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APOLOGETIC. 
 
 The only surviving officer of the steamship 
 "California," on our first trip, Dr. A. B. Stout, 
 whose feelings the Editing Connnittee would not 
 wound for the world, in looking through the 
 pages of this book, before it was bound, dis- 
 covered, on page thirty, what he regards as an 
 iniplied charge of desertion against him and the 
 other officers and men. Nothing could have 
 l)een further from the design. Those two para- 
 graphs were written for the sole purpose of il- 
 lustrating the influence of the gold excitement 
 at the time. It is simply stated, of the offi- 
 cers and crew, that they -'left" what every- 
 l)ody knows would l)e, under ordinary circum- 
 stances, (jood situations. That any one of them 
 was dishonest, or left without an honorable 
 discharge, was never intended ta be inti- 
 mated. The lines constitute only an encomium, 
 expressed with poetic license. 
 
hitrcfiliifitorji. 
 
 OKIGIN. 
 
 This book originated in the fraternal senti- 
 ments of the Association whose name it bears, 
 and a desire to place on permanent record 
 some of the stirring events with which these 
 men had been connected since their arrival 
 in California; and thus leave something ot 
 their individual impress on paper, as well as 
 their united footprints on the pages ol' progress. 
 They wished to have the rect)rd i-eady lor the 
 twenty -fifth anniversary of their arrival, which 
 would occur February 28, 1874. 
 
 PREPARATION. 
 
 Its preparation was entrusted to a Committee 
 of the Association, who, supposing it would 
 be a small woi-k of a hundred pages or so 
 in pamphlet, undertook the laboi- as a vohni- 
 tary service. At the time of their appointment, 
 
yo tj:s ixiRon cvroJi y. 
 
 Fc'l)ru;irv 28, 1872, the_\ reqiie.sted. ami uieiii- 
 hc'is promised to furnish, data pertaininji to the 
 individuals. At the anniversary' of i87o, the 
 Conunittee leported progress, but no ihita from 
 any member. The promise to furnish individual 
 history was renewed with much enthusiasm. 
 But, after waitin,<r until within less than three 
 montlis of the time, they issued a circular 
 propounding certain necessary questions. Fifty- 
 two were sent to those whose address was 
 known, and they were all that were known to 
 be living. Of these, oidy those whose sketches 
 appear — save one who forgot to give his name, 
 and hence could not be written up — responded. 
 
 Since January 1st, 1874, much of the work 
 has been done, at night, when the writers 
 needed rest, and in great haste. 
 
 The Committee gruteluUy acknowledge the 
 aid ol' Dr. .\. B. Stout, the Surgeon of the 
 ship, and her only surviving officer — also, the 
 life President of the Association — in prepar- 
 ing Chapter V., the trip of the " Calitbrnia," 
 from " Mew York to San Francisco." They 
 also tender sincere thanks to Capt. W. Lan- 
 nox, who prepared the closing chapter. 
 
NOTES INTRODUCTORY. lU 
 
 With reference to a book prepared under 
 such circumstances, Uterary 
 
 CRITICISM 
 
 is, of course, not admissible from any source, 
 and could not be regarded, if offered. The 
 mechanical and artistic department fear no 
 criticism — yea, they safely challenge it. 
 
 STYLE. 
 
 The style is peculiar to each of the mem- 
 bers of the Committee who has wrought upon 
 it. Descriptions are designed to be within 
 the pale of general truth, though the several 
 shadings may, at times, appear to produce va- 
 ried statements. The Committee have endeav- 
 ored to scrupulously avoid everything of ;i 
 partisan character, in either politics or religion, 
 or that could i-etlect upon the good intentions 
 of any individual. 
 
 The Memorigraphia is designed to ])resent 
 the true character and worth of the nuui, in 
 each case, so far as the same was attainable. 
 
 Several inaccuracies in style, and perhaps 
 in figures, may appear. Such we regret, but 
 cannot nov remedv in this edition. 
 
For the enterpiising liou:^e of H. ,S. Crocker & Co. 
 iiiidcr the efficient inanagement of Captain John 
 I). Yost, a member of the firm, who, without re- 
 s;avd to cost or labor, have in the unreasonably 
 short time allowed them, produced such an ele- 
 gant, yea, superb volume, we need not apologize 
 for speaking somewhat fi-eely — we refer to their 
 San Francisco house. They have another of 
 equal merit iii Sacramento. It is a real pleas- 
 ure, especially in such tiding circumstances as 
 those which surroimded the Committee on the 
 2(lth of last month, to find a man of the cul- 
 ture, the intelligence, the enterprise and the 
 untiring energy of Captain Yost. He entered 
 upon, and has executed, the work, and laid the 
 volume upon our table, composed of better 
 material, more th(iroughly wi-ought, and more 
 elegantly rich, than has ever been issued from 
 any other house on the Pacific Coast. They 
 liaAe used the very best material obtainable, in 
 ever}' department of the work, and turned on 
 their entire force of men, and run night and 
 day in order to make the time. 
 
 With such an illustration of the enterprise 
 of this house as our l)Ook is, we need say 
 
little, uiid cDuld not say ton luin'li in flicir 
 pviiise. 
 
 Tills work iias not Ix^en produci'il tiitis. 1r'- 
 caiise they IkuI any .special preparations lor siidi, 
 but l)ecaiis(' tliey are i'lilly prepared, at all times, 
 to iiimisli tlie best (|iiality ol" all kinds ol 
 goods and work pertaining to a, iirst-class 
 Stationer}', Printing and Publishing House. 
 
 Surely, with a house in our midst that can, 
 ill such unparalleled short time, pi'oduce such 
 ji work, we have no sort of occasion to go 
 abroad for our printing. 
 
 To our artists, Bkadi.kv \- Kui.oksox, we take 
 pleasure in making .special reference. It is a, 
 ].)ioiit'er house. It is a uttiuli/ house. For a 
 number of years they have remained in their 
 fii'st location, Montgomery and Sacramento 
 street.s. 
 
 They always employ the hr-'<t '//■/^■^/■■^, the 
 mcst courteou,s and obliging clerks, both male 
 and female, use the \ery best materials, avail 
 themselves of the latest improvements, and gi\-e 
 personal attention to every department of their 
 business; never allowing an unworthy or un- 
 
VI xorjss ixTnonrvToiiY. 
 
 .satisf'actorv piece of work to leave their gal- 
 leries. Ill a large town we must always ga 
 to the upper story to " sit," or to " see." 
 B. .>t R. were the first, and, so for as wr 
 know, are still the only photographers who 
 lia^e pro\icled, for the unspeakahle convenience 
 ol' tlieir patrons, an ilenitin-. You step from 
 the sidewalk through a door, take a fineh 
 cushioned seat, and, in less tluxn half a minute, 
 you are ushered into the third or fourth story 
 galler_\. amid the most profuse and gorgeous 
 display of pictures, Irom locket -size to full 
 life, and so life-like, that you almost fear to 
 speak, lest they hear you. But. after saying 
 to the reader that the illustrations of this 
 work are fi'uni this house, we sundy need 
 say no more of tlie house of Bk.\i>ley .s: 
 RuLOKsox. 
 
 We have not referred to these l>usiness 
 hou.-ies. because of their connection with this 
 work, hut because the_\' are leading representa- 
 tive houses, each in its class, and to show 
 that with such houses, California need fear no 
 comparison with the best in the world. 
 
 There are also in other departments of pro- 
 
XOTKS IXTliODLCTony. VU 
 
 gress, representative licjiises ol" which it wuiild 
 uflbrd us much jileasure to spciik, wvyv not 
 these notes already too long. 
 
 But we must stop to call attention to 
 unother, and by some, supposed to l)e the 
 leading interest of the State at a,n early day. 
 
 THK NATIVK WINK I NTKUKST. 
 
 {IS represented In- Kohmor & Fuohmng, in 
 the location they have occupied f'oi' twenty 
 vears. in Montgoraery Rlo(d\. 'I'iiey liegan in 
 18-")4. wlien they brought iVom their vineyard 
 into their cellar two casks of wine, less than 
 eiglity gallons in all. They have prosecut- 
 ed the business; of raising grapes, nudging and 
 ])\nv,hasing wnnc, until their business readies 
 nearly i'\i^y\ pronunent town in both 
 America and Europe. They set imt with 
 g:uaranteeing all their wines " al)soUitely 
 pure," and have ever made their guaranty 
 siood. Hence, from all great exhibitions 
 thev have universally returned decorated with 
 diplonnis and medals of meiit, of the Hrst 
 <dass. 80 that it is not often, now, a 
 vessel leaves our liarbor, or a train our depot. 
 
vui xi)tj:s lyriiODUCTOUY. 
 
 without taking to market more or less of their 
 wines. Their great pride is. as well it may 
 l)e, their Port, than which better is perhaps 
 no where found on earth. And, as all the 
 \vine the}' sell leaves their cellars '•'' absolutely 
 pure," their reputation must soon be — is 
 nearly so now — '" wide as the world." Other 
 houses, in the same line, we should be happy 
 to sjioii-k of. but must desist. 
 
 Commending ourselves and work to all pro- 
 moters of progress, we remain, 
 
 The Editing Committee. 
 
 San Kranoisco. F(,-I>rii;irv 2Sili, 1^74. 
 

 It 
 
 '?, 
 
 Chaptek I. 
 
 STEAM NAVIGATJOX IX THE PACIFIC. 
 
 IKE the constant revolution of the 
 earth, giving us continual variet}' of 
 light and shade, and fruit and flower, 
 and all we have that makes time a hlessing 
 or life a J03', Steam Navigation has become so 
 common, that we drink the cup of pleasure to 
 the fill, and take no note of its source. 
 
 How few that have, during the past lew 
 months, glided along the coast among the 
 " Thousand Islands," and pulled up thence 
 the flavored finny tribes; or traced the ever- 
 changing river course through ' the " Highlands '" 
 of the Hudson, the valleys of the " Penob- 
 
FIE fir STEAMSHll' FIoyEEBS. 
 
 scot," the gorges of the " Yellowstone." or the 
 Columbian •■ Dulles." inhaling tiie .-^ott breeze 
 of sununer as it mingles with the notes of the 
 morning lurk, or nightingale ; or swe[)t around 
 the curves and climbed the iiji- grade to where 
 the trout- brook alfords lichest piscatoi-v ])astime ; 
 oi' sped across ri\ei'. |ilain. and moinitain top 
 from Ocean to Ocean in a single week, for 
 purposes of commerce, health or pleasure — how 
 feir. how vtrij few. ha\e reflected that tor nine- 
 tenths of all thej leap, ol' pleasure or of pj'ofit. 
 thev are indebted, directly and indirecth. to the 
 u.se of steam. 
 
 Steam alone allows the artizan and the man 
 of commerce, the scientist and the professional, 
 to visit the glaciers of the Alps and the Gey- 
 sers of the Pacific, tlie Pyramids of Egjpt and 
 the matchless Yosemite of California ; because 
 Avithout steam they could not spare tlie time 
 the travel would consume. 
 
 Steam so undei'lies and is so interwoven \vith 
 every department of commerce, everywhere 
 shortening time and diminishing space, and 
 reducing expenses, that it enhances the pleasure 
 and the profit of every class, and every indi- 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 vidual who buys or sells or eats or drinks or 
 wears the products of either earth or industry. 
 
 Phoenicia, the mother of commerce, and the 
 land whence every ancient European nation de- 
 rived the use of alphabetical characters and 
 the science of mnnbers or arithmetic, and 
 M-hioh obtained the zenith of commercial pros- 
 perity in tlie known world 800 years before the 
 Christian era. and who stands at the head of 
 commercial nations of her day, not only had 
 no knowledge of steam, hut had no ship which 
 could safely venture out i>f sight of land. 
 
 Look at her noblest '•mercantile marine" — 
 the largest of them smaller in size, and im- 
 measurably less .//<"''/, than the little pilot boats 
 that now ply about the mouths of our har- 
 bors — creeping cautiously along the .4)0res of 
 their coast, making a tri|i ol' a few hundred 
 miles once in twelve or eighteen months; and 
 comjiare with a stea,m leviathan of the ))re.sent 
 day, in the maw of which you might stow a 
 dozen Phoenician sliips of the largest class. a,)id 
 interfere but slightly with the passengers or 
 the cargo, and you have a slight idea of mari- 
 time commercial progress. 
 
4 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEEES. 
 
 We think ourselves inventors in steam, and 
 yet the 2^oicer of steam was known at a very 
 early day, far back in ancient times. 
 
 Hero, of Alexandria, in the time of Ptolemy 
 Pliiladelphus, 300 years before Christ, invented 
 a machine for the pi'opulsion of bodies by 
 steam — and even long centuries before his day 
 Egyptian priests were familiar with the power 
 of this element, and liad apparatus by which 
 they produced sounds and motions by steam 
 from within figures representing the human 
 form, by which they wrought upon the super- 
 stitions of the people and confirmed their 
 pretended miracles. 
 
 They, however, never applied it to any useful 
 purpose. Nor did even the Alexandrian carry 
 his far enough to make it self-perpetuating. 
 
 Eighteen hundred years after the experiment 
 of Hero, Blasco de Garay, an enterprising and 
 ingenious Spanish soa captain, on the 17th of 
 June, l-)43, exhibited to his sovereign, Charles 
 v., at Barcelona, a steam-engine Avhich he had 
 constructed, and l)y which he asserted that 
 "ships and vessels of the lai'gest size could 
 be propelled even in a calm, without the aid 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 of sails or oars," an assertion which he then 
 and there proceeded to verify ; actually pro- 
 pelling. I)v means of circular wheels at the 
 sides, not indike our steamei's of the present 
 dav. the ship ''Trinity," Capt. Peter de Scarza, 
 of ••tw(j hundred tons." at the rate of three 
 miles an hour. But modest and reticent, he 
 kept his s(>cret to himself, and the utility of 
 Ills invention died with him — and. though the 
 real iiir<-iif<>i\ he never wore the croirninf/ honor. 
 It missed ///s head, and finally and perma- 
 nently rested on that of Jonathan Hulls, two 
 hundred years afterward. 
 
 Perhaps, in reference to no otlier impoi'tant 
 event has the question been so often raised : 
 •' Why was the development of steam left to 
 slumber so long after its power was discovered, 
 and even ibr hundreds of years after its ap- 
 plication to the ])ropulsion of machinery was 
 tried and known ? " 
 
 The only rnrional answer to this inf[uirv is 
 
 that 
 
 •'■He who rides upon the storm 
 
 Anil nianaifes the sea8, 
 
 did with tins as with many other blessings. 
 
6 FIRST STEAyrSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 withheld it. while Paganism would have prosti- 
 tuted it to the propagation and establishment 
 of error in doctrine, and dark deeds of evil 
 in practice ; and only when it could or ironld, 
 bv man. be utilized for the good of the race 
 and the honor of the Giver, did he draw the 
 curtain and let the light " flow all abroad." 
 
 Looking at the patent ftxcts of history, per- 
 taining to all the great events of time — 
 
 "Wlio dare think that Providcnt-e is slow. 
 Because He takes the privilege to choose 
 His own appointed time when He will send 
 His blessings down ? "' 
 
 And then, applying the same principles to 
 this long dela^'ed but boundless boon to man, 
 who will }iot say : 
 
 " This is thy work. Almightj- Providence, 
 AVhose power, beyond tiie reach of human thought, 
 i?evolves the orbs of empire : bids them sink 
 Deep in the shoreless sea of thy designs, 
 Or rise majestic o'er a wondering world." 
 
 And in this there is no "cant" — no fanati- 
 cism. The whole historic period has been a 
 succession of demonstrations of its truth, inti- 
 mately connected with tauiiible, rational fticts. 
 
Development ol' the arts and sciences, and 
 their subjection to human weal, has always, 
 and exactly, kept pace with the extension of 
 political freedom and the dift'usion of general 
 intelligence. 
 
 Yet these denouments of useful inventions 
 liave often been regarded, even In' the wi.sest 
 and best of men, with the most serious 
 apprehension. 
 
 As the rising sun of Ocean Steaui Navigation 
 was climbing the Eastern sky, it suggested to 
 the thoughtful the stauti.i.vg i'K(n'OSiTiON that 
 it would necessarily and speedily connect itself, 
 inseparably, with the fortunes of Empire. 
 
 Savants stood aghast — some doubted, some 
 feared, and all ejaculated "God forbid !" 
 
 Even as late as 1839 Professor Sillinien — a 
 name for many j^ears immovably fixed on 
 the topmost round of the ladder of scientific 
 fame — in the American Jon rind of Science, 
 speaking upon this very point, said : 
 
 " What will become of a steamship, upon 
 the Avide ocean, without masts, in case the 
 boiler bursts, the fuel is exhausted, the ma- 
 chinery breaks down, or any one of the many 
 
FIJR.ST STIUMSMIF rioSF.Kh'S. 
 
 at'cideiits. so likelv to occur. A\i\\\ overtake 
 her?" 
 
 iSiiftice it to .say. that this great iiuui lived 
 to see his questions all ])ractically answered, 
 and to declare, not (jnly that steamships were 
 a succe.s.s, but that steam iKiritx were iin ab- 
 solute necessity to all those nations who would 
 protect their owji borders, .secure the freedom 
 of the seas, or successfully" take any part in 
 maritime belligerence. 
 
 And so late as 1840 the Emperor of all 
 the Eus.sias openly opposed the general intro- 
 duction of steam, either in national or private 
 enterprises. Yet it was in this same year of 
 
 1840 that TKK STKAM X-WKiATlOX UK TUK PaCHIC 
 
 Avas commenced, by a coin])aiiy in England, 
 who dispatched two steamers, the "Peru" and 
 the "Chili." each of 700 tons, under command 
 of Capt. William AVheelwright. \ia the Straits 
 of Magellan — which they pa.ssed, a distance 
 of about 300 miles, in 30 hours — ■ to the 
 western coast of South America, where they 
 made the port of Talcahuana, in 55 da3s 
 from England. No company ever planned a 
 nobler entei'prise ; none ever entered a vaster 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEEES. 
 
 field, and few have had a more auspicious 
 dawn. 
 
 Their plans contemplated the opening of com- 
 munication and trade between England and 
 the western coast of America, as far north as 
 Panama — which they designed to connect with 
 Chagres, on the Atlantic, by means of a sliip 
 canal cicross the Isthmus of Darien — thence 
 west to Asia, including the commerce of China, 
 Japan and the Indias, making way -stations 
 at the Gallipagos Islands, the Sandwicli Islands 
 and the Island of Utaheite. 
 
 Tlw coast of America, north of Paiianm, ■ivas 
 )iot considered worth cidtivatiny. 
 
 Upon the arrival of the steamers the go\'- 
 ernments of ChiH and Peru were intensely 
 excited. Their moi'ning sun liad risen — the 
 glorious day of commercial supremacy had 
 commenced. They saw themselves, in the 
 early future, the great half-way house, in the 
 path of empire the principal depot, for the 
 exchange and transfer of the commerce of the 
 world. Henceforth their sun would never set 
 — the day of their increasing greatness have 
 no end. 
 
in FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 And sureh^ the guai'tuity of their hopes was 
 stronger than most calculations rest upon. 
 
 No inteUigent man can wonder at, or blame 
 them for their sanguine expectations, their ex- 
 hilerating joy. 
 
 But when the time came to commence the 
 •'trips,'" ito coal had arrived, and Capt. Wheel- 
 wright tbund himself crippled, fettered, thained. 
 For some reason, not \et satisfactorily explain- 
 ed, the company had neglected to send foiward 
 coal, without whi(^h not another step could he 
 taken. The\' had planned and started a maa- 
 nificent enterprise, one which, if carried out, 
 would have added a sparkling jewel to the 
 most brilliant diadem oi' earth. 
 
 But whether content with having made the 
 plan, or doubting the possibility of its successful 
 execution, or dreading the labor and responsi- 
 bilities it would involve, or from some other 
 cause, they seemed to shrink, and retire to a 
 most miserable and disgraceful inactivity, leav- 
 ing their faithful servant, the noble seaman, 
 who had so gloriously inaugurated their enter- 
 prise, to shift for himself as best he could. 
 
 Like the brave Briton that he was, he took 
 
FIE ST STEAMSHIP PIONEEBS. 11 
 
 off his coat, went into the mountains, and 
 though all unskilled in the work, prospected 
 for, found, and dug coal with which to heat 
 his boilers and again take his ships to sea. 
 This however was of little avail when deserted 
 by his company. 
 
 Thus virtually failed the first gi-eat eftbrt to 
 establish the steam navigation of the Pacific, 
 a work then promising^ and since developing 
 the most extensive, most magnificent, most 
 glorious maritime commercial triumph the world 
 has ever seen. 
 
 Tile next, and the successful, projector of 
 steam commerce in the Pacific was the "P.\ciFic 
 Mail Steamship Company," of the city of New- 
 York. 
 
 It was fit that the commercial metropolis 
 of America should lead the van in this great 
 \vrok ; tor, on her crowded whar\'^s an excited 
 multitude of unbelieving scofters had once gath- 
 ered to witness "the bursting of the bubble" — 
 the fatal failure of Fulton's fanatical fancy — ^a 
 fleet flying fire-ship. But amid the scoffs and 
 sneers and bewilderhig imprecations of that 
 excited populace, the valves, obedient to the 
 
12 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 lever, moved — the steam, braced against the 
 piston head, moved the rod — the wheels re- 
 volved — the " Clermont " moved slowly from 
 the dock. As it moved, the dei'isive sneers 
 gave way to expressions of doubt, and these 
 to an indescribable blankness of countenance 
 and absence of all sound — a silence which, like 
 Egypt's darkness, might be felt. Then a shrug 
 of the shoulders and the subdued •' She (foes 
 go !"' •• Shell stoj) when she turns up stream!" 
 " Yes, she sfn7-tK but she'll never make Albany 
 nor half of it ! " " There, I declare, she does 
 stem the current!" "She makes it I" •'HiuraJi! 
 Hurrah ! '' and then the welkin rang again 
 with deafening shouts and rolling cheers. 
 
 Success was achieved. America, with little 
 beside her warm blood and wild enthusiasm, 
 snatched the prize from the schools, philoso- 
 phers, wisdom and wealth of Europe, and fairly 
 launched herself in a sea of steam. 
 
 Europe attempted to monopolize the enter- 
 prise — claim for her sons all the glory, and 
 reap the golden harvest. But while she was 
 wasting her time in the former, and securing 
 little of the latter, America went forward ; and. 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIf PIONJiEBlb'. V6 
 
 at the end of the first twenty-five years, had 
 more steam vessels xiinning on one of her 
 rivei's, the Mississippi, than were on all the 
 waters under the control of the British crown, 
 and more than three times as many as were 
 owned on all the continent of Europe. 
 
 And what shall we say of this young oft- 
 shoot of British greatness now ? Go far up 
 toward the open sea of the Nortli Pole, and 
 the aftVighted Walrus and the I'olar Bear, 
 climbing over vast crags of ice, and diving 
 dee]> into the blue sea, both testify their alarm 
 at the approach oi' an American steamsliip. 
 
 do to the farthest isles of the sea, and you 
 find, the wild man of the woods, and his 
 Aounger brother, the orang-outang, hastening 
 to the mountains to esc^ape the approaching 
 American fire-ship, ('limb to the highest peak 
 of earth, and with your telescope scan the 
 entire field of one -half the world of waters — 
 they are all alive with these artificial monsters 
 of the deep, paddling and puffing and smoking, 
 as they haste to every port where man may 
 wish to set liis foot, or commerce open trade. 
 Or, better still, post yourself on an elevated 
 
14 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 crag of our lunar satellite, - and, . as the. earth 
 revolves and presents every portion of her 
 surface, look at the myriad of "fire -flies." like 
 the hosts of nocturnal glow-worms, flitting in 
 every direction, and listen to the continuous 
 roar of paddles beating, steam escaping, whistles 
 screaming — actually adding a new sight and a 
 new sound to the previous elements of our 
 planetary system — -and you have a faint idea 
 of the results of American enterprise in steam 
 navigation. 
 
 If the great Latin poet has versified the 
 tale of mythologic craftsmen, and Cj'clopean 
 forges, in the serAdce of Vulcan, to whose 
 shops Lemnos, and Lipari, and -^tna, are only 
 the chimneys, where the armor of the gods 
 was made, steam has shown how tools, more 
 efficient than the thunderbolts of Jove, the 
 helmet of Pluto, or the trident of Neptune, 
 are made and used. 
 
 We have not only forged tools more than 
 a match for the thunderbolts of Jove, but 
 our philosopher has drawn his from the skies, 
 and made them our ver^' harmless instruments 
 of pleasure and profit. 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEEBS. 15 
 
 If we have not turned axles as exact as 
 those on which the chariot wheels of Mars 
 revolved, we have made them that far exceed 
 his in strength, speed and durabiUty- 
 
 If we Iiave not re -scaled with gold the writh- 
 ing serpent on the shield of Pallas, we have 
 carved, and gilded, and placed on sea and 
 land, palaces which far outvie the gilded car\'- 
 ing on that fabled armor. 
 
 Bv the use of steam we have redoubled all 
 the efficienc}' and all the splendor of Mytho- 
 logic Vulcan in shop, and tools, and appliances, 
 and are to-day using sledge-hammers an 
 hundredfold heavier than ever graced his shops, 
 and have constructed a broad axe ^vith which 
 to how out Empire in every approachable spot 
 of earth. 
 
 We have thus multiplied the means of inter- 
 national communication, strengthened the bonds 
 of national amity, and added to our ability 
 to see and appreciate the infinite superiority 
 of a Christian civilization over the most suc- 
 cessful strides of Pagan and Barbaric progress. 
 
 By this element we have provided for the 
 defense of our thousands of miles of sea coast, 
 
16 FIEST STEAMSHIP PIONEEBS. 
 
 indented by numberless inlets, baj's, estuaries, 
 coves, and gulfs, on two sides of a continent, 
 which, without steam, must remain entii'ely at 
 the niercv of whatever aggression, rapine and 
 pirsic}- might be projected by those who are 
 hostile to oiu' progress or co\et our country 
 and our clime. 
 
 We had done much, but were far from safe, 
 or success in war or in commerce, until we 
 filled the Pacific with steam. 
 
 This was undertaken by the Pacific Mail 
 Steamship Companv. and they have so executed 
 their task, that wherever we look or turn, on 
 either shore, or in the islands of mid Pacific, 
 we ma^- almost exclaim : 
 
 "Which way I fly is steam — M.vself am steam!" 
 
 The beginning, and the progress, and the 
 triumph, of the Pacific Mail Steamship Com- 
 pany-, in establishing steam navigation in the 
 Pacific, will be the subject of the next chapter. 
 
Chapter IL 
 
 PACIFIC MAIL STEAMSHIP COMPANY. 
 
 " O, all-prepariug Providence Divine ! 
 
 In tliy large book what secrets are euroll'd ! 
 What sundry helps doth thy great power assign, 
 
 To proj) the course which thou intend'st to hold ! 
 What mortal sense is able to define 
 
 Thy mysteries, thy counsels manifold ! 
 Is it thy wisdom straugelj' that extends 
 Obscure proceedings to apparent ends?" 
 
 Dkaytox. 
 
 HE discovery of gold in California 
 was not the result of searcli, arrange- 
 ment, calculation, or effort, oil the part 
 of man. So far as the discoverer was con- 
 cerned, it was the merest chance — a pure 
 accident. But of the well arranged, though 
 often slowly developed, plans of a Supreme Be- 
 ing, who overrules all things for good, it does 
 not become us to speak without reverence. That 
 the wisest and .best of men see, in all the 
 
18 FIRST .'STEAMSHIP PIOlsfEEES. 
 
 march of improvement, the steady steps toward 
 a well-defined object of the great "armj^ of 
 occupation," all directed h\ an Omniscient 
 mind, is an interesting fact. 
 
 That otliers, equally ^vise in other things, do 
 not thus see, is no evidence that the steps are 
 not ordered, any more than the inability of 
 some to appreciate beauty in a work of art 
 is evidence that it is not really beautiful. 
 
 So, if the successive steps in the develop- 
 ment of our Pacific coast, while it is certain 
 that these steps, especially the i)rimal ones, 
 had no connection with each other, it is also 
 sure that they were so arranged as each to 
 connect with and supplement the other, until, 
 like the well constructed chronometer, the 
 whole now moves in harmony and marks the 
 steady progress of the age. 
 
 It has been said, and is extensively believed, 
 that the discovery of gold led to the estab- 
 lishment of the Pacific Mail Steamship Com- 
 pany ; and it is little wonder that such error 
 should obtain credence, when we consider that 
 so little record of the stupendous enterprise 
 has been given to the world. 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 19 
 
 Within the last decade several voluminous 
 histories of the United States, by eminent 
 scholars and authors, have been given to the 
 public, professing to "mirror forth" every im- 
 portant event in our national history doAvn to 
 1865, and yet have not said one word about 
 the commercial and naval steam marine of the 
 Pacific. Next to nothing has been put in 
 permanent form, oi' an accessiljle shape, on 
 this subject. 
 
 To re -state some facts already- known, and 
 to collect and crystalize for general use others 
 — which are only recorded in the ephemeral 
 press of the day, or still retained in the bi'ain 
 of tlwse who have learned them — pertaining 
 to the Pacific Mail Steamship Company, is 
 the object of this chapter. 
 
 This company was organized, and its con- 
 tract with the government for its service on 
 the western coast of the continent was made, 
 and the construction of its three pioneer 
 steamers nearly completed, and two of them 
 had been dispatched on their long trip to 
 their distant service, before the discovery of gold 
 in California was known h\ either the "ov- 
 
20 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 ernment or the company. The original pro- 
 jector of a line of steamers on the west coast 
 of North America is no better known than 
 the originator of a trans - continental railroad. 
 
 Many men talked of it, after it was sug- 
 gested ; but who was the suggester, is already 
 one of the many things so difficult of deter- 
 mination that there is little hope of its final 
 settlement. 
 
 Men now claim the original idea, who ac- 
 tually persisted in scouting and deriding the 
 project for years after it began to be discussed. 
 
 The fact that Sloo's line of steamers to New 
 Orleans and Chagres connected with the Pacific 
 Mail line is patent to all. 
 
 In 1845 J. M. Shively, a shrewd Massachu- 
 setts Yankee, who had previously made his 
 way to Astoria, Oregon, and had been some 
 time serving the government there as Post- 
 master, went to Washington ; and while there 
 conferring with the Post-office Department, had 
 conversation with the officials on the subject 
 of a line of steamers from Panama to Astoria, 
 Oregon, touching at several Mexican ports. 
 Who originated the idea, or how far it was 
 
FTEST STEAMSHIP PIOKEERS'. 21 
 
 favorably entertained in Washington, events 
 alone furnish ground for conjecture. 
 
 The governments of Great Britain and the 
 United States were approaching an issue on 
 the North-western Boundary question. Our 
 government naturally desired to add to the 
 population of Oregon as rapidly as possible, 
 with a view to meeting the great event by 
 force, if need l^e. This might have led to 
 the ii-ifili for a line of steamers to aid in the 
 work ; but, that tlie jiroject was not seriously 
 entertained, is evident from the fact that later 
 in the year, 1S4-'), the President, James K. 
 Polk, toolv ver\- decided ground in Ihvor of 
 increasing facilities for reaching Oregon, and 
 that his plans did not include this line of 
 steamers. 
 
 His plan was to encourage the emigxation 
 of large colonies of Scandinavians from North- 
 ern Europe direct to Chagres, Avhence they 
 were to Ije taken in boats, sent out by oiu* 
 government, up the Chagres river to the head 
 of navigation, thence by pack animals to Pan- 
 ama, and from there by ships to Oregon. 
 
 In the maturity of this plan he was gi-eatly 
 
22 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIOKEERS. 
 
 assisted by Mr. J. M. Woodward, of New 
 York, who had large interests in the com- 
 merce of the Baltic Sea, and was doins much 
 in the way of bringing to America emi- 
 grants from Prussia and Sweden and Denmark 
 and Norway, and whose aid and counsel the 
 President sought and obtained, by inviting 
 him to his house, and there employing him for 
 a succession of months in making the investi- 
 gations and preparing the details. In fact. 
 Mr. Woodward wrought out the whole plan, and 
 presented it complete, which the President 
 laid liefore Congress as his own, and urged 
 that body to make the necessary appropria- 
 tions with the least possible delay. This 
 PROJECT WAS AB.ANDOXED, however, for the very 
 good rea-son that the two governments came 
 to an amicable understanding upon the threat- 
 ening cpiestion, thus averting the necessity- for 
 a hasty increa,se of the population of Oregon. 
 
 It is. however, recorded, to the great dis- 
 credit of the administration, that after obtain- 
 ing the services of Mr. Woodward for so 
 long a time, he was, without apology, dismissed, 
 and allowed to return to his owia pursuit, not 
 
FIB ST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 23 
 
 even receiving a " thank you, sir," for hi;? 
 large outlay of time and toil and money. 
 He had, however, come to entertain the idea 
 tliat a line of steamers on the Pacific coast 
 of our possessions was needed and could 
 he made to jjay. In this opinion lie was 
 joined bj- several gentlemen of means and 
 enterprise, and commercial experience, who 
 imited with him in initiatory steps to secure, 
 by a private company, what the government 
 did not deem worthy of its attention. 
 
 E. K. Collins was before Congress with a 
 Ijill for government aid to establish a 
 line of Mail Steamers from New York to 
 Liverpool ; Mr. Sloo with one for a line 
 from New York, via Havana, to New Orleans ; 
 and Mr. Woodwai'd with one from Panama 
 up the coast of the Piicific. Sloo remodeled 
 his so as to reach Chagres, Avith the purpose 
 to connect with Woodward's at the Isthmus. 
 
 On the last day of the session all three 
 of these bills were passed in a batch ; 
 but, by some act or neglect of the En- 
 grossing Clerk, Mr. Woodward was not named 
 in the bill. Wherefore the Secretary- of the 
 
24 FIRST STEAM.S'HIP FIOXEEHS. 
 
 Navy, Mason, decided to advertif^e for bids 
 for carrying- the mails semi - monthly between 
 Panama and Astoria, Oregon, caUing at Realejo 
 in Central America, and at Acapnlco, Maz- 
 atlan and Monterey in Mexico. 
 
 At this time California had not been ac- 
 quired by the United States. San Francisco 
 had not been born, and " Yerba Buena," the 
 site of the present Metropolis of the Pacific, 
 was too insignificant to attriu-t atteJition. 
 
 Its only business was to entertain some 
 jolly "' skipper " once or twice a yeai-, while 
 he loaded his vessel with hides, and luxuri- 
 ated himself upon such sources of human 
 gratification as were iUicessible. and its onl}- 
 prospects a down-grade to deeper degradation. 
 
 There were only three bids. Mr. Wood- 
 ward ottered to do the service for ten years, in 
 side -wheel steamers, at $300,000 per annum. 
 
 One of his associates, by previous arrange- 
 ment, proposed to do the work in propellers 
 at $150,000 per annum, and a speculator 
 named Arnold Harris bid $199,000 per annum. 
 This Harris had no idea of anything else 
 than to obtain and sell a contract. 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 As the $150,000 bid was lowest, the con- 
 tract was awarded to Woodward's associate, 
 but it was saddled with conditions not named 
 in the advertisement, and wholly impractica- 
 ble, whereupon the award was declined, and 
 as Harris was the next lowest bidder the 
 contract was then awarded to hiui. He hud, 
 however, given bonds to Woodward, before 
 AVoodward's associate withdrew, that if the bid 
 was withdrawn, and the contract, in consequence 
 thereof, should be awarded to him, Harris, he 
 would immediately assign the same to Wood- 
 ward. But upon obtaining the contract he 
 declined to fulfill the engagement, and his bond 
 proved totally worthless, which left Wood- 
 ward again with no i-eward for his arduous 
 and long continued toil. Little was known 
 of the proposed route, the resources of the 
 countries to be visited, or the prospects of a 
 growing commerce. Hence the eiibrts of Har- 
 ris to sell his contract in New York and 
 elsewhere proved, for several months, abortive. 
 
 Eventually, through the influence of General 
 Armstrong, a relative of Harris, and at that 
 time United States Consul at Liverpool, Mr. W. 
 
26" FIBST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 H. Aspinwall. of New York, was induced to 
 think of the matter, and finally to accept the 
 propositions of Hai'ris to assign to him tlie 
 contract. 
 
 The Secretarv of the Navy, in transferring 
 the contract to Mr. Aspimvall and his asso- 
 ciates* entirely ignored Mr. Woodward, although 
 he produced the contract of Harris to assign 
 to him, and urged, in every conceiva1)le way, 
 the justness of his claim. Nor did he yield 
 his point until he was l)eateu in a long and 
 expensive series of litigations. 
 
 The contract finally assumed l»y tlie Pacific 
 Mail Steamship Company, called lor the con- 
 struction of three side -wheel steamers, all of 
 which were to be of such (lural)le material 
 and so strongly built, tliat in case the gov- 
 
 * The Pacific Mail Steamship Company was incor- 
 porated April 12, 1848. Gardiner Howlaiul, Henry 
 C'hauncy and William H. Aspinwall, being its corpo- 
 rators, and Mr. Aspinwall being electe<l its first 
 president. The capital stock was only S500,000. 
 In 1850 they were empowered to raise it to 
 §2,000,000 i in 1853, to §4,000,000 ; in 1865, to 
 810,000,000 ; in 1866, to §20,000,000. In 1872 they 
 were authorized to reduce their capital stock to 
 810,000,000, at which figure it now stands. 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 27 
 
 eniment should need them, they could readily 
 be convei'ted into powerful men-of-war, and 
 turned over to the Xavy. 
 
 The company was faithful to its trust. 
 The vessels were made of the best materials; 
 in every part, and put together in the best 
 pos.sible manner. And a.s the}" were to go to 
 and remain on a coast vastly distant from 
 anv sort of repair shops or sources of supply, 
 they were pro^•ided with duplicates or tripli- 
 cates of nearly ever\- piece of machuiery. 
 spai-s, sails, and rigghig. In short, with 
 everythmg that experience could dictate, or 
 wisdom suggest, as at all likely U> I)e needed 
 for ' several years. 
 
 The}' exi)ected to carry few pas.sengers, and 
 hence provisions for the crowds that overtook 
 them in the ver\- out^t of the enterpi-ise. 
 were by no means adequate ; and the com- 
 panv had to l)ear a vast amoinrt of censure 
 for a state of things which no human wisdom 
 could fore.see, no earthl}- siigacity anticipate. 
 
 The tlu'ee steamers were named, respectively, 
 "California." "Oregon.'" and "Panama. " were 
 nearlv of the same size, and built as much 
 
28 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIOKEERS. 
 
 alike as the nicest sense of harmony could 
 desire. 
 
 But before their first vessel was ready to 
 sail, California had become a part of the 
 United States territory, the town of San 
 Francisco had been named, its plat had been 
 surveyed, and it was assuming an importance, 
 in the eye of the government, second only 
 to "Astoria'' in Oregon. 
 
 Hence the contract was so modified as to 
 require the transportation of the United States 
 mails twice a month, between Panama and 
 Astoria, via the above-named Central Ameri- 
 can and Mexican ports, touching at "Yerlja 
 Buena, noAv called San Francisco, in Cali- 
 fornia. " 
 
 According to the terms of the contract, the 
 first of the three steamers was to leave New 
 York in October, 1848, and, promjjt in the 
 fulfillment of the engagement, the "California, " 
 the true pioneer, was dispatched on the sixth 
 da}' of the month, at high meridian, under 
 the command of Captain Cleaveland Forbes, 
 as noble and gallant a seaman as ever trod 
 a quarter-deck or held a quadrant to the 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 29 
 
 sun, assisted bv an efficient corps of officers 
 and men, a catalogue of whose names appear 
 elsewhere in this work. 
 
 She made the run via Rio Janeiro and 
 the Straits of Magellan to Valparaiso, and 
 thence to Panama. 
 
 From Panama up the coast no steamer had 
 ever traveled ; and hence, to feel the way to 
 San Francisco occupied twenty -eight days. 
 
 Further than this she did not go. Gold 
 had been discovered, and a vessel once in 
 the harl:)or must lie there or work her way 
 out without hands. In fact the new order of 
 things inaugurated by the gold, neutralized 
 the power of the government, nullified con- 
 tracts and produced derangement and distraction 
 to such a degree, that the actual temiinus 
 of the line remained practically at San 
 Francisco for all time to come. 
 
 Captain Forbks' health so entireh- failed 
 him that at Valparaiso he was compelled to 
 yield the connnand of the ship, and take the 
 place of a passenger. 
 
 Captain John Marshall, a seaman of expe- 
 rience, being in port, was, by the agents of 
 
30 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 the company, placed in command, and con- 
 ducted the ship to San Francisco, where, after 
 seeing her anchored in the harbor, he left 
 and hastened to the mines, without making 
 any provisions for even one man to remain 
 on board and care for her. And he was 
 followed by every officer save one, and by 
 exQYj one of the crew. 
 
 The thix'd assistant engineer, Frederick Fog- 
 gin, could not be tempted with gold to lie 
 unfiiithful to his employers. He alone, "the 
 noblest Roman of them all," remained on 
 board, and cared for the shijj, until she was 
 ready to commence her regular trips to and 
 from Panama; when the company rewarded 
 bis fidelity by making him Chief Engineer, 
 in which position he retained their entire 
 confidence until he chose to leave and engage 
 in other pursuits. 
 
 '•Faithful found amoug the faithless, faithful only he: 
 Among innumerable false — unmoved, 
 Unshaken, unseduced, xuitciTified. 
 His loj-altj- he kept, his trust, his zeal; 
 Nor number, nor example, with him wrought 
 To swerve from truth, or change his constant miud 
 Thoui^h left alone."' 
 
FIRST STEAMS'HIP PIONEEES. 31 
 
 In November of 18-18, the "' Oregon," the 
 second of the Hne, left New York, and mak- 
 ing a splendid run, reached San Francisco 
 April 1st, 1819, just one month and one da\- 
 after the " California. " 
 
 In December the "Panama," the third and 
 last of the three ships originally contracted 
 for, sailed from New York, and after a pros- 
 perous voyage entered the harbor of San 
 Francisco, about one month after the "Oregon," 
 and like both her predecessors, ci'owded to 
 her utmost capacity with an excited mass of 
 surging, seething, human enthusiasm, moved 
 by a single object — to "get rich and go home" 
 in the shortest possible time. 
 
 Thenceforward the career of the Pacific 
 Mail Steamship Company was onward and 
 upward. 
 
 Every ship -yard at the American metropo- 
 lis was taxed to its utmost to build additional 
 steamers with which to meet the daily in- 
 creasing demand. 
 
 Never before in the world's history was 
 there such excitement, such uncontrollable 
 enthusiasm, such fierce and irresistible deter- 
 
FIR.ST STEAMSHIP PIONEEES. 
 
 mination to reach a certain distant portion 
 of the globe, as now urged this company to 
 furnish the means of conveyance to California. 
 Never before did a company respond with 
 such energy and such success. 
 
 Like full fledged to wis. from the yard at 
 dawn of day, new steamships, of enlarged 
 cajjacity and improved speed, and superior 
 elegance, sprang from the busy ship- yards 
 into the wharves, and thence, loaded to the 
 guards with living human freight, sped their 
 wav to the far oil' Pacific. 
 
 During the first ten years this company 
 produced more and better new ships, and 
 candied more freight and passengers, with less 
 loss of vessels and of life, than an^' other 
 the world has ever seen. 
 
 It has within the twenty -five years of its 
 existence owned, controlled and operated in the 
 waters of the Pacific, more than forty steamers 
 of all classes, from the oOO ton coaster to the 
 gilded leviathan of 4,000 tons, breasting 
 every class of storm, and defying the most 
 tumultuous sea. AVith these thev have inaug- 
 urated a new system of trade, and augmented 
 
FIE.^T .STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 33 
 
 commerce with nearly every port ol" the iwlauds 
 aiid both shores of tl.e Pacific. 
 
 They have also lost fourteen large steamers 
 by wreck and by fire, of an aggregate value, 
 at the time the losses occurred, of more than 
 three and a half millions of dollars. 
 
 This compan}- has opened trade and extend- 
 ed commerce with all the prominent islands 
 of the Pacific, and on both her coasts ; and 
 is now carrying between the most distant 
 ports of the earth, the richest and rarest 
 productions of every clime, and every branch 
 of industrj''. To them belongs the honor of 
 inaugurating the most extensive steamship 
 lines the world has ever seen ; and to them 
 we hope may accrue rich and lasting finan- 
 cial rewards. 
 
Chapter III. 
 
 yj;]V YO]!K TO CHAOUKS PKH ^'STKAMKli '^FALCON." 
 
 li K cominc'iiccineiit of u ^loat eiiter- 
 l>iise is iisiiallv so lull of present 
 interest, anil makes siieli larire drafts 
 u]K)n cvcrv eneriiy ior aeti\e serviee, that 
 there is little tliouglit (n- time given to 
 the recurdiiiii' of passiiiir events. Jlence. 
 m alter vears, when tliose who would profit 
 by the ti-aiispirings. coidd they know them, 
 search for the rnitiatory faefs and surround- 
 ings, they cainiot find them. Kveryhody was 
 in too much of a hurry to record them. 
 
 Fortunately for the subject of tliis chapter 
 the circumstances were so neM'. the events so 
 striking, and the Avhole scene so impressive, 
 that numbers who passed through tliem. and 
 are now living, recollect even the minutest 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 35 
 
 details, with all the vividness of yesterday's 
 transactions, thougli a quarter of a century 
 has since elapsed. 
 
 Some there were wlio made hasty notes of 
 fiicts and impressions, in the interims of 
 Walter Colton's J^nnjulnrn — ■ ' seasickness " — and 
 have preserved them ; though many, and we 
 might perhaps say those who wrote »*o.sy and 
 heM, lost their journals in the great fires that 
 devastated San Francisco within the first few 
 year's after their arrival, or ha\'e allowed them 
 in some other wtiy to puss, irrecoverably, beyond 
 their reach. 
 
 To those yet extant, and to the vivid recol- 
 lections oi" some who did not write, we are 
 indebted for whatever of actunl or circum- 
 stantial interest this chapter max jiossess. 
 
 The ])rcceding chapter has told us of the 
 organization, the elforts and the successes ol' 
 the Pacific Mail Steamship ('ompauy. 
 
 Jhit that compa.ny had nothing to do witli 
 carrying the uuiils from New York to Panama. 
 This work was undertaken b\- tiie Atlantic 
 Steamship Company, who engaged to carry the 
 mails t'roni New Yoi'k, Charleston. S. C., Savan- 
 
36 FIE ST STEAMSHIP PIOJNEEHS. 
 
 nail, Ga., Havana, Cuba, and New Orleans^ 
 La., to and across the Isthmus. 
 
 The Pacific Mail Company had dispatched 
 their pioneer steamer "California," in October 
 of 1848, via the Straits of Magellan, with the 
 design of reaching Panama by the 5th of Jan- 
 uary, 1849. 
 
 With a view of connecting with the "Cali- 
 fornia," the Atlantic Company placed the 
 "Falcon" in commission, and advertised her 
 to sail on the 20th December. But, "lest 
 there might be unexpected delays," it was 
 ordered that slie "sail December 1st." 
 
 The real cause of this change was a rumor, 
 which had gained credence in a few minds, that 
 gold had been discovered in California. But 
 this was not sufficiently confirmed to counter- 
 balance the twenty daj-s' less time in which 
 to prepare ; and the number of through pas- 
 sengers was, consequently^, quite limited, though 
 there was a large numlier ibr Havana and 
 New Orleans. 
 
 This rumor of gold discovery was of so little 
 force that probably not half a dozen of the 
 entire number of passengers had ever heard 
 
FIE ST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. §7 
 
 it, and not one had any faith in it. Hence 
 it is due to the First Steamship Pioneers to 
 sav that they did not start for California for 
 the purpose of digging gold,- for the}' knew 
 nothing of it when they sailed. When they 
 had been three days at sea the gold discov- 
 ery was otficially published at Washington. But 
 these 2)as!<engers did not liear of it until their 
 arrival at New Orleans. 
 
 One of the passengers, who kept a somewhat 
 i\dl diary oi" the voyage, has kindly placed 
 the same at the .-^erN-iee of the Editorial Com- 
 mittee, and they gladly avail themselves, not 
 oidy of its facts, but often of its language, in 
 the preparation of this chapter. 
 
 A most remarkable fact was, that on the in- 
 itiatory trip of this vast undertaking — though 
 the day of sailing had I'ecently lieen fixed twen- 
 tv davs earlier than oriuinallv announced — and 
 when we were about to pioneer our way more 
 than si.\ thousand miles to a new aaid strange 
 countr}-, the steamer " Falcon," under the com- 
 mand of the abk' and experienced, the amiable 
 and efficient Captain Wtles T. Thompsox. ac- 
 tually- "cast oft"," "turned the wheels," and 
 
38 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 moved out of the dock — Pier No. 4, North 
 River, New York — within five minutes of the 
 advertised time : 12 o'clock, noon, of Decem- 
 ber 1, 1848. 
 
 If this is a foreshadowing of the promptness 
 with which the company will continue to per- 
 form its service, surely the public will have no 
 cause of complaint on the ground of dela}-. 
 
 The scene on the wharf was no ordinary 
 one. The people of the great metropolis were 
 accustomed to gather, in thousands, to see 
 steamships depart for Southern and European 
 ports. But this was the initiation of a nen- 
 enterprise, of vast magnitude — the going ilirth 
 of a colony, to people a coast cm the other 
 side of the continent — a terrn iiicogiiiin to 
 most, if not all, who were ])resent — an under- 
 taking the result of which is far beyond the 
 reach of mortal ]<en. Tho.se on deck and 
 tho.^e on shore part, with little hope (^f nux't- 
 iug again on eartli ; tlie former full of \()ung 
 ambition's fiery hope — the latter filled with 
 fearful forebodings. In evidence of this, while 
 the multitudes bade the loved ones adieu, and 
 went on shore all tremulous with emotion, 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIOyUEHS. 30 
 
 and gazed thnu tlie wharf through swimming 
 eves, responsive to deep waiMngs of despair, 
 not onl}' the In'ave soldier, and hardened son 
 of the sea, but tlie mouthful, all alone, and 
 the newly married pairs, all radiant with 
 smile and song, waved their I'arewt'Us without 
 a shudder or a sigh. 
 
 But we aiv oti". without e\en time to note 
 who is on hoard. The "Falcon" swoops 
 dowji the bay. like the bird whose name 
 she bears. In one iiom- and Ibrty-five 
 minutes, from the pier, we had passed the 
 "Oregon," on her trial trip, and the "Pan- 
 ama,"* just putting to sea for her home in 
 the Pacific, discharged oui- pilot, olf Sandv 
 Hook, and wei'e fast hastening from tiie few 
 remaining visible hill tops, the last of our 
 homes to bid us adieu. At 3 p. m., 
 hoisted jib. flying -jib, fore - topsail, main and 
 mizzen spencers, and in a few minutes were 
 literally flying from the scenes we loved so 
 
 *The "Panama" was disabled, and put back, so 
 that the " Oregon " was eventually the second ship 
 to arrive out. 
 
