Hide Article Text (OCR)
Lo 65 c- 1 saw ten joke^of oxen to one’, while others aro doing nothing. This is wagorL containing only 1000 Jba, stall. 1 the largest operation that has been com* We unloaded, and packed most of our}menced. We will have it done in two things up lo thfa place on our backs, a weeks, and I think the next letter you ifi*distanced from Jlo £ mile. When reach- ceive from me, I will bring myself, tog Pleasant Valley’' the first diggings” This is a miserable country. It is ell our spirits fell below zero, cs nothing a volcano, or has betn at some futurepleasing, presented itself to our view. day. The timber i? principally oak andThe timber from here to Sacramento, pine, city, [fifty miles] is mostly scattering oaka,j We have found as much as 50 cents in presenting a similar appearance lo our j gold, ou; of a tin pan full of dirt, whilo old decayed apple orchards, and is entire-'digging our race, but we think U will not ly destitute of grass. (pay lo waih it. I work along side of theThe luxuriantmeadows c.,Bpoken of men and will get on equal share of gold, by certain writers, must be fartherS. as ■, It goes pretty hard, but I did not come outthere is nothing of the kind fcere, except in the lowlands, immediately on the Sacramento.The fact is this part of the land is one vast da?ert of miserable land, and almost destitute of water and gross, in the dry season.The rainy season usually commences about the first of Dec. We have not hod Bny rain except one or two slight sprink-lessince we left the South Platte. They haul ha) from hero lo Sutter’s Mill [oil miles] and it is worth from 3 to 5 hundred dollars per ton, I will give you a Price Current of SacramaAo City,Pork, per bri SID 00 to S 15,00. Flour, porbl S3,0Q; beef perbrlt 812 to 18; fresh beef, per lb 25 and 301c; beans, pef lb *10 and 67£c; sugar, 15 lo 20; molasses, per gallon 75 to 80c; rice, 8 to 9c; corn meai, per lb 6c; chccsc, 40,to 55c; butter, 81,25; milk, 1,00; per qt. G. P. Tea, 05 per chest; coffee, per lb lt-c; boardingEar week $21; boarding, per meal, $1,50; read,pet loaf 50c; pies 50c; spruce beer, 50; labor, per day 810,00; Mechanics,higher wages; wood, 826,00 per cord; shingles, 830 to $30,UO per M.; boards, 50c and 60c, per ft; clothing fife., very low.Prices at Sutter's Mills—Pork, per br, 50 dol, flour,26,35 do!; fresh beef,07 lo 50c per lb; bacon 00c to 1 dol; sugar 30a 50c; molasscs3,50 lo 5 dol, per gal; rice, 25a40c per lb; corn meal, 30 to 33c per lb; cheese, 1,25c lo 1,50c; boarding 21 dol per week, single meal, 1,50c; apruco beer, 25c pr glass; Lumber, pr ft, 40c.You can see from this that living is pretty high. Wo board ourselves at a much less rate of course. A frame house that would have cost soy 6,000 dollars in Indiana, is said to have cost 100,000 dollarshere.Lota are very dear here. Out lots 20 by 80 ft,800 to 20,000, and in the central part of the city, ten times that price. Thore will undoubtedly be a great crash here, in a few years, when gold digging becomes unprofitable) which I think will' soon be the case, 1 will notice this subject again when 1 see moro of the country. This city has sprung up within two xnonlhs, and contains several thousand inhabitants, sheltered in part, by frame houses; others light frames, covered with muslin, and any quantity of tents. There will be great scampering when th* rainy season seisin, as a large portion of the city is subject toinundalionduringlhe spring months, it la quite a rare sight lo sea a city built among the heavy bodied oaks, and see tho tall masts of tho ships, raising above the tops ot the ireos, with the*par» mixed with tne branches. The Sacramento is a noble stream of dark green colored water, about f the width of the Ohio River, with butverj little current as tho tide extends above ihe city.You cansay to Vance’s and Shepherd’s . friends that they are in good health. Tho r Oregon1* has just been reported as having arrived at San Francisco, but has failed to bring a mail, Newspaper reports show the cholera up to July II to be I prevailing alarmingly at Cincinnati and j other cities, but does not 507 anything about ; country towns, 1 hope and trust you racy .be pasded by harmless, as it is a scourge you may well desire to keep clear of, for 1 have witnessed same cases myself. Tell fj J. J. Hoyden I will write to him next moil. » Send letters direct to Sacramento city.— | Everything roes on quietly—no stealing or N robbing, as that is death by the Emigrants Law. Respects to all friends.Yours c., P. A. ATHEARN.hero to play. We sleep under 0 tree a, night, rolled up in our blanket, It is cold at night, and warm in day time. If you ask a man to work for leas than §10 per day, he will laugh at you. Vance has just brought in a shank from town, for dinner— he paid 50 cents per pound.1 have not received a letter from homo yet. Uncle Princo has gone down to Sa cramcnto city to sell our wagon and mules. 1 saw a small gold washer sell for 840, which you could buy for 83 8t home. Everything in the smo proportion.