled with the moss of the country or left vacant, the confined colu found sufficient to keep off the excess of cold or heat The roofs of all the buildings shed froable shape The roofs are to beand coated with the patent indestructible fire-proof paint, and applications which our citizens have just begun to use here, and which they have, found entirely successful
”The houses can be easily transported to the placers or may be put up on the sea-board We should suppose that the nu on the prospects of future cities would be glad to give the land necessary for the location of this village
”The houses go by the _Prince de Joinville_, a first-class vessel, which leaves New York soon”
I sailed on the steamer which left New York at 5 PM, July 1, 1849
Friends were there to see me off, but there were no persons on the boat that I had ever seen before--I ondering ould bevery tired, I retired soon toon the broad ocean Two days of sea sickness and I was all right again There were about one thousand passengers from all parts of our country I tried to fatho of different ones
Colonel B fro man, with his slave for a body servant, who could not have been bought for less than 1,500 in Kentucky, where slavery existed at that ti to California to seek gold I could not fatho matters over It was proposed that each should reveal to the others what he expected to do and his motives for the expedition We each related our expectations and the motives that had inspired us My aristocratic friend was one of the party My curiosity was at its height to know his views He said: ”Well, gentlemen, you have all been candid in your state to California to deal Faro, the great Aame, and I don't care who knows it”