40 
 
 FIEST STEAMSHIP PIOyEEIiS. 
 
 well. At -l.lo the last lofty liiglit of 
 our native land sank beneath the horizon, 
 leaving iis in one vast, unbroken waste of 
 waterSj with no verdant slope or towering 
 pine, or skjward mountain peak, to recognize 
 our moistening eye or eeho ))ack our heaving 
 sigh. 
 
 The beautie.s of the haw embo\\"ered in 
 villas ; the grandeur ol" the harl)or. with its 
 fortified mouth; the adjacent islands, like gems 
 in a bracelet; the uiajesty of f)ur noble 
 steamer, adding wings to its leet, had so 
 absorbed us, that the thousand - and - one tokens 
 of afiection. placed in oui' hands, oi-, more 
 delicate!}', deposited in our state-room by 
 friends, were all left untouched ; and we were 
 walkuig the deck in thoughtless ectasy, when 
 at about 5 p. m., a seam of white foam on 
 the water, overhung by a dark line of fire- 
 streaked cloud, fiercely ruslied toward us, 
 like a thousand united squadrons of cavalry 
 obedient to the bugle " chai'ge, " admonishing 
 the warj- skipper to call all hands and take 
 in sail. Scarcely was the last yard of can- 
 vas snugly "clewed up" when, added to the 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEEKS. 41 
 
 already heaving sea, a terrific '■ sou- wester" 
 struck us oil our starI)oard bow. hoisted us 
 high on a Ibauiing billow, and then plunged 
 us down into what seemed a Ix^ttondess tiough. 
 and thus continued to (diarge iis in trout, 
 gall our Hanks, and enfilade oui- whole line, 
 as if all the (lods of War had coinljined to 
 frustrate oui- designs, overthrow our plans, 
 and utterly deJeat our efforts, b\- putting an 
 end to the voyage. 
 
 We were at once reuiinded of that weapon 
 against human weal, of which Vulcan never 
 dreamed, nor Plutan \aults contained a 
 shadow ; that base destroyer oi' everything 
 manly in man, and yet refusing biui the boon 
 of death; that great paralyst of muscle, and 
 solvent of the nerves, that brings ten thou- 
 sand deaths in one, and tluit a living dissolu- 
 tion, a very Tantalus amid the flames — nea- 
 sichatss — which drove us to our room, where 
 quite unable to keep our feet, ^ve crawled 
 into our berths, amid jars of jelh', and 
 baskets of fruit, and parcels of thread, and 
 balls of yarn, and pieces of goods, and coats, 
 and vests, and mufls, and shawls, and boots 
 
 c 
 
42 FIR,ST STEAMSHIP PIOlsfEEES. 
 
 and shoes, all in one mass of contusion, now, 
 b}- our "lost estate" infinitely worse con- 
 founded. 
 
 Reader ! If ever you go to sea, make it 
 your FIRST business, even before the " lines 
 are cast oft"," to put your room in such order 
 that you can fully 'njoi/ this visitor when he 
 comes. 
 
 This storm increased continually until about 
 2 p. M.. of the 2iid. when it became a 
 terrific hurricane. Hut tor the stiength of 
 the noble "Inrd of the sea." on whose back 
 we are borne, all would be lost.'=' 
 
 Nearly everj- one was sick — not half enough 
 jce//, to care for theui. 
 
 On the ord. the siui ro.se without a cloud, 
 though the sea was still angry. Toward mid- 
 day its wrath abated, and In' 3 l'. M. 
 most of the passengers were able to be on 
 deck. It was Sabbath. At the recpicst of 
 the Captain. Rev. Svlvestkr Woodbridge, the 
 01 dy one of the four clergymen on board 
 
 * Many of our friends, wheii the storm reached 
 New York, despaired of ever hearing from us. 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 able to do so, held Divine Service, and 
 preached a sermon ; Rev. 0. C. Wheeler, 
 the only one of the other three, able to l^e 
 on his feet, assisted in the exercises. 
 
 Now that the passengers are together, it is 
 a o-ood time to take a look and see who we 
 have on hoard. 
 
 There is Cajitain Thompson, with his ami- 
 able young — a second — wife, their four 
 months old daughter, bright as a rose, and 
 sAveet as a i)ink ; and the maiden sister of 
 Mrs. Thompson', of sixteen. Rev. 0. C. 
 Wheeler and wiie, the latter and the two 
 ladies just named, on terms of greatest inti- 
 macy. (Japtain Efjjorr and liis I)ride, he 
 Quartermaster on the staff of (xeneral Persh'ER 
 F. Smith ; Captain R. W. Heath and Major 
 Fitzgerald, his assistants; Willl^^m Vax Voor 
 HIES, of the Post Office Department, in charge 
 of the mail for the Pacific ; H. F. Williams, 
 who yet in his minority occupies a place in 
 the front rank of his pi-ofession as an archi- 
 tect; Revs. J. W. Douglass, and S. H. 
 WiLLET, both yoimg, single men, direct from 
 the schools, devoting themselves to the moral 
 
44 FIBST STEAMSHIP PIONEEBS. 
 
 and religious culture of the State to arise on 
 the Pacific; D. W. C. Thompson, a bank 
 clerk from Wall street, who, if his eye is 
 not deceitful, will make his mark ; Levi 
 Stowell, a young and enterprising business 
 man from the National Capital ; Rev. S. 
 AVooDBRiDGE. from Long Island, and many 
 others of whom note will be taken in due 
 time. 
 
 On the morning of the 4th, the sea had 
 become calm, and the Aveather delicious. We 
 Avere clear of the strong winds which prevail 
 oft' Cape Hatteras, and had reasonable prom- 
 ise of fair ^^'eather for several days. At 
 n.30 A. >f.. took pilot for Charleston, rode 
 up the beautiful bay. smooth as a plate of 
 glass, and at 4 p. m., dropped anchor about 
 five hundred yards from the wharf The 
 weather warm for Northerners. Everybody 
 hastened ashore, under strict warning to be on 
 Ijoard before 12 midnight. 
 
 During these eight houi's, several young men 
 — not those named above — " lewd fellows of 
 the baser sort," visited the theater, where the 
 combined inlliience of whisky and the play so 
 
i=77?-S7' STEAMSHIP PIONEEHS. 45 
 
 exliilerated them that they became rude and 
 boisterous ; for which they were rewarded by 
 a raooiiHght walk, conducted by a "'star," to 
 the rejiion of the calaboose, from entrance to 
 Avhich the}', however, escaped, liy the influence 
 of some " yellow- boys "' and a pledpre to leave 
 town immediately. One of the ])arty was 
 John Ross, Jr., son of the relel)rated Clierokee 
 Chief, who. with his two daughters and this 
 wild son. was now returning to bis distant 
 home, whence lie started in August last, to 
 bring bis children, who have l,)een completing 
 their educational course, at some of the 
 best schools in New England. Young Koss, 
 while in the theater, became (juite intoxi- 
 cated and savage, drawing and Hourishing a 
 lar^e bowie-knife, threatening dire ^-engeance 
 upon all who should presume to oppose any 
 of his ideas of projiriety. Another was a 
 j-oung Creole, bound to New Orleans. He, in 
 his delirium, threw his hat. from the gallerv. 
 upon the stage, for which he was summariW 
 marched oflf to the "lock-up;" but upon his 
 plea that he was ''only a passenger," and 
 would be glad to get out of the place as 
 
46 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEEES. 
 
 soon as i:)0SBi)Dle, he was released. But he 
 was so anno\ed by the passengers constantly 
 referring to his folly, that when we reached 
 Savannah, though he had paid his fare home, 
 he borrowed money of a fellow -passenger and 
 took the overland route to NeAV Orleans, 
 alleging that his friends were sick, a ftict 
 which he had no possible means of learning, 
 had it been true. 
 
 December '>. — Fine weather, smooth sea, little 
 sickness, and much good feeling. The rough 
 edges were beginning to wear off, and men 
 in the crowd to rub against each other with- 
 out chafing. About 10 A. M., took a pilot, 
 and in two hours entered the Savannah 
 river, which "\ve were oliliged to trace 
 with great care. At 12 v. m. the steamer 
 grounded at low tide. The Captain and Mail 
 Agent lowered a boat, and took the mails to 
 town, about a mile and a half distant. In 
 two hours more we floated, and ran up to 
 town, whei'e we lay until -J r. >f.. and then 
 weighed anchor and left. 
 
 The river being between high banks, little 
 of the town can ])e seen from the steamer's 
 
FIMST STEAMSHIP PIONEEES. 47 
 
 deck. Passing up the Savtiniuih rivor, the 
 land, as far as the e_)e can reach, in every 
 direction, -is one unbroken level, like the vast 
 marshes that I)order some Noi'thei'u I'lvers. 
 The forests, in nuuiv i)laces, look as though 
 either fire or water had kiUcd all the tim- 
 ber, and present a most melancholy picture 
 to one accustomed to the grand and pictur- 
 esque scenery of our Northern and Western 
 mountains. Along the line of the river are 
 numerous plantations, bearing the marks of 
 ibrmer beauty and prosperity, but of present 
 decay and ruin ; immense rice fields half 
 cultivated, and cane fields half harvested, be- 
 spangled here and there with knots of native 
 shrubs and flowerets, which practical indolence 
 allows to annually increase in size and num- 
 ber. Here we saw, sluggishly careering through 
 the ail', or lazily lolling in the sun, large 
 numbers of "turkey buzzards," large, dull, 
 black, filthy fowl — rapacious scavengers, pos- 
 sessing all the meaner qualities of the condor 
 and the crow combined. 
 
 On the 6th a fresh storm arose, which, 
 though not severe, was too much for the 
 
48 PIBST STEAMSHIP PIONPEPS. 
 
 best of our iiei've.-^, and caused inor<t of us 
 to observe a ''da\- of fasting" — whether there 
 was much '" pra^ei'"' mingled with it, perliaps 
 it is not best to assert. 
 
 While nearly all aiv sick, there are a 
 few who escape. They are in the saloon, 
 seated around a table, apparently unconscious 
 of all surrounding events. 
 
 There is the shrewd "guessing " Yankee; 
 tbe porth' and austere Briton ; the polite 
 and scheming Gaul: the sagacious and fiery 
 Castillian : tiic vain and ])retentious quadroon, 
 combining all that is useless and disgusting 
 in the various nations whose blood be in- 
 herits. On tlie table around wiiicli they sit 
 are heap.s of coin, both silver and gold, open 
 purses and unfolded wallets. To the piles of 
 coin no attention seems to be jiaid. onl3- an 
 occasional change of location on the table, 
 indicating a change of ownership, directed b}- 
 the cards. They play more earnestl}, and 
 continually "bet" hi(/her, until one has lost 
 his last half-dollar, and moves away, with 
 feelings known only to those whose fortunes 
 frown, and whose souls are turned within, 
 
FIRST, STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 40 
 
 to gnaw upon and devour tlioniyelves. Soon 
 another rises from his seat. 
 
 " A moment, if you please," said a beardless 
 youth, with bhie ejes and light hair, every 
 way as delicate as a girl, "■ you can stop 
 there!" covering his />//r with his hand. 
 
 "Well, sir?" 
 
 "Well — excuse me, but I think you dre-w 
 tiro cards." 
 
 " I believe not — I'll take your pile if 30U 
 
 please." 
 
 "Two cards?" 
 
 " Your money ! " 
 
 Lips are set and yet they smile — revolvers 
 appear. No fuss, but quick movements are 
 made. Every nerve is strung to its utmost 
 tension, yet without a tremor. 
 
 " Well, sir ? " 
 
 " Well." 
 
 " Your money ! " 
 
 "Two cards." 
 
 A cool headed old " Game Cock," stretches 
 out his hand, and says : " Try arbitration." 
 
 " Agreed ! " " Agreed ! " 
 
 A few minutes and the veteran says, " You 
 
50 FISST .Sl'EAM.SMIP PIONEEBS. 
 
 are wrong mv friend. No doublets were 
 
 drawn. Mistakes will happen to the most 
 careful gentlemen." 
 
 Revolvers are replaced in their belts, and 
 knives return to their scabbards, and all settle 
 down to their "work" again. 
 
 We now pass along the coast ot Florida, 
 so near that, with a glass, the scenerj- may 
 be minutely scanned. The day is beautiful, 
 the sea is unrutHed, and nearly all the pas- 
 sengers are on deck, gazing with rapture upon 
 the ever vernal scenes of a soft southern 
 clime, and drinking in the delightful aroma 
 wafted to sea from ten thousand fra>>rant 
 flowers. Immediately along the shore there 
 is a strip of barren, sandy country, while a 
 little further back there is a rich profusion 
 of shrubber}- in full foliage. But there is no 
 hill, nor mound, nor rising slope, to greet the . 
 eye and relieve the nit)notonA-. To the vei'ge 
 of vision, all is one vast, unbroken level. 
 
 At about noon of the 8th the Captain took 
 his glass, and from the paddle-box began to 
 scan the horizon. He thought he ought to 
 see the "Pan of Matanzas." a hisih bluff on 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 51 
 
 the northern shore of Cuba, some fifty miles 
 east of Havana. After some two hours of 
 the most anxious watching, he went below, 
 and found, \)\ a careful review of his observa- 
 tions, that he had overrun liis calculations, 
 and was several leagues west of Havana ; 
 whereupon he •'put about," and in a short 
 time we were running along a coast of sur- 
 passing beauty and grandeur. There were 
 the undulating surface, the gentle slope, and 
 the towering mountain — all ol" which had 
 been wanting in every landscape since we left 
 New York — and all fully robed in the peren- 
 nial verdure and sweetness of a. tropical clime. 
 While dining, at 4 i'. m., all were aroused 
 by the ejaculations, '•Morn Castle!'' "MoRO 
 Castle!" "Come and see Moro Castle!" 
 This is the celebrated fortificatioji to which 
 the city of Havana, the capital of Cuba, is 
 indebted for safety from all foreign enemies. 
 The}- saluted us handsomely with guns and 
 with bunting; and soon an open l)oat, rowed 
 by half a dozen negroes, jjearing in its 
 center the standing figure of a pilot — a man 
 of Lambei'tinian proportions and of true Cas- 
 
52 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 tillian independence. He passed around to 
 our larboard quarter, and then, without deign- 
 ing an attempt to come on board, hj the 
 use of his West Indian Spanish, iUustrated 
 hy shrugging shoulders and waving hands 
 and pointing fingers, directed us safely into 
 the harbor. This harbor, "La Habaiia,"' is 
 completely land-locked, and, while large enough 
 for all naval and commercial purposes, is so 
 limited in extent and so pi'otected b}^ natural 
 barriers, that no danger to shipping can ever 
 arise from wind or storm. Added to this. 
 
 the channel is so narrow that yow are obliged 
 to pass within easy musket range of the im- 
 pregnable " Muro "' on one side, and " La 
 Principe" on the other, while "Cabana" 
 shows its teeth directly in front, and impreg- 
 nable "works" look down upon you from 
 CA'er}- eminence, and yoti can scarceh" imagine 
 a spot more secure. 
 
 Aftei' dropping anchor, and waiting a long 
 time, a retinue of Custom-house officers, with 
 great pomp, lioarded us, and went through 
 with all the formalities of the law "in such 
 ca.se made and provided." Then, after another 
 
FIBST STUAMSHIP PIONEEES. 53 
 
 Avaitinj^ oi' such length as to "mamtain the 
 dignity of the tlirone," we were subjected to 
 another examination bv the Healtli Officer, 
 who, finding neither "cliicken-pox," nor 
 "measles," "hmatic fever," nor "delirium 
 tremens" on board, most graciouply signified 
 his "permission to go on shore." 
 
 First we visited the commercial house of 
 Barnum & Co.,- agents of the Steamship Com- 
 pany, the exterioi' of whose countinghouse was 
 not unlike a most magnificent public hall or 
 theater, and the interior, like the parlors and 
 drawingrooms of a palace ; gorgeous with mo- 
 saic Hoors, and gilded walls, and works of 
 art, while mirrors on all sides multiplied each 
 component of the general grandeur into half a 
 score, and constituted a scene at once charm- 
 ing and bewildering to the last degree. 
 
 At twilight, visited the "Grand Plaza" — a 
 large square, whose walks, paved with marble, 
 occupy more than half its surfacie, and whose 
 groves of Pahn, and Orange, aiul Cocoa, and 
 other tropical trees and plants, are of sur- 
 passing lieauty, and fill the atmosphere with 
 exhilerating odors. Here, by the light of a 
 
54 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 tropical moon, we saio the gi'aiid and formal 
 and — to us live Yankees — tedious prepara- 
 tions, and by the aid of a balmy tropical 
 atmosphere heard the performance of what is 
 justly called one of the best military bands 
 in the world. All the surroundings, and all 
 the movements, and all the performances, 
 were of the most magnificent character, and 
 all of us felt at the close of each piece. 
 
 "That strain again; it had a joj'ous lay: 
 O, it came o'er my soul like the sweet South, 
 That breathes upon a bank of violets, 
 Stealing and giving odor." 
 
 On the 9th we treated ourselves to a ride 
 in a "volahte." This is a two -wheeled 
 vehicle, very like a chaise of the early days 
 of New England, excepting that the cover 
 comes much farther over forward, and is fur- 
 nished with an apron which, as occasion 
 requires, may be let down and fastened in 
 front, so that neither horse nor driver can 
 be seen, or spatter you with mud. The 
 shafts are from twelve to twenty feet long, 
 and the horse — usually a small, lean, hard- 
 worked and poor -fed creature — is between 
 
FIBST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 55 
 
 them at the extreme eiulj^. his tail Ijraided, 
 and pulled around to one side and tied to 
 the harness, so that he cannot ainioy the 
 flies; and the driver is in the saddle, with 
 monstrous spurs and cruel club, beating the 
 poor beast most unmercifully, if he fails to 
 obey or to fii;o fast enough to suit the brutal 
 rider. 
 
 This accounts tor the apron in front of the 
 passenger, who is by it saved the sight of the 
 cruelty, which would deprive any cultivated 
 mind of all pleasure in the "pacea." 
 
 Our ride extended several miles through 
 the suburbs of the city, and into the country, 
 through an avenue Ijoi'dered on either side Ijy 
 a hedge of roses, in full bloom, beyond and 
 enclosed by which were plains and hill sides, 
 waving with harvest, villas that vie with 
 Gallic Chateau, and gardens of such extent 
 and richness, and beauty, as to Ijc (juite be- 
 yond all comparison. 
 
 Surely, after such an experience as our stay 
 at Havana gave us, we could never again 
 chai'ge the Spaniard with imreasonable eulogy 
 when he styles Cuba, " La joya mas_^ brilliance 
 
56 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 en la carona do Espaiia" — tla' most brilliant 
 jewel in the Spanish crown. But their appel- 
 lation " Siempre fiel isla de Cuba" — the ever 
 fixithfnl Cuba — will ere lon<i' be obsolete so 
 far as Spain is concerned. Havana has 
 200,000 people. 10.000 of whom are soldiers 
 armed and on constant duty. 
 
 Cuba is proud of her l)eauty and her 
 strength, jealous of her ritihts, and impatient 
 of her wrongs ; and despite the immense 
 wealth that is squandered, the vast soldiery 
 maintained, the huge prisons and terrible guil- 
 lotine, which are constantly exposed, as a 
 terror to the disloyal, she is steadily re- 
 ceiving light from the North, of more than 
 Borealic brilliance, that will ere long, give 
 her a knowledge of her power, and courage 
 to use it, in throwing oft' the inm yoke of 
 political and religious despotism, and est.ablish- 
 ing her own independence ; oi-, uniting her 
 destinies with a people already the firmest in 
 their freedom, and purest in their progress, 
 and strongest in defense, of all the nations of 
 the earth. 
 
 We left at Havana many whose virtues and 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 heroism, during the nine days of our mutual 
 trials, had endeared them to us by strong- 
 ties, and whom we may not reasonably ex- 
 pect to meet again. Nor can many of us 
 hope to again see this jjeautiful " Queen of 
 the Antilles." 
 
 These facts had generated and raised, too 
 near the point of utterance, thoughts of a 
 melancholy make, when a cloud, of the "size 
 of a man's hand," appeared directly in oui- 
 path, every minute augmenting in size and 
 accelerating its motion, until it soon seemed 
 hastening to our zenith, with the speed of a 
 race horse, threatening us with immediate 
 destruction. This reminded us of the " Bohon 
 Upas" of sea travel, and entirely banished 
 every thought of Havana friends and Cuban 
 beauty. 
 
 Captain Thompson beckoned me to his room, 
 and pointing to the rising cloud, said, " Did 
 you ever see a Norther in the Gulf? " " No, 
 sir ! " Then said he, " there is lun ahead for 
 you ; that is if we live to see it. Nothing 
 on the water, sir, like a norlher in the 
 Mexican Gulf" To this we were all ready 
 
58 FIB ST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 to subscribe after we had cxjjerienced our 
 iiorther, which struck us within fifteen 
 minutes. 
 
 The broad Pacific, with its long and heavy 
 swell, may, by the unbroken sweep of ten 
 thousand miles, be wrought into mountains 
 and valleys of indescribable grandeur, and play 
 with a seventy- four gun ship as though it 
 were the merest toy. The Atlantic may yield 
 to its sudden gusts, and furious tornadoes ; may 
 be torn and chopped, and lashed into fur\-, 
 until it throws the l)ark, scudding under bare 
 poles, high upon a foaming pinnacle, and deep 
 into the yawning cavern ; or crushes the 
 mighty ship between the icebergs, as though 
 it wei"e the empty shell of an egg, and de- 
 vours all on ])oard, at a gulp ; or, grinding it 
 to atoms, feeds its broken parts to the mon- 
 sters of the deep. The typhoon of the Indian 
 seas may come from a cloudless sky, without 
 a warning sight or sound, and strike the un- 
 war}' bark like the bolt of Jove, rending sails, 
 and breaking spars, consigning all to hopeless, 
 instant ruin. But a Xortlier in the ijiilf will 
 combine all these fearful elements, all tliese 
 
FIBSr STEAMSHIP PIONEEBS. 59 
 
 crushing forces, all these terrific onsets ; and. 
 with haste that leaves no time for prepara- 
 tion, and power which renders useless every 
 form of resistance, will terrify, overwhelm, 
 paralyze the stoutest heart. 
 
 The Norther came, and turned the noble 
 "Falcon" into its "plaything" for twenty 
 minutes, and then, passing on. left us to re- 
 cover as best we could, to gather up the 
 fragments of l^roken furniture, to replace the 
 torn sails, and scrub up and refit generally. 
 But just where the fun came in we were 
 not informed. 
 
 The next day (Dec. 10th) was the Sabbath ; 
 the weather was fine, the sea was smooth: 
 and the passengers and crew, in the best of 
 spirits, assemljled on the quarter-deck for 
 Divine service. By request of Captain Thomp- 
 son, Rev. O. C. Wheeler preached a sermon. 
 Ibunded on the text : " / ]iace mconi, and I irill 
 perform it, that I tmll leep tliy rif/hteous jiidy- 
 mentsr Ps. cxix., 106. Theme: "A high 
 purpose and a firm resohe essential to success 
 in pioneer life." The attention was most re- 
 spectful, and the impression happy. 
 
60 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 At nightfall of the 11th, we reached the 
 Balise and took a pilot, but was compelled to 
 " heave to " and await the rising of the tide, 
 in order to cross the bar, which we accom- 
 plished at 10 A. M. of the 12th. A river 
 pilot soon came on board, relieved the port 
 pilot and started with us up the " Father of 
 AVaters," for the far famed " Crescent Citj'," 
 the commercial metropolis of the great South 
 and West, New Orleans, where we arrived at 
 
 1 p. M. 
 
 After a stay of six days, " waiting for 
 Genex'al Smith," whom, with his staff, we were 
 to take to San Francisco, to " prepare for the 
 trip," as we were told, but really to prepare 
 for the change in the state of affairs growing 
 out of the pul)lishing of the gold news, since 
 the company dispatched the steamer from New 
 York, — all preparations possible under the cir- 
 cumstances being completed, and our steamer 
 being crowded to its utmost capacity by the 
 most excited mass of moral floodwood that 
 ever came down the Mississippi, we sailed on 
 the 18th for Chagres. 
 
 Having crossed the bar, and made as much 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 61 
 
 li(';i(hvay for several hours as a very dense 
 fug would allow, we were moving at a 
 cautious rate, when, suddenly, the fog lifted 
 iiud the sun shoiie o\it, revealing land directly 
 ahead, and \Qvy near. The engine was 
 stopped, and hacked, and the steamer stayed 
 in her course and saved. 
 
 Investigation showed that the man who 
 liad rated the ship's chronometers in New 
 Orleans had done his work incorrectly, and 
 had thus led the Captain astray, and we 
 were running directly toward the west end of 
 the island of Cuha, and were apparently not 
 more than half a mile from the shore. 
 
 A council was called in the Captain's room, 
 consisting of several experienced sea captains, 
 whom we had taken on board at New 
 Orleans, and one or two other gentlemen, of 
 whom the writer was one. 
 
 Captain Thompson explained the situation, 
 showing on his chart a direct route through 
 the Carribbean sea, between the islands, which, 
 he said, would ''save several hundred miles in 
 distance, considerable time, and be attended 
 with comparatively little danger." He also 
 
62 FIUST SrHAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 poiutud out another and longer route, going 
 to the eastward around several islands, but 
 which was "perfectl}^ safe." He also said : 
 " We have been detained at New Orleans six 
 daj's, and are ^•erv much behind our time ; 
 and this short route will save some two or 
 three davs." The two propositions were dis- 
 cussed at considerable length, both pro and 
 con. But the whole thing was l^rought to 
 an aljrupt and final close by Captain Watku- 
 .M.\N. a burly old skipper of sixty, weather- 
 beaten, short and fat, who. looking the com- 
 mander full in the face, and bringing his 
 brawny fist down upon the table with great 
 force, shouted: "An accident is not (Khiiissihh 
 on board this ship — not admissible, sir. Too 
 many lives at stake. The safe route is the 
 onl^' one that will answer, no matter how 
 long it takes." No more questions were 
 asked- — no more discussion had. We took 
 the long route, and were safe. 
 
 The passage was smooth, and full of de- 
 light ; varied with ever\" conceivaljle change 
 of scenery and amusement. 
 
 Most of the pas.sengers were descendants 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 63 
 
 Ihim tlie Pilii'riins, and lieiice thought it 
 highly proper to celebrate ''Forefathers' day." 
 So o\\ the 22d the programme M'hich had 
 been agreed upon was duly carried out. It 
 included prayer, singing, an address by Rev. 
 S. WooDBRiDGE, and a series of resolutions 
 drawn up b}' a committee, of which Rev. 
 (). C. Wheeler was chairman. 
 
 Perhaps no better illustration of the patri- 
 otic sentiments and high purpose of these 
 ]noneers could be given than the 
 
 Preamble .\nd Resolutiox.s 
 
 as they \\ere presented and adopted, which 
 was <lone with unanimity and enthusiasm. 
 They were as follows : 
 
 \ViTEKE.\s, it is becoming to keep in re- 
 niemlirance those great events in the history 
 of luan which have tended to advance the 
 interests and increase the happiness of our 
 race ; and 
 
 Whekeas. we are now permitted to cele- 
 brate a most important event — one, of which 
 our i)resent voyage, in its anxiously looked 
 for termination, by comparison and by con- 
 
64 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 trast, is most strikingly calculated to remind 
 us, it is with deep ' interest we pause and 
 reflect. While we see a beautiful (:omparisi»i. 
 in the leaving of home for a distant shore, 
 in the sailing of a pioneer vessel, bearing 
 civil and religious institutions to a coast that 
 has never known them, and hoping to rear 
 there a great and happy people, the contiK-sf 
 is equally gratifying. They tied from a 
 bigotry- that oppressed their understandings : 
 we are sent as the heralds of sentiments in 
 which all our people participate. They, in a 
 frail l)ark, encountered calm, and storm, and 
 every other peril of the sea, to land on an 
 ice-bound foreign coast, among untamed sav- 
 ages, at midAvinter ; we. on a noble steamer 
 
 — the Heet- winged hunting bird — defy the 
 calm, and hasten to a mild and balmy cliuie 
 
 — the elysian coast of our own country, with 
 our own people. They had to generate, rear, 
 propagate, and improve institutions for them- 
 selves ; we take them with us, fiill grown and 
 mature, and set them up, to bless a State 
 for all coming time. And 
 
 Whereas, we trace back all that is beaut i- 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEEBS. 65 
 
 fill in these comparisons, and interesting in 
 these contrasts, to the principles and practices 
 of that little patriotic band, the two hundred 
 and twenty-sixth anniversary of whose landing 
 on "Plymouth Rock" we to-day celebrate; 
 therefore, 
 
 Resolved, Id — That we hail with gratitude 
 the return of the day, when our Pilgrim 
 Fathers, under the guidance and protection of 
 a merciful Providence, reached their destina- 
 tion and commenced the work which has 
 been fraught with such glorious results. 
 
 Resolved, 2d — That we see in the suffering, 
 in the self-denial for conscience' sake, and in 
 the enterprise and perseverance of those pro- 
 jectors of an untried plan, and progenitors of 
 a people full t)f the hne oi' civil and religious 
 liberty, a spirit worthy ol" all emulation. 
 
 Resolved, od — That the results of their 
 labor inspire us with increasing confidence in 
 their principles. That these results include 
 a self - diffusing system of civil and religious 
 freedom which has already penetrated far into 
 the wilds of barljarism, lighting the lamp of 
 peace and love in every vale and on every 
 
fU) FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 mountain top where it goes ; the most full 
 and free system of general education the 
 world has ever seen, difiusing throughout the 
 American Republic an enlarged form of en- 
 lightened freedom, and laying the foundation 
 for an untold amount of peace and luippiness, 
 of greatness and glory at home, and erecting 
 in every kingdom and empire abroad statues 
 of the only goddess to which man may safel}' 
 bow — the right to govern self, and freedom 
 to worship God. 
 
 Resolved, 4th — That while we commend the 
 spirit which led them to act, and rejoice in 
 the results of their efforts, we would fain em- 
 ulate the former, and strive earnestly to attain 
 the latter — would count no comfort of life 
 too dear, no scene of home too sweet, no tie 
 of friendship too strong, to yield to the im- 
 portant mission now before us, viz : To establish 
 States of this great Union on a distant coast ; 
 to found institutions in a wilderness, to extend 
 all the blessings of our Fatherland to a coun- 
 try richer, and a people yet to be greater 
 than the world knew at the time of the event 
 we now celebrate. 
 
After this we sat down to a superb colla- 
 tion, provided by the Captain, and passed some 
 hours in a " feast of reason " without a flow- 
 ing bowl. Thus ended one of the most 
 interesting, and, perhaps, most profitable days 
 of our whole voyage. 
 
 On the morning of the 27th we descried, 
 on our " lee quarter," a high bluff, a little to 
 the north of Puerto Bello ; but the Captain, 
 being an entire stranger to the coast, and not 
 sure of his exact whereabouts, tacked shii> 
 and ran down the coast, until 10 A. m., when, 
 convinced of his error, he again " put about " 
 and ran up the coast. 
 
 The scenery is very grand ; hills rise above 
 hills, and " movmtain peaks o'er peaks pro- 
 ject," all clad in rich and varied ti'opical 
 verdure. 
 
 At 12 M. there arose directly before us a 
 high, projecting point of land, upon the 
 extreme end of which appeared the magnifi- 
 cent ruins of old " Fort San Lorenzo," com- 
 manding the entrance to the harbor of Chagres, 
 which is small, and the channel so narrow, 
 shallow and crooked, that vessels drawing more 
 
()8 
 
 FIRUT STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 I 
 
 than ten feet of water cannot safel}' attempt 
 its passage. 
 
 The brig '•' Ann and Julia " having safely 
 come in, attempted, five days ago, to go out, 
 but was thrown upon the rocks directly under 
 the fort, where she lay, in distress, three days, 
 when she was got off and rini back into port, 
 and her Ijottom into the sand. She is now 
 discharging her cargo, and will probably prove 
 a total loss. 
 
 The little bay, containing only a few acres, 
 is quite land-locked. As you leave the ship 
 several miles from the shore, and row toward 
 the town, you pass directly under the point 
 of land, on which, some two hundred feet 
 above you, are seen the foundations of what 
 was once a strong Spanish fortification, and 
 which now presents a most imposing appear- 
 ance, if anything can be imposing when in 
 ruins. It is everywhere, from the toj) to the 
 water's edge, thickly grown over with mosses, 
 bushes, vines and grasses, the latter of which 
 are continually cropped Ijy numerous cows and 
 goats — the former in the more level and safe 
 footings, the latter in the more precipitous and 
 
Fin ST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 69 
 
 daiifrerous. This old fortification, with its decay- 
 ing walls, falling turrets, crumbling bastions, and 
 moss-grown base, with ever- blooming shrub- 
 bery creeping and peering over its hoary stone 
 walls, its towers crumbling into silent oblivion, 
 its weeping old flag -staff, bending with age, 
 and mourning the loss of its former append- 
 age, pi-esents one of the most rare and racy 
 subjects for the limner's pencil that combined 
 art and nature ever produced. 
 
 As you pass this interesting object on yom- 
 left, another of neai-ly, if not quite, equal 
 interest presents itself o}i the right — the 
 dwelling of wealth in a tropical clime. It 
 would, in the North, be called the merest 
 apology for a house, and its environs. The 
 principal building, standing immediately upon 
 the shoi'e, is composed of perpendicular bam- 
 boo poles, thatched with thickly matted palm 
 leaves, and is surrounded by its little coterie 
 of out - houses, similarly constructed ; with a 
 finely cut lawn at its back, bounded by a 
 beautiful grove of i)alms with smooth round 
 tiunks and tufts of long branching leaves on 
 the top, and a dense, tangled forest in the 
 
70 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 rear — a fashionable villa, the home of luxury, 
 in a land of indolence and poverty. 
 
 At 12 M. we dropped anchor three miles 
 from shore, and waited tAVO hours to be 
 saluted, visited, or in some way recognized, 
 but in vain. Captain Thompson then lowered 
 his life - boat and, with a few persons, went 
 on shore. The next morning we were all 
 taken on shore, going, a few at a time, in a 
 small life -boat, through fearful breakers on the 
 bar. 
 
 Thus we reached Chagres, reported to be 
 the most unhealthy port on the American 
 continent. 
 
Chapter IV. 
 
 FROM VHAGRKS TO PANAMA. 
 
 WENTY- SEVEN days at sea is a 
 serious affair to beginners, in ordinarj 
 circunistances, though its monotony 
 may have been brolten by several short stops. 
 But when a ship has been fitted for a cer- 
 tain purpose, and then, in the middle of her 
 ^'oyage, the prominent circumstances all change 
 when it is impossible to so modify the prepa^ 
 rations as to adapt her to the new order of 
 things, many new and unexpected annoyances 
 will arise ; much friction will occui', and 
 many grievances will be engendei'ed. 
 
 Our ship had been prepared to carry the 
 mails and a few passengers. For this pur- 
 pose her accommodations were ample, and all 
 her appointments excellent. But while at sea 
 
72 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEEFS. 
 
 the gold diseovei'v h.ad been announced, and 
 at New Orleans every availaljle inch of space- 
 was occupied, much of it, by those who were 
 willing to accept any berth, so that they 
 might go; a class the very first to complain, 
 and the most ready to trespass on the rights 
 of others. With such a state of things, it 
 is not strange that when we reached Chagres 
 everybody was more or less nervous, and the 
 eye of jealousy and the heart of envy saw 
 many things that never existed, or, if existing, 
 without the least intent in the direction sus- 
 pected. 
 
 Much feeling prevailed as to who should be 
 first served, and best provided ; and not a few 
 efforts were made to overreach and forestall, 
 or in some other wa^ to obtain an advantage. 
 Nor was this wonderful when we reflect that 
 Chagres was a small town of not more than one 
 hundred houses, having no sort of accommoda- 
 tions for more than fifty or seventy -five per- 
 sons, while we numbered over two hundred. 
 Nor were the means of transportation up the 
 river any more adequate. 
 
 The town of Chagres has perhaps one thou- 
 
FIBST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. lo 
 
 sand souls. The buildings, with one exception, 
 are mere bamboo huts, without doors, win- 
 dows, or floors, with palm leaf thatched roofs, 
 and would be unfit for sheep or poultry, in 
 the North, yet seem to be quite adequate to 
 all the wants of their tenants. 
 
 The exception is a very small frame house, 
 painted red, having only two rooms, owned 
 and occupied by a venerable Jamaica negro 
 named John Joseph Lewis, and his equally 
 black " Venus," each weighing about twu 
 hundred and fifty pounds. They speak English, 
 are educated, intelligent, and make themselves 
 very popular by their readiness to assist 
 strangers in transacting business with the 
 natives, whose onl}- dialect is a medley of 
 miserably adulterated Spanish and Indian. Nor 
 is it wonderful that this establishment bears 
 the noble title of the " American Hotel." 
 
 In natural scenei'A' the vicinity of Chagres 
 is surpassingly rich. On three sides of the 
 town, finely moulded hills and magnificent 
 bluffs, covered with tropically luxuriant, peren- 
 nial verdure and bloom ; between two hills a 
 romantic stream rushing down, foi'ming some ol' 
 
74 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 the most charming cascades, while the moi'e 
 pretentious river, rising high in the mountains, 
 moves majestically through a gorge into the 
 bay ; and the open sea, within half a mile, in 
 ii-ont, not only combine to charm the eye and 
 invite the pencil of the artist, but A\'ith much 
 tbrce conti'overt the universally expressed 
 belief that this is one of the most malarious 
 spots on the face of the earth. We are, how- 
 ever, very fortunate in being here within the 
 only two months in the year in which it is 
 safe for foreigners to spend even a night. 
 
 General Adair, Collector of the Port of 
 Astoria, Oregon, having his wife and five 
 children on board ; Pacificus Ord, Esq., of 
 New Orleans, also having his family, and the 
 writer went ashore to make preparations for 
 ascending the I'iver with oiu* faniilies. Con- 
 tracts were readily made at $40 to $60, 
 according to size, per canoe from Chagres to 
 (Jruces. But we soon found that to our in- 
 (juiry "'When will 3'ou start?" the universal 
 reply was " MarLana," " in the morning." 
 This was pleasant at first, but after being re- 
 peated from day to da}-, for half a week it 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. lb 
 
 became rather unsatisfactory. It was the onl}- 
 food to check our impatience from Wednesday 
 to Saturday. 
 
 Having engaged a " dug out " — a mahogany 
 log, three feet through and twenty long, made 
 into a canoe — with four men to "pole" it 
 up the river to Cruces, for $40, we commenced 
 preparations for our journey. 
 
 Mine host of the "American Hotel," on 
 the second da.y, in order to quiet symptoms 
 of impatience which he thought ought to 
 exhibit themselves, told us that he had some- 
 thing to show us " in the morning, which 
 would be very interesting " — and it ivas. He 
 brought out a four - ounce vial full of gold 
 DUST FROM California, and poured it upon the 
 table with all the dignity of an emperor 
 exhibiting his diadem, and enlarged upon the 
 immense quantities of it to be " picked up 
 at Sail Fnawimoy It was the first we had 
 ever seen. Only wife and 1 were admitted 
 — though others saw it afterward. 
 
 We were told that it was " a custom equal 
 to a law " that " a bottle of brandy must be 
 provided for the boatmen or they would not 
 
76 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 work," and we would either be capsized in 
 the river, or left helpless in the midst of the 
 journey. We believed differently, and preferred 
 to deal with men when they were sober, and 
 hence refused assent to the demand. Our 
 canoe was loaded, all ready to start, and the 
 men waited only to see the bottle of Ijrandy. 
 I said nothing, but stepped back a few paces 
 from the bank and, with no sort of haste, 
 drew out my faithful "seven -shooter," and 
 examined it with great cai'e and deliberation 
 — seeing that all the chambers were loaded, 
 and every cap in its place — taking espe- 
 (dal pains that they should plainly see all 1 
 ilid. I then replaced the revolver, stepped 
 into the canoe, and gave the command to 
 •'shove off." Men seldom move more actively, 
 and never seem more willing than they. 
 Brandy was not again named during the trip ; 
 but, at the end of theip work, at Cruces, I 
 presented each of them with coin enough to 
 buy more than a bottle of brandy, if they 
 so chose. Thus was inaugurated a new cus- 
 tom. These were stalwart men of mixed 
 Spanish and Indian blood — muscular, sti'ong, 
 
PIIiST STEAMSHIP PIONEEBS. I I 
 
 and well skilled in the use of the pole, but 
 they would not wear a particle of clothing. 
 The water is deep in the middle of the 
 stream ; they therefore keep close in shore 
 where their pt)les will reach the bottom ; and 
 when rounding a point, where the water is 
 too deep, they give a violent push toward the 
 other bank, which, by the swiftness of the 
 <;urrent, the boat soon reaches, l)ut much farther 
 •down stream; they then pole along the outer 
 bank of the long curve, thus following the 
 longest possible line. And as the stream is 
 very crooked, and in many places rapid, the 
 progress is very slow. Our average speed from 
 Chatires to Cruces was less than one mile an 
 hour. 
 
 We had made but a short distance, around 
 the first sharp bend, when they suddenly 
 shoved the canoe into the bushes which over- 
 hung the bank, stuck their poles into the 
 uuid on the water side, so as to hold it in 
 its place, and appeared to be preparing to 
 leave us. Observing anxiety on our counte- 
 nances, and a hand upon my revolver, they 
 laughed heartily, and uttering, all at once, 
 
" Bano," plimged into the water. Five to ten 
 minutes sufficed to cool them ofi^ their hath 
 was finished ; thej came aboard, drew their 
 poles from the mud, and resumed their work. 
 This operation was performed very frequently 
 during the whole trip. 
 
 At dusk, and in the rain, we reached Ga- 
 tun, the first toicn, consisting of one bamboo 
 hut. situated at the confluence of a stream of 
 tiie same name and the main river. Two 
 boats were already there, and two others soon 
 arrived, making the " arm}' of occupation " for 
 the night to consist of five " vessels," and 
 seventeen souls. 
 
 General Adair's excellent wife was in poor 
 health, and wished a chicken. This incident, 
 with some others, so fully illustrate the utter 
 simplicity of these natives at this time, in 
 matters of finance, that its rehearsal will be 
 pardoned : 
 
 The General asked the man of the house 
 for one of his chickens, of which a consider- 
 able niunber were at hand. " Si, Seuor," was 
 the reply, politely uttered. The chicken was 
 caught, killed, and dressed by the General 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 79 
 
 The price was asked, and with the same 
 blandness he said, "Quatro reales." Certainly 
 this was not unreasonable, a fine chicken tor 
 a half dollar, whicli was at once paid. Sticks 
 were gathered by the Adairs, a fire built 
 ii|K)n stones, and a pot — horvoiced for the oc- 
 casion — hung between an improvised "shears'" 
 over the fire, and in due time the chicken 
 was cooked, and Mrs. Adair very much re- 
 freshed thereby. But the end was not yet. 
 The '■ landlord " again addressed the General, 
 very politely raising his ''sombrero" and bow- 
 ing his head as he said, in Spanish, "Two 
 dollars for the use of the pot, if you please." 
 At that particular time the (Jeneral's knowl- 
 edge of Spanish utterly failed him, and the 
 '•landlord" finally turned awaj' highly dis- 
 gusted with the stupidity and ignorance of 
 "el Americano." 
 
 After being entertained for an hour or two 
 by the very jxAite and intelligent conversation 
 ol' the "landlord" and his "seiiora" — not 
 one word of which we could understand — and 
 the elegant acting of their "muchachas," the 
 delicacy of which we failed to see ; none of 
 
80 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 whom wore any sort of clothing, except that 
 the two former had each a very jioor substi- 
 tute for the Edenic apron — we sought "rooms" 
 for our wives and daughters. We gentlemen 
 had otlier business than to sleep, as will soon 
 be seen. We were accorded for the ladies 
 "the best room in the house." In one cor- 
 ner of the tioorless hut, a stick of timber, 
 some six inches through and twelve feet long, 
 with a notch cut once in eighteen inches, 
 stood slanting against the corner. , Overhead 
 were large bamboo poles for beams, and small 
 bamboo poles laid across them for a floor. 
 Uji that notched pole the ladies climbed, and 
 spreading the blankets, which we threw u]) 
 after them, upon these bare poles, they com- 
 posed themselves for the night. 
 
 The vicinity was full of robbers. Where- 
 fore we organized the entire male force of our 
 part}' into a "home guard." Every man Avas 
 heaAdly armed, with bowie-knife, revolver, and 
 double-barreled shot-gun, and uniformed in a 
 gum cloth cap and cloak. We stationed our 
 pickets, gave strictest orders to our sentinels, 
 and then, with shouldered arms and martial 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 81 
 
 tread, patrolled the vicinity of our boats and 
 our wives through the livelong night. Oh ! how- 
 it rained. 
 
 At about 3 o'clock A. M., two or three 
 marauders appeared near one of our pickets, 
 the cocking of whose gun started them off in 
 such haste that his shot did not probably 
 overtake them. 
 
 Tn the morning we were off at the dawn. 
 Upon asking for the l)ill for the lodgings of 
 the ladies, we were told. "Dos pesos eada 
 una" — firo ilollars ajnece. We consulted, and 
 handed him twenty-five cents each, which he 
 most graciously accepted without saj'ing a 
 word. 
 
 About sundown of the next da}' we tied 
 up to the 1)ank. went ashore, kindled a fire, 
 made coffee, and prepared our dinner and 
 supper all at once. By some mishap all of 
 the ladies had mislaid their spoons. Seeing 
 a native hut aliout a quarter of a mile off, 
 one of the gentlemen went and asked for the 
 loan of a teaspoon. It was an old, bent, 
 battered, dilapidated, blackened specimen of 
 block tin, which had probably Ijeen liestowed 
 
82 FIEST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 upon some ancestral damsel by Ballx)a, in 
 acknowledgment of favors r-cceived at the time 
 lie discovered the Pacific. 
 
 The ladies washed it, and then we all used 
 it, in tia-n, to stir the sugar in our coftee. 
 The meal over, the spoon was returned, so 
 much brighter than it came that the seilora 
 thought it must have been nearly worn out. 
 and charged "uno real" tor the use ol' it. 
 
 Oiu' canoe had a low thatched looJ", cover- 
 ing about six feet in the central portion. 
 This screened us Irom the sun by day and 
 fog by night, and the treciuent deluging rains 
 which tell without regard to time. 
 
 After an hour we lay down, and, trom 
 long continued fatigue and want of sleep, slept 
 very soundly. While asleep the livei- fell 
 rapidly, leaving the bow of our canoe on the 
 bank, while the stern, toward which were 
 onr heads, sank with the falling stream, until 
 we were, unconsciously-, I3 ing with our feet at 
 an angle of some filteen ilegrees highei' than 
 our heads. 
 
 In this position there came up, or rather 
 doirii. a tropical shower, which .so filled and 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 83 
 
 run down our canoe, that the water rose uucUt 
 our heads, and flowing into om* ears, awakened 
 us to a sense of another of the beauties of 
 pioneering in tlie tropics. 
 
 Having reached Cruces — the head of nav- 
 igation — we debarked, in a drenching rain, 
 and sought lodgings in the best hotel. How good 
 the accommodations were, and how delicious 
 the fare was, need not l)e told beyond this, 
 that our blankets spread upon our trunks, in 
 an open space, thatched over head with palm 
 leaves, under which some twenty- others, like 
 ourselves, on trunks or l^oxes, or on the 
 ground, also slept, was the ''best room in the 
 house," and also tliat we lived on eggs and 
 raw onions, because, when we had removed 
 the shell from the one, and the husk fi'om 
 the other, we knew the inner portion was 
 clean. 
 
 There, perhaps, never was a case wliere 
 travelei's more effectually frightened the natives 
 than ours. 
 
 A few persons had, from time to time, i'or 
 centuries, crossed the Isthmus, being furnished 
 with pack and saddle animals by the people 
 
84 FJJiST STEAMSHIP PIONEEMS. 
 
 who kept them for such purposes. But now, 
 gold hiid been discovered in California, and 
 five vessels, all crowded with an excited mass 
 of adventurei's, had reached Chagres within a 
 sinofle week. 
 
 The canard, ''the Americans have come to 
 take the country," gained credence, and every 
 horse, and mule, and donkey, was driven into 
 the mountains for safety from the rapacity of 
 the invaders. All property, of every kind that 
 could be, was "cached," and none but the 
 bravest, or the most feeble of the people remained 
 at jvccessible points. Add to this, the cholera 
 broke out in a most malignant form, and five 
 of our number were soon claiming at our 
 hands the last sad rites of sepulture. The 
 town did not aftbrd boards enough for a single 
 coffin, and we buried them in their blankets. 
 
 Of this number was Captain Elliott, in 
 ♦•barge of the Quartermaster's Department for 
 the Pacific Division of the army — -one of the 
 noblest specunens of an American soldier that 
 ever graced our arm}-. 
 
 He and his bride left New York with us, 
 but she suflei'ed so terribly with seasickness, 
 
FIJiST .S'TEAM.SJIIl' PJONBEBS. 85 
 
 before we reuched New Orleans, that he feared 
 to take her further, and sent her overhmd to 
 ^h)bile, the home of hei' parents, while he, 
 •obedient to orders, pursued his journey, to die 
 without her soothing presence, and be buried 
 in Ibreign soil, by the hands oi' Ids conrpan- 
 ions in arms. 
 
 Here, also, fell Luoket and JiuKCH, and 
 otliers. 
 
 This added to the general alarm of the 
 people, and they most heartily wished us all 
 in a place to which none of us cared to go. 
 
 After waiting five <lays, we induced them to 
 bring in a, lew animals, that we might reach 
 Panama. The i-oad was in terrible condition, 
 and the ride of twenty' -five miles in the saddle 
 was a task, especially I'or ladies, I'ull ol' toil and 
 dangei-, and gave rise to one of those bold steps, 
 illustrative of the superior moral heroism of 
 the fair sex over tluit of the sterner. 
 
 Mr. Whitney and Rev. O. C. Wiieelek, with 
 their wives, had been -'messing" together. 
 WiiiTNKY came in, early iu tbe morning of 
 .Inuuary oth, 1S49, very mucli excited, and 
 said. •* Another man is dead ; we nuist not 
 
8(i FTEST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 stay here. I have obtained three aiiiinali*. not 
 very good, but the onl\ ones to be had. If 
 you. Mr. Wheeler, will take the ladies over. 
 I will obtain pack aninials as soon as I can. 
 and l)ring the trunks." Mr. Wheeler said : 
 " My wife has agreed to wear a suit of my 
 clothes and ride as I do. li' your wife will do 
 so with yours. T will take her, otherwise I can- 
 not, for I think it the only safe way." The 
 proposition was agreed to, and in thirty minutes 
 the whole population, both native and foreign, 
 was assembled to see the novel sight. The 
 three left at once, amid the most exciting 
 cheers. These two ladies were the only ones 
 that made the trip without disaster. Mrs. 
 Wheei^r did not dismount until they reached 
 Panama, having actually remained in the 
 saddle ten and a half hours, over one of the 
 worst possible roads, and all the time under 
 a burning tropical sun, or in such deluging 
 showers of rain as are known only on the 
 Isthmus. 
 