— There is no fruit here. I do not know which route I will ceme home. I would sooner come by tho way of Cape Horn, than lo come across the plains. If 1 have any friends who talk of coming here, tell them to stay at home. Shepherd and Vance arc well. I must now close—so good bye—I expect to see you all next spring.Sunday, September 23.Uncle Princo has not returned yet,— Our race is not completed yat, but will be next week some rime. Our company is now enlarged to 20 men. The men who come in laat, had to pay 8175 to be admitted. 1 was up to Cullomo lost night, and look a gloss of lemonade, price 50 cents. Onions, 4 for 81,25; mutton,25 cents per pound. They do not count money hero, but weigh it. Everything is 1, or £ ounce of gold dust.Direct all letters to Sacramento city. I would send some dust home, but it would likely get lost. It is shaped like hot lead poured on the ground. Good bye.IRA A. LANIUS.From Kcw Qrlcaas,5 At reran are 1 any, to rowith wrec mad* ican: W 5 to year ual jwasoathdoll 1goldblehoojlhelt;Bysarai can aboj onct than ly w Geo iah \ TlostShegonAlaisumnoaitwoStDflandaginunhter 1TCOUIhav,famiwiltwayIavei 3 tor ftcro V ingroetothePrcnif(ET We have been permitted to make tho following extract of a letter received by Mr. Lnius ol this place, from his son wh.O is now in California, it is dated South Fork of the Americano,Camp 1 mile below Sutler’^ Mill, California, Sept. 13,1849.Dear Fatiier:—1 am at last in gold diggings. We arrived oL Weavers-j gre if town on the 4th of September, aftei 0 long ora 1' and tedious march. The letter end of the 1! journey was very bad. We had deserts r lo cross, and mountains to climb with our goods on our back, for it required 12 yoke of oxen to draw 610 emply wagon. I cannot give you much information about the country wa passed over, as I have not time. We hed but a very scant supply of grass. Tho boiling springs that writers have written so much about, are some 10 or 12 holes in the ground. This we hed to use, after cooling, to water our mules—the taste of which was very sickening, just like greasy dish water. 1 will tell you all about the trip when I come home, which will be next spring. When we arrived at Weeverslown, our company broke up, Hamilton, Wilber,Thompson, Dougherty, and McDaniels in ono company, and Shepherd and myself in another. Vance left big company, and went with us. We aro dreaning the river, and digging a roco so as to make it take another course, when we will have the bottom of the river for 1J miles., Our company numbers 15 men. We paid S50 a piece lo be admitted into the company, as they had dug one.half of tho race before we were admitted. SomaNew Orleans, November 1, IF40.Door Sir:*—This day the Roman Catholics suspended their usual avocations, and do honor to the dead, it being All Saints',. Day,—a rite that is marked with ita happy results on community. During the night, the Roman Catholic burying ground was one series of lllo-rmnatioBS. Somo graves had poriiaps oft lighta of various kinds on them. Then again, instead of thsl gaioty that characterise the peoplo or this gorgeous metropolis, even on mournful oc casions, appears to be dispensed with, and almost a general melancholy pervades iliem.— Each appears to bevieing with one another Id recalling tho past memories and virtues of hi departed friends. Many talk as if they were present, having a dying request to make. Seek occasions aro calculated to arouse our thoughts from tho sordid eels of tho day,—many a strart ger here to-day will cast a happy retrospection to Iris once happy home, and spend a few momenta In happy communion with his deported friends. Many a sympathetic tear will start from the eyo, ihol will give relief to an obdurate heart; whon they come to think of tho companions of thoir youth and how they hove gradually sank to their graves., I am not an admirer of tho Roman Catholic Religion; but they certainly have somo most excellent rites, and among them llia“AU Saints* Day” I put foremost. A stranger used to moral socioly, would naturally conclude that any community that would be guilty of such enor miriesas tho Trench ore In this city, have no morality, let alone religion. They perhaps hove somo control on the myriads of Foreigners (tho refuse of other lands,) that are flooding our country in aiding their temporal wants for tiro time being; but certainly no further.The laws of Louisiana are very good about foreigners voting. ‘A change was recently made lo bar Constitution. They have to reside mo years in tho State, after taking out their naturalization papers,*!) they would, IT they applied immediately on their landing, have to mid a here 7 years, it Is thought by that time they would become assimilated with our Institutions. They are entitled to all the Immunities that her other citizens are, except this particular.1ntdingwasccdperIroi■hipriioffThprono'Go6dto:aellbacLettna811veradicnlt;ofttoOhKNTk!t dau I a .mi ti n4oi! kn . IV 1.1-doiNoredraachispiIS(«EoiPehiaknS.thideI hiouttoCoupcithhstahewiis t petno-BOOchifinpu:coiSOIanlt;ce;aeslestbi801go:of the companies pro washing thousands^ ^
Newspaper Details
Rising Sun Indiana Whig
Rising Sun, Indiana, US
Sat, Dec 01, 1849
Page 2
Full Page
Clipped by
Shelley N.
USA 14 Apr 2023
Other Publications Near Rising Sun, Indiana
Rising Sun Mirror
Rising Sun Indiana Whig
Rising Sun Times
Rising Sun True Whig
Rising Sun Indiana Weekly Visitor