 When these two ladies and their escort 
 passed the gates of Panama, the w^elkin fairly 
 rang with shouts of applause and jiealing 
 
FIBSr STKAM&HIP PIOjSTEEHS. 87 
 
 cheers, an exercise that contmually increased, 
 until they reached the hotel, where Mrs. 
 Whkeler was taken iVoiii her liorse, and carried 
 by enthusiastic- ai'uiy olficcrs and j>entlemen 
 pioneers, to her room, in tlie second stoi-y ot" 
 the large huildiiii;'. The emphatic decdarations 
 "These are the only two sensible ladies among us," 
 "That is the oidy nitioiml \v:iv ibr a lady 
 to attempt the trip," and otliers of similar 
 import were repeated Ibi' the hundredth time. 
 This act inau.uurated, and those noble men 
 sanctioned and gave (diaraiiter and honorable 
 repute, to an innovation adapteil to tlu' cir- 
 cinnstances ; and established a custom which, 
 by ladies who liad an opportunity to prejiare 
 tcir it betbre leaving liome, was t()r years ap- 
 pi'eciated and enjoyed. 
 
 IJef'ore the [)assengers by the pioneer steam- 
 shi]) had all reached Panama, some l,o(IO 
 hal ai-rived a,t (!hiigres, and were pushing 
 their way across the Isthmus by every con- 
 ceivable and possible means. 
 
 We arrived at Panama on the very day 
 that the steamer •' (Jaliforniit," which had gone 
 around, was generally considered due there. 
 
88 FIRST STKAMSirrP PIONEERS. 
 
 But we were compelled to wait twenty -five 
 days, before she arrived and was ready to 
 sail again. 
 
 During this time there were all manner ol' 
 expedients resorted to for relief from the un- 
 paralleled circumstances. All were waiting, 
 and nearly all impatiently, so to be again ou 
 the way to the land of gold. 
 
 Some, to kill time, drank, and others gaui- 
 bled ; .some studied Spanish, and others hunted 
 paroquets and monkeys ; some fished from 
 the rocks, and others gathered shells on the 
 beach ; some sought remunerative labor at their 
 trades, and others went into speculations. 
 Fev) — very few, renuiined idle, and all ga\e 
 vent to expressions of extreme delight when 
 it was announced, " All aboard for San Fran- 
 Cisco ! 
 
 " Me other ciii-om in oIIk'I- climes engage, 
 Cares that lieeonie iny birth and suit my ago: 
 In various knowledge to instruct my youtli, 
 And conquer prejudice, worst foe to trutli; 
 By t'oreigu arts, domestic faults to mend, 
 Enlarge my notions, and my views extend; 
 The useful science of the world to know, 
 Which hooks can never teach, nor pedants show." 
 
Chapter V 
 
 NJ'^W YOUK TO PAJSAMA VIA STRAfTS 
 OF MAGELLAN. 
 
 H E following is the journal kept by 
 Dr. A. B. Stout, Surgeon of the 
 steamship "California," on her pioneer 
 trip from New York to San Francisco, in 
 1848-9. We give it in the words of the 
 author, thus aftbrding a present view of 
 facts, impressions and reflections, which were 
 fresh twent}' - five years ago : 
 
 New Yokk, Oct. G, 184S. 
 
 Friday, Oct. Htli. — The steamship California, 
 Captain Cleaveland Forbes, though advertised 
 to sail for the Pacific Ocean on the 2d inst., 
 was delayed by an order from Government 
 until to-day. All interested in her departure 
 

 90 
 
 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 received instructions to be at Whitehall at 11 
 o'clock, to meet a steamer which would con- 
 veA- them on board. The mail did not arrive 
 imtil later, and some complaints were ex- 
 pressed of the dilatory habits of the Postoffice. 
 At 12 were, however, clear of our steamer, 
 and fairly under weigh. A delisihtful passage 
 <lown the ba}', with as fair a day as ever 
 dawned, was enlivened by the presence of 
 several ladies; and a rich collation contributed 
 to cheer all hands. 
 
 i^atitnki.y, Oct. 7th. — For the first time in 
 my life, and thougli the weather was fine 
 and sea calm as a lake, was roused at 4 
 A. M. by seasickness, which lasted for an hour. 
 I attribute this to having sle]it in a newly 
 painted stateroom, still redolent of the painter, 
 and to the mental and physical fatigue con- 
 sequent upon the exertions of leaving home. 
 
 At breakfast the Captain rejjorted that the 
 '■crosshead" of the engine was cracked. On 
 inspection, I found .several cracks near the 
 center, one of which distinctly clicked and 
 from which the oil was forced by the action 
 of the engine. Sad mishap ! . Our Engineer, 
 
Mr. Baird, had promised himself and us to 
 run to Rio without stopping the machinery. 
 All day was employed hoisting out coal to 
 obtain access to a spare crosshead. The ship 
 was out of trim, dirty. At evening it was 
 determined to continue using the cracked 
 beam, watch it carefully, and have the spare 
 one ready if required. 
 
 A fireman came to me to dress Ids hand, 
 cut in the palm one inch, about a week ago. 
 
 S'lnidny, Oct. 8th — I was called at 7 a. m., 
 to visit a fireman, seasick and debilitated by 
 the warmth of the engineers' quarters. Sev- 
 eral engineers are complaining. Mr. Baird 
 himself has taken some medicine. 
 
 Beautifiil weather ; a good breeze ; sails set. 
 After breakfast caught in a basket some of 
 the gulfweed. It was covered with minute 
 univalve shells, like i^ltmorhis, and small 
 berries. I pressed the plant, and preserved 
 some of the shells, leaves and fruit in alcohol. 
 
 The Captain called me to his stateroom, 
 and requested me to read the church service. 
 Irrelevant to my habits as this was, I 
 immediately consented, to oblige him : and 
 
92 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 staiuling at the capstan, with all hands on deck, 
 perlbrmed the duty. A new occupation for 
 Ot hello — but new scenes requii'e new aptitudes. 
 
 A sail hi sight — a ship or a bark. Bravo! 
 we shall speak her. Vain hope ! She crosses 
 our bow too far oft!, and the courtesies of the 
 sea seldom take a vessel out of her track. 
 So we showed our national Hags, both Ameri- 
 can, and Captain Forijes ran up the flag of 
 Guiana, and took the latitude, etc. She proved 
 to be a home -bound whaler. 
 
 There have been clouds in the sky, and 
 rain talliiig in the distance, indicating the 
 line of the gulf. 
 
 Momlaij, Oct. ntlt. — After breakfast prescribed 
 for several small ailings. Read Spanish. The 
 ofiicers employed taking observations. We are 
 near the Bemiudas, and had the wind not 
 changed should probably have had a sight of 
 them. Saw several birds. 
 
 Tmsday, Oct. loth — Weather very fine. No 
 sail set. Nothing of interest has occurred. 
 No sail seen. Read Spanish with Mr. Bowen, 
 and studied it through the day. Passed night 
 watch, from 12 to 4 A. .\i., on deck. 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 93 
 
 First Engineer suffering severely from ?ieat. 
 
 Weilnesilaif, Oct. llth. — Weather warm, fine; 
 some clouds. 
 
 First ilngineer still suttering. but better. 
 Moved him to stateroom 18. 
 
 A \oung hawk has taiien refuge in the 
 rigguig. 1 ortei'ed a premium tor him. but 
 in vain ; he kept his watch as well at night 
 as by da}'. Flying fish have Ijeen seen, but 
 1 was not so fortunate as to be on deck. 
 
 Thnrmhin, Oct l.ith. — Did not i-ise till the 
 second gong. Alter breakfast I learned for 
 the first time that my gunpowder liad been 
 put ashore without my knowledge, and left 
 with Mr. Stillman, Novelty Works. After 
 the precautions 1 liad taken, 1 ought to have 
 been spared this useless disappointment. 
 
 The First Engineer is much better ; but I 
 spent ail hour taking care of him. 
 
 T<j the boy who had so willingly gone out 
 twice to the end of tlie spanker gaft", I gave 
 the premium, though he had failed to sur- 
 prise the hawk. The affair of the hawk 
 occasioned us not a little merriment. 
 
 In the afternoon a srpiall with rain came 
 
94 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 on but soon passed. Studied Spanish, and 
 was constanth- occujiied with Mr. Baird. 
 
 Saturdaij. Oct. l.itlt. — On coming on deck 
 this morning I was presented by the first offi- 
 cer, Mr. DuEYEE with two tl\ing fishes, which 
 had come aboard in the niglit. I examined the 
 fishes with care, and put them in alcohol. A 
 ship, apparently bound to New York, has just 
 passed, hull down. The sight of a vessel 
 after several days of this ocean solitude, filled 
 our hearts with joy. Charming weather, and 
 so warm that I have thrown off silk under - 
 vest and vest, and wear, even of evenings, a 
 tiiin coat. 
 
 SiDiday, Oct. 1.5tlt. — The day passed in 
 reading and studying Spanish. Fine weather. 
 Again read the morning Church Service. Saw 
 this afternoon a brig standing homeward. 
 
 Some wretch of a lioy shut our poultry 
 closet doors last night, and tliis morning the 
 scene of death was ajjpalling. It seemed as 
 if a cholera plague had passed through the 
 coops, and at least fifty cadavers were com- 
 mitted to the deep. Six shee^J, four pigs, ducks, 
 chickens, turkies, and geese, were found, their 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 95 
 
 eyes closed in death as they had been closed 
 in sleep. 
 
 Monday, Ckt. Uiih. — An accident to the 
 boiler has kept the Captain np nearly all 
 jiight. We continued with one Ijoiler. making 
 about five knots. After breakfast saw a sail 
 in the distance. 
 
 Between the thermometer on deck and in 
 the cabin there is five deg. diflerence, although 
 the cabin is well ventilated. I have thrown 
 off" drawers, and put on thinner pantaloons. In 
 recompense for wlnit we suffer by warmth we 
 have a beautif'ull\- clear skv, a pleasant breeze, 
 and a lake- like ocean. But there is no awn- 
 ing, and no comfort on deck ; to enjoy the 
 air we must endure the sun. 
 
 The Engineer has recovered, and the first 
 steward is now ill. though a little better to- 
 day. Verih', we are attacked by malady in 
 our vital parts. 
 
 An awning has been extended over our 
 cuddy deck, which has conti-ibuted essentially 
 to the comfort of everybody. 
 
 P. M. After tea came a squall with a heavy 
 shower. Mv overcoat endured the trial and I 
 
96 FIRST NTKAMSIJIP PIONKEBS. 
 
 remained out during the whole shower with- 
 out being wet. 
 
 Read Spanish with Mr. Bowen, our good - 
 natured passenger. I had a fine najj under 
 the awning ; also helped Mr. Durtee draw 
 threads from a piece of canvass to make a 
 cover for the binnacle. 
 
 Satarday, Oct. nth. — Earl>- rising has not _\et 
 become one of w\y virtues. After breakfast at- 
 tended to my sick steward. If his heart is 
 as difficult to open as his Ijowels, 1 pity the 
 one who depends upon his charity. 
 
 Made a calculation for the Captain, or a 
 table to aid him to rate his chronometer 
 (Dent's ; cost $230). Studied Spanish Grammar, 
 and mounted a straw hat. Every day requires 
 some change of dress to adapt me to the 
 gradual approach to the equator. 
 
 The restoration of Mr. Baird's health is at- 
 tended with a manifest improvement in the 
 working of the engine. That of the steward 
 is equally essential to the dinner. 
 
 Passed part of the P. M. assisting to make 
 a capstan cover. Eead Gil Bias. Thank 
 heavens ! the steward's bowels have at last 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIOXEEBS. 97 
 
 yielded to ca spirited siege of several days, 
 conducted with an array of pills and potions 
 to an appalling extent. We had dense clouds 
 coming up from S. E. which gave us passing 
 showers, without at any time obscuring the 
 stars. 
 
 Wednesday, Oct. 18th. — After breakfast looked 
 after several indisposed, re - arx-anged my phar- 
 macy, and read some Spanish. 
 
 A beautiful day ; the wind enabling us to 
 set spencers. 
 
 P. M. The paint dried on the deck-lights; 
 proving too unmanageable for the ordinary 
 modes of cleaning deck, I attacked it with 
 nitric acid, and succeeded in the treatment ol 
 dirty deck-lights. Then worked on Mr. Dur- 
 yee's capstan cover. 
 
 Thursday, Oct. 19th. There was heavy rain 
 in the night. After breakfast the engine was 
 stopped to renew the wadding of the pistons, 
 etc. A. M. Read Spanish, etc. Prepared med- 
 icine for several who required it ; our worthy 
 Captain being among the number. Overhauled 
 my medicine chest. 
 
 I bet with Mr. Bowen a bottle of porter 
 
98 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 our latitude would be less than 12°. I lost. 
 It was 12° 13'. 
 
 I was surprised in this latitude and longi- 
 tude to see a large dragon fly (libellula) 
 amusing itself around the ship. Mr. Bowen 
 thought he must have come with us, and now 
 made his first appearance on deck. The Cap- 
 tain supposed he hailed from the most south- 
 ern and western of the West India Islands. 
 Agassiz has told me that the female 
 libellula is the first to seek the male. 
 In rapid flight she seizes the object of her 
 choice by the neck, and never relaxes her 
 hold until her attachment is amply rewarded. 
 I find, however, in the Diet. d'Hist. Nat. 
 of D'Orbigny, that the "demoiselle" is exoner- 
 ated from thit< unchaste aspersion, and that it 
 is the male which first advances ; and, seizing 
 the female by the throat, compels her to 
 accept his addresses. 
 
 Do the larvae of the libellula live in salt 
 water ? If so, the specimen we saw this morn- 
 ing may have been washed to sea in the 
 Gulf stream in a larval state, and, having un- 
 dergone its metamorphosis at this distance 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 99 
 
 from shoi'e, been making its flight for land 
 when attracted for rest and food to the ship. 
 
 I saw numerous small flying -fish skipping 
 along the surface of the water, ahead of the 
 vessel. 
 
 Friday, Oct. 20th. — Very heavy riain duiing 
 the night, with frequent squalls. The Captain 
 has been much amused in observing the dif- 
 ference of these squalls from those of more 
 northern latitudes. Li the latter they come up 
 suddenly with violent gusts which require the 
 utmost despatch to furl sail ; but in these lat- 
 itudes they are more mild, cover a part of the 
 sky, then divide and pass off in different 
 directions. Often the cloud discharges its 
 rain, but is unattended b}' wind. Rain in the 
 morning ; at 12 o'clock clear sky. 
 
 All hands very busy clearing ship. 
 
 Winds high and as usual nearly ahead. 
 
 Arranged medicine chest, read a little, took 
 a bath. 
 
 Saturday, Oct. 21st. — Fine weather, very 
 warm. Nothing to do but read. The Captain's 
 throat much improved. 
 
 We are everj- day discovering badly finished 
 
100 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 work in the ship. It is now the pipes for 
 blowing out the salt from the boilers, which 
 are defective, and occasioned us a loss of 
 twenty - five minutes yesterday, during which 
 the steamer was stopped for repairing them. 
 
 Tn the course of the day the alarm bell of 
 fire was suddenly rung ; the crew were in 
 an instant running in every direction, but 
 generally directing their course forward. Hose- 
 pipes and water were soon in requisition ; 
 and all the pumps were quickly in activity to 
 extinguish the fire. In a word every one 
 was at a moment's warning at his post, and 
 busily engaged. But this time the fire butt 
 was directed overboard. The Captain had 
 ordered a false alarm to exercise the men in 
 their several allotted duties in the event of 
 fire. The crew is entirel}' organized into a 
 fii'e corps, having to each man a station 
 appointed, to which, and to no other he 
 shall instantly repair at whatever moment 
 the fearful alarm may be given ; and his 
 duty is pre - arranged by a standing order 
 given thus in advance, that no man may be 
 at a loss for occupation, or be in danger of 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 101 
 
 interfering or confusing others in their work. 
 After the alarm was over and the fire im- 
 plements tried, a card was issued to each one 
 of the crew, indicating to him his number, 
 title, duty and station. To me the following 
 duty was assigned by card : 
 
 " Dr. A. B. Stout. — To repair to larboai'd 
 gangway, and keep passengers aft ; and to see 
 that Mr. Durvee's instruments, charts, &c., are 
 passed into larboard quarter -boat if necessary." 
 
 Thus every possible precaution is taken to 
 suppress a fire, if this most appalling of acci- 
 dents which can happen to a ship at sea 
 should occur. 
 
 Suruhii/, Oct. :^Jd. — A. M., read service of the 
 Church on deck. P. M., a violent rain- squall 
 came on, during which I tried my waterjjroof 
 coat by sitting on the capstan, and by receiv- 
 ing also on my head the water collected in 
 the cuddy deck awning. I came out dry. 
 Several showers occurred during the evening, 
 and numbers of gulls were seen flying in the 
 distance. They apparently feared to approach 
 the sbip. 
 
 Monday, Oct. .^Ad. — Weather beautiful. I was 
 
102 FIRST STEAMSHIP PI02\EERS. 
 
 called this morning by Mr. Duryee to see a 
 sail, a ship bound homeward, apiiarently. We 
 hoisted our flag, to which the sail replied, 
 and we then run up our signal, *' U. S. M." 
 Birds seen at a distance — shearwaters. 
 
 On approaching the Line the conversation 
 turns frequently ujwn the subject of "Lord 
 Neptune," and hundreds of sailor - stories of 
 shaving, tarring and feathering, are related. 
 
 Tiiesdny, Oct. .'4tJi. — Weather superb. In 
 the morning early, cloudy. The steamer was 
 stopped fifty minutes to repair the pump valves, 
 and ^vater to a considerable amount was 
 pumped out of her. 
 
 At about 3 o'clock we crossed the Line, 
 and, to my great joy, Lord Neptune did not 
 appear. The Captain endeavored to make me 
 see the line by fixing a sticl: across the spy- 
 glass, but I eluded the hoax. The evening 
 was extremel}' cool and the dew copious. 
 There is an evident change in the air. 
 
 Wednesday, Oct. ;i5tli. — Weather delightful. 
 During the night more steam was made to 
 enable us to come up Avith an island, marked 
 on the chart, before night. The Captain ex- 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 103 
 
 pects to make it about five o'clock p. m. This 
 morning numerous II3 ing fish [Exoccettia volitiuvf) 
 were seen, and several stonny petrels. 
 
 The island, Fernando Noronha, was passed 
 in the night to the westward, hut not in 
 siglit. 
 
 Tlidrxilnij, Oct. jath. — P'ine breeze, enabling 
 us to sprea<l our lore and att sails. The 
 nights which, before crossing the Line, had 
 been hot and sultrj-, are now delightfully cool. 
 Tlie Captain was up nearly all night on the 
 lookout for Fernando Noronha, but the island 
 did not appeal-. As Mr. DuRYEE had shown 
 me the line through his spy -glass, I recipro- 
 cated the fiivor, and the only land seen was 
 through his glass ; and, in fact, as his line 
 still remained when he had fixed it, my island 
 was found a few degrees below it. The island 
 proved to be carboniferous, and, as it was 
 attached to its firm base with gum aralnc, 
 and served to hoax the natives, it was called 
 "Great Gum Island." 
 
 Last evening the Captain pointed out to me 
 "the bright belt of Orion," "the Pleiades," 
 and " Aldebaran." 
 
104 
 
 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIOKEEES. 
 
 Friday, Oct. 27 1h. — The finest possible 
 weather, only that the wind was neither 
 fair enough, nor full enough, for our sailing 
 qualities. All busy making bets upon our 
 arri\al at Rio. The morning I passed in 
 reading and studying. Evening, the Captain 
 played the accordeon, and Mr. Bowen and T 
 waltzed. 
 
 Sotiu-chiy, Oct. jsth. — Earl}' this morning a 
 brig was seen, which in the night must have 
 passed within a mile of us. The sea is like 
 a lake, a gentle land breeze blowing. 
 
 P. M., rain and head wind. 
 
 Sunday, Oct. 29t]i. — The rain has continued 
 nearly all night, wind ahead, and considerable 
 sea on, so that our speed has been dimin- 
 ished. This morning, at 6^ o'clock, I was 
 called b}' Mr. Duryee to see a sail ; and, in 
 the hope that we might speak her, I was 
 forthwith on deck. .She proved to be a ship 
 bound south, probably to Rio. We had over- 
 taken her and passed out of hailing distance. 
 By 9 A. M. she was astern, nearly out of sight. 
 Another brig was seen, which we also passed. 
 After reading the morning service I laid siege 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 105 
 
 to a medical book, and continued before it 
 until dinner time. 
 
 This morning a "man-of-war" bird hovered 
 for sometime over the ship — said to be a sure 
 indication of the vicinity of land, as they 
 never leave sight of it — ( Trachypetes aquila, 
 or Pelecanus acjuili(.^ — Frigate pelican). These 
 birds ofter an interesting study, for there i.s 
 much doubt in regai'd to the species. 
 
 Monday, Oct. 30th. — P. M. — I was called at 
 lOi P. M. last evening to the Captain, attacked 
 with hemorrhage from the lungs. I immedi- 
 ately bled him, placed him in a stateroom 
 of the cabin, and having made him as com- 
 fortable as possilile, lay down by him in the 
 same stateroom. 
 
 Tuesday, Oct. .J 1st. — I this morning again 
 bled the Captain, and took every precaution to 
 prevent a recurrence of hemorrhage. The 
 whole day has been spent taking care of my 
 patient. In the night hemorrhage again re- 
 curred, but to a small amount. 
 
 Wednesday, Nov. 1st. — The day has been 
 employed in the care of our excellent Cap- 
 tain, whose anxiety to perform the duties of 
 
106 
 
 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 the ship is the principal obstacle to his recov- 
 ery. He passed the day without fever of 
 consequence. There was no hemorrhage in 
 the night. 
 
 This morning at 41 o'clock we made Cape 
 Frio light ; and, as the Captain was improv- 
 ing, he was very anxious to get on deck, but 
 the pleasure was denied him. 
 
 At 5 o'clock p. M., having certainl}- overrun 
 our distance to Rio, the Captain came on deck, 
 and was exposed considerably to the weather, 
 l>ut he finall}- put us right, and at a late hour 
 retired. We perhaps owe to his sagacity an 
 escape from a serious misfortune. 
 
 Thursday, Nov. 2d. — As the result proved, 
 we had overrun to nearly St. Sebastian's 
 Island ; and the night and morning were oc- 
 cupied in retracing our steps, so that our 
 voyage has been thereby increased one day. 
 We were off the port of Rio yesterday at 12 
 o'clock, A. M. We have run back against a 
 strong head wind ; the steamer, however, sail- 
 ing admirably. Off Santa Cruz we stopped, 
 and blew the steam whistle to spur up the 
 lazy port officers. At 4 p. M. all visits were 
 
FIItST STEAMSHIP PIONEEBS. 107 
 
 finished, and, under a fine head of steam, the 
 vessel went rapidly to her anchorage, aston- 
 ishing all .spectators by her speed. In the 
 evening I went ashore, and called, with Mr. 
 DuRTEE and Mr. Bowen, on Mr. Birckhead, 
 the consignee of the ship. As might be ex- 
 pected iii a Catholic country, it was a day 
 consecrated t« the church. All Soul's day 
 was honored by an illumination of the churches. 
 
 Fridaij, Nov. Sd. — Went ashore to peram- 
 bulate with Mr. Bowen ; while our invalid 
 Captain, insisting on fulfilling his duties, en- 
 tered his vessel at the Custom House, and 
 performed other work. In consequence of 
 which, he returned on board at dinner time 
 much exhausted. 
 
 M\- walk was through the principal streets 
 to .see the novelties of the citj' — visited the 
 church and saw the ceremony of visiting the 
 relics of the dead, and witnessed the service 
 for the benefit of their souls. The mode of 
 preserving the ashes of the dear departed is 
 singular. 
 
 Dined on board at 2 o'clock, and in the 
 evening went to the oi^era Nebucadonozor. 
 
108 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 Two acts were performed, Cachucha danced, 
 and finalty the ballet Reyna de las Flores was 
 badly danced. 
 
 Saturday, Nov. 4th. — Remained on board all 
 the morning ; the afternoon also ; when the 
 Captain brought some friends to tea — Captain 
 and Mrs. Corning, and Miss Dean of Brook- 
 lyn. The ship's beauties were shown them, 
 and then we danced, while the Captain played 
 the accordeon. At 9 o'clock, with Mr. Dur- 
 YEE and Mr. Bowen, went ashore to see a 
 fancy ball at the Hotel N actional. As the 
 admission to ladies was gratis, the character 
 of the ball may be surmised — a wretched 
 aftair. 
 
 Stmday, Xoc. 5th. — Remaiiaed on Ijoard 
 until 2 o'clock. During the morning, our 
 Minister, Mr. Todd, and the consul, Mr. 
 Parkes came to visit the ship. 
 
 At 2 o'clock went on board the Brandy- 
 wine to dine Avith the assistant surgeon, Dr. 
 . Went early to bed. 
 
 Monday, Nov. 6th. — The Captain's health 
 having excited the solicitude of his friends 
 ashore, he has desired a consultation, by their 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEEHS. 109 
 
 advice, with Dr. Bache, fleet surgeon on board 
 the Brandywine. I went accordingly to seek 
 him. He accompanied me immediately, and 
 confirmed all the opinions I had already ex- 
 pressed. He recommended that the Captain 
 should at once give up duty, and reside on 
 shore. After dinner, accordingly, I accompanied 
 him, at his request, to Catete, about two 
 miles from the city, where we took lodgings 
 in a delightfully situated hotel (Mr. Constant's). 
 Although the captain was greatly fatigued, he 
 passed the evening in the apartment of Mr. 
 Greenway, conversing until the landlord could 
 get the rooms ready for our reception. Mrs. 
 Hunter, widow of a former Minister of the 
 United States, was present, and during the 
 evening, Mrs. Parkes, the Consul's wife, and 
 Miss Thompson came in. 
 
 Tuesday, Nov. 7th. — Notwithstanding a rainy 
 day, the Captain returned to the city upon 
 some indispensable business, and I went on 
 board to prepare some medicine for him. 
 
 As I had received information of the great 
 pi'e valence of small -pox, I carefully wai'ned 
 the ship's crew and fire department to be as 
 
110 
 
 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 little as possible on shore ; and my warning 
 was soon followed by an order from the 
 Captain, positively forbidding all communica- 
 tion. 
 
 At 3 o'clock we dined at Catete. The 
 Captain and I then finished our letters home, 
 to be sent in the ship E. Corning, Captain 
 Corning, to New York, and I took them to 
 the city, and bade adieu to Mrs. Corning 
 and to Miss Dean, who sail with him. 
 
 Took tea with Mr. Dprtee and Mr. Bo wen, 
 whom I met in the hotel Pharoux ; after 
 which I took ii cabriolet, and returned to 
 Catete. 
 
 Wednesday, Nov. Hth. — Now that the Captain 
 promises to remain at rest, I have recom- 
 menced treatment. He took last evening li 
 gtt. hydrocyanic acid, and at daylight a second 
 dose. He has passed the night with but very 
 little coughing, and had no paroxysm of cough 
 this morning. I took this morning a delight- 
 ful walk along the Botafogo road, admiring 
 the beautiful quintas, the gaudy and luxuriant 
 dora of the gardens, and the almost unrivaled 
 scenery. At 1 o'clock made a visit to Mr. 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. Ill 
 
 Todd, United States Minister, and afterwards 
 called upon Mr. Parkes, his lady, and Miss 
 Thompson. 
 
 Dined with the Captain, and after dinner 
 walked into town upon business for him. 
 Took the Rua Sapa, going in, and viewed 
 the public garden, having a fine terrace 
 upon the shore of the bay. A large building 
 in coui'se of construction appears to be a 
 hospital, which is much needed. 
 
 Passed the evening with the Captain. 
 
 Thursday, Nov. nth. — The Captain has passed 
 an admirable night — without cough — has slept 
 uninterruptedly, and did not require to drink. 
 Tongue cleaner, and voice improved. 
 
 Our ship was delayed at Rio twenty -three 
 days to repair and coal. The Captain's health 
 being now sufficiently restored, we hoisted 
 anchor. From Rio the voyage to the Straits 
 of Magellan, on sighting Cape Virgins, pre- 
 sented only the usual routine of sea life. 
 
 Thursday, Dec. 7lh — At 6.30 a. m. made Cape Virgins. 
 
 " " " '■• 12.30 entered St. of Magellan. 
 
 " " " " 2.30 p. M. off Cape Possession. 
 
 Friday, " 8th •■ 5.30 p. m. at Port Famine. 
 
112 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 Saturday, Dec. 9th — At 11.30 a. m. at Fortesque Bay. 
 
 Sunday. " 10th " 7.30 a. m. at York Eoads. 
 
 Monday, " 11th ■' 3 p. m. at Fortesque Bay. 
 
 Tuesday. " 12th " 2.30 a. m. leave for C. Pillar. 
 " •' " " 5.30 p. M. off Cape Pillar. 
 
 Entered the Straits at 12.30 of Thursday 7th. 
 
 b. m. 
 
 From 12.30 to 2.30 when off Cape Possession 2.00 
 
 " 3.00 A. M. to 5.30 p. M. Friday Sth 14.30 
 
 " 3.30 A. M. to 11.30 A. M. Saturday tUh 8.00 
 
 " 4.00 A. M. to 7.30 A. M. Sunday 10th 3.30 
 
 4.00 A. M. to 5.30 p. M. Tuesday 12th 13.30 
 
 Total sailing time in the Straits of Magella..ii... 41.30 
 
 TIME LOST IN THE STRAITS : 
 
 h. m. 
 
 At Cape Possession, Thursday 7th, from 2.30 p. m. 
 
 to 3.00 A. M 12.30 
 
 At Port Famine, Friday Sth, from 5.30 p. m. to 
 
 2.30 A. M 9.00 
 
 At Fortesque Ba}-, Saturday 9th, from 11.30 a. .m. 
 
 to 4.00 A. M 16.30 
 
 At York Eoads, Sunday 10th, from 7.30 a. m. to 
 
 1.30 p. M 31.00 
 
 Backway from 1.30 to 3.00 p. iM. 1.30 
 
 At Fortesque Bay, Monday 11th, from 3.00 p. m. 
 
 to 2.30 A. M 35.30 
 
 Add from Fortesque Bay to York Roads or to 
 
 Jerome Point 2.00 
 
 Total time lost 108.00 
 
 The expression "time lost" alludes only to 
 the calculation of the duration of the voyage. 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 113 
 
 To me, it was "time" to record on the great 
 register of enjoyment. 
 
 More beautiful scenes can scarcely be im- 
 agined than are everywhere witnessed in 
 passing through the Straits, and on entering 
 the various harbors on its northern side. 
 The navigation here was new to our com- 
 mander. The charts were uncertain ; the 
 tides were rapid, and their rise and fall 
 many feet; the size of the vessel great for 
 these narrow Straits; though generally deej) 
 the water, yet frequent rocks appear in the 
 channel, or, still worse, rise to a few feet 
 below the surface — their location tmly being 
 suspected from the long kelp which grows 
 from them and floats upon the water, or a 
 rift' on the tide at low ebb. Again, the 
 narrowness of the channel and its devious 
 course prevent steering by compass. The way 
 must be found by the skill and sight of the 
 navigator, aided by the landmarks given in 
 the books and charts. But now arises anothei' 
 danger. Sudden squalls of wind and fog, 
 called "willewahs," from the west, dash with 
 violence over the high lands, and, in a few 
 
I 14 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 moments, shut the scene from view. The 
 head wind, with a turn in the trend of the 
 shore, renders advance to a sail -ship impos- 
 sible, to a steamer too dangerous to attempt. 
 The ship must anchor, and hold if she can ; 
 the steamer seeks quick refuge in the nearest 
 of the many deep harbors. It was in one of 
 these surprises that the " California " dropped 
 her anchor in York Roads. The "willewah" 
 had passed ; the charming serenity of the 
 weather was restored. A scene of natural 
 grandeur was unveiled by the departure of 
 the fog. A long vista ol" mountains stretched 
 far into the country, the highest covered with 
 snow ; innumerable cascades through the long 
 perspective, falling from their sharp precipices, 
 poured their waters into the lovely river which 
 meandered through the valley — whose green 
 verdure contrasted with the snow -covered 
 mountain tops. A couple of hours ashore to ex- 
 plore this glorious scene were accorded. Quickly 
 a boat was out, and soon we were reveling in 
 the enjoyment of these beauties of Nature, and 
 a nice stock of game rewardedour romance. 
 But our joy was now rudely brought to an end. 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 115 
 
 Scarcely were we aboard Avheii the snow- 
 white form of the "willewah" peered over 
 the mountain and phmged Uke a Niagara 
 into our tranquil roadstead. In a few mo- 
 ments the bay was crisped with white -caps, 
 as the squall cut deep furrows in the water. 
 " The ship drags her anchor !" was the quick 
 announcement. The usual means had recourse 
 to in such cases were applied in vain. The 
 strong wind and rapid ebb tide was hurrying 
 her towards the mouth of the harbor, when, 
 touching on a rock, the ship came to a dead 
 halt. The rock held better than the anchor, 
 but the fast ebbing tide aftbrded little con- 
 solation, as we felt our vessel beginning to 
 list over. The potent wheels, with all steam 
 on, failed at first to budge her. Two boats 
 were now quickly launched, with a rapidity 
 that was astonishing, and lashed together 
 with a spar across their bow. On this a 
 kedge anchor was promptl}' shipped, and our 
 first officer with brave men rowed in the 
 teeth of the squall and dropped the kedge 
 far out in the bay. The cable was carried 
 to the capstan, and now might be seen 
 
116 FIB ST STEAMSHIP PIONEHES. 
 
 \our surgeon trotting around the deck, tugging 
 at the bar of the capstan, his whilom pulpit, 
 with a "Oh hy yo, heave ho," in lieu of 
 the words better adapted to his piety ; but 
 his ministration was eft'ective, and with a few 
 more "Oh hy ho, heave hos," and a lively 
 motion ot the paddles, the gallant ship yielded 
 to the pressure and glided oft' like a swan 
 upon the water. By this time Mr. Willewah 
 had gone and all was tranquil and serene. 
 A careful inquest was now made on the body 
 of the ship, and it was soon found that her 
 highly seasoned old ribs had borne the shock 
 without a fracture, that the copper on her 
 sternum was uninjured, and that no sign of 
 any dropsical eftusion in her abdomen could 
 be discovered ; and, with a grand head of 
 steam on, we bade adieu to the scene of our 
 lomance and our stern necessity. 
 
 The diffidence of the Surgeon . dissuades him 
 from attributing this relief to his own per- 
 sonal strength, though, since the event, he has 
 always more highly prized the truth of the 
 adage, that it was the last feather that broke 
 the camel's back. He has also carefully re- 
 
FinST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 117 
 
 trained from voting himself any salvage. It 
 was manitest we owed but little gratitude to 
 the power of side -wheels, for they had already 
 proved a failure ; but the " California," in 
 passing a vote of thanks, was unwilling en- 
 tirely to go back on her wheels, and rested 
 her case on that old saw of. "Who helps 
 himself, others will help." 
 
 The ship was soon otf Cape Pillar, and 
 made her tirst salutation to the Pacitic Ocean. 
 Hut a strong gale blew from the west — a 
 welcome in no wise pacific. Our Captain 
 uiight have passed by a channel between some 
 islands and the west coast ; but the navigar 
 tiou was uncertain, the charts doubtful, and 
 his experience of York Roads not yet fully 
 digested ; so he determined boldl}- to breast 
 the gale, and steered seaward. In a few 
 days the "California" anchored in the harbor 
 of Valparaiso. 
 
 Fifty hours at Valparaiso was too short a 
 time to enjo}' much of the varied hospitality 
 proffered us by Messrs. Alsop & Co., and 
 others. The city is surrounded on the land 
 side by a semicircle of mountains, which en- 
 
118 FIR.ST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 compasts it like the walls of a mighty forti'e.ss. 
 A drive h\ a tortuous road to the summit 
 gave us an idea of the location of the eity, 
 and a refreshing contrast to sea life. 
 
 At Valparaiso, the continued illness oi" 
 Captain Forbes rendered a change of officers 
 necessary. Captain Marshall, connnanding a 
 ship on route loi' China, was induced to 
 assist as First Officer, in lieu of Mr. Duryee, 
 who consequently was appointed to the com- 
 mand of Captain M.\rshall's ship. We parted 
 with sorrow from both our good shipmate, 
 and Mr. Bowen, our agreeable passenger. 
 
 The ship arrived the 29tli of December at 
 Callao. At Lima, the health of Captain 
 Ft)RBES rendered a consultation w4th physicians 
 known to the consignees, Messrs. Alsop & Co., 
 desirable to l)oth myself and them ; and it 
 gave an anxious doctor's mind relief to he 
 sustained by the testimony of the consulta- 
 tion. 
 
 At the solicitation of many friends at 
 Callao, a social party was invited on board, 
 and Captain Marshall had an opportunity 
 to show his skill in managing a steamer in 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 119 
 
 <aii excursion caround the harbor. He proved 
 his proficiency on the first trial. The harbor 
 was well filled with ves.sels at anchor, and 
 the beautiful manner in which he i)ursued his 
 tortuous course through the fieet. without 
 touching a vessel, elicited universal admiration. 
 It was a gala day tbi- the first American 
 steamer in a Pacific port. 
 
 It was in Callao and Lima that we first 
 encountered the gold fever. Its lurid glare 
 shed a new light upon the scene. Its con- 
 tagion was overwhelming. Everybody sought 
 to embark for the Golden Lsmd. Alas ! alas ! 
 our .steamer was in l)allast. and no passengers 
 allowed. From the small -pox people fiy, but 
 to this epidemic they rushed with resistless 
 importunity. Intiuence prevailed, and finally 
 about fifty passengers were accepted, and state- 
 j-ooms accordingly awarded to them. 
 
 We frankly confess the chagrin we felt on 
 foreseeing that the delightful otium cum tlujni- 
 fidc, we had enjoyed was menaced. Our vision 
 did not overleap our immediate discomfort, nor 
 did we perceive the vastness of the new 
 arena which was now to be disclosed. In- 
 
120 
 
 FIBST STEAMSHIP PIONEEES. 
 
 credulous, but resigned, we submitted to the 
 unwelcome situatiyn. 
 
 The next port we reached was Payta, 
 famous foi- its delectable pisco and fine straw 
 hats. Here another symptom of the gold 
 mania Ijroke out. A money broker had 
 learned that small coin was scarce in San 
 Francisco, though gold dust was plent_>- and 
 cheaj). He accordingly shipped several kegs 
 of small change, called pistareens, worth fifteen 
 cents, with a A'iew to pass them oft' for 
 twenty -five cent pieces. He had learned that 
 at Panama ten bits made a dollar, while at 
 San Francisco eight were enough, and that 
 any piece the size oi" a quarter would pass 
 for twenty-five cents. The clever broker 
 made from eight to ten cents on every 
 pistareen. With this fine ballast on board 
 we arrived at Panama. 
 
 The "hurra!" which rent the welkin as the 
 yearned -for steamer quietl}- and unpresumingly 
 presented her proboscis and gently dropped her 
 anchor, cannot be described. Its enthusiasm 
 can only be measured by the uproar which 
 followed when the ticket - holders ashore were 
 
FIRS'T STEAMSHIP PIONEER S. 
 
 1-Jl 
 
 informed that the best staterooms were 
 already occupied bv Spaiiifsh passengers from 
 Callao. A universal row — a sort of moral 
 •' willewah " came down. The simple explauii- 
 tion consists in the fact that the ship had 
 left New York in ballast, without thi-ou,uii 
 passengers, four or five passengers having been 
 admitted bv courtesy. The gold fever broke 
 out after the departure of the steamer from 
 New York, and the company in Ne^v York 
 issued way tickets from Panama tt) San 
 Francisco enough to crowd the ship to her 
 utmost capacity: the issue of tickets having 
 been predicated on her arrival empty at 
 Panama : Init the consignees at Callao or 
 Lima, uninformed ol' this fact, had admitted 
 the importunate dime- lovers from Peru. 
 
 Sharks abounded in the harbor of Panama, 
 and to them for a breakfast were to l)e con- 
 signed the intruders li-um Peru. Litigation 
 lor swindle and damages was to Ije the an- 
 nihilation of the Pacific Mail Steamship Com- 
 pany on the Pacific; and the good ship 
 "California" was to be burnt and sunk. 
 
 But, as the last expedient would cut ever\- 
 
liodj's nose oft", it was finally resolved, in con. 
 sideration of the great necessity, and in respect 
 to everybody's good intentions, that the gen- 
 tlemen from Peru should receive the most 
 ample accommodations which the hurricane 
 deck could aftbrd. and that the ticket - holders 
 from New York should possess themselves of 
 the stateiooms as indicated on their tickets. 
 
 Happy solution ! most upright judges ! But 
 the staterooms were not ecjual to the tickets. 
 The company in New York, importuned like the 
 agents in Callao, had over issued their tickets ; 
 and over this balance oi" amount was an 
 excess of outsiders, offering double and treble 
 j)rices to get only a " standee "- right on board. 
 
 But the dispute blew over, and witli an 
 overloaded ship, carrying nearly five hundred 
 souls, we steamed out of the harbor in quest 
 of the Land of Gold. And now the previous 
 "dolce iiir niente" of the Surgeon came t« 
 grief. The Panama fever uuide its appearance, 
 and very many of the passengers became ill. 
 In the cabins, in the steerage, on the decks, 
 in the coils of cable, above and Ijelow, were 
 scattered the sick. Their dreams of gold 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP FIONHJSHS. 123 
 
 were visioiis of disgust. Those who esc;ii)eil 
 the fever were sick of the provisions ; and 
 unconcealed grumbling added its music to the 
 plaints of the invalids. The provisions shipped 
 at Panama had been stored for a long time 
 in damp warehouses and became damaged, and 
 our own stoi-es of delicacies for invalids were 
 quite insufficient. To make the rounds of the 
 ship three times daily; make up the i)re- 
 scriptions; gather tlie emptied vials and boxes, 
 during a sweltering heat ; array in uniform 
 at meal times; and hover around the souj) 
 and gruel boilers to protect his patients from 
 the ravages of the hungry well ones, was the 
 night - and - day work of the doctor. Soon, 
 however, the sick list thinned, and. on pass- 
 ing Cape St. Lucas, when the climate changed 
 to a refreshing coolness, all were well. 1 lunl 
 the blissful satisfaction oi' feeling that not :i 
 passenger had died. 
 
 Time does not permit to recount the 
 thousand and one varied events of the day. 
 as the ship rushed forward on her voyage; 
 nor yet rehearse the drama of strange and 
 exciting incidents which appeared on the 
 
124 FIRST STEAMISHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 stage as we successively made the harbors of 
 Acapiilco, San Ijlas, Monterey, and San Diego. 
 
 On leaving Panama, Captain Forbks became 
 a passenger, and (Japtain Marshall assumed 
 eomraand ; and I could not but grieve that 
 our assiduous commander should be deprived 
 l>y ill health the honor ol' bringing his ship 
 to her destination. One ilay he called me 
 to his statei'oom, and expressing his gratitude 
 I'oi' my care, pi'esented me a gold breastpin 
 as a token of regard. 
 
 As )iow the steamer approached her goal, 
 a serious panic spread through the ship. The 
 fuel was reported short. It Avould be neces- 
 sary to cut wood ashoi'e ; and the danger 
 of being compelled tt) tear the ship to supply 
 the I'urnaces became imminent ; but great joy 
 succeeded the alarm, when the Engineer, Mr. 
 liAOCLiFFE, discovered a lot of coal, wldch had 
 escaped notice, under the forward deck. With 
 this aid we quickly reached our port, and 
 «',ast anchor in the Ha\' ol" Yerba Buena on 
 2Sth day ol' Feluniary, 1S4'.I. 
 
 As the staunch ship calmly steamed up the 
 harbor, with the ilignity of a monarch who 
 
FIRST STKAMSJIIP PT0NJ':EBS'. 125 
 
 had acliieved vuitoiy al'ter a long .strife, guns 
 were lired from the heights, the United States 
 frigate Ohio gave her a sahite and manned her 
 yards. The utmost excitement prevailed in 
 San Francisco. Universal joy and liilarity suc- 
 ceeded. Everybody treated everybody. And 
 til us iu a i)erfect gale of pleasure terminated 
 tlie Icmg voyage from New Yoi-k of the first 
 steamer to California. 
 
 

 
 Ohaptf/r VI 
 
 AM jV F It A NC ISCO TN IS//'.). 
 
 H K vuyaii-o uj) tlie coast of Caliloniia 
 is viiriofl liy ever changing scenery 
 on the main land, and freqnent clus- 
 ters of ishmds. near or more remote from the 
 shore. Notable among these is a group, 
 some thirty-two miles directly west and in 
 front of the Golden Gate. They are three in 
 nunibei', and their e.\treme points are about 
 twelve miles from each other in a north- 
 west and south-east dii'ection, nearly parallel 
 with the coast. They are rocky points of a 
 range of mountains probably once near the 
 coast on the main land, and are called the 
 Farallones {Mauds of the Friars.) 
 
 In early times they were inhaluted Ity 
 large numbers of seals and sea otters. To 
 
FIli.ST STKAilSHIF PIOSEEES. 121 
 
 fa«ilitate the W(jrk of capturing these, the 
 Kii:<sians establi.-^lied a settlement on the 
 ishiiuls, \v1iich contuiuetl until the animals 
 wei'e so killed off that their capture was no 
 lonirer profitable. Though some ol these ani- 
 mals are still to l)e tbuiul there, the islands 
 have been monopolized tor many \ears bv 
 se.i fowl, which there rear their youn;j:. 
 
 This nestinji of the jruU and pelican, and 
 other large birds, attracted egg-hmiters, and a 
 large trade in eggs has lieen carried on from 
 there to San Francisco, and the other large 
 towns of California, for the last twenty years. 
 
 As we approach the latitude of the Golden 
 (iate, these islands are likely to be nearly in 
 «)ur coui-se, and to be taken. b\ the inexperi- 
 enced mariner, for one of the main land 
 heads ; but to the e.xperienced they form a 
 most distinguished and unmistakable landmark. 
 When those islands are directh^ abreast the 
 larl)oard bow of the vessel, she beat's off 
 and soon heads sijuare in through the Golden 
 (late. This opening is only a triHe over one 
 mile wide, and is walled on botii sides by 
 precipitous rocks, to a great hight. 
 
d 
 
 Tlif "■ Iw)- "" tbrijis the .segment ol" a cirde 
 extending I'roni point Lubos. on the south 
 to [Joint Bonita. on the north — the outer 
 he:id« — Init has siilHoient water, at low ti(h'. 
 to tloat till- h'U'gest shi|) in entire sal'ety. 
 
 As till' vessel approaches tlu' entrance to 
 the Golden Gate, it may be -svcz-e of its reck- 
 oning, bv a pecidiar cluster of red - wood 
 trees growing upon a high point on the north 
 side, directlv back of which rises. 2,ft00 feet 
 high. the romantic Mount Tamulpais. 
 Nearlv all the remaining surface, on either 
 hand is entirely md^ed. oi' clothed only with 
 dwarlish shrubbery and chaparral. 
 
 As we head in thi-ough the Gate. Aleatraz. 
 a circular rocky island, containing a few acres, 
 appears in the centre of the strait, or rather 
 channel; as we enter the bay proper. This 
 has now become strongly fortified, and would 
 be a dangerous "watch -dog" for any vessel 
 attempting to pass with belligerent intent. 
 
 The tide when in lull ebb or How. runs 
 between the Gate and Aleatraz. some three 
 miles, at the rate of six knots an liour. 
 
 Perhaps it is not amiss here to pause and 
 
FIBST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 129 
 
 correct an error which, though not very im- 
 portant, is wide- spread, and becoming strongly 
 rooted in the public mind. The name "Golden 
 Gate " is very generally supposed, and natur- 
 ally enough too, to have been derived from 
 the gold fields, to which it was the great 
 entrance from the Pacific. But the name was 
 given and used long before the discovery of 
 gold. 
 
 General John C. Fremont, then Captain 
 Fremont, in his exploring expedition to the 
 Pacific, under the direction of the United 
 States' government, was so struck with the. 
 richness and beauty of the natural resources, 
 and productions, and tlie sweet salubrit}' of 
 the climate, of the valleys and hill -sides sur- 
 rounding the ba}-, and especially of the vast 
 interior valleys, watered by the rivers which 
 empty into it, that he called the entrance to 
 all this beauty and health and future opulencie 
 the "Golden Gate." 
 
 Whether or not, this intrepid explorer pos- 
 sessed any special gifts of prophecy, surely few 
 men have uttered anything more trul} pro- 
 phetic. The name is also applicaljle in view 
 
130 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 of the superioi' excellence of this entrance to 
 this queen of harbors, as compared with any 
 or all the other great harbors of the world. 
 
 Taking circumstances into accoiuit, the small 
 number of disasters occuri'ing here show it 
 U> have a hundred per cent, advantage over 
 any other prominent ocean port on earth. 
 
 On the 28th of February, 1849. we found 
 " Portsmouth Square," where the Plaza now is, 
 in the city ol" San Francisco, to he in latitude 
 37'' 48' north, and longitude west IVom Green- 
 wich 122° 25' — and we presume it is there 
 yei. 
 
 About three miles from the ocean we bore 
 slightly to the south, crossing a cove, upon the 
 south-west border of which was North Beach. 
 Continuing to bear sharply to our right, around 
 a high jutting hill, making full three- fourths 
 of a circle, we dropped anchor about half a 
 mile from shore. As we are still on board 
 where we can see, let us look at the town. 
 
 This hill that we have just rounded, and 
 the corrugated surface looking toward the 
 south-east and extending as I'ar south as Sac- 
 ramento street, are covered with a rich dark 
 
FIRST STKAMSHIP PIONEERS. 181 
 
 alluvium : not, as is generally supposed, with 
 fiand. But to the south of Sacramento street, 
 and to the west of Leavenworth, the hills 
 are mostly sand and unquestionably of ocean- 
 drift origin. 
 
 The town was laid out sometime before our 
 arrival, from the water front, parallel with 
 Montgomery street, as I'ar back as Taylor 
 street, and with other streets at right angles 
 with these, as far south as California street. 
 
 The lots were 50 - varas, or Spanish yards 
 — equal to 137 2 feet scpiare. The blocks, 
 from north to south, are two lots — 275 feet ; 
 and from east to west, three lots — 412i feet. 
 The streets, with only a few exceptions, are 
 sixty feet wide, California and Broadway being 
 a few feet wider. 
 
 Though the town was thus regularly laid 
 out, so little attention had l)een paid t(j street 
 lines or proin-ietorship. that Ba}'ard Taylor, 
 who arrived there in August following, says : 
 " The town is planted, but seems scarcely to 
 have taken root, for tents, canvas, plank, mud, 
 and adobe houses are mingled together with the 
 least apparent attempt at order or dunibility." 
 
]32 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEEBS. 
 
 The village of Yerba Buena [yood herb 
 — which herb is not, as one author states, 
 mint) now denominated the city of San 
 Francisco, lay upon a. cove of the same 
 name, extending from a jutting rocky point, 
 near the junction of the present Broadway 
 and Front streets, to Rincon point, near where 
 Harrison sti*eet reaches the bay, about three- 
 fourths of a mile. 
 
 Indians had lived here, more or less, tor 
 ages. Some three miles south - west, the Span- 
 ish mission ''Dolores" was projected in 1769, 
 but was not established until 1776. 
 
 No building, however, was erected on the 
 present site of San Francisco urttil 1835, when 
 (Japtain A. W. Richardson put up what we 
 would now call a shanty. It consisted of four 
 red -wood poles stuck into the ground, over 
 the tops of which was thrown the foresail of 
 an old bi'ig. Nor were there, up to 1846, 
 more than twenty -five buildings of all descrijv 
 tions. 
 
 In June, 1847, a Lieutenant of Colonel 
 Stevenson's regiment took a census, and found 
 only four hundred and fifty -nine souls of all 
 
FJR.ST STEAMSHIP PIONEEBS. 133 
 
 classes. In March, 1848, the «ame gentleman 
 took another census, and found the population 
 to be just eight hundred and twelve. 
 
 In the following month gold was discovered, 
 and almost the entire population left all, and 
 hastened to the mines. The newspaper was 
 ■compelled to stop publication, and a general 
 gloom came over the whole place. But in 
 this case, as in many others incident to hu- 
 man life, what seemed the wor.st was for the 
 best. During the summer and autumn of 
 1S48 the only reason why town lots could not 
 have been •' bought tor a song " was that there 
 was nobody there to ."iell, if anybody had 
 •wanted to buv. Hence no property changed 
 hands. But on the return of the miners to 
 their tents, for the lots they had purchased at 
 from $100 to $1,000 each, they could find 
 ready purchasers at more than toi times the 
 prices they had paid. Thus while they had 
 been digging gold wherewith to build houses, 
 their deserted lots had earned four or ten 
 times as much as they had obtained. 
 
 But during that winter — 1848-9^ — the ex- 
 citement of sudden wealth overcame the bet- 
 
134 FIKST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 ter judp.meiit of" the masses to such an extent 
 that, though perhaps not more than two thou- 
 sand souls had congregated there, the "Alta CaH- 
 tbi-nia" of February- 1st. 1849, says: "San 
 Francisco is the worst governed town in 
 America."' Nor shall we wonder at this when 
 we notice the lustabilil// of" those who should 
 be most relialjle in all things." 
 
 To illustrate, the 2)ai)ei' just quoted from, 
 editorially suys of the expected arrival of the 
 first steamei", then due at any hour : 
 
 " It is an event .so fraught with future 
 hopes of advantage, that our memories will 
 almost deserve execration if we do not cele- 
 l)rate the event in proper style and spirit. It 
 is an epoch that deserves to be brought into 
 bold relief, and he who takes an active part 
 in getting up a judicious observance of the 
 occasion, will, ten years hence, think it the 
 proudest event of bis life." 
 
 Yet this same editor so cooled off that, four 
 weeks after, on the day following the arrival, 
 his whole account of the afl'air is written in an 
 editorial of less than twenty lines, of such 
 utter dullness that anv .second-rate stock actor. 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 135 
 
 whose advent had been announced with equal 
 eoohiess, would have challenged the editor lor 
 an attempt to •' damn liiin with faint praise." 
 
 Suffice it to say that, as our steamer passed 
 Alcatraz and circled around toward her an- 
 chorage, she passed five of our national vessels 
 of war, which, being in the liarljor and under 
 tiie command of Commodore Jones, were so 
 arranged as to receive us with due honor. 
 
 We passed the smallest first, and then the next 
 in size ; the " Oliio," then the pride of the 
 American navy, being last. 
 
 Each gave us guns from alternate sides, the 
 entire length, as we slowly passed, and when 
 the first gun from tlie "Ohio," the Commo- 
 dore's flag- ship, was fired, the order: "'Man 
 the yards I" was obeyed by fifteen hundred 
 as noble mariners as ever — like so many em- 
 mets — .swarmed into the rigging of a noble 
 three -decker. 
 
 The Commodore was on the quarter deck, 
 in full dress, and, by his oft -waved hat and 
 graceful bow, gave a most finishing touch and 
 tone to one of the grandest salutes we have 
 ever heard given in any pai't of the world. 
 
136 
 
 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 After casting anchor we went ashore in a 
 ship'^! boat, hmding among the rocks and 
 boulders of Chirk 's Point. 
 
 There was no wharf As we steped out of 
 the boat upon the stones. Captain Wyse, a 
 jolly old " shell - back," threw his small cavalry 
 valise down upon the rocks, and, reaching a 
 half- doUai- toward a man who appeared to be 
 a ship's porter, said : " Carry that valise up to 
 the hotel, my boy." Jack drew back from 
 the extended coin, and, witli an air that would 
 have done honor to a Persian monarch, drew 
 from his own pocket tu:o half dollars, and, 
 throwing them upon the ground at the Cap- 
 tain's feet, said, as he strode oft' with mag- 
 nificent disgust : '' Carry it uj) yourself." 
 
 The people who had been to the mines 
 the year before were preparing to go 
 again ; and the new - comers were in the great- 
 est possible anxiety, each one, to get to the 
 " best diggings," ahead of anybod}- else. This 
 produced a state of confusion l^eyond all con- 
 ception, and, while we called the place a town 
 or city, because we knew not what else to 
 call it, there was very little resemblance to 
 
FIBST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 137 
 
 le 
 
 any other town we had ever seen or 
 heard of. 
 
 One of the most active and inHuential nuT- 
 chants in town, tried all day to procure ibr a 
 friend and his wife, who had arrived on the 
 steamer, a bed to lodge in during the night, 
 hut foiled, and was obliged, in the evening, 
 to take them back to the ship to -staN' the 
 first night." 
 
 There were no potatoes in town. T 
 whole crop from the Sandwich Islands had 
 been brought over and consumed. The place 
 was for a time supi)lied with a kind ut 
 potato flour, or dessicated potato, put up in 
 cans. 
 
 But some sharp Yankee, antici])ating the 
 state of things, had run down to Honolulu 
 in a small vessel, and procured all the small 
 potatoes which had l)een left on the ground 
 as worthless — a much larger proportion than 
 in a Northern "patch" — and hastened, under 
 '*all sails," back to San Francisco. 
 
 The next day, a piece of candle boai'd, 
 with the words, " Potatoes at dinner ever\- 
 day," was hung out by the side, of the door 
 
of tlie only ''regular built" eating-house in 
 the pliice — on Washington street, between 
 Montgonierv and Keaiiiy. The next morning, 
 one of the newl^- arrived passengers, who, if 
 he possessed no other Irish trait, was a most 
 inveterate potato lover, took liis liasket and 
 hastened to the market, and asked foi- •• fresh 
 potatoes." 
 
 "Yes, sir; not many, but very fine." 
 
 ■'How do you sell them V " 
 
 "Only a dollar ami :i half." 
 
 •' A Inishel ? " 
 
 '• No ; a pound." 
 
 •• 111 take two pounds." 
 
 And they were " very fine " indeed. They 
 would not average as large as common English 
 walnuts. - 
 
 One of our passengers had " li.\ed u[i a 
 market at the corne)- of Jackson and Kearn}' 
 streets, where he kept, not only nleat, but 
 other " living instrumentalities. ' 
 
 Mr. W went in to get a steak. While 
 
 waiting his turn, a man. in a hurry. oaiHc 
 in, and blurted out : 
 
 " Got 'ny eggs ? " 
 
 J 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 139 
 
 " Yes." 
 
 "How d'ye sellum ? " 
 
 "Twelve tlolLars u dozen." 
 
 " I'll take a dozen." 
 
 And he threw down a doubloon, leceiviiiir 
 hifs eggs and four dollars in change. 
 
 The whole thing was so e.vtravagant in 
 every particular, that it stirred, to the bottom, 
 the ludicrous, in a irajj who stood by ; and, 
 as .soon as the customer was gone, he put on 
 a most serious, confidential, business-like air. 
 and siding up to the butcher said, in a 
 jn-etended whisper, but loud enough to. be 
 
 heard by all present. " Roe, you 'i-e a d n 
 
 fool ; didn't you know eggs is eighteen dol- 
 lars this morning?" 
 
 " No." said the astonished vendor. 
 
 "AYell, they U," said he. 
 
 The brief dialogue was scarcely ended, when 
 another " steward " looked in — 
 
 " Haint got no eggs?" 
 
 " Yes. 
 
 "What at?" 
 
 " Eighteen ; got only a half a dtrzen." 
 
 "I'll take em." 
 
14(1 
 
 FIRST STKAMSHIP PIOyKERS. 
 
 Paid his mne dollars, and (tarried oft' the 
 prize. 
 
 * 
 
 The inhabitants of the town were by no 
 means all Anieincans, or even English speak- 
 ing people. They were Indians. Me.xicans, 
 8onorians. Kanakas. Spanish, French. British, 
 (lermans. Chinese, Peruvians, Chilenos. Malays, 
 and so on to the end of a chapter which 
 would come near tilling the insjjired call 
 '' from every kindred, and nation, and tongue, 
 and people mider the whole heaven." 
 
 With the arrival ot our steamer the pre- 
 j>onderance. which thereafter grew heavier every 
 month, was American. So that we are free 
 to admit, that for whatever has since been 
 done, ijixxl or evil, in San Francisco — yea, in 
 California — the Americans are as essentially 
 responsible, as is the dominant political part}- 
 for acts of the administration which it ha.i 
 established. 
 
 There were several men located here in 
 bu.«iness two or three years before our ar- 
 rival — some of whose names appear in another 
 })ortion of this volume — men to whom the 
 present city is lai'gely indebted tor teach- 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIOXEEBS. 141 
 
 iiijr '• the young-idea how to ^;hoot in coni- 
 niercial aft'aiis. 
 
 Tliey were, liowevei'. in the mitlst ol ;i 
 wliirlpool of excitement, and roiild not l)e 
 expected to conduct their aft'airs with the 
 coohiess, and system. and precision that 
 cliaracteri/.c a more advanced state of com- 
 jiierce. Yet the {lerfectly wild rurkle-s.'nii.sK. with 
 whicli they pushed affiiirs, struck every he- 
 holder with blank astonishment. 
 
 C V'. (tillespie had an auction house. A 
 carjro of tea ai-rived a tew days altei- we 
 did. There was very little in the country. 
 On the day of sale a large number of up -country 
 dealers in miners' supplies were present, ejich 
 with a bag of gold dust, to purchase a few 
 cliests for his store. The auctioneer put up 
 "ten ciu'sts with u privilege" — that is. with 
 the rig! it to take more than the t^n at the 
 same rate. 
 
 The l)idding was spirited and the excite- 
 ment was continually increa.sing. while a 
 calm, dark complexioned man, sat up on a 
 high box. away from most otliers, and with- 
 tiut at all abating his ^' irhiffJhu/." regularh' 
 
142 rntsT steamship pioneers. 
 
 raitswl the liiil just as ••soid' was ahuut to 
 be said. 
 
 Finally tlif ten chests were "sold to S. . 
 Branxax." 
 
 "How many will yon take. Mr. Br.vnnan'" 
 said the auctioneer. 
 
 Without ceasin,L:' to whittle, or raising- his 
 head, he with the most utter lumchalance,, 
 replied : 
 
 ••'riie whole d concern:" and 8. Ukan- 
 
 NA.N ,.\c Co. at once controlled all the tea on 
 the Pivcific coast. No matter what thc\ 
 paid, they were sure ol ready sale and larji,e 
 })rofits. 
 
 Another fenhtir was the clerkships in .stores. 
 Five hundred dollars a month and a ' privi- 
 lege to do business on their own account-,, 
 was not unusual. Xor was it strange if in 
 six or nine months, when the Sherift' sold 
 out the store, the clerk was able to pui-chase 
 it. and hire his old employer as a clerk. 
 
 Multitudes of men. when leaving the 
 "States," ^thinking that nothing moie was 
 necessary than to reach San Francisco, after 
 paying their passage, invested all their remain- 
 
iiiir casli in a •' wntinv ot" .sijme kind. |iiii- 
 fiosiiiLf to sell on arrival ;it laru'e [X'ofit. 
 
 illiistriitive of many, unini/ cases, tlic I'nl- 
 lowiiiji s(^eue was one ilay w'itnesseil \)\ tlif 
 writer. .V ,ii;eiitleuian. haviiiji just arrived, 
 soiiulit the store of a prominent inercliant to 
 whom he had letters of introduction. The 
 proprietor was ■'not in." hut the clerk •'with 
 a privilejte" /'""sand verv politely howed. and 
 tile followinir dialogue ensued. 
 
 "Can I do aiiythinji' lor you ? ' 
 
 1 hope you can. 1 have a little venture 
 that f wish to dispose of." 
 
 '• Yes ".' What is it? lict me see youi' invoice. 
 
 The stranger presented it. Fie ran his 
 eye over it. and saw at a glance that it 
 contained the very articles which no liouse in 
 town could su|)ply. and which were in con- 
 stant demand. l>ul he iianded it iiack. and 
 with well leigned disappointment said. — 
 
 " Von ha\'"nt hrougiit llinn tilings out iiere 
 witii you. have you ".' '" 
 
 '■ Yes. 1 have. They are now landing." 
 
 "I a Ml xorry. vrry ■so/vv/— n — m sorry for 
 v«>u. Not suited to this market at all." 
 
■' Well, wlijit will \ 1^11 give ine for them V " 
 
 '• Uont want em I Wouldn't buy 'em at 
 any price — couldn't sell em at all." 
 
 " But give me sometliinji for them. Tliey 
 are all 1 have left in the world, and I must 
 get to the mines. Besides I am entirely out 
 of funds, and am hungry;" and as he said 
 this, his two great handsome blue eyes each 
 became an island, his chin quivered, and his 
 whole manly countenance expressed woe of 
 deepest dye. as he turned to go. 
 
 " Sorry, so sorrv vou have been so very 
 unfortunate in your selection. Wish 1 <:oal<i 
 do something ibr you." 
 
 The stranger was nearly half a block oft" 
 when the clerk (tailed and beckoned at the 
 same time : 
 
 " Sa}- ! Come back! 1 declare, I don't want 
 to see a man starve. I'll give you fifty per 
 cent, on the hivoice price, if I lose it all. 
 I'll share the misfortune with you." 
 
 The bargain was closed, the dust weighed, 
 and the stranger sought relief from his hun- 
 ger. 
 
 In less than thirtv minutes the i-lerk had 
 
FIBST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 145 
 
 disposed of the entire purchase at more than 
 a thousand per cent, on the cost — a fact of 
 which he was well satisfied all the time. In 
 six months this clerk bought the store under 
 the hammer, turned " the old man " into the 
 street, and is now a millionaire. 
 
Chapter VII. 
 
 cocyrRY A.\i> (■LI^fArE. 
 
 H E country to which we came, as 
 defined by the constitutional conven- 
 tion which met a few months after- 
 ward, may be thus described. According to 
 standard geographies, its extreme length, from 
 north-west to south-east, 830 miles; extreme 
 breadth, from west to east, 352 miles. Area, 
 188,982 square miles — being a larger territory 
 than is covered by the states of Maine, New 
 Hampshire. Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Is- 
 land, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, 
 Pennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland com- 
 bined. 
 
 In its topography it is as varied and as 
 extravagant as its area is vast. It is all on 
 a masiiiificent scale — nothing common about it. 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 147 
 
 Its mountain ranges ai"e extensive and lofty, 
 precipitous and rocky, running the entire length 
 of the State, and covered with heaviest forests. 
 Its plains are equally long and equally broad, 
 thus dividing the whole surface into moun- 
 tain and valley-, with very little of rolling 
 prairie or sloping woodlands. 
 
 The " Coast Range," which everywhere greets 
 you with its bald heads and grinning ledges, 
 as your steamer hugs the coast and seeks the 
 " Golden Gate," runs nearly parallel to the 
 .'^hore, and generally distant ten to thirty miles, 
 and rises 1,500 to 3,000 feet. Its peaks are 
 often covered with snow in winter, which, 
 however, never remains more than a few hours, 
 or at most a few days, at a time. 
 
 Though in this range coal deposits are 
 numerous and extensive, and quicksilver mines, 
 equal to any in the world, and some other 
 metals are found in limited quantities, gold 
 and silver have not been found to any gi-eat 
 extent. 
 
 Though called a ra))<je, it is really a series 
 of ridges, of nearly the same hight, extend- 
 ing often twentv miles in width, with nuiuer- 
 
148 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 ous vallej^s elevated troiii two huiidi'ed to eight 
 hundred feet aljove sea level, each with its 
 lake or stream, and timber, and fertile soil, 
 and protected climate, adapting it to become 
 the most happy home of one or more families. 
 
 In these valleys, as far \\\) as 40"^ north 
 latitude, the vine, the olive, the orange, the 
 lemon, the lime, and the citron, reach a high • 
 state of perfection, without interference from 
 frost. 
 
 Between this range and the coast, the hills 
 and valleys are subject to the winds and 
 fogs from the sea, which militate against 
 the perfection of some of the more delicate 
 productions, to which the fertility of the soil 
 is fully etjual. 
 
 Beyond this range lies the great valley, 
 under the dual title "' Sacramento " and " San 
 •loacjuin," extending more than five hnndred 
 miles in length, with an average breadth of 
 si.xty to seventy -five miles. 
 
 From the north, rising in the lofty eleva- 
 tions, where the Coast Range and the Sierra 
 Nevada unite, the Sacramento River flows in 
 a southerly direction, nearly through the 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 149 
 
 centre of the valley. From the south, the 
 San Joaquin, having flowed west t'roui its 
 sources in the Sierra Nevada to the middle 
 oi' the valk\y, turns at nearly a right angle, 
 and flows north, until it unites with the 
 Sacramento, l)()th at the same time emptying 
 into the head of Suisim Bay, some sixtv 
 miles, in a north-easterly direction from San 
 Francisco. 
 
 Some portions of this vast tract of coimtry 
 — doubtless the bed of a former sea, whose 
 accumulated waters broke over the Coasf 
 Range, and cut, in its granite wall, the 
 (K)lden (Jate — and whose whole surfjuv'^is 
 entirely undiversified with hill and dale — are 
 covered with chaparral, others with shrul) oaks, 
 or those of most majestic proportions". 
 
 Hut l)y far the greatest part is entirely 
 \-oid of any kind of timber ; and some of 
 those -'openings" Are so vast that the traveler 
 may look in every direction and .see nothing 
 above the surface, which is everywhere covered 
 with a luxurious growth of wild oats, grass 
 and flowers, each in its season and locality, 
 while he will lie inevitably and strikingly re- 
 
150 
 
 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 minded of his suriuundings when ut sea 
 " out of sight of hind." 
 
 Each of the two riverss above named re- 
 ceives numerous feeders from the mountains 
 (m the east, so that, before they finally merge 
 in the bay, they are both fine navisjabk^ 
 streams lor hundreds of miles. 
 
 In the south, near the head of the valley, 
 is "Tulare Lake," some forty -five miles long sind 
 twenty -five wide — swelUng in the rainy season 
 to much greater dimensions — whose outlet 
 fiows into the San Joaquin. 
 
 This valley is said to be. by agriculturists 
 (Tf the most extensive travel and thorough 
 observation, for its extent, beauty, and fertility, 
 unsurpassed on the glolje ; a statement strongly 
 corroborated by the statistics of its produc- 
 tion, found elsewhere hi this work. 
 
 To the east lies the great range of snowy 
 mountains, " Sierra Nevada," extending nearly 
 the whole length of the State, and rising 
 generally to some eight thousand feet, and 
 having some points nearly twice that hight. 
 
 The western slope, commencing at the valley 
 and gradually rising an average width of 
 
L 
 
 twenty -five miles, iuid five hundred miles 
 from north to south, furnishes perhajxs the 
 grandest series of natural p<irh:s m the world, 
 it includes an almost endless vai-iety of tree, 
 and shrub, and tlower ; of surftice, and soil, and 
 exposure ; of bubbling spring, and sparkling 
 i-ill, and leaping waterfall, and seems ab- 
 solutely unfathomable in the richness of its 
 pomological resources. There is no tiuit 
 native to any clime, save the tropical, that 
 this belt does not produce in a high state 
 of excellence, and in the greatest abundance; 
 \et, its most especial adaptation is to the 
 i-'uui. Though there are no statistics to veritj- 
 with absolute certainty the statement, yet, 
 there is not, i^erhaps, a man on earth, who, 
 if intelligent upon the subject, douljts for a 
 moment that this district is destined, in the 
 early future, to produce more and better 
 grapes, and raisins, aiid wine, than any other 
 district of equal extent, on which the sun 
 ever shone. 
 
 This belt, covered on its upper border with 
 a great variety of timber, in which the oak 
 pn-dominates. is succeeded by another still 
 
ir)2 
 
 FIRS-T STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 broader, tliicklv clad with a forest of pine 
 and cedar, spruce, and fir, .so extensive and so 
 fine, and so abundant, as to attract the atten- 
 tion and eUcit the admiration of men ac- 
 quainted witli the best- timbered regions of 
 the world. 
 
 Above this are the naked granite rocks, 
 ridges, and peaks, in the crevices and gorges 
 of which and on some of the heads, the 
 snow is perpetual, and in such quantities as 
 to afford, in the melting .seascm, material for 
 all the rivers of the plain. 
 
 The east line of the State runs due south 
 from the Oregon line to the 39th parallel of 
 north latitude, thence in a straight line southea.st 
 to the Colorado River, thus throwing into Cali- 
 fornia a large district on the east of the 
 Sierra Nevada mountains, which, with the 
 moderately elevated lands — the slope of the 
 southerii and of the great range — extending 
 west to the ocean, constitute a vast area of 
 country. Some portions of this are among the 
 most highly cultivated of the whole coast. 
 In fact, the great body of sub -tropical fruits 
 thus far produced, come from the central 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 153 
 
 portions of this district. Los Angeles, the 
 center of this, is preeminently the home 
 of the vine, olive, orange, lemon, and lime. 
 
 In climate California is as rich as in gold. 
 Excluding the extreme frigid and the extreme 
 torrid, that is, above 120 deg. of Fahrenheit, 
 she has every conceivable variety and shade 
 of climate. Her climate no man can describe ; 
 he must say climates. The influence of loca- 
 tion, or topography, or latitude, puts all rules, 
 as applied elsewhere, at defiance. This applies 
 equally to both temperature and winds. But 
 what strikes the investigator with the 
 utmost astonishment is the immediate prox- 
 imity of these extremes. For example, in 
 the city of San Francisco and all along in 
 the vicinity of the Golden Gate, for six 
 months, from mid - spring to mid - autumn, the 
 wind is cold and damp and strong, during the 
 latter part of the day; while, across the bay, 
 in the direction of the wind when passing 
 San Francisco, and only from five to eight 
 miles distant, and nothing but the smooth sur- 
 face of the water intervening, there is on\y a 
 gentle breeze, of the most mild and balmy 
 
154 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEEBS. 
 
 kind. In some localities, not more than five 
 miles distant from each other, the same varie- 
 ties of fruit, with the same care and culture, 
 will vai'j from fifteen to twenty- days in the 
 time of ripening. 
 
 On the 8th of June, 1858, the writer of 
 this, in company with John C. Fall, Presi- 
 dent of the California State Agricultural So- 
 ciety, left Marysville, having breakfasted on 
 biscuits from flour of that year's production, 
 and in three days, on horseback — spending 
 more than half our time in stoppings and 
 investigations — we reached Indian Valley, 
 where the farmers were going over their wheat 
 fields with heavy rollers, pressing back into 
 the ground the young grain, then not more 
 than three inches high, which had been thrown 
 up by the winter's frosts. Returning from 
 this town, on the 17th of the month, we 
 were, at 10 A. m., clad in overcoats and furs, 
 as if in a Siberian winter, and riding over 
 snow — in a large ravine — more than forty 
 feet deep. At half past seven the same 
 evening we reached Oroville, where for six 
 hours of the day the mercury had read 110° 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 15-') 
 
 in the shade ; and where for many weeks, 
 all who would be comfortable, had been 
 oblitred to dress in the thinnest and lightest 
 possible garments. 
 
 In a country of dimensions and topography 
 thus briefly glanced at, and in a climate 
 which we will not attempt to describe, we 
 found — beside some thousands of our own 
 countrymen, and perhaps an equal number who 
 having " changed their minds," had concluded 
 " not to go any further on that s/ti^," or from 
 other motives had become adventurers or set> 
 tiers in the country — relics of the following 
 old Romish Missions. We give their statis- 
 tics in brief, as they existed in, or about 
 1825, according to the statements- of Forbes, 
 and Walter Colton, both excellent authorities. 
 
 ^- ^jjj.- Dnl* of Value -it Amouut of Nn, DuiiiCilic 
 
 KMahUsbroeot. M'TCtntmHiio. Specie. ADiinHls. 
 
 Dolores, S. F 1776 S35,000 82,500 161,766 
 
 Santa Clara 1777 120,000 165,484 
 
 San Jose 1797 127.:^80 
 
 San Juan Bantista 1797 75,000 20,000 120,000 
 
 San Carlos 1770 40,000 95,530 
 
 Santa Cruz 1794 25,000 118,700 
 
 SoledacJ 1791 109,60(1 
 
 San Antonio 1771 108,200 
 
 San Miijrnel 1797 144,340 
 
156 
 
 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 VAMF Date or 
 
 San Luis Obispo 1772 
 
 La Purissima 1787 
 
 Santa Inez 
 
 Santa Barbara 1786 
 
 San Buena Ventura 1782 
 
 San Fernande 1797 
 
 San Gabriel 1771 
 
 San Luis Eey 1798 
 
 San Diego 1769 
 
 AniouDtof 
 
 Specie 
 
 8100,000 
 
 800,000 
 
 61,000 62,000 
 50,000 90,000 
 144,000 
 
 100,000 150,000 
 
 No. Domestic 
 Aoituats. 
 
 105,200 
 82,200 
 
 63,760 
 72,000 
 124,500 
 128,840 
 140,580 
 140,000 
 
 Beside these Missions there were those of 
 San Rafael, San Francisco Solano, whose pos- 
 sessions would fully equal the average of 
 those whose statistics are given. 
 
 We also found a small number of earlier 
 pioneers, men of mark, reference to whom 
 will be made in another chapter. 
 
Chapter VIII. 
 
 EABLIEB PIOSKKIiS. 
 
 HE biographies of most of the early 
 settlers of California, whose prominence 
 entitles them to permanent record, have 
 been so often and so fully written, that the 
 want of time and space, which compels us to 
 dispense with what we had intended, is less 
 to be regretted than it otherwise would have 
 been. As we are situated, we now barely re- 
 fer to a few of those whose lives in Califor- 
 nia were fraught with peculiar interest. 
 
 GEORGE C. YOUNT, 
 
 Born in North Carolina in 1794, arrived in 
 
 California as a hunter and trapper in 1831. 
 
 He found no traces of civilization except 
 
158 
 
 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 the Romish Missions, to which i-eference was 
 had in a previous chapter. In 1836 he ob- 
 tained a large grant of fine land in Napa 
 Valley, where he spent the remainder of his 
 days. 
 
 After building the first log house in the 
 territory, he devoted himself with untiring 
 energy to the culture of his place and the 
 development of the country. 
 
 He was a most frank, honest, and friendly 
 man, full of the milk of human kindness, 
 and ever engaged in some good work. 
 
 He was a zealous Free Mason, and, for 
 many years, a member and officer of the 
 Grand Lodge in this State. Few men ever 
 live as active and efficient lives, and have so 
 few enemies, as he. 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEEBS. 
 
 159 
 
 ZIBA BRANCH, 
 
 A native of Scipio, Cayuga Co., N. Y., born in 
 1803, a descendant of a Revolutionary soldier, was, 
 at eighteen, poor and without influential friends. 
 Spent several years as a sailor on Lake Erie. 
 Leaving this, he went via St. Louis to Santa 
 Fe, where he arrived in July, 1830. In 
 the latter part of the same year he started 
 for a trapping tour in the Tulare Valley. But, 
 meeting with unexpected obstacles, he did not 
 reach San Bernardino till February, 1831. 
 Mr. WoLFSKiLL, of Los Angeles, and Geo. C. 
 YouNT, afterwards of Napa, were of the same 
 party. He reached Santa Barbara, and en- 
 gaged in the grocery business, which, after a 
 time, he sold out, and^ in 1835, married and 
 settled at San Luis Obispo, where, in 1837, 
 he obtained a Spanish grant of land, and be- 
 came one of the most wealthy men in the 
 county . 
 
160 
 
 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 CAPT. JOHN PATY 
 
 Was born in Plymouth, Massachusetts, Feb. 
 22d, 1807 ; a direct descendant from May- 
 flower stock. At fourteen he shipped on the 
 brig " Gov. Winslow " from Boston for Amster- 
 dam. Quick to learn and ready to execute, 
 his advancements were rapid, being, at twenty- 
 one, made master of a fine vessel, with which 
 he cruised and traded in the Mediterranean 
 and the West Indies for several years, his 
 owners reposing so much confidence in him 
 that the only instructions they ever gave him 
 were verbal, and in these words : " Act accord- 
 ing to your own judgment." 
 
 In June, 1834, he reached the Sandwich 
 Islands, on his first voyage to the Pacific, hav- 
 ing with him his young wife and a brother. 
 For several years he was engaged in trade 
 between Honolulu and various north-east ports, 
 spending more or less time every voyage on 
 the California coast. 
 
 He was at Monterey in the stormy political 
 times of 1837-8. Moving rapidly, as the 
 
FIEST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 161 
 
 times demancled, between different places along 
 the coast, in December, 1837, he reached San 
 Francisco, Jacoh P. Leese, the only Ameri- 
 can, and Captain Wm. Richardson, the only- 
 Englishman, then residing in the place. From 
 this time till 1840 he continued his business 
 at sea between this coast, Honolulu and New 
 England. 
 
 It is a most happy fact that, during the 
 first twenty years that Captain P. commanded 
 vessels, often in the mOst unhealthy ports, he 
 never lost a man, was never wrecked, was nevei- 
 on short allowance. 
 
 One ol" the most successful, most obliging, 
 most efficient shi}) - masters on the Pacific 
 ocean, he made nearly or quite one hundred 
 trips between San Francisco and the Sand- 
 wich Islands, with the loss of only one man 
 and but one mast. Such men are few and, 
 as it should be, their praises nuui}. 
 
Id 2 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 PETEK LASSEN 
 
 Was bom in Denmark, in the year 1800. 
 He was reared to, and for _\ears, in his native 
 hind and in tlie United States, worked at, the 
 trade of a bhicksmith. In 1839 he crossed 
 tiie Continent to Oregon, and thence to Cali- 
 fornia. In 1841 he erected, at Santa Cruz, 
 and set in operation the first successful saw- 
 mill ever built in the counti-y. 
 
 In 1842, after working some time at his 
 trade for ([Japtain Sutter, he settled on his 
 tra€t of land which the Mexican Government 
 had then I'ecently granted him, on Deer Creek, 
 in the upper portion of Sacrameiitn Valley — 
 the tract that is now (ierke's. Aftei- making 
 a tour to Missouri, and making large additions 
 to his already extended possessions, he fell into 
 the hands ol' sharpers, was " unfortunate," and 
 t)bliged to sell liis magnificent place for barely 
 enough to pay his debts. lie i-emoved to 
 Indian Valley, and then to Honey Lake Val- 
 ley, whence, wliile prospecting lor silver mines 
 
FIEST STEAM.S'HIP PIONEEBS. 163 
 
 near Rock Sprinii,s, in Utali, uii the 29th of 
 April, 1859, he was, with a companion, bru- 
 tally assassinated. His death sent a pang of 
 sorrow to thousands who had shared or known 
 his warm and generous hospitality. 
 
104 
 
 FIRST STKAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 ISAAC .1. SPAKK8 
 
 A veteran pioneer, dates existence from Bow- 
 doin, Maine, in 1804. When very young, accom- 
 panj ing his fatlier in a small boat from Cincinnati 
 to St. Louis, they met the first steam -boat that 
 ever visited the waters of the Mississippi. 
 
 In 1831. he left St. Louis for Santa Fe, 
 a journey lull of fearful disaster, of which 
 we have not time to speak. Leaving there, 
 he engaged in a hunting and trapping ex- 
 pedition to the Gila River, in which his 
 trials from hostile savages were far more 
 severe than usually ialls to the lot ol" moun- 
 taineers. With a small party he arrived at 
 Los Angeles, February 10, 1832. ¥nm\ this, 
 until 184'.), he followed the business oi" kill- 
 ing sea otter lor their fui-, which was very 
 valuable, ami, hence, the business lucrative. 
 He finally' settled at Santa Barliara, where 
 the people never wear}'' of hearing the .scarred 
 and worn veteran recount the thrilling ad- 
 ventures and hair-brealth escapes through 
 which his devious, but always honorable 
 path, led him to this distant coast. 
 
FIKST STJLAMSJIIJ' l>IONJ':j-:iiS. Uio 
 
 .IAC015 1'. T.KE8E 
 
 A iKitivo of Oliio, 1)0111 ill IS09. iind reared 
 to the meifiuitile Imsiness. 
 
 In the Fall of 1S29, he joined a hnnting 
 
 .and trappiuii- expedition which wa.s tlien be- 
 ing made up at Fort Smith Ark., tor the 
 Kockv Moiintain.s, for three years. They left 
 April ].s+; 1830. At San Fernando, in the 
 Valley ol' Taos, he left the company, and 
 
 •entered into trade. In October, 1833, he 
 left for California, and arrived at Los Angeles 
 
 on the 24th oi' December. He soon visited 
 jNIonterey, the capital, and several of the 
 more prominent Missions, and entered into 
 contracts for the purchase and sale of mules. 
 Col. Leese is a ver\- large man ph3sically, 
 and his body is only indicative of his mind. 
 ]le cannot satisty himself with aii\- small, or 
 even ordinary, transactiois. He must operate 
 
 ■ oil a grand scale. This mule trade, however, 
 proved disastrous, on account ol" hostile Indians, 
 and he, aJ'ter a while, abandoned it. 
 
 For some time he continued his business 
 
LCili 
 
 FIESr STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 and his operations between the principal towns iu 
 California, and. on the first day of July, 1836, 
 he arrived at "Yerba Buena Cove," where 
 San Franriseo now is. and eonunenced the 
 erection of his house on the south-west corner 
 of Clay and Dupont streets. I low extensive 
 a house it was may Ije ■" liuessed.' when it 
 is known that it was completed in time to 
 hold in it the first celebration ol' the Koui'th 
 oi' Jidy in the place. 
 
 lie continued his commercial pursuits here 
 until 1841. when he made an overland trip 
 to Oregon, taking with him eleven hundred 
 head of cattle, with which to provision the 
 famishing overland immigrants to that new 
 territory. It took him sevent\" days to pick 
 his way and make his road, and reach his 
 destination. He resided for a time hi Sonoma, 
 and then took up his permanent residence at 
 Monterey, from which point he made frecpient 
 and extensive commercial operations, both to 
 the Islands of the Pacific and to the Orient. 
 
 Having been married to a sister of Gen. 
 M. G. V.-VLLEJo, in April, 18;-)7, their first 
 child was born on the fifteenth of Ajjril, 
 
Pin ST STEAMSHIP PIONPEES. 167 
 
 ]So8 — Ijeiiiij the Jird horn 'nt '• Yerha Buiemi" 
 and wa.s named Rosalia Leese. 
 
 In advancing years, Col. Leese seems scarcely 
 older than lie did thirty years ago. His 
 genial face, and erect Ibrni, and elegant step 
 are the admii'ation of all who know liim. 
 
lt)8 
 
 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 WOXWAVV DFNCAN 
 
 Wat* l)orii ill Pertlishiiv. Scotliuidj ill 1809, 
 wlioiv 1k' learned the carpenter's trade, and 
 woiked at it until lie was thirty -three years 
 old. when lie emigrated to New Zealand and 
 remained until 1846. then came to Cali- 
 Ibrnia. with his wife and limr children. 
 Here, until the discovery of gold, he followed 
 his trade. Then, with his little son, went to 
 the mines, where, in less than a year, he 
 obtained enough to satisf\ him ; when he 
 returned to San Francisco, and devoted him- 
 self to the improvement of his property, ami 
 the care of his family for several years, after 
 which, tiring of city life, he removed to Santa 
 Clara County, and settled on a farm, where he 
 continued to devote himself to agricnltnral pur- 
 suits and the education of his family, until 
 1857. when he (piietly and peacefully passed 
 away on his last voyage to the land where 
 condition is not improved by change of phice 
 or diversitv of pursuit. 
 
DR. ROBEET SEMPLE, 
 
 Of Scotcli descent and Kentucky birtli. 
 It is not strange that he had a strong will 
 and an enterprising, adventurous spirit. 
 He first learned the trade of a printer, 
 and aftei'ward that of dentist. With these 
 " two strings to his bow," he could travel 
 anywhere and always find a "job." 
 
 He visited, successively, every State in the 
 Union, and then, in 1845, at the age of 
 thirty - six, he crossed the Continent to Cali- 
 fornia. 
 
 The story of some of the stirring times suc;- 
 ceeding his arrival he tells so well that we 
 desire him to speak for himself. He writes 
 as follows : 
 
 " I ari'ived in Sacramento Valley on 
 the 22nd of December, 1845. Took an 
 interest and made a crop on the farm at the 
 foot of the mountains, then claimed by Wm. 
 Johnson and S. Ket.ser. 
 
 " During the winter of '45-6, Gen. Jose 
 Castro, then at the head of the military, 
 
170 
 
 FIUST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 is.siied sevei'al proclamations, the character of 
 which was said to be, that all foreigners who 
 were not naturalized citizens of Mexico, should 
 leave the country. The people continued 
 quiet, under the impression that there would 
 never be sufficient unanimity in the govern- 
 ment to enforce such an order. Don Pio 
 Pico was then the sicting Governor, but had 
 received his office by revolution, when MiCH- 
 EMORENO, who had been commissioned by the 
 Supi'eme Government, was thrown out. 
 
 "■ Although the country seemed to be entirely 
 quiet, yet there was a deep laid scheme going 
 on through a certain Irish jiriest, who was 
 generally supposed to be an agent of Great 
 Britain, to get possession of the terri- 
 tory of (Jalifornia. His plan was to get pos- 
 session of all the unoccupied land from the 
 Ciudad de Los Angeles to the Bay of San 
 Francisco, for the purpose of settling thereon 
 5,000 Catholics, to be lirought from Scotland 
 and other portions of Great Britain, avowedly 
 to secure the country against the "rapacious 
 Americanos," who, he said, were like "hungry 
 wolves swarming in, and would abrogate their 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 171 
 
 sweet religion." This scheme was broken iij) 
 by a timely move on the part of the few Amer- 
 icans who were in the country at the time, 
 under jiwndse of assistance from Lt. Col. Fre- 
 mont, who was then in the Sacramento Valley 
 on an exploring expedition, with sixty men. 
 
 "Although a proclamation was read at Sonoma 
 ordering the Americans to leave the country 
 forthwith, without arms, yet they seemed to 
 pay little attention to it, and would probal)ly 
 have forgotten it in a few months, but General 
 Cartro had resolved on another revolution, and 
 commenced making preparations, but, being un- 
 willing to apprise the government of his design, 
 attempted to cloak it under a crusade against 
 the American settlers. 
 
 " About the 1st of June, 1846, Gen. Castro 
 crossed the Ra\- ol" San Francisco and collected, 
 from the Mission of San Rafael and Gen. 
 Vallejo'.r ranch, a))0ut two hundred head of 
 horses, and there being no means of crossing 
 at the Straits of Carquinez, he sent Lieut. 
 Francisco de Arce, with the hoi-ses, to cross 
 the Sacramento and San Joaquin. On his 
 way he fell in with a Mr. Knight, an 
 
172 
 
 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 American, who ha(i married a Mexican woman, 
 and was a naturalized (dtizen of California. 
 Feeling .xafe in it, he imparted to Kmght 
 what he thought to be the designs of Gen. 
 Castro; which was, first, to drive off all the 
 Americans and Col. Fremont, and then to build 
 a fort at the foot of the mountains, to pre- 
 vent further immigration from the United 
 States. This news was carried to Col. Fre- 
 mont's (;amp in a few hours, and, beibre day- 
 light next morning, the scattered Yanl-ees, for 
 one hundred miles up and down the valley, 
 armed and collected at F'remont's camp — 
 then at the Buttes, between the Feather 
 River and the Sacramento — under the im- 
 pression that the first attack would be made 
 on him, and thus eftocfually weaken the 
 Americans. 
 
 " This news was deemed sulficient to justify 
 Col. Fremont in whatever steps he might 
 choose to take, and, therefore, a proposition 
 was made to him to strike the first blow, 
 which he declined, but said, ' if the set- 
 tlers thought proper to do so, that Castro 
 should not hiu't them unless he hurt him 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 173 
 
 also'; upon which twelve of the Rancheros 
 mounted their horses in full chase tor the 
 Lieutenant and his pai-ty- with Castro's war 
 horses, being the 9th of June. They trav- 
 eled that day and nijrht ahout sixty miles, 
 and, at daylight on the moi-ning of the 10th, 
 surprised Lieut. •Franks" in his camp, took 
 eighteen prisoners and about two hundred 
 horses. After some consultation, the prisoners 
 were released, with tlieir arms and a (dioice 
 horse each, with a message to Castro that, 
 if he would come for the horses himself, loith 
 forre Kiiffickid, he might find them near the 
 American Forks. 
 
 "The party reached Fremont's camp the 
 ne.Kt morning, and remained until the morn- 
 ing of the 12th, when, with some recruits, 
 they marched for the fortified town of Sonoma 
 — then under command of Gen. Vallejo — a 
 distance of about one hundred and twenty 
 miles. By traveling two nights they were 
 enabled to reach Sonoma about daylight on 
 the 14th. The General had no intimation 
 of a move on the part of the Americans, 
 and was, therefore, totally unprepared to re- 
 
174 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 ceiv'e them, and no alternative was left but 
 to become a prisoner, without being able to 
 ofier the slightest resistance. 
 
 *' Tlie party at tlie taking ol' Sonoma con- 
 sisted of thirty -three men. .So far. thev had 
 neglected the important Awiy of making oHi- 
 cers, and were following a pilot (Mr. Merrikj. 
 Seeing the great necessity for some sort of an 
 organization, the party were called together in 
 Cuartel, when Wm. B. Ide was called to the 
 chair, and R. Semple appointed Secretary. Dr. 
 Semple explained the object of the meeting in 
 an animated speech, in which he spoke at 
 length of the necessity ol" organizing and act- 
 ing together with an eye single to the ad- 
 vancement of the cause oi" independence. lie 
 nrged the necessity of respecting private prop- 
 erty, and proper and respectful treatment of 
 the prisoners, their families, and the people of 
 the country. But before an}' business could be 
 done, one of the guard notified the meeting 
 that vaqueros and others were dispatched in 
 difl'erent directions and were supposed to be 
 messengers. A guard of twent}- men was left 
 to keep possession of Sonoma, while the re- 
 
inaiiuler prepared to conduct the prisoners, 
 Gen. M. G. Vallejo, Capt. Salvador Vallfjo, 
 Col. Victor Prudo.y, and J. I'. Leese. to the 
 Sacramento — then their lie.id (piarters. 
 
 •■ I cannot ivf'rain from making a lew re- 
 marks in this pUice, respecting the conduct ol" 
 the successful party. The party was made of 
 men from the four quarters of the earth, and 
 ■of every variety- of occupation, and had lieen 
 so nuich scattered over the country, that but 
 ftjw were acquainted with each other ; having 
 succeeded in two important eftbrts without re- 
 sistance, without officers, and many of them 
 had , scarcel}' any defiiiite pkm or object ; yet, 
 be it said to their great credit, that they 
 touched no private property, except horses to 
 ride, and beef to sustain life, and, for many 
 days, lived only on broiled beef, without 
 l)read, and in many cases without salt. All 
 possible respect was paid to the families who 
 remained at Sonoma ; a degree of moderation 
 was practiced by the • Hear Party ' which has 
 never been experienced by an}' other people un- 
 ■dei" similar circumstances." 
 
 Having obtained possession of Sonom.a, they 
 
170 FIJiSr STJSAMSJITP PIONEERS. 
 
 hoisted the celebrated "Bear Flag," which was 
 merely a piece t)l" white cotton cloth about six 
 feet long. This they bordered, about four 
 inches wide* with rod berry juice ; then wrote 
 in black, •' The })t'ople's rights," and, below this, 
 sketched a grizzly bear, witli a lone star. 
 
 Bofoie peace was declared. Dr. Semplk, in 
 connection with Walter Colton, at Monterey, 
 on the l')th of August, 1846, issued the (irst 
 number of •' Tltt CaJi/orniati," the first news- 
 paper of any kind ever published in California. 
 It was a snuill. four- page sheet, about twelve 
 bv fifteen inches, its typographical appearance 
 being much marred by the substitution of two 
 r'^j for ii\ which tlieir types did not contain. 
 .After that he laid out. and w;is the acknowl- 
 edged father of. the town of Benicia. 
 
 On the assembling oi' the Constitutional Con- 
 vention at Monterey, in 1849, h> was the 
 almost imanimous choice for president of the 
 body, a position which he filled greatly to the 
 credit both of himself and the assembly which 
 thus inaugurated the State. 
 
 In the latter part of 1854 he was thrown 
 from his horse, and received injuries from which 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 177 
 
 he died on the 25th of October, leaving be- 
 hind him the unrecorded acts of a long and 
 eventful career. 
 
 " The death of those distinguished by theii- station, 
 But by their virtue more, awakes the mind 
 To solemn dread, and strikes a saddening awe. 
 Not that we grieve for them, but for ourselves, 
 Left to the toil of life; — and yet the best 
 Are, by the playful children of this world, 
 At once forgot, as thej' had never been." 
 
178 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 WILLIAM DAVIS MERRY HOWARD. 
 
 Among the most prominent of San Fran- 
 cisco's earl}- merchants was this native of 
 Boston, who first visited California, as the agent 
 of a company engaged in the hide and tallow 
 trade in his native city, in 1839. He settled 
 permanently in San Francisco in 1846, and, 
 in connection with Henry Mellus, established 
 a commercial house, which, up to 1850, when 
 he retired, stood second to none on the Par 
 cific Coast for all that makes trade honorable 
 and business successful. 
 
 He was among the first and most efficient 
 promoters of the establishment of that noble 
 institution, " The Protestant Orphan Asylum," 
 in which, to the day of his death, he took a 
 lively interest. He also donated to the " How- 
 ard Presbyterian Church " the valuable lot on 
 ■which their first house of worship was erected. 
 The public school system and the fire depart- 
 ment were also largely indebted to him for 
 their early prosperity. 
 
 On the 19th of January, 1856, after a short, 
 
■FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 179 
 
 but exceedingly painful, illness, he died, in the 
 midst of friends. How much his demise was 
 felt is indicated by the following, which we 
 find in the " CaU/ornia Chronicle,'' of Janu- 
 ary 21st, 1856 : 
 
 " At a meeting of the Societ}- of California 
 "Pioneers, held at their rooms, the 20th instant, 
 pursuant to adjournment, the committee ap- 
 pointed at the previous meeting, to take into 
 consideration the untimely death of Captain W. 
 D. M. Howard, and to make the necessary 
 arrangements for the Society to participate in 
 paying the last sad tribute of respect to their 
 late fellow member, the following preamble, 
 resolutions, and obituary notice, were unani- 
 mously adopted, as expressive of the sentiments 
 of the Society : 
 
 " Whereas, It has been the will of Al- 
 mighty God to remove from our midst Cap- 
 tain W. D. M. Howard, the first President, 
 and ever a zealous friend of the Society- of 
 California Pioneers, and 
 
 " Whereas, the Society feels deep griel' for 
 the loss it has sustained, and entertains the 
 most heartfelt sympathy with the relatives of 
 
180 
 
 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 the deceased in this sad hereavement — there- 
 fore be it 
 
 " Resolved, That, by this afflicting dispensa- 
 tion of Providence, the Society of California 
 Pioneers has lost one of its most beloved 
 members and one of its noblest benefactors, 
 the commmiity has lost one of its most es« 
 teemed and public - spirited citizens, and the 
 famil}' ol' the deceased a kind and affection- 
 ate friend in every relation of life. 
 
 " liexohed, That the members of the Society of 
 California Pioneers will long cherish the memory 
 of the deceased, endeared to them as he was by 
 the man}' noble qualities which adorned his 
 character ; and that they tender to his afflicted 
 relatives their sincere sympathy and condolence. 
 
 "Resolved, That the Society will attend the 
 obsequies of the deceased ; and, as an addi- 
 tional mark of respect, that the members 
 of the society wear the usual badge of mourn- 
 ing for thirty days. 
 
 '^Resolved, That a copy of these resolutions, 
 and of the following obituary notice, be sent 
 to the relatives of the deceased, and published 
 through the San Francisco press. 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 181 
 
 ''Obituary. — Few men can pass away from 
 the stage of life and leave their memory en- 
 circled with more well-earned honor and love 
 than Capt. William Davis Merry Howard. His 
 was a life of peace encircled with all the 
 social virtues. The laurels of the Christian 
 and of the high - toned gentleman are his, 
 more precious and more difficult to win than 
 those of the victor of the battle-field. The 
 tears oi an endeared community are shed for 
 him, and, notwithstanding the diversity of sen- 
 timent and Opinion which prevails, there was 
 this unanimity, that Capt. W. D. M. HowARn 
 had no enemy. In the calm and amiable dig- 
 nity of his life he won each day some victory 
 of friendship, and of some new friend obtained 
 the lasting aftection. 
 
 " Mr. Howard arrived in California from Bos- 
 ton in 183'J, and, after visiting various localities 
 in the country, finallj' located himself in San 
 Francisco, in 1846. As agent, in the commencement 
 of his career, he Jicquitted himself with that 
 honor which placed him in the highest posi- 
 tion in his commercial business. His subse- 
 quent financial transactions gave him wealth ; — 
 
and, finally, in his retirement from active busi- 
 ness to promote his health and enjoy the well- 
 garnered harvest of his industry, he has moved 
 through life with a heart as pure, and integrity- 
 unsullied, as when he first embarked on life's 
 weary path, and the bloom of youth first man- 
 tled on his cheek. 
 
 " Among our social institutions the liberal 
 and generous hand of Capt. Howard may 
 everywhere be traced. The orphan, little heed- 
 ing whence the sweet charit} which sustained 
 it may be derived, unconsciously in its morn- 
 ing and evening prayers, blesses him. The 
 Chui-ch, when struggling for an existence, and 
 forgotten in the hot pursuit ol' wealth, flour- 
 ished, and raised its spire to Heaven through 
 his encouraging aid. When conflagrations had 
 spread desolation and poverty, both the means 
 and the genial will were left to him to prevent 
 the recurrence of such ruin, and our fire de- 
 partment well and fondly remembers the name 
 of Howard. 
 
 " In the desperate efibrts of worthless men 
 to create war and anarchy in our city, the 
 calm and unmoved dignity of Howard, in pre- 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 183 
 
 siding over the lovers of law and order, gave 
 those trying scenes an earnestness, stronger 
 than the sword, which struck terror into evil 
 hearts and dispersed their bands. Walk among 
 the many tenants of his lands and listen to 
 the music of tlieir praise. No complaint of 
 the opi^ressor's hand is heard, but the pleasant 
 tones of grateful thanks issue from every lip. 
 (lather around him at the social board the 
 friends who enjoyed his intimacy, and will 
 the}" not admit that his hospitality wore a 
 grace which none can assume, arid only the 
 pure of heart can manifest ? 
 
 " The politics of Capt. Howard took no de- 
 cided tbi'ui. His gi'eat idea was to promote 
 the good of the whole nation, and whenever 
 he could conduce to that object he was active 
 in his couatr3''s cause. 
 
 " Although eminently disposed to lead a life 
 of peace, when invited to assist in organizing 
 the military of the State, Capt. Howard again 
 appears, as the benefactor rather than soldier, 
 to approve by his presence, rather than lead in 
 the strife of war; but the California Guard 
 will grieve to know their ancient Captain is 
 
gone, and will shed for him a soldier's 
 tear. 
 
 "Thus have we followed him through his 
 sphere of life, and everywhere we find the 
 manlj gentleman, the noble citizen, the gener- 
 ous friend." 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. l85 
 
 CHARLES L. 1?()SS. 
 
 Oil that pleasant morning, as we steamed 
 np the Bay around the Point and dropped 
 anchor ahnost ofT Washington street, nearly 
 all of the few citizens who had not caught 
 the gold fever and departed for the auriferous 
 fields, collected together upon the beach at the 
 corner of Montgomery and Washington streets 
 and greeted our ari-ival with welcome cheers. 
 Among them was Charles L. Ross, a native 
 of Rockway, New Jersey, and who, upon the 
 thirty -first day of January of the present year, 
 saw his fifty-seventh birthday. 
 
 About the time of the departure of Steven- 
 son's Regiment from New York for San Fran- 
 cisco, some friends, who, knowing th.at the 
 Mexican tariff would be abolished upon the 
 arrival of that regiment at its destination, 
 determined to dispatch the bark "Whiton" 
 with a cargo of miscellaneous goods, under 
 the direction and management of Mr. Ross. 
 He arrived here in April, 1847, and com- 
 menced business. He rented a building of 
 
William Petit, oh the beach, below Montgoin- 
 ery street and near Washington, and, as it 
 was entirely too small to contain the quantity , 
 of goods unsold upon the departure of the 
 vessel, a large number of cases of dry goods 
 were obliged to remain outside, without shelter 
 or protection, and were there opened and dis- 
 posed of from time to time as purchasers were 
 found. In those days, however, exposed prop- 
 erty was perfectly safe from the depredations 
 of thieves. 
 
 For a nmnber of years prior to his immigra- 
 tion hither, Mr. Ross had been engaged in 
 the sale of India Rubber goods in the New 
 York market, and the perfection of the Good- 
 year patents had caused such a great demand 
 for the manutiictured products as to cause quite 
 a scarcity in the supply of the crude India 
 Rubber, or caoutchouc, and he had intended, 
 as soon as his cargo was disposed of, to pro- 
 ceed to Peru and institute a search for it in 
 the interior of that country, feeling persuaded 
 it could be found as well upon the western 
 as upon the eastern slope of that continent. 
 By the advice, however, of James Lick, Esq., 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 187 
 
 who had recently arrived here from Lima, he 
 was induced to abandon the adventure and to 
 remain in California, and, during the Summer, 
 erected a store on the north-west corner of 
 Washington ami Montgomery streets. In '49 
 he erected other buildings on the opposite cor- 
 ner ol" Montgoinerv. and did an extensive busi- 
 ness, and prospered. 
 
 During the yQnv 1S49 he purchased the brig 
 TiUura Ann. and dispatched her to Mazatlan 
 with a special messenger, to proceed overland 
 to New York, to procure a steamboat to navi- 
 gate the waters of the Sacramento river. His 
 agent, having been bribed here, proved faithless 
 upon his arrival at New York, and other 
 parties reaped the benefit of his enterprise. 
 
 In MO he purchased of Thom.\.s O. Larkin 
 the property now occupied by the Mont- 
 gomery Block, with other lots, for the sum 
 of $300,000, and erected a large brick build- 
 ing at a cost of over $100,000; and other 
 buildings upon Washington street at a further 
 cost of upwards of another $100,000. In 
 the I^rick building was established the first 
 Merchants' Exchange, by a son of Commodore 
 
Si-OAT. The income of this property up to 
 the time (jf the fire was about $10,oOO per 
 month. Tiie great fire of 'ol destroyed all 
 his improvements, involving a loss, including 
 debts outstanding, approximating nearly to 
 $300,000. 
 
 By the advice of friends whose judgment 
 he unibrtuiiately (as it resulted in this partic- 
 ular instance) respected and was guided by, 
 he sold most ol" his real estate immediately 
 after the fire, and spent several years in a 
 vain attempt to collect his outstanding debts, 
 until the town ''grew away" from him, and 
 he has since Ijeen rated as a (ccmiparatively) 
 poor man. Whilst he had means, few were 
 more generous in the relief and assistance of 
 others, and few gave more liljerally than he 
 I'or benevolent piu'poses. Some of our very 
 wealth}' citizens have cause to remember his 
 liberality. 
 
 He was a "charter memlxu'" of the Society 
 of Pioneers, and one of the few now left en- 
 titled to wear the Red Scarf. 
 
 In 1850, he was elected a member of the 
 Board of Aldennen, and, as Chairman of the 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 180 
 
 Committee of Education, reported the Bill or- 
 ganizing (jur present system of Public Schools, 
 an institution which he has never failed to 
 regard Avith lively interest. 
 
 As already remarked, his Jilierallti/ was 
 ])roverl)ial. He shared what he had with 
 those who had not ; and gave to every object 
 of benevolence, and every moral and 
 i-eligious enterprise with an unsparing hand. 
 Let a few facts illustrate: 
 
 When our steamer arrived, having on Ijoard 
 Rev. O. C. Wheeler and wife — Mrs. Wheeler 
 being the fii'st, and, for a considerable time, 
 the uiiJi/ female missionar}' in California — Mr. 
 Ross at once assumed the entire responsibility 
 of their care and expenses, although under no 
 more ol)ligation than any other citizen. He 
 had, sometime Ijefore, suspended work upon a 
 dwelling for himself because lumber had risen 
 to $450 per thousand, but, before night of our 
 first (lay, he had several workmen on the house, 
 under orders to " complete it in the shortest 
 possible time," notwithstanding lumber was $100 
 a thousand higher than when he suspended. 
 He then hired the best ahuniij to be had, 
 
190 Fin ST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 advanced $300 for the rent, and saw them as 
 comfortable as possiWe until his house was 
 done, when he took them there and made 
 their living free, at a time when such fare 
 and rooms were worth $500 a month. 
 
 When Mr. Wheei-kr proposed the necessity 
 for a house of worship, Mr. Ross at once en- 
 tered into the work, .secured a lot, made the 
 contracts* and suj^ervi-sed the work, without 
 compensation, and then, beside numerous gifts 
 of a few hundred dollars eiich, gave five 
 THOUS.\ND DOLLARS at one time toward paying 
 the debts incurred for the property. 
 
 Though, like his honorable compeer, W. U. 
 M. How.VRi), whose name appears on another 
 page, he had no taste for partisan politics, 
 he was a man of most unparalleled enter- 
 prise, his operations often reaching a boldness 
 of dash and hazardous venture which seemed 
 
 * G. W. Meacham, how the proprietor of the " Hum- 
 boldt House," perhaps the most recherche and popular 
 place for "refreshing the inner man" on the two 
 thousand miles of Paeifie IJailroads, was the builder, 
 who, both ill thoroughness and time, gave entire satis- 
 faction in his wori<. 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 191 
 
 perfectly reckless, though there was always, in 
 his rapidly reached conclusions, a philosophy that 
 those of more moderation could not discover. 
 
 It was on\y once in a great while that a 
 vessel came into the harhor with merchandise, 
 previous to the arrival of our steamer, and 
 when one did come, it was of the utmost 
 importance to get the Jirfit rhdiice at her super- 
 cargo. In order to do this, the two rival 
 houses of " Ho\v.\Kn & Mellus" and " C. L. 
 Ross," each kept the best boat and set of 
 oarsmen procurable, always ready, at a mo- 
 ment's notice, to "jump aboard and pull for 
 life," when a vessel entered the "Golden Gate." 
 
 One day, " A brig is coming in ! " was 
 announced. In a moment Howard had the 
 rudder- lines of his boat, and Ross those of 
 his, and every oarsman sprung his "ash" to 
 its utmost. The race was close and closely 
 contested for about three miles, but Ross was 
 a hundred yards ahead when he grasped the 
 ropes and sprang over the bulwarks. The 
 Captain, who was also supercargo, met him at 
 the rail, when, without one preliminary word, 
 Ross said, in his peculiarly rapid manner : 
 
192 
 
 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEHRS. 
 
 '• Got any red woolen shirts ? " 
 
 '" Yes," said the skipper. •' a hundred dozen." 
 
 Without asking a single question as to what 
 else the vessel contained, Ross said : 
 
 '' What will you take for your entire cargo, 
 everything in the ship ? " 
 
 " A hundred per cent, on New York in- 
 voice," said the Captain. 
 
 " It is done," said Ross, as he handed the 
 skipper a hundred dollars, "and this binds the 
 bar sain." 
 
 And, as the Captain received the money, 
 and said "yes," Howard reached the deck. 
 There were no " red woolen shirts " in the 
 country, and every miner must have a pair, 
 even if they cost him a hundred dollars, and 
 C. L. Ross l-iieir it. 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. IH." 
 
 JAMES LICK. 
 
 Among the most noteworthy of ;ill our '• Ear- 
 lier Pioneers," is the gentleman whose name 
 we have just written, and yet, strange to say, 
 scarcely one of them has been less noticed in 
 all the pretentious " Annals," and other books, 
 that have essayed to give sketches of these 
 noble men. Toot your own horn or go un- 
 tamed was never more clearly illustrated than 
 in the case of Mr. Lick. Naturally modest, 
 and reticent to the last degree, nearly all the 
 acts, of his heroic and wonderful life have 
 remained unnoticed by the present generation. 
 In fact, he was passed by in silence, while in 
 the bold and unique adventures which brought 
 him such vast accumulations ; and, could he 
 have gratified his own desires, and accom- 
 plished his purposes of unparalleled philan- 
 thropy, he would have remained unknown to 
 the day of his death. But this was not pos- 
 sible. The later acts of his life, now in pro- 
 gress, could not remain " under a bushel." 
 We first find Mr. Lick in the interior of 
 
194 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 Pennsylvania, a young married man, quietly 
 pursuing a course of operations, evincing great 
 enterprise in their planning, untiring energy 
 in their execution, and promising great advan- 
 tages in their results. 
 
 We next find him in the pampas of Bra- 
 zil and Buenos Ayres, in South America, with 
 his thousands of horses and cattle, in the 
 capacity of a great proprietor, from whom the 
 Governments of those countries derived their 
 supplies for their cavalry and their commissariat. 
 
 Again we find him on the other side of 
 the Continent, operating in the commercial me- 
 tropoli of Chili and Peru ; everywhere, and 
 at all times, S'; quiet, and so unobtrusive, that 
 none, save those with whom he had transac- 
 tions in business, and those who observed the 
 external improvements wrought by his enter- 
 prise, would be aware of his existence. 
 
 His mode, in all departments of life, has 
 never been in a beaten track or a rut, but 
 alwaj's preeminently '■'■ sid i/eneris.'' In Valpa- 
 raiso he was not only doing new things, but 
 doing them in his own way. 
 
 And, strange as it may seem, in such a 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEEIiS. 195 
 
 very quiet m;in, lie was always reaching into 
 enterprises in advance of others, " taking time 
 by the forelock." 
 
 When the news of gold discovery in Cali- 
 fornia reached Valparaiso, he was in business 
 that would have taken an ordinary man a 
 series of months at least, to so close up that 
 he could leave it, with any sort of consisten- 
 cy ; yet he put doubloons enough in his trunk 
 to make twenty thousand dollars, besides the 
 expenses of the trip, entrusted his business to 
 a confidential friend, and stepped on board the 
 first vessel leaving his place for San Francisco. 
 
 Arriving here, he found exactly what his 
 sagacious mind had predicted from the mo- 
 ment that the golden news reached him, viz : 
 a splendid opportunity to invest in real estate. 
 
 He scanned the situation, foresaw the . 
 growth of the town, selected his " corner lots " 
 with great good judgment, and invested his 
 money. The property he then purchased with 
 twenty thousand dollars, is perhaps to - day 
 worth as many millions. For the first four 
 years he built sparingly, and with great care ; 
 afterward liberally and magnificently. 
 
196 FIJiSr STEAMSHIP PIOyEERS. 
 
 In 1853, John B. Weli.er, U. S. Senator 
 IVoiu Calilbrnia, said, in his place, '' I would 
 not give six bits for all the agricultural lands 
 in California." 
 
 At this same time Mr. Lick was preparing 
 the foundations for a flouring mill iia Santa 
 Clara County, which, with its massive foundii- 
 tions, fine Burr stones, and interior finishings 
 of solid mahogany, had, before it was com- 
 pleted, cost him half a million of dollars. 
 This done, he took fifty acres of adjoining 
 land, reduced its surface to a spirit-level, and 
 set, by the "square and compass," with his 
 own hands, the whole with the choicest va- 
 rieties of pear trees. 
 
 All these operations, and numerous others, 
 although done in a country where the Hon- 
 orable Senator " would not give six bits for 
 all the agricultural land," proved immensely 
 remunerative. 
 
 He also erected the magnificent hotel in 
 San Francisco which bears his name, in 
 which he finished, what is regai'ded the most 
 splendid dining-room in the w'orld, and Avhich 
 house is the home of the most accomplished 
 
FIRST STEAMSIITP PIONEERS. 
 
 107 
 
 travelers — the very elite of all civilized nations 
 who visit our coast. 
 
 Recently his acts have placed him in the 
 front rank of })hilanthropists of this or any 
 other age. He has donated to the Society 
 of California Pioneers and to the Academy 
 of Sciences each a lot worth at least $120,000, 
 and is arranging to erect on each a building 
 of the most superb and magnificent style and 
 proportions adapted to their several uses, the 
 aggregate cost of which will fall little if any 
 short of a million of dollars. He has also 
 arranged and provided for the erection, fur- 
 nishing and permanent endowment of a vast 
 Astronomical Observatory on the shore of Lake 
 Tahoe, near the summit of the Sierra Nevada 
 mountains, at an expense which will not 
 proljably fall short of another million. 
 
 Mr. Lick has been for many months in 
 poor health, but seems to be spending all his 
 powers in arranging plans for the disposal of 
 his vast wealth in a manner to secure the 
 greatest amount of good to the coming gene- 
 rations of his follow- men. 
 
 We would ghullv have been more full and 
 
198 
 
 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 explicit with the reference to Mr. Lick, but 
 were not, <is promised, furnished with the 
 necessary data. Looking, from his sick cham- 
 ber, upon the generations of the rising future, 
 we ahnost hear him sav : 
 
 " Commend me to them ; 
 And tell them that, to ease them of their griefs, 
 Their fears of hostile strokes, their aches, their losses, 
 Their pangs of love, with other iucident throes 
 That nature's fragile vessel doth sustain 
 In life's uncertain voj'age, I will some kindness do 
 them.'' 
 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEEBS. 199 
 
 Of other Earlier Pioneers. 
 
 General John A. Sutter, the most widely 
 famous for his enlarged plans, and inexhaustible 
 benevolence ; 
 
 Thomas O. Larkin, the most extensively con- 
 nected with the interests of our government on 
 this Coast previous to our acquisition of Cali- 
 fornia ; 
 
 Samuel Brannan, the boldest operator, and 
 most successful early merchant; 
 
 Jonathan I). Stevenson, Colonel of the First 
 Regiment New York Volunteers for California; 
 
 Joseph L. Folsom, Quartermaster of the same, 
 and man of far-seeing enterprise; 
 
 James W. Marshall, the discoverer of gold ; 
 
 Edward Gilbert, one of our first represent- 
 atives in Congress ; 
 
 Selim E. Woodworth, the self- made naval 
 captain. 
 
The " Annals of San Francisco," by '• Soulo 
 and Gihon," fui-nishes so lull and complete 
 biographical sketches, that an attempt on our 
 part to improve upon them, would indicate 
 more vanity than we desire to have credit for. 
 
 Whei'efore, referring the reader to the above 
 excellent work, we close this chapter. 
 
C H A P T E 11 IX. 
 
 MKMORIOHA PHI A . 
 
 ROM the verv meagre data furnished 
 the Committee b}' iiiotst of" those who 
 resi)onded at all, the following sketches 
 are the liest that could he piepared. With all 
 their crudeness, we trust the individuality of 
 each pioneer will Ije, in some measure, apparent. 
 We pi-esent them as nearly as may be in 
 the ordei- in which the\' reached us : 
 
 niKJH VVHITTKLL. 
 
 County Tyrone, in Ireland, is where the great 
 rebellion of 1597 commenced, in behalf, and under 
 the auspices of, the ()' Neils, who had, as a 
 house, furnished kings for the •' (ireen Isle " 
 
I 
 
 202 
 
 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 long centurieis before the intioduction of Chri.s- 
 tiimity. 
 
 Its surface is richly diversified b3' hill and 
 vale, mountain, lake, and river ; and its pro- 
 ducts and manufactures are as varied as its 
 face. 
 
 It was here, in IS 12, that this devotee of 
 the •* Shamrock "' first began to trace the 
 paths from which good Saint Patrick had 
 so recently — only about fifteen hundred years 
 before — -driven the snakes and the toads. 
 
 In this County Tyrone, and in this same 
 year, 1812. did this same new comer put on 
 the ''green." and flaunt it as an emblem of 
 the ever changing, yet always new ; and here 
 and then he commenced that strange cweer, 
 which has carried him to more new places, 
 and the opening of uutre new enteiprises, per- 
 haps, than any other living man. 
 
 He was placed in scl ool at Dublin, but would 
 pay very little attention to anything, unless it 
 was something neir. 
 
 Reading, writing, arithmetic, grammar, geo- 
 graphy, and all the catalo^jue of ordinary 
 studies were of little account with him. simply 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 203 
 
 because they were old — others liad studied 
 them, and therefore lie had uo desire lor them. 
 
 But, if H new chair or hench was to be introduced 
 to the room, or ii new hall to be opened, or a 
 new professor to be installed. f)idden or unbid- 
 den, without reference to the propriety, or im- 
 propi'iety, of the thing, he was sure tr) be there, 
 (dosely scrutinizing ever> passing event. 
 
 After he became satisfied that there would be 
 no more new things in his native land, he 
 turned his attention to othei' coasts and climes. 
 
 Hearing the term )ieir so often attached to 
 the American World, and supposing, therefore, 
 that in the Nen: world everything wjus new, 
 nothing repeated, he thought that wjis just the 
 place for him. 
 
 He came to America, and after learning his 
 mistake, and that people did here even repeat 
 the same atjts, carrying the thing so far as to 
 eat and drink, and smoke and sleep, when 
 they and others had done the same thing 
 before, he became hugely disgusted, and, though 
 then more than forty years old, in 1S56, 
 hastened off to a medical school in France, 
 where he spent two years. 
 
204 
 
 FIKST STKAM,SHIP PIONKERS. 
 
 Beioie comiiiL; to (Jaliforuia. lie was. for a 
 series^ of" years, a cloth merchant at the 
 corner of William ami .John streets, New York. 
 
 On the twenty- third oi' December, 1848, 
 he left New York o)i hoaid steamer -'Crescent 
 City," tiir ChatiTes, whence he crossed the 
 Isthmus, and to(jk passage in steamer •'Cali- 
 fornia,' arri villi- in San Ki-ancisco Feliruarv 
 28th, 1849. 
 
 During this same ^ear he rctiniied home, on 
 ax-count of the illness ol his wile. 
 
 In 18")2, he returned, and after lemaining 
 a short time, again went abroad, and remained 
 until 18()o. when he returned, and has been 
 in ('alifbrnia most of . tlie time since, taking 
 care of his property and his family. 
 
 But these I'ew desultory facts do no sort 
 of justice to such a life as that of Captain 
 Whittkll. 
 
 As already intimated, he, when \q\\ \oung, 
 manifested a decided affinity for novelties; 
 especially did this penchant develop itself in 
 an insatiate desire to be present at the in- 
 itiation oi every new enterprise. 
 
 In the prosecution of this peculiar and in- 
 
teresting desire, In- iurornis us that, though a 
 mere boy. hu was ac-tually present in England, 
 and rode on t\\v lirs.t ti'ain ol' cars that ever 
 ran on a raihoad lor the conveyance of ])as- 
 sengers, and that he cro.ssed tlie Athmtic m 
 time to ride on the first steam passenger car 
 that ever ran on an American i-ailway ; that 
 lie went to Kurope in the first steamship 
 that crossed the Atlantic from New York : 
 was [lassenger in the first steamei' up the 
 Pacific (Joast. and also in the first steamship 
 from San Francisco for (Jhina; also, that he 
 was present at the opening of the great 
 telegraphic system in America, and at the 
 inauguration of the Suez Canal, that great 
 enterprise which shortens the distance, per 
 ship, lietween Kurope and India many thou- 
 sand miles. He was present and took part 
 in founding the tt)wn of St. Paul, in Minne- 
 sota : and wtis one of tlie first Americans 
 permitted to visit I'ekin. the capital ol' the 
 Ohinese Empire. where he saw (h)mestic 
 pigeons Hying about the town, and among tiie 
 towers of the palaces and the temples, with 
 small musical instruments attached to their 
 
206 FTRST STRAMSHTP PIONEERS. 
 
 necks aiifl hanging upon their bre.ists, so con- 
 striicteri iuid so arrange<i that tlie stirring of 
 the atmosphere bv the motion of the wings 
 ami the jjrogress of the ImkIv through tlie 
 air prochice exceedingly fine strains of ^jolian 
 music. Tliere, too. he saw the Imperial I'a- 
 vilion in whicOi the Emperor annually holds 
 the plow, and the Empress spins at the 
 wheel, as examples of industry to the people. 
 There he also saw five hundred Buddhist priests 
 dressed in uniform. worshi])ing in one temple, 
 using the ancient Sansciit language, before a 
 statue of liuddiia twenty -nine feet high, wrought 
 with the greatest elegance, really a magnificent 
 and fine work of art. 
 
 There is scarcely a port, visited by civilized 
 man, into and out of which he has not sailed ; 
 scarcely a natural (iuriosity known on earth 
 which he has not visited, inspected, and ren- 
 dered more or less familiar. 
 
 [f he has not, like Kepler, soared into 
 l)oundless space, measured the orbits and 
 weighed the density of the heavenly bodies ; 
 or, like a Lyell, extorted from the sandstone 
 and the coalbed, the granite and the chalk, 
 
testimony to the countless years since this 
 mundane sphere, like a jiloljule from the 
 •crucible oi' liquid metal, was hurled into spa(!e 
 from the great ball ol' central fire, a molten 
 globe of fusing elements, to reach its level 
 and thence tbre\er balance in its orbit, slowly 
 cooling at the suiface, and successively gen- 
 -erating animal life, to be fostei'ed for a season 
 and then exterminated by the ever-growing 
 •<;old ; or, like an Agassiz, bringing up, from 
 the deep sea- soundings, proofs of science, which 
 finds only one of its branches more than suf- 
 ficient to occup}' the utmost of a busy life — 
 yet he has been as nearly everywhere and 
 seen everything as any num to be found. 
 
 In doing this, he crossed the Atlantic ^liftrrn 
 times before the ocean was navigated by steam, 
 and hiis crossed it Ihlrty- ii'mt. times since; has 
 threaded every prominent river and climbed 
 •«ver\ ])i()minent mountain t)f earth, and is 
 to-day one of the most social aiid agreeable 
 of men, even among those celebrated wits and 
 waggers of the tongue, the learned and culti- 
 vated st)ns of Erin. 
 
 lie closes a recent note to the Editin" 
 
•J(1S FJJiST STEAMSHIP PTONKEPS. 
 
 ('oiuiiiittec ol' this work with the following 
 humorous epitaph, wliieh, we presume, he 
 designs to have chiseled iipou a lofty granite 
 monolith and placed alwve his grave, when 
 lie dies, "provided always that he should 
 live so long" : 
 
 All yon u lio cIiiuk'o lliin gravt; to .-ioe. 
 
 if villi roail l"iiiicli>*li- learn by me : 
 
 1 traveled, read, and studied luiicli, to know 
 
 What interests, most, mortals lii-re lielow — 
 
 The present or tlie future stale, the love of self or 
 
 powi'r. 
 I'!ii\ V, tear or hale absorl)ed each waUeful hour. 
 .\ll would teaeli, lull few would learn, and less would 
 
 understand : 
 I'hc hulk of all woidd neuhor know his (iod nor 
 
 fellow - man. 
 I>i>vi' to one another was lUH-dful, all agreed: 
 I add, learn, labor, and irnif. and you will succeod. 
 
 in thf four quarters of the worlil I have been ; 
 The cities of Pekiii and Constantinople have seen ; 
 On the first railway I rode Ijetbre othei's were made ; 
 Saw the tirst telegraph operate — so useful to trade; 
 111 the tirst steamship the Atlantic 1 crossed ; 
 .•^Jurt'ei-ed six shipwrecks, where many wei'e lost. 
 After much trouble my business to fix, • 
 My sole possession here is two bj' si.x. 
 
 Born, 1812. Died, . 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 209 
 
 L. BROOKE. 
 
 Mr. Brooke was a native of Montgomery 
 County, Maryland; born July fi, 1819. After 
 the usual opportunities for education in the 
 private schools of his native State and in the 
 District of Columbia, he was appointed to a 
 clerkship in the Quarteriruister's Department 
 of the United States' Army in Washington, 
 where he remained until November, 1S4S, 
 when he becuime attached to the command of 
 Oeneral Persikkk V. Smith, in the (^lartei-- 
 muster's Department, under Captain Eujorr. 
 He left Washington in time to embark with 
 his commander, in the steamer "Falcon," at 
 New York, lor Chagres, December 1. 1S4<S, 
 and to share in all the toils and perils, all 
 the joys and sorrows of a pioneer tour, in 
 which almost every hope was deferred and 
 every promise broken ; in which he was called 
 upon to bury his chief — wrap])ed in blanket 
 — in foreign soil; and to grope in untried 
 paths by land and unexplored coasts b} .sea. 
 
On reaching Monterey, California, late in 
 February, 1849, he joiiied (Japtain Ingalls 
 in the Quartermaster's Department of the 
 United States' Army, with whom he remained 
 until the following May. when he iiccompa^ 
 nied him to Oregon, where he has since le- 
 sided, and, with slight iiiterruptions, (continued 
 in the same department of service. 
 
 He is now living at Portland. Oregon, wheie 
 he is able to reJlre and enjoy life upon the 
 savings of more than a quarter of a. century's 
 arduous toil. There he has seen a large and 
 nourishing «'ommercial city grow upon a piece 
 of wild river- bank, now connecting, by sail, 
 and steam, and rail, with every civilized sea, 
 and port, and vale of eaith. He has seen a 
 vast territory change its hordes of savages tor 
 a teeming population ol' civilized, enlightened, 
 cultured men, forming, maintaining and lioiior- 
 ing that noblest of human organizations — a 
 State. He has seen grow up and matiux- 
 into unuihood a generation of young men, de- 
 veloping the gi'eat characteristics by which self- 
 government is maintained and the prosperity 
 of the State assured. And. as he now looks 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 211 
 
 over this field, his adopted State, and upon 
 this miglity host of rising manhood, who shall 
 blame him for saying, with true patriotic pride : 
 
 " Kroiii germs like lliese have inightj statesmen sprung, 
 Of priKleut counsel ami jjcrsuasive tongue ; 
 UnMenching minds, who rul'd the willing throng, 
 Their well - hraoed nerves by early labor strung." 
 
212 FIRST STKAMSHIP PIONRERS. 
 
 A. M. VAN NOSTRANI). 
 
 Few men live so busy. »o iisei'iil. and so 
 happy a lite as the gentleman whose name 
 lieads this. Born in Brooklyn, New York, 
 September 8th. 1816, he was eai'et'ully reared 
 l)y his parents until he reached his majority. 
 Beinjr oi' a slender and delicate frame he was 
 the object of especial solicitude, and was 
 guarded, in his early eciucation, with unremit- 
 ting attention. 
 
 He was first placed under the instruction 
 of a lady of grea,t distinction as an educatoi'. 
 with vvhoiu he remained until her sudden de- 
 cease, in the zenith of life ; and was then 
 placed with Professor N. B. Morse, under whose 
 tuition he lemained as long as he continued 
 to teach. He was next sent to the New Yoi-k 
 CoHunercial Academy, which was locaterl where 
 Trinity building now stands, in Broadway. 
 
 All these places, where tliis youth pursued 
 his rudimentary and luort^ advanced studies, 
 have long since l)ecome ci-ntres ol' large and 
 ever increasing bnsiness. 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIOyKEMS. 'JIM 
 
 Hiivinii coinpleted his sclioliistic studies, he 
 heciuiie a lirv _u,()()ds" jobber in Penrl street, 
 New York, in which ])ositi()ii he was attaei-Led 
 ))\ the liold te\er. and b\- it carried on board 
 the bark ••John Benson," whicli saileil. with 
 him and a, crowd of others from New York 
 for Chagres, I)ecenil)er Stli, 1848. He reached 
 the Isthmus, crossed to Panama, and sailed 
 thence for San Francisco pei' steamei- '' Cali- 
 fornia," on her first trip, and arrived February 
 28th, 1849. 
 
 Rodman M. Price, a pursei- in the Tiavy, 
 and fellow -passenger, had, before reaching San 
 Francisco, sought and secured the services of 
 Mr. Y. when and after the}' should arrive. 
 
 lie served as agent for Mr. Price, and at 
 the same time — illustrative of his wonderful 
 energy of charactei'. power of endurance, and 
 versatility of talent — conductetl an extensive 
 real estate l)usiness, was acting purser, and 
 na,val agent of the station under (Jonuuodore 
 Tm(im.\s at Cate.'^by .Ionks. was a member of 
 the Ayuntamiento. or Town Council, of San 
 Francisco ; and. as member of committee of 
 that bodv. drew the contracts for building the 
 
214 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEEBS. 
 
 Pacific street, the ('alifoniiii street, anrl the 
 Mission street, wharves ; and was first Secre- 
 tary of tile Central Wharf Company, of which 
 Captain .1. L. Folsom was President, and R. IVL 
 Price Tieasurer. 
 
 lie was also a member and Secretai-v of the 
 Grand .lury which tried the celebrated gang of 
 marauders and cut - throats, calling themselves 
 the ■■ Hounds."' in 1S49. This jury met daily 
 lor a whole month, and Mr. Van Nostrani> 
 was present at every sitting, kept all the 
 rei^ords. and i-etains a full copy of the same 
 to the )jresent day. 
 
 He bad been educated in the faith of bis 
 parents, and was a strict " churchman," of the 
 true evangelical t_\})e. Nor did be leave bis 
 good works or his profession behind, or allow 
 his predilections to confine him to his own- 
 sect. Having l)een tbi- man\ years organist 
 in one of the most prouiinent churches in 
 New York, and, having brought a mu.sical 
 instrument with him, he at once made him- 
 sell' as prominent and as useful in moral and 
 religious efforts as in those of a secular char- 
 acter. 
 
rrjiST STEAMSHTP PIONKERfi. 215 
 
 Rev. O. Vj. Whkelek. tlie pioneer missionaiy 
 of the Biii)tist (Jhurcli, h.iviiig organized, and 
 erected the iirst Protestant (Jhiirch eilifice in 
 the territorv. Mr. V.. who had. at an earlv 
 •iXixy. become verv niiicli attached to hiiri. led 
 the choir, and phived tlie full .service at the 
 dedication, and continued to devote himsell. 
 without tee or reward, as long as he remained 
 in California, to the same (dass of services. 
 
 And, though a quarter of a century has 
 since passed, the sweet ^strains of mnsic which 
 ■seemed to drip from his fingers, full of enthusi- 
 asm, and to flow from his clear and highly 
 <uiltured voice with warm devotion, still float 
 across the abyss in the chariot of memory, and 
 awaken, in a multitude of minds, recollections 
 of inexpressilde tenderness and joy. 
 
 In l(So2, he returned to New York, and 
 •entered the house of Rukus K. Crane & Co. 
 as correspondent and financial manager, where 
 he remained until the junior member of the 
 firm wa.s elected to an important position of 
 public trust, and induced Mr. V. to accom- 
 pany him, and act in a most responsible 
 fid uciar y capacity. 
 
21(3 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEEBS. 
 
 He continued in this until 1858 ; when, 
 having originated, organized, and vitalized the 
 Wehawken Ferry Co., he was elected its sec- 
 retary, and became its chiei" manager. This 
 was too much tor him. His iron muscles 
 and nerves of steel yielded to the unwarrant- 
 able pressure, and after twelve years he, in 
 1870, was obliged to retire and seek relaxa- 
 tion, or go speedily to his grave. 
 
 He sought the salubrious atmosphere of the 
 North-west, and. after remaining two and a 
 half years at and in the vicinitv of Mus- 
 catine, Iowa, and becoming again hale and 
 hearty, repaired to San Francisco, and spent 
 the winter of 1872-3 with his old friends. 
 Thence he returned, and is in a quiet business 
 at Flushing, Long Island. 
 
 " iSoine lliei-f an- 
 By their gooil deeits oxallcii ; lof'ly niiuds 
 And ineilitalivc, authors of delijiht 
 And happiness, whiedi, lo the end ol' time. 
 Will live, and spread, ami Hoiirish." 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 217 
 
 DkWITT C. THOMPSON, 
 
 A descendant of the early pioneers of New 
 England, was born in Peru, Berkshire County, 
 Mass., September 1. 1826. 
 
 In boyhood he attended the district and 
 select school of his native town, and, during 
 a part of three yeais, was a student at Wil- 
 liston Seminary, East Hampton, Mass. 
 
 In 1846, he went to New York City, and 
 was ii clerk in one of the Wall street bank- 
 ing houses, until December, 1848. when he 
 started for California via the Isthmus of 
 Panama, and reached San Francisco on the 
 pioneer steamer "California," in February, 
 184U, since which time he has been a resident 
 of this State. 
 
 He was earlj interested in real estate, and 
 was an original stockholder in the first wharf 
 built here, and joint owner of the first store- 
 house constructed (m piles, and many of the 
 valuable lots in San Francisco have passed 
 through his ownership. 
 
 Having taken a strong interest in farming 
 
218 
 
 FIRUT STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 and stock raising, he was one of the pro- 
 jectors and first Vice - Presidents of the State 
 Affricultural Society, and. in 1854. received a 
 State preniinm on his (ine farm in Sonoma 
 County, and several premiums for stock and crops. 
 
 lie took an active pait hi the various 
 Vigihmce Committees, from the " Hound '" riots of 
 1849, to the great operations of 1856; and wius, 
 for several years. Deputy Assessor and Deputy 
 Sherift" of the City and County of San Fran- 
 cisco, working earnestly lor the go(jd of the 
 government, and improvement of the same. 
 
 He was always interested in the California 
 Militia, having Tseen an oiiginal memher of the 
 tirst California Guard, in July, 1849, and hsis 
 filled every rank from private to colonel. 
 
 At the ccmimencement ol' the rebellion, he 
 was Inspector General on the start" of Major 
 Hali.eck, C. M., and took a leading part in 
 re-organizing the State Militia, and putting it 
 on an efficient footing to sustain the Na- 
 tional Government ; also, in raising volunteers 
 for the defence of the Pacific (Joast, and in 
 foi'ming other associations for the maintenance 
 of the Union. 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 219 
 
 In 1862, he assisted in raising the Califoniia 
 Hundred, and California Cavalry Battalion — 
 five hundred Union soldiers that went from ■ 
 this State into active service in Virginia. 
 
 He was commissioned Major of Volunteers, 
 and assigned by the late Gen. (Ieorge Wright 
 to the command of this s])lendid l)ody ol 
 cavalry, and went with them East. 
 
 While in the military service of the l-nited 
 States, he [jarticipated in luany of the move- 
 ments, raids and engagements in Maryland and 
 Virginia. Commanded a Battalion, Regiment 
 and Brigade of Cavalry in the field ; com- 
 manded a Post, Cavalry Encampment and 
 Military Wstrict, and, lor more than a year 
 commanded the military forces along the 
 upper Potomac, between Washington and Har- 
 per's Ferry. 
 
 In 18(')0, he returned to 8an Francisco, and 
 soon after organized the National Insurance 
 Company, of which he was for some time ^'ice 
 President and active manager. 
 
 In 1868, he projected and assisted in form- 
 ing the California Trust Company, now the 
 National Gold Bank and Trust Company, and 
 
220 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 was made its Cashier, which position he fills 
 at the present time. 
 
 Colonel Thompson is now in the prime of 
 life, with a vigorous constitution, having en- 
 joyed uninterrupted good health for the past 
 twenty -five years, and holds a position in 
 the State which the energies of a Pioneer 
 will not permit to become less important. 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 221 
 
 SALISBURY HALF:Y. 
 
 Dr. IIai-KV was of an old and highly esteemed 
 ianiily, lung resident at I'ortsmoiith, N. H., 
 where several geneiations had successively 
 lived and West the whole world with good 
 works and good examples. But. as there is 
 change in all tilings, so in the Haley family. 
 tiitcriiiixe at length gained the ascendancy. 
 
 The year 181('i was peculiarly unfavorable 
 for even old and established farmers, and in- 
 deed for all others, because, as prospers the 
 faniu'r, so fares the balance of communit\'. 
 Cold and st(jnn, and rain, interfered with 
 seeding, and early frosts cut off the imma- 
 ture crops. 
 
 Ijarge families suffered much, and small ones 
 in i)roportion. Yet this youngster, taking 
 time by the " fore," in detiance ol" all ordi- 
 nary rules of prudence, 'broke cover" and 
 presented himself as a claimant tor favor, at 
 the very beginning of this fearful winter — 
 the Kith of .lanuarv. 
 
222 
 
 FIRST STEAM.'^HIP PIONEERS. 
 
 Most vmdoubtedlv he was welcomed witli 
 true (iiiinite State hospitality, and treated as 
 one fully entitled to draw rations, notwith- 
 standing his ilejnit at so unpropitious a time. 
 Avhen the claimants on the roll were already 
 (pute ecpial to any ordinary commissariat. 
 
 The first winter and the succeeding "cold 
 summer "" — tor the summer of 181fi still re- 
 mains tlie '•';/(/ .viiminer of the last hundred 
 years — were passed in safet\ . 
 
 By and by, young Haley was sent to South 
 Hraneh. Maine, where he secured the rudi- 
 ments ol' that education which, in a few su(;- 
 ceeding years he had, h\- intense ap])lication, 
 im})roved, until he was a well read physician. 
 
 For a few years lie practiced the " healing 
 art," but was compelled to aliandon it, on 
 account of jjulmonary disease, which he was 
 imable to remove without a change of pursuit. 
 
 How 
 
 hard it 
 
 is for an 
 
 ambitious 
 
 young 
 
 man 
 
 to 
 
 be driven, by disease 
 
 from a 
 
 chosen 
 
 • and 
 
 cherished pr 
 
 ofessitm, on 
 
 the very 
 
 thres- 
 
 hold 
 
 of 
 
 coveted 
 
 acquisition 
 
 and f\\me 
 
 none 
 
 but 
 
 those who have tasted th 
 
 e bitter cup can 
 
 imagine. 
 
 
 
 
 
liut, with ii stroiiiT will, he (leterniined to 
 shake oft' the enemy, at any sacrifice. 
 
 Following advice, founded upon experience, he 
 thiH'w up his profession, and entered upon a 
 sea - farin<f life. - This produced the longed - foi- 
 change, restored liini to health, and filled him 
 with hoiKj. 
 
 He was, at times, on the wave of the deep salt 
 sea, with his clipper, and, at times, plowing the 
 fresh - water lake and inland river, with his 
 steamer. 
 
 In this latter pursuit he became especially 
 familiar with the tortuous windings of the 
 Chattahoochee, the Rio Grande and the Missis- 
 sippi rivers, and the adjacent estuaries and 
 ports of the Mexican (lulf coast. 
 
 July, 1848, found him at Vera (Jruz, Mex- 
 ico, sole owner of the clipper schooner "J. M. 
 Hitchcock " and a valuable cargo, in which and 
 with which he sailed trom that port about 
 the middle of the month for Chagres, New 
 (iranada. 
 
 Soon after sailing, he met a hurricane, which 
 finally drove him to Key West, where, during the 
 .month of August, he refitted his vessel, re- 
 
224 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 newed and enlarged his cargo, and again 
 sailed tor Chagres September 1st. 
 
 Arriving at Chagres, he landeil his cargo, 
 sent it across to Panama, sold his vessel, and 
 toUowed his cargo jicross the Isthmus. 
 
 He was there long enough to become meas- 
 urably fluent in the use of the Spanish lan- 
 guage, and familiar with the habits and wants 
 of the people, and to make no inconsiderable 
 prepai'ation for "ventures" in California, when 
 the " fireships," which Uncle vSam had induced 
 his nephews, W. II. Aspinwall and associates, 
 to send around and carrv letters for him, 
 ''from Panama to Astoria, Oregon, and back, 
 calling at San Francisco, Califoi'uia, each way," 
 should commence their ti"ips. 
 
 While af Panama, pushing his speculations 
 with the natives, a lieutenant in the U. S. 
 Army, bearing desi)atehes to Washington, ai- 
 rived from California. 
 
 Meeting the Captain — for he had long dofted 
 the -'Dr." — he took him into a private room, 
 locked and bolted the door, and then, from a 
 concealed pocket, drew a long buckskin bag, 
 untied its mouth and, without uttering a 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 225 
 
 word, deliberutely poured upon the p.aper lie 
 had just .spread upon the table the entire 
 contents, half" a quart or more ol' bright, shin- 
 ing, pure, precious gold, just as it was taken 
 from the "diggings" ol" Calit"oi-nia. 
 
 Talk ol" the metamor})hosing power of" Alad- 
 din's himp. or the permeatings of the electric 
 current as the biinds touch the poles, or of" 
 both combined, or of the one multiplied into 
 the other ! They are tame and stolid, and in- 
 sipid, compared with the exhilarations of this 
 stalwart sea captain, as he stood there and 
 gazed. i"or the first time in his lite, upon the 
 shining dust. 
 
 ^'W/ici-f-, ir/ieii, and .//a/r. was this obtained?" 
 and " Is it plenty there ?" occupied the next 
 half houi-. 
 
 Thenceforward, to when he stepped on 
 board the " California," Cajjfain Haley ,wa» 
 lost to all things else; only one thing was thought: 
 What can be here obtained that will ])ay 
 best in California? 
 
 With fiuch nuiturit>- of mind, and such en- 
 tei-prise of spirit, and such advantages, the 
 reader need not be told that the quality of 
 
22C> FIBST UTEAMSHIP PIONEEBS. 
 
 goods he took with him was Uniited only hy 
 tlie variety to be had to choose from, and 
 the f/uaiififi/ only by tlie means at command, 
 and the amount for which he could secure 
 freight on the steamer. 
 
 On the passage from Panama to San Fran- 
 cisco, when all the charts that liad been fur- 
 nished the steamer were not onW meager and 
 defective, but absolutely wrong in their coast 
 line and soundings, and when neither Captain, 
 otficer. nor nuin on boaid. had ever made the 
 tri}). so (dosel}' hugging the iron coast, and, 
 when often everything was doubt, and every 
 thought a conjecture, and every move a haz- 
 ard, the large experience of Capt. IIai.ky as 
 a coaster, his keen perception and readiness to 
 comprehend a situation, made him a most in- 
 valuable counselor to the commander of the 
 steamer, and thus an object of the highest 
 esteem on the part of all on board, wlio were 
 acquainted with the facts. 
 
 He arrived in 8an Francisco on the morning 
 of Feljruary 28, 1849, healthy. ho])el"ul, am- 
 bitious, intelligent, and brimful of enterprise, 
 with capital enough to purchase property that 
 
is now worth many millions of dollars. Yet 
 he has been for years earning his bread I)y 
 the practice of law in the city of Los 
 Angeles. In a recent note be says ; 
 
 " M3' life in California has been a checkered 
 one. I have been rich and 1 have been 
 poor, and have oft repeated the change. Too 
 much enterprise has cost me millions ; for 
 had I properly invested, in San Francisco, the 
 capital with which I arrived there, I should 
 have been as rich, to-day, as our mutual 
 friend, J.\mes Lick." 
 
 And none who know him, and the cir- 
 cumstances, will either doubt ////.v, or that 
 be would have di^bnrned with as liberal a 
 hand. 
 
 He has l)een, and still is, one of those 
 who do large U' for the development of the 
 country, without sufficient attention to personal 
 accumulation; a fault — if it be a fault — -com- 
 mon to most jjioneers. Yet he is not the 
 less happy nor the less useful, and should 
 not be the less honored on this account. 
 Wisdom sa^'s: "All honor to such men, who 
 .sacrifice one for the good of the many." 
 
22S 
 
 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 The Captain is now located in one of the 
 most delightful climates, one of the most 
 fertile districts ol" earth ; and. at full meridian 
 of life is, with unwrinkled l)row, and un- 
 dimmed eye, and steady nerve, and unfaltering 
 step, and beaming <H)untenance, the fullest 
 j)ossible personification of the true and noble 
 pioneer ; and, as he sits on his broad ve- 
 randa, or threads the mazes of his extensive 
 grounds, intricate with embowered walks and 
 winding brooks, and blooming beds, and 
 spreading vines, all aromatic with orange 
 bloom and fragrant rose, surrounded by the 
 dear ones — without whom man is but half a 
 man and undeserving what he is — who (^an 
 more justly say than he : 
 
 '• (trt-al (toil, we thaiiU l\w\- tor this lioine — 
 
 This bouiileous birth -laml of the free; 
 Where wamierei's from afar may fiome. 
 
 And breathe the air of liberty, 
 ytill may her Howei-s luitraiiipled ^spriIltJ. 
 
 Her harvests wave, her eities rise ; 
 And yet, till 'I'inie shall fold his wins<. 
 
 Remain Karth's loveliest paraclise." 
 
 And to whom could a shipmate more ap- 
 propriately refer, in the spiiit of prayer : 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 229 
 
 "O tlioii, who in thy liaiul dost hold 
 
 The winds or waves that wake or sleep, 
 Thy tender arms of mcrcj- fold 
 
 Around the raptaiii t'rotn the deep. 
 And, when his voyage of life is o'er, 
 
 Maj' he be welcomed to the shore 
 Whose peaceful streets with gold are paved, 
 
 And angels sing, ' He's saved ! He's saved !' " 
 
230 FIRST STEAMSHTP PIONEERS. 
 
 JOHN KELLY 
 
 Was horn in Kirkfiulbriglitsliire, Scotland, 
 March 1*2, 1S18. His parents being of that 
 pecuHarly happ\' class whose prayer, "' Give 
 nu- neither povert> nor liches," had been 
 fully answered, were able to place their son. 
 at an early day. in that path which has led 
 more men to true excellence than any other 
 — the path of honest industry. h\ this he 
 was subjected to the rigorous culture which 
 gives the Scotch farmer fame throughout the 
 woi-ld. for his habits of industry, economy, 
 and neatness — habits which have always been 
 of incalculable value wherever aiul by whom- 
 soever attained. 
 
 To Mr. K. the\' have laid the foundation 
 of an enlarged success during his whole 
 course. His college was the parish school of 
 the National Church ; and, like all other 
 things done by the Scotch, these schools are 
 most thorough. In the days of William and 
 Mar\, an act was passed compelling every 
 parish to have and maintain a school and a 
 
Frjis-r STEAMS} ftp pioyjucKs. 231 
 
 sdiucil- muster. These schools have mside Scot- 
 -himl wise, and Scotchman a synonym for 
 intt'lUgence in all parts of the world. 
 
 Here, in one of these schools, youiiir Kem.v 
 received tlie rudiments and maturer tlegrees 
 of a good i)ractical education, with which, in 
 •early life, he eml>arkcd toi' the New World, 
 where he sought and ohtained employment as 
 H vender of dry goods. .According to the 
 principles of his early cidture, he a{)plied him- 
 ■self assiduously and steadily to the husiness, 
 as though he were to live a thousand years, 
 and continue in this " one stay." 
 
 liut, early in Decemher, 1848, the floating 
 rumors that gold had heen discovered in Cali- 
 fornia were confirmed by official statements 
 • of the government ofhcers at Washington, and 
 the whole country, especiallv the large towns, 
 hecame filled with a desire to share in the 
 precious haivest. Shops were sold, leased, 
 renteil, given away, oi- closed up, and the 
 owners seemed to have hut one desire : to get 
 on board a steamer for (^alifornia. 
 
 Keli.v set his house in order, prociu'ed his 
 passports, purchased his tickets, and sailed 
 
232 
 
 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 Irom New York on the steMUier "Isthmus," 
 ti)r Chagres. December 25. 1848. Already two 
 or three steamers and several sailing vessels 
 had departed tbi- tlie same place, and. although 
 the first passengers, sailing Avithout any knowl- 
 edge of gold, had nearly a month the start, 
 Kelly's party overtook the first, and embarked 
 with thein in the •' Caliibrnia," at Panama, 
 February 1st, 184'.). Reaching San Francisco, 
 Fel)iiiary 28, 1849. Mr. Kelly resumed his 
 former occupation ol' div goods merchant, adding 
 thereto groceries iuid miners" su})i)lies. With 
 a steady nerve and a brain always " in hand," 
 he has pursued the even tenor of his way, 
 varying his trade to catch the golden breeze, 
 until we now find him. proltably "settled for 
 lile," in the wholesale wine and liquor busi- 
 ness, at 309 and 311 Fiont street, San Fran- 
 cisco. 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 233 
 
 REV. S. WOODBKIDGE, I). D. 
 
 This pioneer was hoin at Sharon, Connecti- 
 cut, June 15, 1S13 ; and, after that rigorous, 
 physical culture, which fits tlie human frame 
 for hard service and long endurance, he a])- 
 plied himself to stud_y, with a view to the 
 (iospel ministry as a life work. 
 
 Having successively and honorably graduated 
 from Union College, at Schenectady, New York, 
 and Princeton Theological Seminary, New Jersey, 
 he was duly ordained, and entered upon his 
 labors, as a ministei- in the Pi-esbyterian 
 Church. 
 
 A full i)eliever in the fundamentals of 
 Christianity, and the strong doctrines, and the 
 rigid practices, of his church, and constitu- 
 tionally fearless in the advocacy oi" all that 
 he believed right, he soon attained prominence 
 as a most practical and eflficient worker. 
 
 When California was acquired by the Unite<I 
 States, he was in parochial duty on Long 
 Island. New York, and was appointed to repre- 
 
234 
 
 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONKKIiS. 
 
 sent his church in tlie settlement, and moral 
 culture, of the new territory on the Pacific. 
 
 With this ohjeet in view, he sailed fi'om New 
 York, on Itoard the steamer " Falcon," for 
 Chagres, December I, 1848, and from Panama, 
 on the •' California," February 1, 184i(. 
 
 Sliariu}? every hardship of the tour and al- 
 ways ministering to tlie necessities ol' the af- 
 flicted among his fellow- voyagers, he won en- 
 during fame tor philanthroph}^ before reaching 
 his destination ; and, by a continuance of the 
 same course and " labor of love," that fame 
 has grown, till, at the present hour, he is a 
 marked man in that department of life. 
 
 When lie arrived at San Francisco, the new 
 town of Henicia was attracting much attention 
 and many believed it would soon eclipse the 
 former, and become the permanent Metropolis 
 of the Pacific. 
 
 Partly because he shaied in this .sentiment, 
 and partly tor other reasons, he went directly 
 to Henicia and settled there. In a short 
 time he induced his friends in the East to 
 send out a meeting-house, all reiid}' to p\it 
 up. It was erected in his town — a beautiful 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 235 
 
 Gothic structure — and was among the first 
 built in the Territory. 
 
 In this he faithfully ministered to an iii- 
 (Teasingly intelligent congregation ; meantime 
 doing much good'j worii in neighboring towns, 
 and the surrounding country, until 1868, when 
 he removed to San Francisco, where he now 
 resides, and still labors, botli as pastor of tho 
 Howard Street Presbyterian Church and editor 
 of " Thf Occidfnf," a weekly religious news- 
 paper, the organ oi' his denomination. 
 
 Evincive of his hold u])on jjublic esteem is 
 the fact that he was, early in the history of 
 the State, chosen (Jhaplain oi" the Senate, and 
 re - elected from year to year, serving longer 
 than any other minister. And, even when in- 
 fidelity became scj rank, a few years ago, that 
 the Assembly refused to have a Chaplain, and 
 the Senate would probably have done the 
 same but tor the esteem in wliich Dr. Wood- 
 bridge was universally held in that l)ody, he 
 was regularly and continuously- re-elected, lui- 
 til his influence so wrought upon the whole 
 body politic, that the Assembly returned to 
 the "good old way," and have since regularly 
 
236 FIJR&T STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 had ineiry, and hlexxiiKi, and irisdom, daily 
 asked in its tjehalt", from the (ireat Disposer 
 of all good, by some one whose calling made 
 such a service appropi'iate. 
 
 A few years after Mr. Wood bridge arrived 
 on the (]oast. and when affairs were so set- 
 tled as, in his mind, to warrant it. he re- 
 turned East and brought out his interesting 
 family, (lonsisting of a wife and five children. 
 
 These children have been reared and edu- 
 cated in the true principles and sentiments of 
 their ancestors, and are now, in early man- 
 hood, blessing the sevei'al communities in 
 which they live with the fruits ol' a most 
 praiseworthy life -toil, on the part of their 
 noble and excellent parents. 
 
FIHST STHAMSH[P I'JONKEKS. 237 
 
 I'A(J1KI(JUS OKI). 
 
 This Pioneer was horn in AlleghiUiy county, 
 Maryland, Octoher IC, ISKi. Tlie higli ridges 
 and intervening glades of his native county, 
 producing the '■ glades butter " and " mountain 
 nuitton." so celehrtite<i wherever known, and 
 the more towering mountains full of iron, not 
 inaptly suggest the richness and strength of 
 brain, often originating and dexeloping within 
 their borders. . 
 
 At an early age. he was taken by his 
 parents to Washington, I). (J., where all that 
 paternal solicitude, with limited means, could 
 obtain, in educational advantages, were atiorded 
 him. Hut, at matui-itv. he found himself far 
 below his aim in point of intellectual culture. 
 To supply this lai-k. he brought into exer- 
 cise a will that would not yield ; habits of 
 exactness and industry that would brook no 
 half- made efl()rts ; no slipshod progress ; no 
 smattering in attainments ; and an ambition 
 that could n<jt l)e satisfied with anything 
 sectmtl -rate. 
 
238 FIRST stp:amship pioneers. 
 
 Tims •'armed and eqiiiijped as the law" of 
 certain progress " directn," lie began, in true 
 earnest, liis life battle. How the battle 
 
 waged an<l on what l)anner victorv perched, 
 let liis final triiniiph tell. Koi' he had a 
 
 •■Sdul uilli liu-iillk's to t-()iu])i-olii'ii(l 
 
 I'lir wondrous areliiteflurc ol' tlie world, 
 
 And nieasnrc evei'v wandei'iiig planet's course. 
 
 Still cliinbini? after knowledife intinile.' 
 
 B\ inan\- a rugged path, o'er many a 
 lofty steep, through man\ a dark defile, he 
 made his tedious way until he stood at the 
 bai- oi justice to ])lead the cause of injured 
 innocence, and contend with liard earned lore 
 and logics firm ilecree, for the right of his 
 client, in all thing.s. 
 
 With a high standing at the bar, he, on 
 receiving confirmation of the rumored gold dis- 
 covery, in California, embarked with his ami- 
 able wife, on l)oard the steamer "Falcon," at 
 New Orleans, December 18th, 1848, for Cali- 
 fornia via Chagres and Panama. 
 
 Arriving at Monterey, he found his brother 
 — now, and for years past, the valiant General 
 Ord, of the United States army, then a Cap- 
 
FIHS'T STRAMSHIP PlONKKliK 2oi) 
 
 tain ill tlio regular service ; vvlio was able, 
 from residence in the cDUiitry and acquaiiit- 
 ancf witli tile people, to inalvc many valuable 
 sujigestions to liim pertaining to the liest 
 methods of starting in and prosecuting busi- 
 ness, lie located at Monterey, where he 
 veiy soon attained a lucrative practice in his 
 profession, and rose rapidly in public esteem. 
 
 in the ensuing summer, he was chosen a 
 representativ^e of Montere}^ then the ('apital 
 (if the Teri-itorv — in the convention which 
 trained the constitution of the State. In this 
 convention he took a very sictive part ; served 
 •on several important committees, and left the 
 impress of his miml on many ])ai-ts of the 
 impoi'tant document. 
 
 During the same year, 1849, lie was made 
 presiding Judge of the " (jourt of First hi- 
 staiK-e," the supreme court of the territory 
 imder the provisional, oi- ml interim, govern- 
 ment. This position he filled, with equal 
 honor to himself and satisfk^tion to the people, 
 until it was superceded by the State courts, 
 under the constitution, which he had helped 
 •to make. 
 
•J40 
 
 FIRST STKAMSHIP PIONMEMS. 
 
 Kvolu 1S54 to l8oU. he held the office of 
 Inited States Disti'ict Attorney for the South- 
 ern district of California, the duties of whieh 
 he performed in such a manner as to elicit 
 the thaidvs of tlie administration he served, 
 and to secure tlie confidence of his district. 
 
 Judge Oki) has l)een married three times — 
 is now living liappily with his third wife — 
 has reared with great care, and educated 
 with much thorouiihness. a son and a daugh- 
 ter — the latter now the esteemed wife of 
 Colonel Pkkston of the regular army. 
 
 The .fudge now. at the zenith of maturity, 
 lias an honorable pri(U' in the facts that lie 
 has " always ui)held good laws and good men, 
 paid just ta.xes and voted the Democratic 
 ticket." And. while he has pride in these 
 facts, he has pleasure in the ecjually inter- 
 esting facts that an honestly accumulated com- 
 petence now enables him to i-etire from active 
 professional and public service, and devote the 
 
 remainder 
 
 of 
 
 his 
 
 days 
 
 to the care 
 
 ol" 
 
 his 
 
 property. 
 
 himself, 
 
 and h 
 
 is family. 
 
 Nor 
 
 do 
 
 any, whc 
 
 ) ol 
 
 serve his 
 
 rosy, well preser 
 
 ved 
 
 physique. 
 
 and 
 
 know his 
 
 real worth, 
 
 foil 
 
 to 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 >A\ 
 
 breathe a prayer that it may he many years 
 betbre his hand shall tremble, his eye grow 
 dim, or his step falter ; that his decline of life 
 may l)e far distant, and, when it is reached, be 
 so gradual and so smooth, that his ushering 
 into eternal bliss may be as gentle and as glori- 
 ous as the rising of a cloudless uu)niiiig's sun. 
 
 ■' Man vviis inai-ki'd 
 A tVicinl, ill his irreiitioii, to liiniselt', ami may, 
 With til ambitiou, foncoivc 
 
 The greatest hlcissiiigs, and the hrighlest honors 
 Appointed lor liini, if lie ean achieve them 
 Tlie right and nohle w.iy." 
 
HON. JOHN MclX)UGALL. 
 
 Capt. McDouGALL, !i,« he was familiarly culled, 
 froin having (!Oiiinian»led a company and done 
 efficient service in the war with Mexico, left 
 his home in Indiana, with his family, went 
 down the Mississippi, and joined the steamer 
 " Falcon,"' leaving New Orleans Deceml>er 18th, 
 184S. 
 
 His intelligence in mattei's peitaining to the 
 war just closed, his extensive knowledge of 
 Mexico and her people, and his familiarity 
 with the Spanish language, together with a 
 peculiarly free and easy way of communicate 
 ing with strangers, not oidy gave him ready 
 access to all on board, hut made him an ex- 
 ceedingly useful and agreeable traveling com- 
 panion. 
 
 His amiable wife, hy those winning ways, 
 vouchsafed alone to her sex, constantly held 
 in check what might otherwise have been an 
 undesirable degree of boldness and i>ush. soft- 
 ened what might have been undue asperities 
 of nature, and really toned the ci'eature down 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 243 
 
 iind toned moral virtue up, in the IiusIkukJ. 
 to such a degree, that, as a couple, they were 
 held in very high esteem. 
 
 He was made for a leader, a captain, and 
 could l)e satisfied nowhere hut in the lead. 
 Taking an early and piominent part in poli- 
 tics, lie was chosen as one oi" the representa- 
 tives of Sacramento, in the Constitutional 
 Convention, which met in Monterey, in 1.S4!). 
 In that hody he occupied a c(mspicuous posi- 
 tion, served on several oi" tlie most important 
 committees, and was a prominent meml)er, even 
 among the many men of mark who surrounded 
 him. 
 
 At the close of the .legitimate husiness of 
 the Convention, the memhers resolved them- 
 selves into a sort oi" caucus, to fix upon can- 
 didates to fill the several positions (sreated by 
 the Constitution they had just framed. Gen- 
 tlemen had been agreed upon Ibr a considerable 
 numbei- of the officers, when " Who shall l)e 
 Lieutenant - (Governor ? " was asked. Perfetitly 
 characteristic of the man, McDoua.4LL looked 
 up, and, with a half yawn, said, in his pecu- 
 liar, self-complacent and assured manner; 
 
244 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 "I reckon I'll take that — I tlon't believe 
 anybody else will want it." 
 
 The whole thing was so ludicrously droll, 
 that evei'v uian was thrown otf" his guard, 
 and, in a paroxysm of jocose hilarity, Mac 
 was permitted tt) " take that." 
 
 lie was triumphantly elected, and served as 
 President of the first Senate, with great dig- 
 nity and propriety. 
 
 At the close of (rovernor liuRNKTT's first 
 year, he resigned, for the double reason, that 
 he had a real taste tor a domestic, (juiet life, 
 and ii<J taste at all t(>r the vexations and 
 unrest of a political career. This ;ict placed 
 McDouGALL in the Executive chair, where he 
 did as much for the welfare of the State, 
 and for the interests ot his constituents, as 
 could have i)een reasonably expected of any 
 man at the time and under the circuin.stances 
 of his administration. 
 
 After retiring from the gul)ernatorial otiice 
 he was variously engaged, in his private aftairs 
 and in political positions, everywhere acting 
 the Ciij^tain, fighting the battle of life, until, 
 by a stratagem of the great enemy, he was 
 
PIRSr STKAMSHIF PIONEJEES. 245 
 
 captured and, by the " pale horse and his 
 rider," home suddenly away to the pioneer's 
 long home. 
 
 (ereeii grows llu' i^russ o'er liis grave, 
 
 His virtues grow brighter with time ; 
 Tiirough all of life's battle -storm, brave; 
 
 Now, he dwells in :i stormless, unchaugeable clime. 
 
246 PinST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 A. A. I'OKTEK. 
 
 Tliis geiitleniiui is ;i ii;iti\e of Saratoga, New 
 York, liaviug been l)oni there July 11, 1S24. 
 After oompleting the studies usually taught in 
 tlic coniuKm schools oi'liis native town, he availed 
 liiniseHof the superior advantages of Bennington, 
 \ eruiont. where he succeeded in laying the founda- 
 tion for a future lile of intelligence and enterprise. 
 
 For a few yetars after leaving school, he 
 ])ursued the occuj)ation of clerk and book- 
 keeper, witli success and pleasure. But eaily 
 in December, 1S48. his mind became excited 
 with a \ague rumor tiiat gold had been di.s- 
 covered in ''i)aying" (piantities in the newly 
 acquired Territory ol' Calilbrnia. Of an enter- 
 prising and even adventurous spirit, he eagerly 
 sought for confirmation, fully determined, if it 
 shoidd prove true, to leave all and go at 
 once. Nor did dame foitune keep him long 
 in waiting. He became satisfied that if " all 
 is not gold that glitters," there was glittering 
 gold in California. This once settled in his 
 mind, he lost no time and hesitated not at 
 any sacrifice to prei)are and go. 
 
VIIiST STKAMSHIP PIONKKRfi. 247 
 
 lie left New York, December 28, 1848, per 
 ttteiinier ''Crescent City," for Chagres, hastened 
 across tlie Isthmus, secured a place on ))oard 
 the pioneer steamship •'California," and reached 
 his f^oal — San PVancisco — February 28, 1849. 
 He has remained in San Francisco most of 
 the time dui'injr tlie wliole twenty -five years; 
 though enough of the earl}- yeai-s was spent 
 in the mines to convince him that there were 
 ■eitsiir ways to get gold than to (J'kj it. He 
 returned to San Francisco, and resnraed his 
 •old occupation of clerk and lx)ok- keeper. 
 For eighteen months he served as clerk in 
 the State Controller's otfice, and for fom- years 
 was United States I)ra3man. 
 
 In these vaiious occupations he accumulated 
 enougli to establish himself in the business of 
 dealing in mining stocks, in which, with varied 
 success, he has continued till the present time. 
 
 May he always be enabled to buy at the 
 foot and sell at the top of the ever- vacillating 
 market ; and his aticumulations thus attained 
 finally be but a type of liis coinitless shares 
 in a mine of endless blessedness and peace. 
 
248 FIRST STEAMUHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 B. F. lU TTKKFIELl). 
 
 Among those who were "to the tore" at the 
 dawn, and always in their phices. and steady 
 in liahits. and frugal in hfe, Mr. Butterkield- 
 stands second to none. (h-iginating in that 
 town so pro1iti(j of good nioi-als and great men, 
 (irafton. New Hampsliire. in the month of 
 .Iidy. 1817: reared on a rugged farm of the 
 old (iranitc State ; educated in the common 
 school of his native town, and inured to those 
 arduous pursuits which so(m harden the l)oy 
 into the man, Mr. B. was a tit sul)ject for 
 that enlarf/emeiif which a Yankee derives from 
 a journey West and South, via the Great 
 Lakes and the Mississippi, to New Orleans. 
 From this point he railiated as a steamboat- 
 man tor several years. Here the steamer 
 •'Falcon" tbund him, Hushed with the fnllest 
 hope and impatient of delay, when she, on 
 her first trip to Chagres, arrived there. 
 
 Having taken passage and shared the com- 
 mon lot with the other pioneers, down through 
 the Caribbean sea, uj) the Chagres River, on 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONKERS. 249 
 
 a mule iicross the mountiiins to Panama, along 
 the coast per "California,"' to San P'rancisco, 
 he passed the "fJolden Gate," at 10 o'clock a. 
 M., February L^Sth, 1849. 
 
 He had come tor the purjjo.se ot" bettering 
 his condition b\ the accumulation of gold. 
 Wherefore, standing not upon the "order of 
 his going," he went directly to the "'South- 
 ern mines, " then so prolitic of " big lumps." 
 
 He directed his course to what is now 
 Jamestown, Tuolumne County. After digging 
 enough to commence business with, he opened 
 a store, and commenced vending miners" suj)- 
 plies. 
 
 He still lemains there, a highly respected 
 merchant citizen, enjoying the entire confi- 
 dence oi" the community. He has also long 
 enjoyed the confidence of the Federal Govern- 
 ment, and been its servant for many years. 
 
 For the last ten years he has been Post- 
 master in liis town, and has so served tliat 
 perhaps no man would be willing to see him 
 leave the office unless he himself wanted it. 
 
250 FinST STKAMNUIP PIONRRRS. 
 
 FKTEK CARTER. 
 
 liorii ill Kiiilstowii in IJerwickKhire, Scot- 
 land, November KUli. I SOS, and educated in 
 hit* native town and in Kdinburffh, Mr. Car- 
 ter i.« to-day a striking si)ecinien of that class 
 of rare men whtt make a practical life-motto 
 of Paul's terse representation of his concen- 
 trated lite: ''This one thing 1 do." 
 
 He learned, entered upon, continued, and is 
 still in, and at the head of, his profession as 
 a book-keeper. 
 
 His first four years of service were spent 
 in the (Capital of his native country. Thence 
 he removed to New York, where, from 1832 
 to IS^G, he was book -keeper for men of ))romi- 
 nence in the commercial world. 
 
 From 1880 to 1842. he continued his pro- 
 fession in Nashville, Tennessee, whence he re- 
 visited liis old " Scotia " home ; sailed on her 
 " Lochs," reveled in her tjlens, mingleil in her 
 jolly crowds, and drank in tlie landscape and 
 the breeze from the •' ti{)s o'er highlands ;" all 
 the while piping with a joy wliicli mme but 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 251 
 
 "Scotia" dear, knows — sweet, plaintive, thrilling 
 "Auld Lang S^Tie." 
 
 But so large a draught ot the exhilarating 
 cup of enterjtrhe, in the New World, could not 
 he thrown oft", and. in 1S44. he arrived in 
 New Orleans, and continued his profession un- 
 til the l^th of December, I84S. wlien he 
 sailed ijv steamer " Falcon " for Chagres. en 
 route to California. 
 
 He came directly to San Francisco, and has 
 here continued his profession tor twenty -five 
 years. 
 
 Among the many incidents in such a man's 
 life, every way worthy of permanent record, 
 tor the joyous humor the_\ would perj)etuate, 
 and the salutary iutiuence they would exert 
 upon young men. too pione to 
 
 ■-.Sjjiii I'ort'vi'i- 
 J)owii tli«' siiiiriiiir irroovfs nl' clianiji'," 
 
 one highly to the credit ol Mi-. C.\rtkk, may 
 be related here : 
 
 The city government ol >:in Fiantus«:o liaii 
 existed three years. Three successive City Con- 
 trollers, and three successive City Treasurers had. 
 
252 riRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 under the direction of" three successive Boards 
 of Aldermen, issued city script and warrants, 
 for which they hitd rendered account in their 
 annual reports. Yet, when the tburth Board 
 ol" Aldermen wished to know the aggregate 
 of scrijit and wari'iuits issued 1)\' their prede- 
 cessors, and the amount still outstanding, not 
 one, or all. the aforesaid reixjrts or hnokx of 
 the officers eiiatiled any one of them to leai-n 
 the desired facts. In this dilemma they sought, 
 and (>l)tained, the services of the staid old 
 Scotchman — perhaps the most really expert 
 lK)ok- keeper on the coast — Peter Carter. 
 
 hi the short space of tiiirty days, he syste- 
 matized and tabulated the multitudious mass of 
 confused data and reports, which had iiitherto 
 been considered "'past finding out,'" and from 
 them presented ;t statement so concise and so 
 conspicuous, that none could fail to compre- 
 hend it at a glance. * 
 
 The Aldermen paid him five hundred dollars 
 for the service, the press lauded his skill, ius 
 
 * At lli:il t-arly iluLe orit- niillioii two huiulroti iboii- 
 i>aii(i (lullurs liHit been itisiied. 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 253 
 
 quite equal to that of the Oriental linguist 
 who first deciphered the hieroglyphics of pre- 
 historic Egypt, and called upon the whole com- 
 munity to "concur" in the "joint resolution" 
 ■of the Aldei'uien, declaring •• Psttr Carter a 
 .friiinp." 
 
MALA(;iII KAI;1.()X. 
 
 Mr. Fai-U)N, a true .son ol the Emenild Lsle, 
 and an lionor to the hind of his hirth, first 
 saw those who were '* wearing of the green," in 
 in the month oi' Aprih 181."). Witli his parents, 
 whih' he was ([uite young, he emigrated to- 
 New York, and passed the years of his minor- 
 ity in the usual wav ; was apprenticed, and 
 l)ecame master of the trade of saddler, in whicli 
 husiness he successfully passed sev'eral A'ears. 
 
 For Ills honesty and fideUty he was selected, 
 hy the authorities of his adopted city, as keeper 
 of tile city prison (tliis was hefore the govern- 
 ment of the American Metropolis wore as much 
 T'ireed as they have hxtterly done) ; in whicli 
 capacit} he continued until he sailed for Cali- 
 fornia, on the twenty-fifth of Decemher, 1S48, a 
 few days after the confirmation of the gold 
 rumors which reached the United States from 
 the Pacific. 
 
 Mr. F.\MX)N arrived at Chagres j)er steamer 
 '' Isthmus," and crossed to Panama in time to 
 take passage in the "' California," on her first 
 
MUST STKAMSNIP l'l<>NKF,IiS. 255 
 
 trip, and thus become one of the First Stkam- 
 
 smi' I'lONKKRS. 
 
 After iiiriving in (Jalilbrniii. he went to 
 .laniestown. 'ruohinine County, and engaged in 
 .mining until he had secured enough to phice 
 him upon ;i fair '' starting point." when he 
 leturned to San Francisco, wliere he was sot>n 
 chosen the first (Jhief ot" I'olice of the city. 
 
 Here liis long experience as keeper of crim- 
 inals ill New York city, was of great service 
 to him ill managing that class, during those 
 turhulent times wliich chanicterized the early 
 3ears of that city. 
 
 He was also chosen the first Chief Marshall 
 of the city, in which capacity he served until 
 he ciiose to retire from active lile. 
 
 He then settled in that "bed of roses" — 
 fragrant with the pei'fume of c<mtinual spring, 
 and rich with ever- ripening fruit — the charm- 
 ing, sweet, delightful city of Oakland — where 
 he now joyously contemplates a most glorious 
 '"sunset of life,'" unless, jierchance, he should 
 live btyoiid that time, and float across in the 
 full glow t)f his present vigor. 
 
256 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIOKEEBS. 
 
 WILLIAM C. DAVIS 
 
 Was I torn in London County, Virginia, Decem- 
 ber. 1804. By occupation, a carpenter. 
 
 He left his njitive ])lace in July. 1825, and 
 went to Marxland. and from there to Phila- 
 delpiiia : and. in 1820, left the latter place, 
 and went to New Orleans. Louisiana, where 
 he remained until December. 1848, when he 
 took i)a.ssage on the steamer " Falcon " lor Oha- 
 gres with passengers en- route to California. 
 
 While at wojk at his trade in New Orleans, 
 in L^47. he tell from a scaftold and broke his 
 ankle, laming him [termanently. 
 
 He arrived at Chagres, I)eceml)er 27th, 1848, 
 crossed the Isthmus, and reached Panama. Jan- 
 uary 1st, 1849. Being nearh out of money, 
 he opened a Pioneers' Restaurant (it lieing the 
 first of the kind ever started in that place), 
 and thus was enabled to nuxke a living until 
 the steamer '' California " (on which he took 
 passage) left for San Fi-ancisco, February 1st, 
 1849, and arrived here February 28th, 1849. 
 H(i remained liere a few days, and then left 
 
for the mines, and looiited in Pliicerville, where 
 he remained for more than nineteen years ; 
 and. since that time, has heen living at vari- 
 ous phices in 'Cahfornia ; at present is located 
 in San P'rancisco. 
 
 While in Placerville, he worked at mining, 
 at which he made some mone}', but lost it 
 again in ditching. He also served while there 
 as Justice of the Peace for three years. 
 
 Mr. Uavis, although nearly .seventy years of 
 age, enjoys good health, and retains all his 
 faculties, except that he is slightly deaf. 
 
2r)S Finsr STFAMS'irip pionkkhs. 
 
 C. .M. KADCLIFF. 
 
 Tilt" subject oi" this notice is a native Scotch- 
 man, l)o)'n Februaiy -Sth, 1S18, and, like most 
 of his countrymen, educated in the parish 
 .sdiool ot" his native town. He made good 
 proficiency in his studies, and was gaining the 
 first position in his chiss, when it was decide<l 
 to •• put him to a trade " — that of an engi- 
 neer — in which he soon became proficient, 
 and hiunched his bark of fortune on liis oAvn 
 jiccount. 
 
 Having spent several yeais, with steady 
 success, he emigrated to New York, where the 
 gold fever seized ami carried him oft", (jii board 
 the -Crescent City," December 2'.Hh, 184S. 
 Having made the tiip to Panama, he took 
 passage in the steamer '^ California," and 
 reached San Francisco, February 28th, 1849. 
 
 Having removed to Tuoliunne County, he 
 was chosen a civil magistrate, a position which 
 he filled with so much satisfaction to his con- 
 stituents, that they elected him County Judge, 
 where he served with ecpial honor and fidelit}'. 
 
Finsr STKAMKHIP PIONEERS. 259 
 
 Since which he removed to Ahiiueda, Alameda 
 County, where he now resides, in the full en- 
 joyment of health. 
 
 He has, several times, since his arrival here, 
 been possessed of vei'y considerable means, 
 and, as olten. b\ the vicissitudes of fortune, 
 has been reduced to '• first principles." But, 
 full of hope, he is still iu-tively pursuing his 
 upward way, and every one who knows him 
 wishes him the larj^est .success. 
 
260 FIMST STKAMSHIP PIONJCERS. 
 
 RICH All!) W. HEATH, 
 
 Called, in the war with -Mexico, "Strong-armed 
 Dick," and, in the Quartermaster's Department 
 oi' the Pacific Division of tiie Army, '* Dick 
 Heath." and, durinji' hiter year«, through well 
 earned promotion. " (General Heath," having 
 lirst seen the light on the thirtieth of Januarv, 
 182;>, in Prince George County, Maryland — 
 the hanner tohacco county of the Union — was 
 cared lor In those who saw in the boy "'the 
 father of a man" of mark, and who lost no 
 oppoi'tunity to atlbrd him the means of develo{> 
 ment. At an early day crossing the Potomac 
 and entering a series of schcjlastic eflbrts, 
 which extended through all the giiwlations 
 from the primary school to tlie college, in the 
 city of Kichmond, Virginia, he was, at twenty 
 years of age. fully imbued with the warm 
 patriotism of a true .Marylander, imprcjved by 
 the high and chivalrous bearing of a noble 
 Virginian. 
 
 He believed that Texas ought t« form an 
 integral i)art of the United States, and that 
 
firlST ST rams hip pioneers. 
 
 261 
 
 Mrxico could he comjHjUed to yield to the 
 piiiK'.iples of justice jiiiil iwcede to the transfer. 
 But. ill Older to l)e sure he was riirlit before 
 takinjr a final .stand, though still in his 
 minority, lie liroke away from home comforts, 
 ^n<l, reaching out uj)oii the vast interior of 
 the continent, made iiis first halt at Santa 
 Fe, in New Mexico. Here he got his first 
 real view of the squalid imiiecilitv of that 
 miserable race which, in Mexico, have been, 
 for nearly three centuries, degenerating into a 
 pale shadow of their noble (Jastilian ancestry. 
 Filled witli a growing faith in what he had 
 -already appFehended, he passed rapidly through 
 the various States of the Mexican Republic, 
 everywhere receiving additional evidence that 
 justice demandetl the ratification of Texan 
 emancijjation from servitude with such a 
 people. Keenly alive to every passing event, 
 young Heath soon became highly imbued 
 with the patriotic, spirit then firing a large 
 portion of the country, and thoi-oughly im- 
 proving every opportunity for active service, 
 soon l>e*!aine an oltject of attention. 
 
 Naturally a leader, the military- authorities 
 
l!(;2 rrnsr sThAAf.sHfr pioxkkrs. 
 
 readily ap|)reliou(Ie(l the lu'iit ol' liis niiud, 
 and called liiin to ser\ ii;e in ii department 
 where his capacities were .MlMpted to tiie 
 iireatest usel'ulness. 
 
 Illustrative ol" his special ellicieiicy wliere a 
 |)eciiliar -'iiirt" was necessary, an incid(Mit 
 »)c('inTed while crossing the Istlinuis, en route 
 to Calilornia. in 1848-1). Captain KrjjoiT, 
 of the <,)uartennaster's i)e[)artnient. to whose 
 immediate command Ukatm was attached. 
 while we were lyinir at Criices, and onl\- a 
 ii'W hours helbre the Ca})tain fell a victim to 
 that terrible scourge, the cholera, was con- 
 versing with several of the pioneers aljout who 
 would get across lirst. IIkath and several 
 others, quite as well nunmted as he, had 
 already started. The question was raiseii,. 
 " Who will get to Panama first '!" Captaiiv 
 Elliott, in the most positive mannei-, and with 
 full assurance, said : " Dick Heath will l)e the 
 first man in." The writer of this asked : 
 "Why, Captain? Has he any better horse, 
 or is he any better horseman, or does he 
 know the country better than the others?" 
 "No,'" .said the Captain, as he rose up — over 
 
iii;sT sTr.A.^fsiiir rioxi.i-.ns: uc;; 
 
 ^i.\ Iwt lii,ii'li — full of ciithusiiisiii. clciicliiiiL'^ 
 his liir.iie fist and stfetcliiiii; it out the full 
 leiiiitli of liis hnv^ aim ilirocth' in front ami 
 witii iii'eat Ibrce, a.s if iiiivinu an uiioxi)fi'ttMl 
 pusli or lii(nv. saitl, in tlic most expressivi- 
 manner: '•//'• hii.'< [inl ruis." The Captain's 
 lireilirtion proveil true. I[i:\tm was the fh'st 
 man to pass the gates of the citv. It was 
 he who Ic.iJ the whole train of modern emi- 
 gration to (Jalitbrnia within the dilapidated 
 walls ol' the "Half-way House." 
 
 With sueli (diai'iicteristic.s, it is not strange 
 that he was ■"in the saddle" when the Mexi- 
 can war -hioke cover" at Palo Alto, and in 
 the front ol" the chase ''at the death." Fn 
 short, he was all through the war which re- 
 sulted in the lU'qiiisitic^n of California by the 
 riiited States ; ever^whei'e intelligent ; at all 
 times •• fbrcing the fight." Nor could such a 
 man he allowed to detach hiinselt from the 
 ser\ ice. He was sent, hi chai-ge of most im- 
 portant trusts, connected with the stalf of 
 (leneral Peksifer F. Smith, who was in the 
 latter part of 1.S4S ordered to the command 
 t)f the forces on the Pacific Coast. (ieneral 
 
264 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIOJS^EEIiS. 
 
 .Jessup. Quartermaster- General of the United 
 States Army, knowinu- HKAin. selected and 
 appointed him as Agent ol" the Quartermaster's 
 Department tor the Pacific Division, under 
 which appointment he left Richmond. Virginia, 
 in time to embark, per steamer " Falcon." at 
 New York for Chagres. December 1. 1848. 
 
 At Graces, Cai)tain Eu.iorr, to whose com- 
 mand Heath was attiiched, was stricken with 
 cholera and died without time to dispose of 
 even his public trusts, thus throwing u])on 
 Heath, in the middle of a long journey and 
 while in a foreign country, the full responsi-^ 
 bilities of a position to which lie had not been 
 appointed and for wliich he had liad no op- 
 lX)rtunitv to prepare. Hut with an inherent 
 readmesfi which had never failed him in the 
 multitudinous and rapid vicissitudes of the 
 Mexican war. he at once ccjmprehended the 
 situation, straightened his massive form in 
 the stirrups, and proved himself equal to 
 the emergency. On shi}) or on shore, every- 
 where and at all times, during that long and 
 arduous pioneer trip from New York to San 
 B'rancisco. he was pioneer, interpreter, negotia- 
 
tor, pacificator, and in all conceivable wa\.s 
 the friend of "strangers in a strange land," 
 and hence became a universal favorite. 
 
 In testimony to his superiority, though very 
 young in years, he was chosen a meuiber of 
 the first Legislature oi' (Jalitbrnia. and a mem- 
 ber of the first Council upon the organization 
 of the city of vStockton. in 1849. In 1852 he 
 was a delegate to tlie National C(mvention at 
 Baltimore which nominated General WiNFiELr> 
 Scott for the Presidency, and Wilijam A. 
 Graham of North Carolina tbi- Vice President. 
 
 In 1855 he was appointed Pilot Commis- 
 sioner of the harbor of San Francisco, and, in 
 1856, was promoted to the comnumd o\' a 
 brigade, as full Brigadier General. 
 
 In 1868 he was a member of the National 
 Democratic Convention which met in New 
 York and nominated Horatio Sey.mour for 
 President. During the latter year, he was 
 also appointed Warden of the port oi" San 
 Francisco. 
 
 In all these public positions. General Heath 
 so demeaned himself, that no whisper of un- 
 faithfulness, or want of true devotion to the 
 
2()(1 riliST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 inteiestts of the country, has ever teen heard. 
 
 Having completed this long series of arduous 
 public services, the (teneral has retired to a 
 country seat, ami styles liiuiselt" a " vini- 
 oulturist.' 
 
 As soon as (urcuuistances would permit, alter 
 coming to California, he I'eturned t« the home 
 of his youth, and fulfdled the most important 
 pledge of ills life, hy marrying his eai'l}' choice, 
 with whom, and Ijy the aid of whose wise 
 counsels and wilely care, he has often been 
 directed and sustained in the tixing scenes 
 through which, as a public servant, he has 
 been called to pass. 
 
 Of this wife, the (ieneral now delights to 
 muse, as he paces the l)road \eianda of his 
 mansion, or nnises among his vines and gar- 
 den beds; and Well be may. 
 
 ■ SIh' is iiiiiu' own ; 
 -Anil I, iifs rioli in having riiiicli a Jowel, 
 As iwuiily seas, it' all tlieir sand wiTo jioarl, 
 Tiu' water noclar, ami the roi-ks ])iii'c ijolil." 
 
 A beneficent Providence has blessed their 
 union with a large family of eleven fine health- 
 ful children, with whom they now enjoy one of 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 267 
 
 the most (lelightfully located villas, in that 
 gem of the Pacific — Napa Valley. From tiie 
 elevated plateau on which the famil\' mansion 
 stands, surrounded hy an almost endless vari- 
 ety of native and exotic trees and shruhhery, 
 with the beautiful town of St. Helena at their 
 leet, and the breadth of the valley beibre 
 them, they look sun -ri.se full in the face. 
 Few situations in life can be imagined more 
 fully meeting all the wants of approaching 
 age, than *' Edghill " enjoyed t)y (General Heath 
 and his family ; a jjlace where 
 
 " The niolliei-. in her office. Iiolii.s the ke3- 
 
 Ot- the soul ; and she it is who stamps the coin 
 or character, anil makes the heintc ^^l>o woiiM 
 
 he a savaj^e, 
 But tor Iht gentle caivs, a Christian man ; 
 Then crown her riiieen of the world, " 
 
 And let each of her many children say : 
 
 " Me lei the tender office long engage 
 To rock the cradle of reposing age ; 
 With lenient arts extend a mother's i)reath, 
 Make languor smile, and smooth the bed of death; 
 Kxplore the thought, explain the asking eye, 
 And keep awhile one parent from the sky." 
 
WILLIAM VAN VOORHIES. 
 
 This pioneer is a Tennesseean by birth and 
 education. He was liorn at Columbia, Tenn., 
 June IT), 1820. He was, in an unusual degree, 
 the <'hild of" .solicitude and care on the part 
 of a most excellent mother, who was never 
 weary of cultivatin'r the morals, and storing 
 the intellect of her son. 
 
 In this respect, few b(ns are so highly 
 favored as he. Naturally, his progress wa» 
 rapid, and he was. at an early day, found in 
 the advsinced grades of the schools, from which 
 he graduated with all the honors of a most 
 liberal education before attaining his raajority. 
 He then entered upon the study of law. in 
 which he pursued a much more wide and 
 extended course of collateral and general read- 
 ing than is prescribed by the profession, or 
 than would have been possible for one less 
 ready of acquisition. 
 
 In the midst of this course, which was more 
 of a pastime with him than with those who 
 consider the study of the law equal to ''eat- 
 
FIKST STEAMS JI IP PIONEEPS. 
 
 2()Vt 
 
 hig saw -dust without butter." he was called 
 to the service of the general GoverMinent, iiv 
 the Post Ottice Department at Washington. 
 
 After serving there three years, he was ap- 
 pointed to superintend the conveyance of the 
 first nuiil to the Pacific, under the contract of 
 the (loverTiment with the Pacific Mail Steam- 
 ship (.'ompany. 
 
 For this purpose he left Washington, in No- 
 vember, 1S48, in time to sail in the steamer 
 " Falcon," from New York on the fir-st of the 
 following month. He also took with him, as 
 his private property, the first full set of the 
 " United States Statutes at Large." ever carried 
 to the Pacific Coast. 
 
 He was elected a member of the first Leg- 
 islature, from San Francisco, a post which he 
 resigned upcjn being tendered, by Governor 
 BuHNETT. the position of Secretary- of State. 
 In this office he served through the guberna- 
 torial terms of Burnett, McUougall. an<i 
 through the first, and until nearly the close of 
 the second, term of (rovernor Bigler. When 
 he resigned as Secretary of State, it was to 
 sux'e})t the office of Surveyor of the port of 
 
270 
 
 FIBSr SrF.AMSJTIP PIONEERS. 
 
 Sail Francisi'o, which was tendered to him by 
 President Pierce. Afterwards, having settled 
 ill his jjroleflsion, lie was elected and served, 
 two vears. as District Attorney, in and for 
 the county of Alameda. 
 
 Of himseli' and his California career he 
 says, in a recent letter to the editors, full ol" 
 humor : 
 
 " My occin)ations on the I'acitic Coast liave 
 been multifarious, to wit : Law, merchandizing, 
 mining, restaurant - keeping, and, least reputa- 
 ble of all. o/fJiT -/uJdhiy. * * In 
 the meantime I have made numerous .speeches, 
 delivered sundry lectures and addre.sses, edited 
 divers newspapers, voted multitudinous Demo- 
 cratic tickets, and, in short, have been engaged 
 in every description of puhfic serrice excejjt 
 that of jin'tic/iiiH/ .' =•' * '■'■ Have resided 
 in a great many places, both in this and in 
 the State of Nevada, but am now comfortably 
 and cozily, and, I trust, permanently, located in 
 the city of Oakland, engaged in gentle dalli- 
 ance with mv first love — the law." 
 
Flit ST STKAMSJIIP PIONKKnS. 271 
 
 W I J. LI AM \\ WATKIJS. 
 
 Buni ill VV^ishington, [). C, July 2;i(l, 1S2(;. 
 Mr. WativKS hiis Ho.tu-cely attained full maturity, 
 altliduj;-!) Ik- has hofir in Irontier lite more 
 than a (juarter ol' a centun. Hi^ intellectual 
 eulture was coiKlucted undei- the immediate 
 supervision of fond, intelligent parents, and the 
 ])arochial iiiHuences ol" the; Kpiscojjal Church, 
 until the ordinary hraiudies of n good Phiglish 
 education were thoroughly iinistered. He was 
 then apprenticed to an artisan of the national 
 capital, until he was pronounced In- ccmipetent 
 authority, a master-builder, and entered upon 
 his career as an honest and skillfull carpenter. 
 
 Heing in New Orleans at the time the '• Fal- 
 i'on arrived there, en route tor Chagres, on her 
 pioneer trip, on tlie J Sth ol' December, 184S, 
 he took (lassage. and became a member of a, 
 pait\ made up of Messrs. Wrr.LiA.Ms, Van 
 V((oi(mKS, Bjkch, and others, his former associ- 
 ates in Washington, and with them kept com- 
 pajiy through the terriiile tramp across the 
 Isthmus, in which so manv of the number 
 
I'c'U victims to the cholera. It was to tlie 
 sjuipathizing heart and strong ana of young 
 Waters that the himented Lucket. and Elli- 
 ott, and Birch, and others, were indebted, more 
 or less, for the soothing hand, and cooling 
 draught, in death's dark hour, and hurial in a 
 Christian grave. 
 
 Of genial disposition, though retiring in spirit, 
 a.nd reticent in habit, he was a man to make 
 no enemies, while, under most trying circum- 
 stances, he constantly accumulated favor, both 
 in acquisition oi ik'h^ triends and strengthening 
 the ties by which he was bound to old ones. 
 
 Bright as the recollections of yesterday, come 
 up now the smiling features, and sympathizing 
 words, and kindly acts, of W.vieks, amid the 
 most trying scenes of that voyage, though a 
 quarter of a century, in years, and the incidents 
 of half a dozen ordinary' centuries intervene. 
 
 Mr. Waters, upon arriving in San Francisco, 
 went at once about his legitimate business, as 
 a (contractor and builder, in which \v^ shared 
 the vicissitudes of nearly all his fellow pio- 
 neers — now making money rapidly, now losing 
 it at once — until he had spent considerable 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 273 
 
 time at the principal towns then experiment- 
 ally growing up. 
 
 After this he " changed front," pushed his 
 way to the mountains, and commenced the 
 work of mining, in which he still remains, at 
 Tuttletown, Tuolumne County. Perhaps no 
 man more fully answers to the descriptive 
 phrase, ^^ honed miner," than William P. 
 Waters. Nor has Ihe been entirely confined 
 to manual labor. His pen and his pencil are, 
 and always have been, faithful in the record- 
 ing of passing events. The diary of the 
 voyage and its events, from New Orleans to 
 San Francisco, kept by Mr. Waters, was 
 among the most full and reliable of all those 
 kept b}' that , numerous company, and it was 
 a real loss to literature and history when the 
 second great fire in San Francisco entirely 
 destro}'ed the valuable document. 
 
 Mr. Waters, at the early meridian of life, and 
 in full possession of his still developing powers. 
 with a reputation untainted by a bi'eath. unsul- 
 lied by a stain, and in the full confidence of all 
 who know him, presents, at the present hour, one 
 of the noblest specimens of a Califoi-nia pioneer. 
 
274 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 ROBERT BRENT ORl). 
 
 Some men will be content and happy and 
 enjoy life as they live it, with little reference 
 to surrounding circumstances ; while others, 
 with as little reference to surroundings, will 
 be alwa3's in a hurry, in anxiety, in doubt, 
 in fear, in perplexit3% in trouble. Of the 
 former class is the subject of this sketch. 
 lie was a native of the national capital, into 
 whose society he was welcomed on the 4th 
 of March, 1827, having chosen this particular 
 day for his inauguration tliat he might be- 
 come accustomed to the ceremony before he 
 should be called upon to fill the presidency — 
 a position to which he might have aspired 
 with more reason than many who have made 
 it the goal of their lives. The first twelve 
 years of his life were spent at home in his 
 native cit}', in those rudimental studies which 
 now so universally lay the foundation for 
 efficient manhood in our whole people. 
 
 After this, for nine years, he was with his 
 
e 
 
 father, who was then under appointment from 
 the General Government in charge of the 
 Lidian Agency at Sault St. Marie, Michigan. 
 Here he became inin-ed to the labors of the 
 farm, and acquainted, to a certain extent, 
 with the manner of transacting Government 
 business. He also became acquainted with the 
 life, habits, customs, disjiositions and tastes of 
 the fi'ontier settlers and the wild Indians — 
 knowledge which has often since served him a 
 good turn. 
 
 Arrived at his majoritj, in the Fall of 1848 
 he left the parental roof, to seek, and make, 
 and enjoy his own fortune. Going by steamer 
 to New Orleans, he there remained until the 
 steamer " Falcon " arrived on her first trip 
 from New York to Chagres, when he took 
 passage and became incorporated with that 
 compam- of whicli he is now one of the few 
 survivors, the " First Steamship Pioneers." 
 
 While making his way up the Chagres 
 river in his canoe, propelled by setting poles in 
 the hands of naked natives, three of the latter 
 died with cholera before reaching Cruces. 
 Here, after spending one night among his ship- 
 
276 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 mates, fast falling by cholera, he crossed to 
 Panama, whence he, in due time, reached San 
 Francisco, per steamer " California," 
 
 Dm-ing the twenty- five years of his Cali- 
 fornia residence, he has pursued the even tenor 
 of his way, never indulging in visionary spec- 
 ulations, or undue efforts to reach that which 
 was very hazardous. 
 
 He has seen and tried nearl}' every shade of 
 our almost endless variety of climate and occupa- 
 tion; having lived, with his family in the vallej', 
 both large and small, on the mountain, and 
 in the glen, in the town and in the country. 
 
 He has held various public offices, and 
 transacted much business requiring large fidu- 
 ciary trusts, and has, everywhere and at all 
 times, so discharged his duties, as to retain 
 the confidence of his constituents, refiect honor 
 upon bis fellow - pioneers, and secure a com- 
 petence for those dependent upon him. 
 
 He is now settled, as he thinks, for life, 
 in that modern elysium, Santa Barbara, 
 whither he went five years since in search 
 of health for himself and family, all of whom 
 had hitherto suftered Ions: and much from the 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIOiSTKEIiS. 211 
 
 malaria of (iistricts where they had lived. He 
 says, in a recent comraunicatioii : 
 
 " We have all fully recoverd, and feel 
 thankful that we made the change. 
 
 " I think, for evenness of climate, facilities 
 for education, and for good morals, no town 
 in California is equal to Santa Barbara, and 
 1 dt) sincerely recommend it to all who are 
 exhausted by over- work, trouble, nervous de- 
 rangement, or any sort of disease, as a 
 suj)erior phice to find rest and comfort on 
 the downward grade of life. Our soil is 
 unsurpassed in fertility, and our climate could 
 not l)e improved ; and the sea - bathing, hot 
 springs, and beach drives, are all that could 
 be desired — our places of worship, and of 
 pleasure are ample for all who come among 
 us. 
 
 ''While 1 have had — thanks to a benefi- 
 cent Providence — few of the ills, and many 
 of the comforts, of life in California, and have 
 been blest with five healthful children, a good 
 wife, and always plenty to eat, drink and 
 wear, I can yet say, that had I not come to 
 Santa Barbara, I should have died, with no 
 

 278 
 
 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 knowledge of the extent to which happiness 
 in this life is really attainable. 
 
 " With every possible kind wish for every 
 one of our surviving ship - mates, 
 
 I remain, ever tvvXy yours, 
 
 Robert Brent Orp. 
 
 Santa Barbara. Jan. 6, 1874." 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 279 
 
 REV.. S. H. WILLEY. 
 
 Among the younger class of " First Steam- 
 ship Pioneers," and yet prominent in some of 
 the striking incidents of the voyage, was the 
 gentleman of whom we now write 
 
 From a recent note to the Editing Com- 
 mitteee of this work, we learn that he was 
 born at Ccmipton, N. H., March 11, 1821; 
 that his life, i)revious to sailing for California 
 was spent in study. 
 
 When very young, his parents, seeing in 
 their son, characteristics warranting such a 
 course, dedicated him to the- sacerdotal office, 
 and thenceforwai'd directed his studies with 
 a view to that especial work. 
 
 In Union Academy at Meriden, and Dart- 
 mouth College at Hanover — both in his 
 native State — and at Union Theological Semi- 
 nar}- in New York City, at each of which he 
 graduated with distinction — his Hterai-y and 
 scientific studies and historical reading took a 
 wide range, while the great work of preparing 
 
2sn 
 
 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 to preach the Gospel, was constantly before 
 him, as the final goal. 
 
 He had but just completed the prescribed 
 course of Theological reading, when he was 
 accepted as one of the Missionaries of the 
 Presbyterian church to the newly acquired 
 Territory of California, ordained as a clergyman 
 of that church, and dispatched for his field 
 of labor per steamer " Falcon," from New York, 
 December 1, 1848. 
 
 Tall, and well formed in person, with com- 
 manding features and penetrating eye, as he 
 came upon the deck of the steamer, and 
 was receiving the congratulations of his former 
 class-mates, the adieus of his family and 
 friends, and his .final instructions and sugges- 
 tions from the authorities of his church, he 
 was an attractor of much attention on the 
 2)art of many observing men, who then saw 
 him for the first time. 
 
 A clergyman, who stood conversing with an- 
 other missionary, destined to the same field, 
 and embarking on the same steamer with 
 Willey, said, pointing to him : 
 
 " Do you see that tall young man ? I am 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 281 
 
 told it is Rev. S. H. Willey, of the New- 
 School Presbj'terian Church, destined with you 
 to California. I never saw nor heard of him 
 before, but unless I greatly misapprehend the 
 vian that his physiognomy portrays, you will 
 need to be up early and wide awake all day, 
 if circumstances ever bring 30U into competi- 
 tion with him." 
 
 That this clergyman saw no rixioii, but a 
 reality, is sufficiently attested by subsequent 
 events in his life. 
 
 While lying at Panama, waiting the arrival 
 of the steamer, then on her wa^ aiound " the 
 Cape,"'-' and the crowd was daily increasing, 
 and wild rumors afloat that the " steanier was 
 lost," and that she had "taken in a full load 
 at Valpai-aiso and Callao, and sailed direct for 
 . California and would not touch at Panama ; 
 and many others equally absurd, and, // facts, 
 impossilile to be known, a fine sailing vessel 
 was put up "for California direct" — "sure to 
 beat the steamer," etc., etc. 
 
 Mr. Willey, thinking he had an opportunity 
 
 * She passed through the Straits of Magelhin. 
 
282 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 to reach his field sooner than by waiting for 
 the steamer, and thus secure unexpected ad- 
 vantages for success in his enterprise — a most 
 hxudable idea — sold his steamer ticket and bought 
 one for the sailing vessel. 
 
 But fortune does not always favor plans of 
 the deepest wisdom. Scarcely was the trans- 
 action completed, when the steamer came ma- 
 jestically into the harbor and cast anchor. All 
 efforts on the part of Mr. Willey and his 
 numerous and influential friends to induce the 
 purchaser of his steamer ticket to retu)'n the 
 same and receive his money back, even with 
 a handsome bonus, were unavailing. And it 
 was only when the steamer was about to sail, 
 that a gentleman, who was obliged to leave 
 his servant there to look after some property, 
 not yet arrived from Chagres, consented to sell 
 his servant's steerage ticket to Mr. Willey, and 
 he was enabled to pursue his journey with 
 his companions. 
 
 The discipline on board was very strict, 
 and, as e.vercised upon the steerage passengers 
 was thought, by many, to be quite unnecessa- 
 rily severe. 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 283 
 
 Especially was this the case with Mr. 
 WiLLEY. No distinction was made in his favor, 
 and no concessions could be obtained in his 
 behalf. 
 
 His coarse canvas pallet was poor enough. 
 but was a bed of roses in comparison with 
 his food. As no relief could be obtained for 
 him in this matter Ijy legitimate means, even 
 by purchase, several of his friends, men and 
 women of the highest standing and purest 
 lives, for him often sfolt, who never stole be- 
 fore ; and, until such another case, will surely 
 steal no more of, l)read and butter, sugar, j>ie 
 and cake, and beef ex. roufit. and chicken frie<i. 
 and muttcm chop, and steak. 
 
 Reaching Monterey, the capital oi' the Terri- 
 tory, and the point to which his church had 
 designated him, Mr. Willey left the steamer 
 Feljruary 23rd, 1849, and entered upon his 
 work. A public hall was opened for his Sab- 
 bath services, a congregation was gathered, and 
 a Sabbath School instituted. 
 
 In a short time he was appointed Chaplain 
 to the militia {)ost, already established there, 
 and became a great favorite with the officers 
 
284 
 
 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 and men. A few months later, when the con- 
 stitutional convention assembled there, he was 
 unanimously elected Chaplain of that body, and 
 so served through the entire session, that a 
 member of large experience and much travel 
 in the world, though not himself a church 
 member, remarked at the close of their 
 labor : 
 
 " Whatever may be the character of the 
 work done by this convention, the religion of the 
 concern has been done up in the very best pos- 
 sible style." 
 
 Mr. W. remained at Monterey a year and a 
 half, continually engaged in good works, and 
 continually growing in public esteem. And, 
 though the recipient of much consideration and 
 many favors, no one of them, nor all com- 
 bined, boie any comparison with that gi'owing 
 out of his intimacy with Capt. Wescott, the 
 commandant of the post, who introduced hira 
 to, and gave him the hand of, his sister in 
 marriage. 
 
 This noble girl, after receiving an extensive 
 course of educational culture in all the 
 branches which furnish the mind and adorn 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 285 
 
 the life, had left her Eastern home to share 
 the fortunes of her brother on the wild fron- 
 tier of this distant coast ; that she might, in 
 the uncertainties of aruiy life, be ever ready 
 to dress for him a wound, or bathe a fevered 
 brow, and aid in the instruction and elevation 
 of such of the " Boys in Blue " as might 
 need or desire her kind ministrations. 
 
 It seemed, to the casual observer, a wild 
 freak of fortune that brought them together, 
 and a wonder that they should love and wed. 
 But to those who believe and trust in the 
 overruling care of our Heavenly Father, there 
 appears the divintt_. .ai'rangement of infinite 
 wisdom. Few unions have been more happy ; 
 few husbands more blest in an help -meet for 
 every occasion during more than a score of 
 jfears of continuous public life. A large fam- 
 ily of interesting children give them great joy 
 in the present, and rich promise for the fu- 
 ture. 
 
 After a year and a half at Monterey, he 
 removed to San Francisco, founded the Howard 
 Presbyterian Church, and continued to serve 
 it as pastor for twelve years, when he resigned 
 
286 
 
 FIBST STEAMSHIP PIOJS'EEIiS. 
 
 to accept the acting presidency of the College 
 of California, in which position lie remained, 
 doing yeoman service, resulting in much true 
 success, for eight years, ft-om its inception until 
 it became the University of tlie .State. He 
 then resigned, and accepted the jiastorate of 
 the Congregational Church, at Santa Cruz, 
 where he has labored witli much efficiency for 
 three years ; and is still ascending toward 
 the zenith of a popular usefulness, whose real 
 hight is quite unknown to man. 
 
 Passing years have dealt so gently with 
 him and his good wife, that another quarter 
 of a centiny of active service, and increasing 
 joy, seems quite as pi-obable as did the i)ast 
 twent}- - five years when he leit New York. 
 
 To such 2)ioneers any new country, and 
 especially (IiIk, owes more oi its prosperity, 
 its advancement in all that is desirable, in 
 moral and intellectual culture, than we are 
 accustomed to apprehend. Though little of 
 what the}' do attracts attention, yet, like 
 the underpinning of a mighty edifice, quite 
 below the surface, and unseen by the casual 
 observer, it is the foundation upon which the 
 
FIBST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 287 
 
 whole superstructure rests for all coming 
 time. 
 
 " The keen spirit 
 Seizes the prompt occasion — makes the thought start 
 Into instant action, and at once 
 Plans and performs, resolves and executes." 
 
288 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 SAMUEL F. BLASDELL. 
 
 A iiatiAe ol' New York city, horn Novomher 
 30, 1824. was educated in private and public 
 schools, and at the age of fourteen taken from 
 school ( to assist his father in the coal busi- 
 ness), much to his discomfiture. At the ujie 
 of seventeen, he entered the edge tool estal)- 
 lishment of Watts & Shefi-'ielh. in New York. 
 as uu ai)i)rentice. His grandiather, Samiki. 
 Ftckktt, a shipliuildcr, of the firm of Fickktt 
 & CuorKKTT. I)uilt the steamshi]) "Savannali." 
 in 1818, the first steanishij) to cross the 
 Atlantic. 
 
 On the fust of Februar\. 1848, he left New 
 Y'ork for Callao, South America, in the Peru- 
 vian war steanxer " Rimac." which vessel 
 arrived at Cullao after a voyage of si.\ 
 months. On arriving at Callao, the friends of 
 those on board the steamer were found in 
 mourning, the vessel being reported lost three 
 months before her arrival. While at Callao 
 lie wiis employed at his trade, by the firm of 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 289 
 
 CoNKLiN & MiLLKK, millwrights, blacksmiths 
 and carpenters. 
 
 On the tenth of January, 1849, he joined 
 the pioneer steamship "California," bound to 
 San Francisco, and, after six days and ten 
 hours, reached Panama. The .«teamer was de- 
 tained at the island of Tobago two weeks, 
 fitting up, after which she started for San 
 Francisco, loaded with passengers. On the 
 twenty - second of February, 1S49. the steamer 
 arrived at Monterey-, and reached San P>an- 
 cisco on the twent\- eight li of Februar\. 
 
 After a sojourn of three days in San Fran- 
 cisco, he started for the mines, via Stockton, 
 in the schooner " Mary Ann." Captain Wiuj.\.m 
 R(j.\(H. where he arrived after a passage of 
 nine days. Left Stockton for Jamestown, in 
 the Southern mine.s. where he arrived on the 
 twenty - second of June, 1849. On the Fourth 
 of July assi.«ted in raising the first flagstafl" 
 raised in the mines, in front of the tniding 
 post of Mr. M.\LACHi F.\LLO.v. who was then 
 Alcalde. After many "ups and downs'" in 
 the mines, he returned to San Francisco ui 
 (Jctoljer, and once more engaged in the black- 
 
smith business. He met with quite heavy 
 losses by the fires of 1850 and 1851. Re- 
 moved to Oakland in 1853, and returned to 
 San Francisco in 1855. Went to the Sandwich 
 Islands ; remained there two months ; returned 
 to San Francisco, and engaged in tlie sewing 
 machine business for about five years, since 
 which time he has been engaged in dift'erent 
 pursuits. For several years he was connected 
 with the Western Union Telegraph Company. 
 At present he is one of the liquidating clerks 
 in the San Francisco Custom-house. 
 
 He has traveled extensively in California, 
 having visited nearly every city and town of 
 importance in the State. 
 
 The first printing press built in San Fran- 
 cisco was built in his shop, on Pacific street, 
 near Montgomery, for General Winchester, of 
 the " Pacific News." The office was on 
 Kearny street, near Washington. Mr. Blas- 
 DELL has the honor of doing the first piece of 
 forging for the pi'ess, in California. 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 291 
 
 ALEXANDER AUSTIN 
 
 Was born March 8, 1822, in Dumfrieshire, 
 Scotland. His parents belonged to the old 
 established Kirk of Scotland ; he was brought 
 up and educated in that faith. After receiv- 
 ing as good an education, as a first-class vil- 
 lage school could give (and Scotland excels 
 almost any other country in her schools), he 
 worked on the farm until he was twenty-two 
 years of age ; when he left for America, land- 
 ing in the city of New York, in the montli 
 of April, 1844. lie obtained employment in the 
 then large dry goods' house of James Beck & 
 Co., remaining with this firm two years, wlien 
 he obtained a leading position in the world -re- 
 nowned house of A. T. Stewart & Co. Remain- 
 ing with Stew.art & Co. two years, James Beck 
 & Co., then the vwaX of A. T. Stewart & Co., 
 oftered a large advance of salary, which was 
 accepted. Remaining with this firm until 
 the month of December, 1848, he embarked 
 for California on the twent}-- fifth of the 
 same month, on board of the steamship 
 
292 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 " Isthmus," via Panama ; which port he left on 
 February 1st, 1849, on board the good steam- 
 ship Galifonua, arriving in San Francisco, Feb- 
 ruary 28, 1849. Next day came ashore, pitched 
 tent in Happy V^ alley, washing and cooking 
 tor a few days in company with some others. 
 Started tor the diggings, via Stockton, enjoying 
 the free life of a miner for about three months; 
 returned to San Francisco, engaging in the 
 building and managing of a Itakery. on the 
 ground now occupied by the IJella Union, on 
 Kearny street. No doubt the welcome sight 
 of this bakery, and good, wholesome bread 
 will he remembered by many a one, after the 
 long and miserable voyages on jei'ked beef and 
 wormy hard-tack. This was a success. Sold 
 out in the month of November, 1849 : went 
 into the grocery business, and carried on that 
 business until the sprtng of 18') I, when he 
 went to New York, purchased ami shipped to 
 San Francisco a very rich and large selec- 
 tion of dry goods, thereby establishing the 
 house of A. Au.STiN & Co., which afterwards 
 became so well and favoi-ably known all over 
 the Pacific Coast. It is only within a tew 
 
months that Mr. Austin has retired from the 
 business then estabh"shed. Diirini;- the twenty- 
 two years in wliioh he was in Ijusiness, he 
 experienced all the ups and downs, losses by 
 fire, and his full share of the vicissitudes which 
 have been so common to the '"fbrtj-niners." 
 Conducting liis l)usiness all through on a fair 
 and just principle, he obtained the confidence 
 (jf the pul)lic, and was elected to the office 
 of Tax Collector, in the fall of 1868, and has 
 been re-elected twice by very large majorities 
 — ft comjjliment paid to few. His present 
 term will expire December, 1870. 
 
294 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 HENRY FAIRFAX WILLIAMS 
 
 Was born in Prince William County, 8tate of 
 Virginia. March 2(1, 1828, and it;, consequently, 
 now nearly forty - six years of age. His an- 
 cestors, for many generations, were Virginia 
 farmers, but his father resolved his children 
 should be reared to a different calling. Being 
 a true Democrat, in prtictice as well as theory, 
 he deteruiined to give his l)oys inufe-t, which 
 w;is entirely at variance with the then e.vist- 
 ing sentiment prevailing around him. 
 
 Fully realizing the curse of slavery, particu- 
 larly in its evil consequences to the white 
 race, he resolved that his children shoidd not 
 be afflicted with it as he had been. With 
 that resolution firmly established in his mind, 
 he removed to Washington City, where he lil)- 
 erated his slaves (something he could not do 
 at that time in the State of Virginia, under 
 the then existing laws) ; and, as soon as his 
 sons, of whom he had three, reached a suita- 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 295 
 
 ble age, he apprenticed them out to learn 
 trades. He lived to see them good mechanics, 
 and, on his death -bed, realized the fact that 
 the groundwork was laid for useful lives, if 
 they but followed his counsels. 
 
 His eldest son, John, had already reached 
 manhood, and, with a moderate outfit, and a 
 father's blessing, was told to seek a home in 
 one of the free States west of the Alleghany 
 mountains, which he did, in the city of Cin- 
 cinnati. Ohio. 
 
 Hen'rv, the second son, and subject of this 
 sketch, had completed his apprenticeship at the 
 age of twenty, and, feeling that he had mas- 
 tered his trade, which would .serve as a certain 
 dependence in time of need, had resolved upon 
 securing a profession also, and entered the office 
 of the Hon. J. M. C.^kmsle. as a student at 
 law. Mr. C.VRLiSLE, at first, hesitated somewhat 
 about receiving Henkv as a student, knowing 
 he had just left a carpenter's work - bench, but 
 finally consented to give him a trial through 
 friendly feelings to his father, and the follow- 
 ing letter, which was written a month later, 
 shows with what result. 
 
296 
 
 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEEES. 
 
 {Copy of letter from Hon. J. M. Carlisle to 
 Maj. J. W. Williams) : 
 
 February II th, 1848. 
 
 My iJtur Sir : — It may be some satisfaction 
 ibr you to hear that I am extremely content 
 witli your son, and that I have great confi- 
 dence in his making himself, in due time, 
 nuister of his profession. He is regular, atten- 
 tive, and studious, and is worthy all the care 
 and attention which can be bestowed on him. 
 Very trulj yours, 
 
 J. M. Carlisle. 
 
 MaJ. Williams. 
 
 But HkxN'rv had only got fairly started in 
 his new pursuit when the unexpected demise 
 ol' his father entirely frustrated his plans, and 
 the absolute necessities of the case required 
 him to abandon his books for his tools, which 
 he had so recently laid aside. He had to do 
 so, not only to provide for 1 is own wants, 
 but also to assist in the maintenance of his 
 mother and sisters. 
 
 The following strong letter from Mr. Car- 
 lisle to Henry, upon his retiring from his 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 297 
 
 office, shows what progress had been made in 
 a few months by the young carpenter. 
 
 "WASHJNfiTON, Nov. 27. 1«4«. 
 
 " Mr. Henry K. Williams has been readmg 
 law in my office for nearly a year past, and 
 I heartily regret that his changed circum- 
 stances, consequent upoji the death of his re- 
 spected • father, have obliged him to abandon 
 a profession which he had chosen, and to fall 
 back for the present, upon a trade in which 
 he had been instructed, partly for the pur- 
 pose of strengthening his physical constitution, 
 and partly to serve him as a rearguaid as 
 it must now do. 
 
 " As he may fall in with friends of mine, 
 or persons who know me by name, I have 
 ofiered him these lines, as a testimonial of the 
 sincere interest I take in his welfare ; an in- 
 terest, founded not only upon his amiable quali- 
 ties and excellent capacity, but upon a thorough 
 knowledge of his perfect integrity and upright 
 manliness of heart. 
 
 " I sincerely hope it may be the means of 
 gaining for him the friendly countenance of 
 
298 riR.ST HTF.AMSHII' PKiMRKRS. 
 
 anv friend or af.qiiaiiit.ince of mine to whom 
 he miiv exhibit it. 
 
 ■ .1. M. Carusij-;."" 
 
 Finding it nec'^ssjiiv to resume his trade, 
 and seeing hut a poor field for operations if 
 lie remained in Washington, he resolved to 
 emigrate, and liis attention was drawn to 
 California. He. and three other \oung me- 
 chanics, left Wiishington. November 2!^. 184S, 
 for Sail Francisco. ea<*h provided witVi a chest 
 oi tools. 
 
 Thev sailed from New York. Dec. I. 1S4<S. 
 on the steamer " Fah^m.' While on the 
 
 Istlimiis. one of their iiiimher died of cholera, 
 litit the remaining three reached San Fran- 
 i'isco safely, on board the steamer "California." 
 Feb. 2S. IS4'.I. 
 
 'I'he e.\tra expense, occasioned by a delay 
 <in the Isthmus of a month, awaiting the 
 arii\al of the steamer " (jalifornia. ' (■ompletely 
 exhausted the small capital with which Mr. 
 WilJ,i.\MS started on his long joiirne\. so that 
 when be leacheii San Francisco, be had but 
 twentv - five cents left. lie did nut lea\e 
 
 J 
 
FIRS'T L<iTKAMS'HrP PIONEERS. 299 
 
 tlie ship oil tho day ol' lier arrival, but 
 waited till the next day that he might take 
 his tool -chest ashore with him. 
 
 Instead of starting lor the mines, as did 
 almost all of his lellow passengeis, he deter- 
 mined to remain |)ermanently in San Fran- 
 cisco, and was soon established as a builder, 
 with more woik than he could find men to 
 execute. He soon erected a carpenter shoj)- — 
 the fir.st built in San Francisco — which fact 
 justlv entitles him to the credit of being con- 
 sidered the pioneer builder of the c.itv. 
 
 His success far exceeded his most sanguine 
 e.xpectations till overtaken b\ the big fires 
 which swept over the city, when he, in com- 
 mon with almost every man of entcrj)rise. was 
 almost ruined. 
 
 His early suci^ess, however, enabled him to 
 provide amply for his mother and sisters, and 
 there was no time, up to the date o\' her 
 death, when his mother did not luive a sur- 
 plus iu bank to her credit. 
 
 The amount which he sent back to Wasli- 
 ington wa.s fai- more than he could possibly 
 have earned, had he remained theie, to say 
 
 J 
 
8(K» FintiT UTEAMS'HIP PIONEERS. 
 
 nothing of what he actMimuhited for himself 
 in the meantime. 
 
 For ten years Mr. WrLLiAvfS pursued hi» 
 business as a l)uilder, deaUng, more or less, 
 in real estate all the time. He then ceased 
 to take (Mmtia(;ts as a. builder, and limited 
 his operations to real e.^tate and building cm 
 his own ac(M)nnt. 
 
 His real estate operations have been very 
 extensive, as the Keeordei's olfiee shows — ■ 
 tbe index of his name l)eing one of the 
 largest, if not the very largest, in said olhee. 
 
 He was one ol the Ibunders of the Mecha- 
 nies Institute, and for many years an ;K'tive 
 and ellicient ollicer. 
 
 He was Miainly instrumental in getting up 
 the Krst Mecbiinit^al Exbibition in San Fran- 
 cisco, and was .selecteil to deli\ei- tbe opening 
 address, wliicb be did in a manner that 
 retlected verv great credit upon biniself. 
 
 He is regarded as the founder of South 
 San KraiuMsco, which is the most Hourishing 
 subiiili of the (uty ; was elected the first 
 President of the South San Francisco Home- 
 stead and Railroad .\ssoc,iation. and each \ear 
 
FiHsr sTKAMSHir i'i<)M:i':jis. :;()! 
 
 thereafter, loi' live years (till it expired by 
 limitiitionj. he was i-e-elerteii almost hy ac- 
 elaitiatiun. When the South San Francisco 
 l)(K'k (Jonipjiny was orsrani/ed (which (•ouipany 
 owns ahoiit three hundred iieres of land with- 
 in the city liniitsi. he was chosen L*resident, 
 ami is now serving for the eit^hth ferm. hav- 
 inir been re-elected almost unanimously each 
 time. 
 
 He is now. and has been, since its organiza- 
 tion. al)out six years since, the President of 
 the City l*avin;.i ('ompany, which has not 
 l>een so gi'eat a success, financially, as the 
 ertbrts which have been expended upon it 
 ."hoiild have siuaranteed. 
 
 The laws for the tioUection ol street assess- 
 ments have been so defective, that the Com- 
 pany has lost ver\- largeh' by l)ad del)ts. aiid 
 the preju<lice, which has sprung up against 
 wooden pavements, has operated ver\ seriously 
 against the success of the Company. l»ut Mr. 
 Wii.i.iAMs is still liattling with determined 
 energy to make wooilen jiavements a success, 
 and seems confident he will Ije able to do 
 so. His card which appeared in all the 
 
(lailv |),i])ers J;imi:u\ •!<> and .'U, 1874, 
 upon till- siil))e('t ol' stivet pavements, is re- 
 j^jirded, In almost every one who has read it. 
 as the al)lest paper wliich has appeared here 
 ii|)i)n the siil))ect. and has caused \erv many 
 ol" oiir citizens to eiitindy reconsider former 
 conelusioiis npon the subject. 
 
 Mr. Wii,i,i VMS is a man of indomitable will 
 and untiriiiji' energy, and is justly regarded, 
 by the citizens of San Francisco, as being en- 
 titled to a front rank amcmg the "live men" 
 of the city. And his strict integrity of piu'- 
 pose is conceded by all who know liim. 
 
 When [*rofessor (). C. Fowi.ek was lecturing 
 n this ('ity, a few \cars since, upon the sub- 
 ject ot phrenology to a crowded house, Mr. 
 W. was selected by the audience for a public 
 examination ; and the truthfulness of the Profes- 
 sor's delineation of his character was attested 
 to by many rt)unds of applause. 
 
 He characterized Mr. W. as a m;in of the 
 strictest, integrity, and one oi' the most 
 energetic men he had met in forty years' e\- 
 j)erience. 
 
 Mr. W. has never consented to run for, or 
 
ofcn|)\. u |)iil)lic i)lHce of ;iiiy kind. cNccpt 
 tor ;i siiiiik- ti'i'in as Sclimil Director. iVoiii the 
 elexxMitli tli.-tricr. and |io>iti\clv retiised to i-uu 
 a second time tlioiiu'li iirjicd to do so bv 
 hotli ])oliti<al [larties. when a noininutioM 
 would, ol' course, have lieeii e(|uivalent to an 
 election. 
 
 lie is stiictly temperate in iiis lia.bits. 
 nexcr lia\iiifr used liquor or tobacco in any 
 tbrm. and lie asserts that it is a I'act that, 
 he has never yet in his lite been tempted to 
 bet a dollar ujioii a game (jf chance. 
 
 lie is a man of taniily. with a wife and 
 five children — three girls and two l)oys. 
 
 lie enjoys almost uninterrupted good health — - 
 never having been sick enongh to (sall upon a 
 jih'ysician more than twice in twent\-five 
 >eais. 
 
 He is a member ol' tlie Kpiscopal ('hurch. 
 and has, for many yeais. been a vestrvinan 
 of (iraee Church. 
 
 He is a useful man and a good citizen in 
 the fidlest a.ccei)tation of the term, tor he is 
 not only alwa\s acti\ely and usefnlU ein- 
 j>l(»yed himself. I.)ut has seldom less thaji a 
 
himriivd. and soiuftiines as high as a thousaiK] 
 men. eniploved in carrying ont his extensive 
 phms for (dtv iinprovenicnts. 
 
 It is elsewhere in this work said that Mr. 
 Williams was. while in his minority, standing 
 ill the front rank as an architect. A fact or 
 two will illustrate : While in his nineteenth 
 year, an apprentice in the ortice of Joel Dow- 
 ner, master - carpenter of the General Post- 
 Oihce building at Washington, Mr. Dow.vkr 
 gave him the severest test, for a boy, within 
 his power, viz.: To construct a stair- case with 
 continuous rail. He drew his lines on a board 
 and showed them to his boss, who, at om^e 
 pronoun(!ed tlieiu in-oii;/, and tried to convince 
 the boy, l)ut lie insisted he was right. Finally 
 his master ordered him to ''plane ofl" his 
 marks^ and make his drawing right." HENur 
 obeyed, but, knowing he wrts right, exactly re- 
 produced his drawing. The master, with well- 
 feigned anger, severely upbraided him, and 
 again made every possible effort to convince 
 him that he was wnm;/. But, finally, find- 
 ing him immovable, he smiled and said : "Yes, 
 Henry, you are right, and were so at first ; I 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 305 
 
 was only trying to see if you knew you were 
 right. You are hereafter foreman of my men" 
 — a position to which both apprentices and 
 journeymen said he was fully entitled ; and 
 which he held, until released from further ser- 
 vice, with the strongest testimonials that Mr. 
 Downer could write. 
 
 While in this capacity, drawings for the con- 
 struction of the large Custom House, proposed to 
 be erected in New Orleans, were presented to 
 the Secretary of the Treasury. But lie, an 
 old man unskilled in drawing, could not un- 
 derstand "how the building would look." The 
 architect took his drawings to young Williams 
 and said : '" Can you make a model from these 
 drawings, ten feet to the inch ?" 
 
 "Yes, sir," was the boy's prompt reply. 
 
 In a short time the work was done, and 
 presented to the venerable Secretary, who 
 looked with deep interest while he took oft' 
 each successive story, beginning at the top, 
 showing every room, hall, door, closet, vault, 
 and counter, in miniature, and explained the 
 relations of each to the other. The Secretary 
 saw it all, approved the plans, and made the 
 
306 riMST STKAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 awjird. In coiit^equence of this, Williams was 
 oifered liigher salary to remain in New Or- 
 leans and superintend the erection of the build- 
 ing, than had ever before been paid in the 
 profession, wliich, however, he declined and pur- 
 sued his way to his chosen home on the 
 Pacific. 
 
 •' Mfcliaiiics : — J'o ^oui' liancis we owe, 
 VVhalevor \v»' liehold helow. 
 From Nature taken ami ilesifjneil 
 To suit the ever i-liaiioing iiiind. 
 * * * * Our State. 
 iSo young, ami yet mo proudly >;reiit. 
 In peace or war, and always true, 
 •Support, ilet'ense, demandn of you ; 
 Ami all who love the Union, pray 
 That, till earth shall pass away. 
 Her stroiij; -armed sons may ever be 
 [iKlustrious. honeet, brave, and tree." 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONKRRS. 
 
 307 
 
 (). C. WHEKLKK. 
 
 This fientleiuiin writes us that he is " too 
 busy with work more important to the [)res- 
 ent generation, to furnish us with anv extended 
 tioten of his life. " Yet. one who has been so 
 constantly and so prominently in public service, 
 as he has. for twent\ -five years, cannot hide 
 himself if he would. 
 
 Much of his career, yea, msiny of its de- 
 tails are familiar as household words to all 
 old settlers possessing even a modicum of in- 
 telligence. We are. therefore, able to state 
 more facts concerning hiin than of most oth- 
 ers who have furnished us with the same 
 amount of data. 
 
 He was born in the township oi' Wolcott, 
 (now Butler,) Wayne Co., N. Y., March 13th, 
 ISlfi — the tenth of a family of twelve chil- 
 dren. Ushered into life amid the raw. haish 
 winds of March — alwa\s rough in that dis- 
 trict — of that coldest of all seasons, ever yet 
 experienced in that State, and. subjected to 
 all the rigors and privations incident to a 
 
i 
 
 ;^08 
 
 FJRNT .STEAMSHIP PJONEKKS. 
 
 large family in a new countrv. with little or 
 nothing in store, it is no wonder that he 
 never attained more than five feet two and a 
 half inches in hight. and, until past the mid- 
 dle of life, was of slender mould and delicate 
 health. 
 
 CircumstaiK^es hinted at above deprived him 
 ol" educational advantages, except in a very 
 limited amount, until he attained his majority. 
 
 Leaving home at about twenty-one, lie deter- 
 mined to make it his first business to secure the 
 most thorough edueati(m the schools of his 
 <'Oimtry could furnish. 
 
 How daring such a resolution was, and what 
 it cost to carry it out. may be surmised when 
 the reader is told that, on leaving home to 
 enter u])oii this task, he had onh .^7i cts. 
 iu money, onl\ one suit of /Kj/ited/mii clothes, 
 and ver\ poor health : that he worked his 
 own way. pursued an entire eight \ears" course, 
 at Madison Ihiiversity, graduating with honor, 
 from both the college proper and the Theo- 
 logicid Seuiinarv. Tua,rrie(i aM<l settleii as pastor 
 before he was thirt\. His amiable wife, orig- 
 inally Miss H. E. Hamilton, to whom refer- 
 
FIRST STEASfSHir I'lONRfOHS., 309 
 
 fiK^e is iiiiule l)v several contrihutors to this 
 volume, was a woman ol" thorough culture, 
 strong practical common sense, great affection 
 :uiil anient pietw (Constituting her a n-i/f and 
 iiii>lli>.r of sui)enor excellence. She lived to 
 bless him and their son and daughter until 
 July. l.Sli'J. when ileath relieved her from a 
 long and painful illness. 
 
 Few women have done a.s much good in 
 the world, and none made less enemies than 
 she. Ksjjeciallv was her course marked with 
 great good intluences while she was the only 
 female missionary here, and multitudes of men. 
 awa\- from home, anxong strangers, were sick 
 anil dvin.--. Her visits to such as they lay 
 in tents and under the hushes on the hills 
 where the great City of San Francisco now 
 stands. will long be iememl)eied by those who 
 sm-vive. and are recoi'ded in heaven in lie- 
 half of rliose who there bade her and eartli. 
 at once, a long farewell. 
 
 Mr. Wheeler was ordained as a Minister of 
 the (iospel at East Crreenwich. R. I., where he 
 became the first pa.'^tor of the Baptist church, 
 in two \eai-s a fine house of worship had 
 
810 J-7h'ST STh:AMSHIP PIONEERfi. 
 
 been erected, iind such success had attended 
 his hibors tliat he was called to a much 
 more important field in Jersey Citv. N. J. 
 Here he ibund his denomination. h\ previous 
 maladministration divided into three rival, not 
 to say hostile, bands. In eleven months he had 
 succeeded in disbanding all three of the 
 organizations, and in organizing one good, strong 
 l)ody from tlie l)est material found in all the 
 church, ol' which his successor. Rev. Dr. 
 Parmly. is still pastor. He had .secured a good 
 brick chapel, had a large congregation and 
 was antici])ating much from so pleasant a be- 
 ginning, in such a favored loeality. when 
 the Secietary of the American Baptist Home 
 Mi.ssion Society, on the first of Nov., 1848, 
 called u])on him and ' said : " We want you to 
 go to Calilornia, as our Pioneer Missionary." 
 Mr. Wheelek replied : " I have been less than 
 a year here and things are in such a shajje 
 that I would not exchange my pulpit ibr any 
 other in the United States. / cannot <jo, .sir." 
 To this the Secretary responded, " It is f>e- 
 cmist things are in such shape in your church 
 that we wish you to go ; and we think you 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP J'JOMEKliS. 811 
 
 niiif't. " •' No. sir I I "/// //n/ Icnn-." was tlie 
 jK)sitive reply <>f the youiiir man. 'J'liis first 
 intfiview was daily repeatefl witli such varia- 
 tiiHis. in motives preseiittMi as the Sefretar\ 
 aiKi liis associates thought best adapted to se- 
 ciirt' tiieii" oliject. lor .si.r/cr/i cla\s, diiriiiii 
 whie.li iiimil)ers ol' the most iiitiueiitial clergx- 
 men of tlie (ienouiiiiatioii l)i'ouglit their i)ithi- 
 eiiee to hear uj)on him, and at the end of 
 wliicli he \ielded. The Secretary said at 
 once, ■■ liet us go to the steamer and secure \our 
 state-room. " Alter the room was selected, the 
 Seci'etary, addressing the (Japtain, said, " You 
 sail., as per ailvertisement. Dec. 20th, 1 sup- 
 pose?" ".No." said the Captain, "orders are 
 changed: we shall .sail December 1st.'" "Is that 
 jMisitive ■'" said the Secretary. '•■ Ahsoluteh'." 
 .said the Oaptain. it was then November 
 Kith. 11 .V. \i. The Se(-retary, with sad 
 countenance, turned to Mr. W.. and .said: 
 "Then, you cannot go; you cannot getreadv." 
 I'o whi(di the young man instantly re- 
 plied. ••Yes, sir I .\fter the sacrifice of teeliny; 
 I have elidin-ed to yield this point, rather 
 than gi\e it up. i would start to-morrow 
 
812 FTRST STRAMSHfP PIONEERS. 
 
 morning." " But your wife will have to re- 
 reiuiiin '! She certainly cannot get ready." 
 
 "' She irlll." finished the argument. 
 
 Mr. Whkkler was thus the chosen, ■•mle 
 representative of his denomination, then num- 
 bering over one million of communicants in 
 the Ignited States, to carry, set up, establish 
 and maintain their institutions on a dis- 
 tant coast, at a time and under circum- 
 stances unparalleled in the history of the 
 world. The very day the decision was made, 
 the veneral)le Dr. S. H. Cone, pastor of the 
 First Church, New York, and Pi'esident of 
 the Society that was sending him. said to 
 Mr. VV^. : ■' Do \(»u know where you are 
 going. m\ brotliei' ".' 1 would rather go as a 
 missionary to China, or ('ochin-China. than to 
 San Francisco. Don't you stir a step, unless 
 \ou are prepared to gt) to the darkest sjiot on 
 enrth" 
 
 Whether they had chosen a man of enerijy, 
 equal to the occasion, may be judged by the 
 f;u3t that, within the fryiirteen days, he resigned 
 his pastorate, closed up all his business for 
 life, made a trip to Philadelphia, preached ten 
 
sermons, delivered three nddresse.s, superin- 
 tended his entire outfit, and wus, with his 
 wife, on l)oard the steamer " Falcon " one 
 hour before she sailed, at 12 m.. December 1, 
 1848. 
 
 On the voyage and at the several stop[)ing 
 places, Mr. and Mrs. Whkei.ek. whenever not 
 confined with seasickness, were ever ready to 
 minister to the comfort of" the sick, the con- 
 solation of the dyinfi, and the proper Chris- 
 tian burial of the dead. He also bore a large 
 share in the leligious e.\erc.ises. and won the 
 golden opinions of the wise and the good. 
 
 At one time, while in the Pacific, oil" the 
 (iulf of Tehuantepec, during a furious storm, 
 he and his wife both remained in their state- 
 room, unable to leave their berths, forty -eight 
 hours, without seeing waiter, steward, or any 
 other being. This was a trial of patience 
 which, coupled with stmie other inconveniences 
 that lie thought tpiite unnecessary, caused 
 him to write some things Ibi- the Kastern 
 press which were regarded as quite severe, and 
 which he now thinks " did no good." 
 
 Having shared in all the vicissitudes of the 
 
314 FIBSr STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 hinety days" voyage, I'lom New York to 
 Chagres per steamer " Falcon." from ChagreH 
 to Cruces in a dug-out, from Cruces to 
 Panauia on the hurricane deck of a mule, and 
 from Panama to San Francisco on the steamer 
 "California," where lie landed Fehruary 28, 
 1849. he at once surveyed the ground — 
 morally — laid his pUins, and in a comparatively 
 few hours was at his work. 
 
 He soon commenced preaching in the private 
 dwelling of Mr. (1 L. Ross, and propcjsed to 
 organize a Sabbath School, to which severa! 
 parents had agreed to send their children, 
 iiut untoward circumstances, for which Mr. 
 W. was in no way responsible, having ari.sen, 
 when the hour arrived, only out- — a little bov, 
 son of Hon. .Ioiin W. (Jeakv, late (rovernor 
 of Pennsylvania — came. Here was a novel 
 sight, a Sabbath school with two teachers — • 
 Mr. and Mrs. Wheklkk — and one xi-lialnr. 
 This continue<l, in the same exact form, for 
 four successive Sal)liaths. On the fouitli Sal)- 
 bath there were only six |KTS(jris to hear the 
 preacher — three of them residents in the 
 house, ami the Sabbath Sciiool ol' one scholar 
 
FIRST STJCAMSHTP PIONRKRS. 315 
 
 and two teachers. Toward evening Mr. Ross 
 took Mr. WnEKLEK aside, and said : 
 
 " I guess you'll have to give this up, par- 
 Bon. 
 
 " Give what up ? " 
 
 " Oh ! this preaching and Sabbath School. 
 It's no use, the pressure is too strong. You 
 can't make it go." 
 
 Mr. W. said : " I will give up the eil'ort in 
 your hoiifie, if you say so, but shall get another 
 place. I didn't come here to f/ioe up, but to 
 KW.ceed, and, 1 shall do it or die." 
 
 " Oh ! that isn't what I mean at all. You 
 are welcome to the house. If you have got 
 the spunk to stand it, 1 can ; go ahead, and 
 1 am with you." 
 
 Four weeks from that time, the three rooms 
 and the long veranda were all filled to listen 
 to the preaching, and there were forty schol- 
 ars in the Sabbath School. Surely, California 
 exirava(/a>icef< do not all pertain to money. 
 This is the oldest Sabbath School in California. 
 In a few weeks, he formed a church of si.x 
 members ; and, in July, of the same year, 
 bought a lot where the First Baptist Cliurch 
 
ai6 
 
 FIRST STKAMSHJF PfONKEHS. 
 
 now stands, on Wasliiiiffton street, at .$10,000; 
 cleared off the slinibs, bored the first hole, 
 and iniide the first mortice in the frame with 
 his own hands, ami did not fail to be daily 
 about the work; and, in twenty- two workinj^ 
 (lays, completed and dedicated the first Pro- 
 testant (dinrch edifice in (Jalitbrnia. It was 
 a simple fitriK^ture. thirty liy fifty feet, framed 
 of three - by - lour inch scantlinj; ; twelve feet 
 posts, covered with clapi)oards. unplaned, six 
 inches wide itnd lour feet Icjiifi : the roof be- 
 in^ made oi' the old tbresails of a !)rig then 
 in the harbor. The interior was lined with 
 common unbleached cotton, and the seats were 
 of the simplest and most piimitive structuie. 
 Yet the cost was over $0,000 in gold. 
 
 At the dedication, Mr. W. was assisted bv 
 the pastors of other churches : and Dem^oii 
 Caldwell, of the Hresbyterinn ('hurch, pas.sed 
 the i)late l()r the (•ollecti(m in one of the aisles, 
 and. before he got through, the plate was full 
 and the coin began to fall oil upon the floor. 
 
 The house was often full, with no female pres- 
 ent except the preachers wife. 
 
 After a few months, Mr. .Iohn C I'ki.ton, a 
 
j^rnxT sTKAMsmr i'ionkkhs. 317 
 
 t«iK;lier ol' ex]x?iieiii-.ej from Massachusetts, said 
 to Mr. \\ . : ■• If you will let me have the 
 use of your church, without rent. I will o|)en 
 and keep a /rtf s'hoiJ in it." M)-. W. .said. 
 •' ajrreed." The arranj^ement was consummated, 
 and thus this church became the home, and 
 Mr. Pklton the teacher, of the A'/V /rfti >«;/ioo( 
 on the Fa<'iti<> (!oii.st ; an enterprise which, 
 under the intellifjent manipulation of (Jol. T. 
 .1. Nkvins and others, was finally developed 
 into the nof)le ■\//.-</ei)i which, we trust, will 
 continue to })less tlie youth of our State till 
 
 ■■'I'iine sIkiII Iblii liff wing." 
 
 Jhn-inj; the Summer and Autumn, larj^e num- 
 Ihjis of men, especially members of Col. Stevkn- 
 .>^c)n's regiment of \()hniteers, from the excess- 
 ive circumstances surrounding them, fell sick 
 and died. Mr. Whkki.kk writes : •* We often 
 Ibuiid them and others undei' miserable tents, 
 iir under bushes only, without even a blanket, 
 in the \cr\ act of liyinir. or already jrone." 
 Mrs. \\'kkki,ek. like an amrei oi" merc\. was 
 idwa\s with him. with some delicacy lor the 
 bt>d\ of those vet able to receive it. and a 
 
318 PIRSIT STEAMSHTP PIONERRS. 
 
 word of" oonsolation iiiul cheer for those ready 
 to depart. How tliis lahor was regarded, hv 
 those wlio looked on, is indicated by the fol- 
 lowing brief" address, bv (Jol. Steaenson to Mr. 
 Wheeler, on presenting liini with the best gold 
 watch and cliain to be had on the Coast : 
 
 " Revtieiiil Sir : — iMa , late companions in 
 arms, who are now before vou, have requested 
 me to present you this watch, as a mark of 
 their persoiud regard tbi- your character 
 as a man. and a mini.ster ol" the sacred re- 
 ligion oi" our Savioi'. The law of our coun- 
 try which called the 1st IJeg't of New York 
 Vohniteers into service, made amjjle provision 
 lijr food and raiuieut to lit the body of the 
 soldier tor the soldiei's toil ; made liberal 
 provision for the best of medical attendance 
 for the di.seased or wounded body, but made 
 no piovision for the administration of holy 
 consolation to a mind diseased. And, while 
 the regular soldier, nearer home, was abund- 
 antly supjjlied with gentlemen of your pro- 
 fession, to soothe and comfort them in the 
 hour of" sickness and death, we, sir, were 
 
FIHST S'l'F.AM.'b'BIP I'lONKKHS. 819 
 
 ordereil ii|ii>n ;i loiijr iUid jicrilous* vtnage, to 
 iinade a stianjre lan.l. wll()^^e inhabitants did 
 not speak our lanjjuage. and whose htws tol- 
 erated iK^ relijiion l>ut its owji : and where the 
 dead were denieti the privilege of hurial in 
 <-onse<.rateil giinind. unless tliev wei'e of the 
 religion of the coinitrx we invaded. Hence, 
 sir. we were witho\it a holy eoniforter. in 
 whose pia\ers the most protligate and aband- 
 oned find comfort and eonsolation in a dying 
 boor. You, sir, since your arrival in this 
 })iace, ba\c bud tx-easion to meet and associ- 
 jite witli many ol' the soldiers of my late 
 <-ommaiiil, and can beai- testimony that the_\' 
 are uot tbe protligate and abondoned crew 
 tbey bave been represented by the press of 
 tbeir native land, ami as some few here 
 woulii l>elieve. 
 
 "True, sir, some ol them have forgotten their 
 duty to tbeir (iod, and their tellow-num; but 
 tbe laws the\ have violated, have been amph- 
 Aindicated. and they have atoned, and are 
 now atoning for tbeir ;u-ts of tolly and wick- 
 edness. Hut. sir. of tbe great mass of the 
 men who cojuposed that regiment. I caji 
 
320 FIUST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 s])eiik from personal observation. And, sir, of 
 tliese before you, a large portion left our na- 
 tive land with me. and were mv companions 
 while on service. And i will sav here and 
 elsewhere, that 1 want no truer hearts or 
 nobler spirits; no firmer friends, or better men 
 for my companions and friends. 
 
 •'■ For you. sir, they have c(mceived a warm 
 attachment, unsolicited, and almost unknown 
 to you. You sought out their sick companions, 
 soothed and calmed with pious care and holy 
 admonitions the troubled spirit, watched by 
 them in their hours of sadness and pain, 
 soothed in the hewn" of death, received their 
 last sigh as the spirit took its flight to the 
 God who gave it, and. finalh. performed the 
 last sad office man can pay to his fellow — 
 following his body to the silent tomi). 
 
 For these acts of Christian benevolence and 
 kindness, we honor and respect yon. Every 
 member oi' my late command have a hold 
 upon my aft'ections almost as strong as the 
 ties of parental love, for if any of them ever 
 failed in their duty to others, they were ever 
 faithful to me. I, therefore, most cordially 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 321 
 
 unite with them in their strong expression of 
 affectionate regard for your person and charac- 
 ter, and for myself, and them, desire you to 
 wear about your person this small token of a 
 soldier's gratitude .and love." 
 
 The surprise was entire. Mr. W. had not 
 the remotest idea that he had thus attracted 
 attention, or was to be thus rewarded. 
 
 In October of 1849, the first Baptist Society, 
 of which he was pastor, resolved to assume 
 his entire support, thus relieving the treasury 
 of the society that had sent him out. In 
 order to do this intelligently, they appointed 
 a committee of three gentlemen, each having a 
 family, and keeping house in the city, and 
 each a thorough business man. They, from 
 their own bills, itemized their necessary month- 
 ly expenses, and presented a report, the origi- 
 nal of which is still in Mr. Wheeler's hands, 
 that it would necessarily cost at least ten thousand 
 dollars ; whereupon the Society resolved to pay 
 their pastor ten thousand dollars a year, gold, 
 and that it be paid monthly in advance. At 
 the end of five months times had so changed, 
 
322 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 and the cost of living so diminished, that Mr. 
 Wheeler voluntarily asked the Society to re- 
 duce his salary to just one half what it had 
 been, and he would subscribe and pay toward 
 that sum twentj-five dollars per month. 
 
 On the 27th of February, 1850, "The Pa- 
 cific Tnict Society," auxiliary to the American 
 Tract Society, was organized under the labors of 
 Col. T. J. Nevins, agent of the parent society. 
 Mr. Wheeler was unanimously elected Presi- 
 dent, and continued to be thus re-elected un- 
 til his removal to Sacramento rendered it im- 
 possible for him to serve. Col. Nevins was 
 tlie Corresponding Secretary and active work- 
 ing man, while Mr. Wheeler's influence and 
 energy added greatly to the efficienc\- of the 
 institution. 
 
 We ai"e the more iiarticular to note his 
 connection with this institution, because the 
 ])onderous volume the •* Annals of San Fran- 
 cisco," almost the only work yet pretending 
 to give a history of the early men and 
 times of San Francisco, after passing by Mr. 
 Wheelers labors in various connections, either 
 in entire silence, or with the faintest possible 
 
FIBST STEAMSHIP PIONEEBS. 323 
 
 reference to them, here entirely igtwres him and 
 places in his stead a man who was not 
 elected until he (Mr. Wheeler) had served for 
 years and resigned, as above indicated. 
 
 During the winter of 1850, Mr. W., being 
 in San Jos^ for a few daj's, the Legislature 
 — being then in session there — had under 
 consideration a bill upon the subject of divorce, 
 which had passed the Assembly, and been 
 referred to a Committee in the Senate ; the 
 Committee applied to Mr. W. to preach a 
 sermon on the subject on the following Sab- 
 bath ; they, in the mean time, withholding 
 action. This request came on Friday at 8 
 F. M. He had never heard or read a dis- 
 course of any kind on the subject. His 
 library was fifty miles distant, and he knew 
 of no available source of assistance. He took 
 till 9 A. M. of the next day to answer, then 
 said " 1 will try." He spent . the day among 
 the small family libraries in town, trying to 
 find something on the ' subject, but faileiL 
 At 7 : 30 p. M., he took a sandwich and a mug 
 of cold tea, pen, ink, and paper, and went to 
 his room. Such was the confidence of the 
 
FIBSr STEAM&HIP PIONEERS. 
 
 L 
 
 Senate Committee, in his ability, that ihey ar- 
 ranged for the printing of the discourse before 
 they heard it. At midnight the printer called 
 for the MS., supposing it was done. Mr. 
 W. handed him the sheets already written, 
 and went on with his work, which he com- 
 pleted at a quarter past eight Sunday morning, 
 ate his breakfast, and filled, at half past ten, 
 an api)ointment to dedicate a church ; at 
 half past 2 p. m. delivered liis divorce sermon 
 to a congregation which filled the house, and 
 stood outside in greater numbers than could 
 get in. including nearly every one of the 
 State officers and members of tlie Ijegislature ; 
 and then, l)efore going to sleep, addressed, in 
 the evening, the quarterly meeting of the Pa- 
 cific Tract Society. We need not say that the 
 bill passed in accordance with the Scripture law. 
 laid down in his discourse. 
 
 During the following sea.son, news came of 
 the death of General Taylor. President of the 
 United States. At the close of the moining 
 service of the following Sabbatli, he announced, 
 for the next Sabbath a. m., a funeral sermcn 
 on the death of the President. As tlie con- 
 
Pmsr STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 825 
 
 grefjiition were dispersing, Mr. Ross, elsewhere 
 referred to, said : 
 
 " Parson, it" you are going to do that, this 
 house must he enlarged ; for it is crowded on 
 oonitnon occasions. " And, before the next 
 Saturday night, an addition of twenty -five by 
 forty feet was added to the church, seated, 
 and all complete. 
 
 The Pacific Mail Steamship Company, though 
 regarding the Sabbath, elsewhere had given ex- 
 press orders to have their ships leave San 
 Francisco on the fi.ved day of the month, 
 without reference to the Sabbath. And when 
 appealed to by their agent here, replied that 
 their practice could not be modified without 
 orders from the Postmaster General, with 
 whom they had contracted to leave with the 
 mails on given days of the month. The 
 Agent, Captain Knight, came to Mr. Wheelek, 
 explained the situation, and said : 
 
 " I want you to write and pretw^h a ser- 
 mon on Sabl)ath observance that I can pi'int, 
 and send it to Washington, to aid us in get- 
 ting the Postmaster General to modify' his 
 ordi'r." Mr. W. wrote and preached, and 
 
326 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 Captain Kxight printed, and sent the sermon 
 to Washington. And, as soon as a return 
 mail could come, orders were received that, 
 "hereafter, when sailing day falls on Sunday, 
 dispatch your steamer on Saturday, the pre- 
 ceding day." 
 
 Mr. Wheeler, by previous appointment of 
 the citizens, delivered, from the Plaza, to as- 
 sembled thousands, the first Fourth of July 
 oration ever heard in California, which was 
 published at public expense, and has been 
 quoted from scores of times. 
 
 His untiring energy, and almost exhaustless 
 powers of endurance, enabled him to prepare 
 such discourses, both sacred and secular, and 
 his rare powers of oratoi-y enabled him to so 
 deliver them that he soon became a universal 
 favorite, and was called upon, not only on 
 nearly every public occasion at home, but ofteii 
 to make long journej's into the interior, to 
 address his fellow citizens and advance every 
 moral and leligious enterprise. Perhaps no 
 man was ever oftener called upon for " a copy 
 for i>ablication" than he was for the first few 
 years, and until his health gave way. 
 
Plimr STEAMSHIP PIONEEKS. 327 
 
 Tlie Society that sent liiiii here promised 
 him •' an assistant by next steamer, if pos- 
 siljle ; " but he remained and fought the battle 
 twenty montlis before their first ••assistant" 
 reached the field. Such an herculean task, 
 under such trving (urcumstances, liad never 
 before beeJi laid on one man's shoulders: and 
 yet he stood it, without once shrinking. His 
 "instructions," when leaving, were, to •'give 
 much attention that the educational institutions 
 of the country be carefuU}' inaugurated and 
 assiduously fostered, ' which he has scrupulously 
 and practically followed to the present hour. 
 
 In 1850 he and H. H. Haight, our late 
 (iovernor, were candidates for the chair of the 
 Grand IJi vision of the Sons of Temperance. 
 Mr. H. beat him by one vote, but never 
 officiated ; .so that Mr. W., ijeing the .second 
 officer, filled the chair ol" that honorable body 
 during the first year of its e.\istence, attending 
 iiiid addressing eiich of its quarterly meetings 
 in a different part of the State. 
 
 lie was also early identified with the 
 Masonic fraternity, and having passed all the 
 degrees, including those of knighthood, and 
 

 328 
 
 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEEBS. 
 
 officiated in almost all "stations" and "chairs," 
 is highly esteemed thi'oughout this venerable 
 and noble brotherhood. 
 
 The unwarrantable drafts made upon him 
 during the first five and a half years prostrated 
 his nervous system, and laid the foundation of 
 disease in the throat which has for years en- 
 tirely incapacitated him for public speaking. 
 
 Earh- in 1852 he removed to Sacramento, 
 took charge of the church, and published and 
 edited the first religious paper of his denomi- 
 nation on the coast. The first ^ear it cost him 
 three thousand dollars more than the receipts, 
 beside all his labor. 
 
 In April, 1854, hoping to find relief in le- 
 laxation, he resigned his pastorate, and visited 
 the Eastern States. How much relaxation he 
 had may be imagined, when we know that, 
 the next day after his arrival, he was called 
 upon for active duties in the national anni- 
 versaries of his denomination, in Philadelphia ; 
 and, as soon as those were through, for simi- 
 lar labors in Richmond, Virginia, that he was 
 called upon to address the President, Cabinet 
 and members of Congress in the hall of the 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 329 
 
 House of Representatives, at Washington, un 
 the first Sabbath evening it was ever opened 
 for such a purpose ; that he was then sent for, 
 to address religious anniversaries in New York 
 and Boston and the State of Maine ; that, 
 during the four months he spent there, he 
 traveled for the Society that originally sent 
 him out, in eleven of the States, and in Can- 
 ada and New Brunswick, over six thousand 
 miles; and, when he re -embarked for Califor- 
 nia, had spent an aggregate of only sixteen 
 days in visiting and traveling among all his 
 numerous relatives and friends. 
 
 He returned somewhat improved, except in 
 his throat. That had been damaged be- 
 yond repair. It soon began to ulcei'ate, and, 
 with varying effect, continued to grow gen- 
 erally worse for fifteen years, during all which 
 time he refused ■permmtent secular business, in 
 the hope that he would, eventually, recover, 
 and be able to finish his days in his chosen 
 profession. But, in 1869, the malady increased 
 rapidly, rendei'ing it impossible to continue, 
 and he permanently abandoned all efforts in 
 that direction. 
 

 330 
 
 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEEfiS. 
 
 Before his return from the East, in 1854, 
 the State Agricultural Society, then just or- 
 ganized, had elected him Secretary. He served 
 one year, and then declined a re-election, un- 
 less the Society would establish itself and en- 
 able him to secure some degree of permanence 
 to the results of his laboi'. This was not ac- 
 ceded to, and, during the year 1856, he was 
 only an unofficial aid to the work. The next 
 year they acceded to his proposition, and he 
 accepted of their unanimous election, and en- 
 tered upon the work, which resulted in giving 
 the Society better accommodations, a moi-e per- 
 manent home, and more extensive grounds and 
 property, than any similar institution in Amer- 
 ica. And this was its condition, when, in 1863, 
 he resigned, and accepted the position of chief 
 clerk of the Legislative Assembly. To this po- 
 sition he was elected without an opposing 
 vote. During the whole session, of some hun- 
 dred and twenty days, he was piesent at 
 every roll-call, and at every adjournment, and 
 was not once out of the House five minutes, 
 while in session. At the close of the session, 
 he was presented with a handsomer testimo- 
 
FIBST STEAMSHIP PIONEEBS. 331 
 
 nial than has ever been received by any other 
 occupant of the position, and was called upon 
 to address the House. The only member who 
 did not vote for Mr. Wheeler when he was 
 elected, said, on the last day of the session : 
 " I did not vote for Mr. Wheeler becau.se of 
 political reasons — did not vote at all ; but I 
 regret it. and if it was to do again, 1 should 
 give him ni}- most hearty support." 
 
 At the close of this service he wa.s called 
 upon, entirely unexpectedly, to take charge of 
 the Fourth Collection District of Internal Rev- 
 enue, in California, then covering more territory 
 than any other in the United States. 
 
 While successfully engaged in this important 
 work, he was solicited to go to San Fran- 
 cisco and take charge of the interests of the 
 United States Sanitary Commission on this 
 Coast. Dr. Bellows, the President of the Com- 
 mission, had been here for several months, and 
 collected so many and so lai'ge amounts, that 
 it was supposed the work was nearly done, or, 
 at least, all but small matters. Mr. W. at 
 once entered upon the task of systematizhig 
 the work. Within ten months from the time 
 
332 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 he entered the office, he had organized three 
 hundred and five " Soldiers' Aid Societies," 
 generally on the basis of a minimum contri- 
 bution of tea cents a month, bj^ each member, 
 and, from these sources, had collected and sent 
 to the Commission in New York over $197,- 
 000 ; and, on settlement, his books balanced 
 to a cent. 
 
 In 1869, he was called upon to bury his 
 most excellent wife, with whom he had spent 
 almost twenty -four years of a happier married 
 life than is the fortune of most men. This 
 so prostrated him that, for a long time, both 
 he and his children thought he would tsoon 
 follow her. But he recovered, and, in 1871, 
 was solicited, by the Central Pacific Railroad 
 (Jompany, to organize and build up their work 
 in the department of baggage — the eftbrt hav- 
 ing failed in the hands of three men, who 
 had previously been successively engaged for 
 the purpose. He found the whole department 
 in a state of the most utter demoralization 
 and confusion. He brought to the work all 
 the powers of his pecvdiarly analytical, syste- 
 matic, and organizing mind, and achieved such 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 833 
 
 success that, in the spring of 1878, the Com- 
 pany dispatched him on a tour of inspection 
 and examination, giving him a curte hlanche 
 as to where he should go and when return. 
 He passed through twenty -six States and Ter- 
 ritories, and the Dominion of Canada, making 
 a journey of over nine thousand miles ; vis- 
 ited, minutely examined, and took full notes 
 of, the working of every prominent railroad in 
 North America, and was back in his office in 
 just fifty -e'ufhi days. 
 
 About one hundred and fifty - five men, 
 scattered over two thousand miles of railroad 
 and steamboat lines controlled by the Company, 
 now report to him every day the check at- 
 tached to every piece of baggage they handle, 
 where and by whom issued, by whom and 
 where carried, and to whom delivered. 
 
 These reports aggregate about three hun- 
 dred and fiftA' per day. And yet his analy- 
 sis is so thorough, and his system of filing so 
 perfect, that he can put his hand upon any- 
 one of them in less than half a minute, if 
 within the current month ; and in less than 
 two minutes, if within the last two years. 
 
334 
 
 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 He is also, by this thoroughness of analysis 
 and system of record and filing — a great part 
 of which is his own invention — doing his 
 work with Mty per cent, less help, than any 
 other general baggage office in America does 
 an equal amount. 
 
 Another fact growing out of his peculiar 
 efficiency, is that for more than two >ears he 
 has found every piece of stray baggage, so that 
 the Comi)any has not had a dollar to pay 
 for baggage, unless it was utolen or destroyed 
 by accident. 
 
 In April of 1872, Mr. Wheeler was married 
 to his second wife, Miss Ellen R. Frlsbie, of 
 Quincy, 111., a woman of inestimable worth in 
 every department of life every way worthy of 
 such a husband. 
 
 And it may not be amiss to say, that to 
 her pen, and to her untiring energy, the "First 
 Steamship Pioneers " are very largely indebted 
 for every merit in the literary department of 
 this volume, except this article. 
 
 ' To train the foliage o'er the snowy lawn ; 
 To guide the pencil, turn the tuneful page ; 
 To lend new flavor to the fruitful year, 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 335 
 
 And lighten nature's dainties, in their race 
 To rear the graces into second life ; 
 To give society its highest taste ; 
 Well-ordered home man's best delight to make 
 And hy submissive wisdom, modest skill, 
 With every gentle care - eluding art. 
 To raise the virtues, animate the bliss, 
 And sweeten all the toil of hunjan life : — 
 This be the female dignity and praise." 
 
336 FfRSr STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 The two following sketches were received too 
 late for any sort of revision b}^ the Editing 
 Committee, and are hence given as written bv 
 the gentlemen themselves. 
 
 e'- 
 
 EDWIN L. MORGAN 
 
 Was born at Radnor, Pennsjlvania, July 27, 
 1824 ; was reai-ed in Philadelphia among the 
 "Friends"; educated to the mercantile busi- 
 ness. Left New York, per steamer "Crescent 
 City, " December 23, 1848, for San Francisco, 
 via Chagres and Panama. 
 
 The following communication received as our 
 work is nearly through the press, leaving us no 
 time to do otherwise, we print it as he 
 wrote it : 
 
 Philadelphia, January 7, 1874. 
 
 Mr. 0. C. Wheeler : 
 
 Dear Sir — Your circular of December 24, 
 1873, came to hand this morning. It has 
 given me much pleasure, as it recalls to mind 
 many recollections of young and happier years 
 
enjoyed in passing through scenes, though 
 sometimes rough ; yet I am thankful that kind 
 Providence has thus far spared me, and blessed 
 me also; so that, now, in the enjoyment of 
 good health, and all that man need wish for, 
 I can sit down to answer. 
 
 The questions propounded in your circular, 
 80 far as relates to place of birth, occupation, 
 etc., before leaving for California, are stated, 
 which is returned with this. 
 
 I left New York on the twenty- third of 
 December, 1848, in the steamship "Crescent 
 City," Captain Stoddard. Those who were 
 traveling companions may recollect, when off 
 Cape Hatteras, in the Gulf Stream, on Christ- 
 mas, our first impressions on witnessing a gale. 
 While, out of one hundred and thirty passen- 
 gers, very few were able to reach the deck ; 
 and that few on their hands and knees, until 
 they could lay hold of a belaying- pin, and 
 finally grasp the shrouds ; and then, with 
 fearful, sinking hearts, for the first time be- 
 held an angry ocean. While thus despairing, 
 out of sight "of land, with every wave appiv 
 rently about to overwhelm us, dread of sinking 
 
338 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 every moment, old Captain Stoddard came out 
 from his room on the upper deck, with a 
 peculiar, mischievous smile on his face, greeted 
 us with : " Good morning, gentlemen. I tvish 
 you a merry Ghrwtmas." There were but ten 
 of one hundred and thirty on deck. "God 
 knows," I never can forget the Captain, for 
 his cunning smile and merry greeting. We 
 had all forgotten, amidst our fears, that it 
 was Christmas. The assurance conveyed to 
 us through his countenance gave us strength. 
 We began to see the vessel riding the waves, 
 like a duck on a mill pond ; and, getting our 
 sea -legs on, began to venture round the quarter- 
 fleck. While thus making ventures, the writer, 
 holding on to the shrouds, was suddenly hor- 
 rified with the cry, "Man overboard.'" Quick 
 as thought, my eyes were turneii in the 
 direction of the sound, and no one can 
 imagine, far less describe, my feelings when 
 .seeing a man in the stormy waves, rapidly 
 going astern. An old sailor, standing near 
 me, at once caught a small bench, and threw 
 it with all his strength towards the floating 
 man. With like instinct, I threw hiui a stool. 
 
which I had managed to get along with me 
 to the shrouds ; and soon some of the others 
 threw stools. We watched, with much anxiety, 
 the result. And, strange to say, while some- 
 times out of sight, at others just passing over 
 the top of a wave, the poor fellow had caught 
 the bench. The life - boat was lowered ; 
 Captain Fowler (a Boston pilot), one of the 
 passengers, took command. They reached the 
 drowning man. He proved to be the steward 
 of the vessel, who, having gone into the 
 ])rivy (several of which had been erected by 
 the wheel-house, inside the guards), by a 
 sudden heavy sea he had been carried by the 
 torrent from the privy seat clear over the 
 guard.s into the boisterous waves. 
 
 After this our voyage was pleasant ; reached 
 Chagres January 2, 1849, and arrived in 
 Panama January 6th. All the time fearing 
 we should fail to connect with the steamship 
 ■•' California," which had been advertised to leave 
 Panama January 1st. Great was our jov to 
 find, on arrival in Panama, that the "California" 
 had not arrived. A party of us formed a 
 club, and made common propert}" of the funds. 
 
The •'California" arrived on the 17th. In the 
 meantime, numerous passengers had arrived, 
 most of which were by steamer " Falcon," 
 from New Orleans. We lived in Panama 
 from January 6th to 31st. Our funds were 
 almost exhausted, being under the necessity 
 of sacrificing all our stock of hams, dried 
 beef, and crackers, in consequence of not be- 
 ing able to get means of transporting them 
 across the Isthmus. 
 
 When r left Panama, and boarded the 
 steamship " California," one gold piece (two 
 and a half dollars) was all the money in mj 
 pocket, but had a cabin passage paid through 
 from New York to San Francisco. Finding 
 myself short of funds, and with but little ex- 
 perience in the world, it naturally occuired 
 that some provision should be made for the 
 future. Consequently it was made known, 
 tiirough some of my companions who had ac- 
 companied uie, that, for a fair consideration, 
 my place could be had in the cabin for one 
 in steerage. Several offei-s were made, and, 
 finally, one hundred and fifty dollars was ac- 
 cepted in e.Kcliange, from one of the Aids of 
 
FIllST STEAMSHIP PIONEEBS. 341 
 
 (.leneral Adair, or, perhaps, Persifer F. Smith. 
 who was then on his way to Oregon. 
 
 Tliis matter phiced me on good footing, as 
 I could purchase fresh eggs at Acapulco and 
 Mazathm, and had a much cooler apartment 
 (in a hammocJi) for sleeping, on deck. 
 
 When off Monterey, distant about ninety 
 luiles, the fuel on board the "California" 
 was reported to have suddenly given out; 
 upon which the reporter for the New York 
 Herahl (Stephen Branch), inquired from my 
 old companion, friend, and partner, if he did 
 not think there was a storm rapidly approach- 
 ing, pointing towards a dark cloud in the 
 distance. Mr. E. T. Batturs, who is now a 
 resident of your city, the partner referred to 
 above, quickly replied, "Yes, I think there is 
 o-oino- to be a — of a storm," which sent the 
 nervous reporter to his berth, on coming events 
 to cogitate, and perhaps pray for the Almighty 
 to forgive him for the many exaggerations he 
 had furnished to that paper, while on the pas- 
 sage. After chopping up some spare spars, 
 and a lot of temporary berths which had been 
 hastily put in place on the steamship, on her 
 
342 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 arrival at Panama, for the accommodation of 
 Chilenos who had been taken aboard at Val- 
 paraiso, the vessel managed to get into Mon- 
 terey harbor. Young as I was, it made the 
 hair of my head stand on end when I wit- 
 nessed the stars and stripes, waving gracefully 
 to the breeze ; " then I had no military en- 
 thusiasm, but the sight of that flag made me 
 feel as though I had been absent from home 
 for a long time, and just got back." 
 
 At Monterey I first saw public gambling. 
 Here were tables exposed to public view, with 
 piles of Mexican doubloons, laid out as care- 
 fully as upon a bank counter, such as wei-e 
 seen in Philadelphia ov New York at that time. 
 And, strange to say, nearly every person who 
 was attracted by this tempting view was dis- 
 posed to take a chance, or, in other words, 
 " buck at the bank." 
 
 After our arrival at San Francisco we (sev- 
 eral of us) pitched a tent on the north side 
 of Washington street, between Kearny and 
 Montgomery streets, on or near property after- 
 wards owned and occujjied by Eugene L. Sul- 
 livan ; where, after disposing of our Sunday 
 
clothing, and some few articles of surplus 
 stock, such as percussion caps, knives, watches, 
 etc., the writer had on hand $1,300. We left 
 San Francisco for the mining regions by water 
 to Stockton ; from thence to Angel's Camp, 
 near the Stanislaus river, where I remained, 
 without much success, for about six months, 
 wlien I left, determined to start for Philadel- 
 phia. Mr. Batturs accompanied me to San 
 Francisco. Upon our arrival there, he per- 
 suaded me to start into business with him. 
 We then started, under the firm name of E. 
 L. Morgan & Co., on the north-east comer of 
 Pa<'ific and Dupont streets. Here we contin- 
 ued until the fire of 1851, which destroyed our 
 stock and building, leaving us al^out $.3,000. 
 In May, 1852, returned to the Atlantic States. 
 Was married in Lancaster City, Pennsylvania, 
 in June, 1852. Returned to San Francisco in 
 September, 1852. Mr. Batturs being desirous 
 of returning, to visit his mother and family, 
 I conducted the business until his return in 
 1S53. During his visit to Philadelphia, he 
 purchased a large quantity of hams, and some 
 other articles, which, upon their arrival, we 
 
o44 r/UST STEAMSHIP PIONIIERS. 
 
 found to be damaged, and would not bring 
 more than three -fourths of the original cost. 
 The price paid in Philadelphia was twelve and 
 one - half cents per pound ; when they arrived, 
 they could not be sold for more than nine 
 and three - foui-ths cents. Finally, many of 
 them were sold at auction for two and one- 
 half cent^i per pound, for soap fat — some 
 enterprising gentleman, from Australia, having 
 entered into the manufocture of soap, at this 
 time. This puts me ahead of what was 
 intended in detail. 
 
 Upon the return of Mr. Batturs, in 185.3, I 
 determined to return to Philadelphia, and bring 
 my wife out to San Francisco, who was con- 
 stantly writing, with urgent requests, that we 
 should not live apart, or so distant. In ac- 
 cordance with these frequent, urgent appeals, I 
 again, left San Francisco, in June, 1853, and 
 left New York on September 20th, 1853, arriv- 
 ing at San Francisco in October following. 
 We took lodgings at Wilson's Exchange Hotel, 
 on Sansome street, near Sacramento. 
 
 Upon going up to the store, at Pacific and 
 Dupont, I was surprised to find that portion 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 345 
 
 of " the village " had been taken possession of 
 b}' the " heathen Chinese." The '*' Hounds " 
 had left, or were slowly leaving, in utter dis- 
 gust. I thought this would be a sad looking 
 place to take my wife, yet I did it. And, I 
 am glad to say, that she wa.s a farmer's 
 daughter ; one who had been brought up from 
 childhood to work ; and, with that kindly feel- 
 ing which is the peculiar character of Friends, 
 commonly called "Quakers," she was, and did 
 command the respect of all by her unassum- 
 ing manners and kind actions towards the 
 surrounding neighbors, " bad a.s they were." 
 It, was upon this corner (Pacific and Dupont 
 streets) that our first child was born and died. 
 It lies buried in Dale avenue, Lone Mountain 
 Cemetery. My wife s father died in June, 18-").") ; 
 in consequence of which I was obliged to close 
 up my business, " which had not been agreeal)le 
 to me ;" and that estate (wite'sj requiring a long 
 time to settle it, 1 felt it necessary to console my 
 wife, and a dear mother, who both longed for the 
 company of each other, to gratif)' them. There- 
 fore left San Francisco, February 20th, 1856, and 
 arrived in Philadelphia March l-Sth, 1856. 
 
346 FIB ST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 I spent the balance of 1856 on the farm in 
 Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, in the company 
 of my wife and her mother. In 1857 I became 
 a member of the firm of Morgan, Orr & Co., 
 of Philadelphia. The firm being composed of 
 my oldest brother, Joshua Morgan, Arthur Orr, 
 and my.<elf. Some few years previous, 1852 
 and 1853, the firm of Morgan & Orr as it then 
 existed, had finished the coining presses, mill- 
 ing, and other fine machines, located in the 
 mint on Commercial Street, San P^'anci.^co. 
 The}' wore both hard working mechanics, had 
 their education as such in the United States 
 Mint in this city. When I returned, their 
 greatest need was a book-keeper, who could 
 manage their accounts with care and precision. 
 This position, through a casual conversation be. 
 tween my wife and oldest brother, was gained 
 for me. Since that period until the present 
 time, our specialty has been the manufacture 
 of mint or coining machinery. My oldest 
 brother having retired on May 1st. 1868, our 
 firm now consists of Arthur Orr and myself, 
 styled Morgan & Orr. which you will find 
 engraved on the largest coining press lately 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEUBS. 347 
 
 erected in your new mint, in San Francisco, 
 of which we feel proud. And we hope the 
 citizens of your city may also feel a pride 
 while visiting, what we have learned to be the 
 largest and finest mint in the world, when 
 
 finished. 
 
 In 185 — , I was persuaded to become a can- 
 didate from the first ward, in San Francisco, 
 for the Board of Aldermen, and was elected 
 on the Democratic ticket in that capacity, and 
 was again elected in the year following, when 
 vStephex R. Harris occupied the mayor's chair. 
 Not liking the position ncr the manner in 
 which they were elected, I resigned my posi- 
 tion on the first night Mr. Harris took the 
 chair. 
 
 I was. in 184',), while in San Joaquin County 
 (or district) elected a member of the? conven- 
 tion which assembled at Monterey, in August, 
 1849, to form the State Constitution, in pui- 
 suance of an order issued hy Brigadier (General 
 Benxett H. Riley, sent to E. T. Batturs, Alcalde, 
 while at Angel's Camp. In accordance with 
 this proclamation, an election was held for del- 
 egates and alternate delegates. Politics being 
 
distasteful to me, I took no part in these mat- 
 ters further than on one occasion, while ex- 
 <'.ited, I made a short speech at Angel's Camp, 
 strongly opposing the introduction of slavery 
 into California, which was agitated at that 
 time. 1 did not attend the convention — the 
 alternate delegate went to Monterey and filled the 
 ])osition. He was from Tennessee, and, like my- 
 self, strongl}' opposed to introducing peons from 
 Mexico, coolies from China, or negroes from our 
 Southern States. Though Democrat in that age, 
 yet I am a warm Republican now. 
 
 When the views of Thomas Jefperson were 
 asked as to the definition of what constituted 
 a man called Democrat, he replied : '' He is 
 one who advocates the passage of such meas- 
 uses as will bring about the greatest good to 
 the greatest number. " I do not wish to ap- 
 ])ear egotistical while writing this, but will 
 merely say that, when the Democratic party 
 (•arries out the principles and words of TnovfAS 
 Jefferson, then I am " a Democrat." 
 
 I have written this within two or three 
 days, as time has been allotted me, and only 
 as memory can refresh an imperfect recollec- 
 
I'IRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 349 
 
 tion of scenes gone by, and well - nigh for- 
 gotten. 
 
 I fear you may think me bold, but it is 
 printed at the bottom of \-our circular. 
 ••' D<m't be afraid of writing too much," and 
 \ou haven't got the greater portion, as you 
 said, " Be sure to be in time." 
 
 With mv kind regards to many old ' and 
 respected friends and acquaintances, which I 
 tiust it may be my pleasure to meet at some 
 da\- Tiot far distant, in San Francisco, 
 
 I am. respectfully yours. 
 
 EnwiN L. Morgan. 
 
350 
 
 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 RODMAN M. PRICE. 
 
 Oakland, Beroen Co., New Jersey, 
 Januaiy 26tli, 1874. 
 
 I have the honor to acknowledge the re- 
 ceipt of the circular of " The Society First 
 Steamshiji Pioneers," requesting matter for a 
 biographical sketch of each passenger who ar- 
 rived in San Francisco per steamship "Califor- 
 nia," February 28tb, 1849," for their twenty- 
 fifth anniversary', and cheerfully comply witb 
 the request, and beg to assui-e the Soci- 
 ety, that it aftbrds me infinite pleasure to 
 know a historical event so full of interest to 
 California, is thus commemorated ; and the 
 biographical sketch of the passengers must 
 prove a very iirteresting history, as each hail 
 a marked individuality, and represented the 
 highest type of enterprise, intelhgence, pro- 
 gress, and discovery. 
 
 Their vicissitudes, and trials, on that crowd- 
 ed ship, made uji of representatives of every 
 nation, profes,sion, trade, and occupation, who 
 had paid the most fabulous prices for passage, 
 
and received the poorest accomuiodation. The 
 "CaUfornia" being a vessel ' calculated to carry 
 one hundred and twenty, whilst we left Pan- 
 ama with, I think, eight hundred ; but this 
 I know, that as high iis twelve hundred dol- 
 lars was paid tor deck passage alone. There 
 Avere two reasons which operated to make 
 jiersons pay aii\- amount of money they had 
 at command to get a passage on Ijoard of 
 the -'California." rather than be detained at 
 Panama, where man^ had been waiting sev- 
 eral weeks ; the cholera was raging violently 
 on the one hand, and the desire to reach 
 California, the land of golden promise, on the 
 other. 
 
 My memory is full of the incidents of that 
 remarkable voyage. I presume I am address- 
 ing Rev. (). C. Wheeler, a tellow 2>a««enger 
 on the occasion, and your name brings back 
 to me most vividly, the heroism, fortitude, 
 and quiet endurance of your wife, both in 
 her transit across the Isthmus, and 0}i board 
 the steamship. Her ride across the Isthmus 
 on mule-back, man-wise, covered with water- 
 proof overalls and coat, which I often re- 
 
352 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 ferred to, as an example of the brave spirit 
 and will of American women, as the ride 
 was made over a dangerous road, and in a 
 ])erfect deluge of rain. And then, sir, as re- 
 gai'ds yourself, well do I remember the beau- 
 tiful and impressive sermon, on one of the 
 Sabbath days of the voyage, your text so 
 a])piopriate for the occasion, from the book of 
 Ninnht'.rx, { if I recollect rightly,) liking our 
 voyaging to the promise of the Lord to Moses, 
 and the Children of Israel, coming to a land 
 tlowing with milk and honey. 
 
 The discomforts of the voyage, although we 
 Avere marvelously preserved from sickness, and 
 favored with pleasant weather. 
 
 The hicapacity of the Captain, (Marshall.) 
 and the entire want of discipline of the crew, 
 made our situation unsafe, dangerous, and 
 sometimes critical. The ship was on fire at 
 least four times during our voyage, but well 
 do we remember the dismaj^ among the pas- 
 sengers, when the ship, after groping her way 
 for sey^eral daj's, in an impenetrable fog, came 
 to a stand, the last land having been seen 
 near St. James. Without fuel, and with very 
 
limited provisiont^, the Captain and his ollicers 
 entirely worn out with watching and anxiety, 
 and the riunor went through the. ship that 
 parties were nuide up to seize the Itoats, 
 which were not suflficient to carry one tenth 
 of the number on i»oard. 
 
 As I had been frequently up and down the 
 coast of California, the Caj)tain had advised 
 with nie in relation to bis navigation, and it 
 may have been known to a few of the i)as- 
 sengers, that at this critical and perilous time, 
 he was directed entii-ely by it : the steam 
 ran down aljout daylight, and in walking the 
 elevated gangway between the wheel l)oxes, 
 h\ a sudden falling of the fog. I discovered 
 land, which I recognized as the highlands of 
 Santa Cruz, and without moving my position, 
 sent for the chart and compass, and took the 
 bearings of the land, and before I bad time 
 to lay it down on the chart, it was again 
 shut out and entirely obscured. 1 was c.oidi- 
 deiit of my observation, and laid down the 
 position of the ship upon the chart, and the 
 course to be steered to the nearest port, 
 viz : Monterey, and then directed that all the 
 
."r)4 FTNST STEAMSHIP FIONKEHS. 
 
 lumber whicli liad been used in iiuikiiif^ extra 
 sleeping accommodations, should })e broken up, 
 and that a thorough search should be made 
 in the coal bunkers and hold of the vessel, 
 for eveiything that could be used tor fuel; 
 in this search a tew bags oF coal were pro\'i- 
 dentially found down beside the keelson 
 <it' the ship, which were covej'ed over with 
 dunnage, and had been overlooked. With 
 <'lose sweepings of the coal bunkers, and the 
 light wood broken up, we had fuel for a few 
 hours steaming ; steam was gotten up, and 
 the coiu'se I had given, steered tor Montere\', 
 an<l after running about five hours, and with- 
 out changing the course, and without tlie 
 sight of land again, and without sto])piiig the 
 engine, we found the ship just in time to 
 stop her from running into the Custom House 
 wharf at Monterev', to the great relief of all 
 on board. Here, it will be recollected, we 
 liad to remain .several days, to procure wood 
 from the forest, and ne»;essaries to carry us 
 to San Francisco. 
 
 After our ari'ival there, from tlic extraordi- 
 nary state of the country, tlie sliip was soon 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 deserted by, not oiilv Uer piissengers, l)ut u,ll 
 of her crew and officers, save one. 
 
 Her ])as«age luui freiglit nione.N , IVoui Pan- 
 ama, had been enormous, l)ut such was the 
 high rate of wages in California at that time, 
 that the steamship company had to pay 
 Bailors as high a» two hundred dollars per 
 month, to get a sufficient crew to send her 
 hack to Panama. 
 
 The joy manifested hy the citizens of San 
 Francisco, upon the arrival of the •' CaUfornia," 
 and the landing of the passengers, was shown 
 in the wildest and most frantic manner: bas- 
 kets of (:/i<mj>n;/ne were thrown hi our path, 
 and the most prtjfuse and extravagant exhi- 
 bitions oi' welcome, giving a clear indication 
 of the abundance of gold. 
 
 1 was born in Sussex County, New Jersey, 
 November -"), 1818. Reared by my parents, 
 residing part of the time in New Jersey, and 
 part in New York City, and educated in the 
 schools of New Jersey and New Voik City. 
 Prepared tor I'rinceton, at Lawrence^ ille, New 
 Jersey, and entered the Sophomore class at 
 Princeton College, but did uo\ graduate. 
 
onf, FIKfiT STEAMSHIP PIONEEJiS. 
 
 Studied law in the office of Mr. Dane Elling- 
 wooo, New York City ; afterwards entered the 
 iiiivv of the United States as Purser, in 1840, 
 and was serving in the U. S. ship "Cvane," 
 of the Pacitio squadron. First arrived in 
 
 CaUfornia, in March, 1846. and was at Mon- 
 terey, and hinded with the naval force on 
 the fith of .luly of that year which raised 
 the fla^ of the United States over Californi;i ; 
 and was .sent on shoi'e to take charge of the 
 Mexican and Californian archives ; and to 
 perform the duties of Alcalde and Prefect dur- 
 ing oui- niilitai-y occupation, which I performed 
 for some time. Upon the receipt of otficial news 
 of war between the United States and Mexico, 
 I Noliniteered to carry the important news to 
 (Jommodore Stockton, then commanding tiie 
 American Ibrces in California, who had cap- 
 tured and was occupying Los Angeles. After 
 that I joined my sliip, whicii was employed 
 in l)lo(!kading the Mexican ports, and was 
 present at the taking of (luaymas, f-a I'az, 
 San .lose, Sa)i Bias, and Ma/.atlaii. Heturneil 
 home in 1848, via Mexico, I'iding from Alaz- 
 atlan to Vera Cruz, witii vcrlial di.spatches 
 
FIRST STKAMKHIP PIONKKRS. 357 
 
 i'loiu Commodore Shnbrick to Geiienil Scott, 
 in the city of Mexico, to arrunge for a 
 combined attack of the army a)id navv upon 
 Acapulco ; and al^^o with dispatches to the 
 Secretary of the Navy at Washington. The 
 treaty of peace ha(l just been signed at 
 Gaudalupe, Hidalgo, wiien I arrived at the 
 city of Mexico. T was not home long before 
 I was ordered to return to California, as Navy 
 Agent (if the whole Pacific coast, with vari- 
 ous and extraordinary powers, not only to 
 act as fiscal agent, but to test and ascertain 
 the productiveness and resources of California 
 ibr supplying the army and navy, required 
 for its defense, as California had been repre- 
 sented, by most of those who had explored 
 it. as a non-productive, barren, sterile country. 
 My orders als<j embraced the large power of 
 drawing bills of exchange on the government 
 at Washington, against any gold and silver 
 that coidd be had, not only in California, but 
 in all the ])orts exporting gold and silver, by 
 agents to l)e appointed by me in South 
 America. Central American States and Mexico. 
 The design of the government was to con- 
 
358 
 
 FIJfST STEAM.SHir PIONEEIiS. 
 
 trol the eiitii'e product ol" gold and silver, 
 and direct it to Washington, and, by thus c(m- 
 tiolling. and concentrating the j)recious metals, 
 to control t! e exchanges of tlie world, and 
 unseat London. 
 
 1)1 December, 184S. left New York tor 
 California, via Chagres and Panama, in the 
 bark "John Benson." I resided hi San Fran- 
 ci8(H), from the time of my arrival by the 
 steamship '' California. " to the time of my 
 leavhig in 1851. Was Navy Agent for the 
 government the whole time. 
 
 I represented San Francisco in the conven- 
 tion which framed the ('onstitution of the State, 
 held at Monterey, 1849. Was also elected to 
 the first town comicil of" San Francisco, and 
 took a ver\ active ])art in the improvement 
 and development of the commercial facilities of 
 San Francisco, and did much by assisting to 
 build the first wharf (Long Wharf), and by 
 .selling lands, at low prices, to merchant.s 
 arriving with goods, to erect warehou.ses upon. 
 B\ sucli means contributed veiy much to 
 make San Fianciseo the commercial emporium, 
 particularly to defeat the effort and jtretentions 
 
riHUT nvKAMtmu' j'i(>.\i:i:i!s. 
 
 80y 
 
 t)t' hiT (at one tiniej tuniiiduhle rival, Jieiiicia. 
 which chiiuied superioi advantagefi of locatiim, 
 iiaibor defense, and j)roximity to the rivers 
 SiU'nunentu and San Joa(iuin. It was only 
 1>\ jri'eat efforts, sacrifices, and lilteralitv of a 
 lew persons at that early time, that Henicia 
 was prevented from successfidly rivaling 8an 
 Francisco and becoming the great entrepot. 
 Superior advantages were claimed for Benicia 
 by many intlnential persons — particularly by 
 ('(jiumodore Ap Catesby Jones, commanding 
 oizr naval forces at that time. 
 
 I claim to have been among the first in 
 building extensively in San Francisco, owning 
 more houses, in 1850-51, than any other person, 
 and also to ha\e contributed largely to all the 
 charities and to the erection ol' all the early 
 churches, and the estabhshhig of schools, and all 
 the material interests, of San Francisco. It will 
 also be remembered that I was the regular Dem- 
 ocratic candidate, at the first election, for Con- 
 gress, and received very large majorities along 
 the coast where 1 was known, but was de- 
 Icatcil by the mining districts, by Mr. Gii^ 
 iKKi. 1)\' a small majority. 1 will add that, 
 
3B0 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEEES. 
 
 on m_v return home, 1 was elected the fol- 
 lowing vear to Congress l)y my native State, 
 and, subsequently, Governor. 
 
 I am living on a farm in Ramapo Vallej', 
 which affords me occupation, and my address 
 is: Oakland, Bergen County, New Jersey. 
 
 '«** 
 
Chapter X. 
 
 A CONTRAS'T 
 
 CALIFORNIA in 1S4!i am. CALIFORNIA in 1874. 
 
 PHOPERLY conipiire California, as 
 we tbund her in 1 849. with what she 
 realh- is at the present time — to 
 enter fullv into a description of the wonder- 
 ful changes which have taken place in every 
 avenue and department of life, and to trace 
 out the causes of her unparalleled development 
 — would be a work of such magnitude as to 
 require a whole volume. Therefore, we can 
 but brieilv allude to some of tlie most striking 
 features, as they are presented to the mind. 
 
 As the good steamshij) ''California," with 
 her four hundred and eightv passengers, nearly 
 all of whom were vigorous young men ol" the 
 
362 Fin ST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 Anglo-Saxon race, was pursuing her course 
 irum Panama to this port, the startling news 
 of the wonderful discovery of fabulous amounts 
 of gold was being read all over the globe. 
 .Tust at that time, at least one- half of the 
 people of the globe were looking up their 
 atlases to see in whit part of the world 
 (Jalifornia was. From almost every port un- 
 (k'l- the sun, ships were taking their departure, 
 loaded with adventurous passengers like our- 
 selves, and pointing their prows toward the 
 land oi' gold. All over the Western and 
 Eastern States, thousands ujjon thousands were 
 Ijusily engaged, forming parties and inaking 
 preparations to start early in the Spring, over 
 the lofty mountains, and across the desert 
 ]ilains. en route to this proclaimed El Dorado. 
 ( )n the beautiful, warm, and sunshin} morn, 
 ing of the 28th ol' February, 1849, as we 
 ])assed through the Golden Gate, and entered 
 upon the waters of the magnificent bay of 
 San Francisco, and in the first steamship to 
 disturb its placid surface, we all were delighted 
 with tlu' i)i-ospect, and r-ejoiced at the success- 
 ful accomplishment oi' our v<iya.ge. We were 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 363 
 
 the first to arrive from the East, alter the 
 announcement of the finding of the gold. 
 
 Casting anchor in the bay, as there were no 
 wharves then, we were conveyed to the sliore 
 by the boats of the ship, hinding at a 
 rocky i)oint. near what is now the corner 
 of Pacific and Sansome streets. As we 
 jumped from the boats and walked up the 
 beach, a pei'son gifted with a prophetic mind 
 and witnessing our arrival might, in the most 
 appropriate manner, have uttered tbese inspired 
 words of Whittier : 
 
 " 1 hear the tramp ol' pioiieei's. 
 Of riatioiiH yet to he : 
 
 The first low wash of waves, wliere soon 
 .Shall roll a human sea." 
 
 Let the reader conceive that the San Fran- 
 cisco presented to our view at that time, 
 lx)tli as regards the presentations of nature 
 and art, aflbrded quite a different aspect to 
 what we behold at the~ present moment. Th(; 
 natunil boundaries of the bay had not at that 
 time been encroached upcm. The bay then 
 lifted her tides above Montgomery street, 
 between Washington and Jackson streets ; and, 
 
364 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 where the Bank of California now stands, a 
 ship could then Heat in safet\- at high tide. 
 As we walked up from the beach, we saw a 
 succession of bleak, sandy hills, covered, here 
 and there, with sagebrush, yerba buena, and 
 a scrubby brushwood. There was not a re- 
 spectable looking building to be seen. No 
 paved streets, no sidewalks ; and scarcely 
 houses enough to make out the line of any 
 street. There were no regular hotels. We 
 camped out under tents of our own construc- 
 tion and in shanties where the owners would 
 receive us, and we lived in the most rough 
 and rude way. Salt pork and beans were the 
 chief living. The price of a common meal 
 was five dollars, and eggs were twelve dollars 
 per dozen. Potatoes and onions were being 
 brought from the Sandwich Islands, and sold 
 at one dollar and fift}- cents per pound. 
 Lumber was six hundred dollars per thousand 
 feet ; and all the other requirements of human 
 life were proportionately expen.sive. 
 
 There were, at the time we landed, not to 
 e.xceed one thousand human behigs in San 
 Francisco, ami they were chioMy composed of 
 
FIRST HTEAMSHIP FIONKKIii!. 3(io 
 
 Spaniards, native Califbrnians, and Indians. 
 There were, however, a few foreign merchants 
 engaged in the export of liides, liorns, and 
 tallow. Up to this time only a tew whaleis 
 and men-of-war dropped into the harhor lor 
 supplies of water and provisions. Occasionally 
 a merchant's shij) had come into the port to 
 exchange her cargo of" goods and trinkets, 
 such as the people reiiuired. for their hides, 
 horns, and tallow. 
 
 The total population of California was esti- 
 mated, on the 1st of January', 1849, at twenty- 
 six thousand, viz.: Natives of the country (not 
 including Indians), thirteen thousand ; United 
 States Americans, eight thousand ; Europeans, 
 five thousaml. 
 
 The city of San Francisco was really founded 
 in the year 1776, by the old Spanish nus- 
 sionaries of the Catholic Order of Franciscans ; 
 and, during the sevent}- three xears of their 
 occupancy and rule, to the time of our arrival, 
 there had been no progress. 
 
 The old adobe mission church at the Mis- 
 sion Dolores, a portion of which still remains, 
 to be seen at the head of Sixteenth street, 
 
366 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 is, we lielieve. the only visible remains oi 
 what we (bund of lunnan arrangements in 
 San Francisco, when we landed in 1849. Most 
 of the people of the city, at that time, had 
 a cadaverous appeai'ance. and seemed as if 
 waiting anxiously for the moment when they 
 could take their departure from this worM. 
 There were no public schools, as we could 
 learn, in the whole country. Ignorance, and a 
 drowsy listlessness seemed to characteri/.e the 
 masses of the community. 
 
 A few gold .seekers from the South Ameri- 
 can and Me.\ican coasts, and from the Islands 
 ol" the >Sea, had preceded us : ttut the inhabi- 
 tants of the countrx liad not as yet become 
 fully aroused to the important results which 
 the discovery of gold was destined to bring 
 upon the whole country. 
 
 With the exception of this City, Santa Clara, 
 San Jose, Monterey, Santa Barbara, Los An- 
 geles, San Diego, and a few other easily ac- 
 cessible points, there was no real settlement of 
 the countiy. With the exception of Colonel 
 Sutter's ranch, there were but a ver\ few 
 thousand acres that had ever been brought un- 
 
(ler cultivation. The whole countrv, outside of 
 ii limited niiiue of these places, was one vast 
 solitude, roamed over In the deer, elk, ante- 
 luiie. and grizzly bear ; and the bays, rivers, and 
 lakes swarmeil with wild jreese, ducks, swans' 
 and other water- fowls. 
 
 The only paper published in San Francisco, 
 at the time of our arrival, was the w«ekly 
 •• Alta Calilornia," which was started on the 
 fourth ot .Fanuary, 1S41(. It was a very small 
 and inferior appearing sheet to what it is at 
 the present time. 
 
 A tew months after we landeil, a large fleet 
 of shijjs gathered into the bay, bringing 
 anxious gold seekers and goods. As soon as 
 they anchored, theii' crews left them and 
 rushed to the gold fields. Labor became so 
 high in San Francisco, that it cost as much 
 or more to unload the goods from the ships 
 as the charges foi' their freight from New 
 York amounted to. There were no i-eturn 
 cargoes Ibr the ships, or seamen to navigate 
 them ; consequently, numerous vessels never 
 left tlic port, but were used for warehouses 
 or l)uilt over for iiabitations. 
 
368 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIOXEEUS. 
 
 There were no puljlic roads or stage lines ; 
 communication was made from one point of 
 the country to another, on foot or horseback, 
 alon*!: a scarcely perceivable trail. Over the 
 whole country, lying between San Francisco 
 and the Missions oi" Santa Clara and San 
 Jose, there were no fences, and the plow 
 had never disturbed the rich and productive 
 soil. Where the beautiful city of Oakland 
 now stands, there were no habitiitions, but only 
 a magnificent forest of oaks. 
 
 A perfect stream of human beings continued 
 tor a long time to pour into the bay of San 
 Francisco and fiom over the mountains. 
 History could furnish no parallel of movement 
 in the life of the liuman race. Xo one came 
 to stay in this country, but only to remain 
 a short time, to accumulate a little gold by 
 digging foi- it, or by industrial operations. 
 This accomplished, they designed to return to 
 their homes, relate their adventures, and share 
 their wealth with their fathers, mothers, sisters 
 or lovers. 
 
 Viewing this wonderful movement, and the 
 results arising therefrom, from our present 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 369 
 
 standpoint, we recognize the operations of an 
 inevitable law of human progress and develop- 
 ment. No philanthropy, no legislation, no mis- 
 sionary labors can change this law ; it is 
 written in man's nature, by the hand of his 
 Creator. There are races which have always 
 been the representatives of civilization, and 
 which have extended over and civilized all parts 
 of the glolie. The Creator has implanted, in 
 this group of races, an instinct that, in spite 
 of themselves, drives them through all difficul- 
 ties, to carry out their great mission of civil- 
 izing and of fructif\'ing the earth. It is not 
 reason, or philanthropy, which urges tliem on ; 
 but it is destiny. 
 
 "Wherever the Anglo-Saxon race plant 
 themselves^ progress is certain to l)e displayed 
 in some form oi- other ; such is their restless 
 nature and go-ahead energy, that things can- 
 not stand still where they are, whatever may 
 be the circumstances surrounding them." 
 
 C.\I>IK()RNIA IN 1874. 
 
 Let US now take a glaiice at California, as 
 she presents herself in the year 1874. A 
 
quarter of a century is a long time in tlie life 
 of an individual, but it is a brief period in 
 tlie history of a State or nation. The Cali- 
 ibrnia of to - day, notwithstanding the changes 
 which have taken place since we landed on 
 her shores in 1849, presents a much greater 
 enignui, for the solution of the human mind, 
 in relation to her wonderful future, than she 
 did at the time of our arrival. Then we 
 were quite sure she was incapable of produc-- 
 ing a sufficienc}' to feed her own people, and 
 the whole world entertained the same opinitm. 
 Consequently, goods and provivsions, of all kinds, 
 were shipped trom every port to supply the 
 miners at that time, in ([uantities sufficient to 
 supply a kingdom. It was supposed that Cali- 
 fornia was good for nothing but her yield of 
 gold, hides, horns, and tallow ; and that the 
 natural arrangements and capacity of the coun- 
 try' were such, as to continually demand from 
 other countries most of the necessaries of life. 
 
 Wliat a change in the opinion of ourselves, 
 and in the ideas of the world, has taken 
 place in this connection ! 
 
 Let us first direct our attention more par- 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 'ill 
 
 ticuliuly to this city, and see how tlie iSiin 
 Francisco of to-day appears in contrast with 
 what we noticed in 1849. The unsightly sand 
 hills liave disappeared, large sections of the 
 bay have been filled in, and extensive 
 wharves have l)een constructed. 
 
 She was not incorporated by tlie Legislature 
 tintil May, 1850. Since that time, she lias been, 
 .fix times., nearly destroyed by fire, but, on each 
 of these occasions, she persistently rose, " Phoenix - 
 like," from her own ashes. Nature has not 
 changed : the grand old hills, and mountains, 
 the climate, the soil, and the streams are the 
 same. But, the inhabitants, and all that 
 peitains to man and human arrangements, 
 in San Francisco and in the country, have 
 <diaTiged amazingly. 
 
 The gambling saloons, the inonte and the 
 iiuo tables, so popular and much patronized 
 in the early days, have disappeared from the 
 city, with their debasing and horrid accom- 
 paniments ; and are supplanted by institutions 
 ol' a religious, moral, intellectual, and peaceful 
 i'haracter. 
 
 We now see a great city, not only the 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 metropolis of the State, but the emporium ol' 
 the whole Pacific Coast ; a city, that already 
 f^tands the third in rank among the cities of 
 the Union, as regards the amount of exports 
 and imports ; a city, containing nearly or 
 quite two hundred thousand inhabitants, twenty- 
 two thousand buildings, and hundreds upon 
 hundreds oi" miles of paved streets and side- 
 walks. She has over forty - two miles of 
 street railroads; water and gas works, bring- 
 ing these necessary requirements to every 
 habitation ; magnificent churches of all de- 
 nominations, and noble institutions of learning, 
 from the primary departments up to the 
 highest branches of education ; elegant private 
 residences, extensive buildings for l)usiness and 
 public purposes, and numerous large and 
 magnificent hotels, which cannot be excelled, 
 in j)oint of accommodation and comfort, in 
 any part oj' the Union. 
 
 There are numerous luanufactones in the 
 «-ity, and the value of the goods manufactured 
 1)\ them is estimated at foity million dollars 
 per year. Over two hundred and forty mil- 
 lion feet ol' lumber is now laid down at this 
 
])ort iinmially. Nuineroii.s theaters, and Ijeiievo- 
 lent institutions, everything tor the delight of 
 the fortunate, and for the comfort of the un- 
 tortvniate, are jH-ovideil. In a word, we see a 
 great ("ity, with all the modern appliances of 
 the pi'esent civilized condition of the world. 
 
 The total amount of assessable property in 
 San Francisco, in the fiscal year of 1851-52, 
 was, real and personal, $14,061,903. In the 
 fiscal year 1872-73, the returns give $215,- 
 709,778. 
 
 The total amount of deposits in the Sav- 
 ings Banks of the city, at the jjresent moment, 
 is about $50,000,000, and the capital and 
 deposits of the Commercial Banks is about 
 $20,000,000, making a banking capital in this 
 city of $76,000,000 in gold. 
 
 If we add the deposits and capital of the 
 Sa\'ings and Commercial Banks in the country, 
 the auiount of banking (capital in Calilbrnia 
 is, to-day, fully $100,000,000. 
 
 Where we found but one small newspaper, 
 ami that published weekly, we now have the 
 total number of newspapers, periodicals, and 
 regular puljlications of the city, amounting to 
 
374 FIRST STEAMS-HIP PIONKEBS. 
 
 ninety - four, viz : sixteen daily, thirty - seven 
 weelily, forty -one montlily, and semi-monthly. 
 
 Where there was Init one church (the old 
 Mission), we now find a total of eighty -one 
 churches, representing almost evei'y known i-e- 
 ligion and religious denomination upon the 
 globe. 
 
 Extensive libraries, scientific and benevo- 
 lent associations, and noble structures dedicat- 
 ed to nearl}- all of the known orders of the world. 
 
 We will now take a more particular glan(;e 
 at California as a State, and see what has 
 been done in the {)rogress and development of 
 the country. Not only has the city of San 
 Francisco started upon a most imparalleled 
 growth since our arrival, in 1849, but, soon 
 after that period, new towns and cities were 
 Ibiinded in suitable localities over the State, 
 and the resources of the country were graiiu- 
 ally discovered ; population continued to How 
 in, and progress became general. Roads were 
 constructed throughout the State, even in its 
 mining, and much of its mountainous, regions, 
 at great expense. Postotfices were established 
 all over the interior, stage lines were formed, 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEEBS. 375 
 
 and commimication by letter, and travel soon 
 began to display their beneficial influences all 
 over the State. 
 
 That roughness of manner and rudeness of 
 conduct, which characterized the most of the 
 adventurous spirits who were so suddenly 
 thrown together upon these shores, in those 
 early days — drawn hither from nearly every 
 nation, kindred and tongue — gradually' dimin- 
 iahed, and has now almost entireW disappeared, 
 nnder the present settled condition of things, 
 and the influences of a higher civilization. 
 
 Many of the towns and cities then founded, 
 and so insignificant in their early appearance, 
 have now become the most attractive and 
 beautiful localities in the State, and are peri- 
 odically resorted to Ijy thousands from all 
 parts of the world for the enjoyment of 
 climate, natural beauty, comfort, and all that 
 makes human life pleasant, agreeable, and a 
 blessing. A man from any part of the world 
 can now find, in 07ie or another of these 
 places, just what he has l)een dreaming about 
 for a whole lifetime, as an earthly paradise 
 suitable to his tastes and natural wants. 
 
376 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 Within the past twenty-five years, the State 
 oi' California has been transformed from a 
 comparative wilderness ol solitude, into a 
 country in which aie all the necessaries, 
 luxiii'ies. safety, and appliances of civilized life ; 
 and she not only ranks as the third in rela- 
 tion to commerce, Ijiit also as the greatest 
 wheat producing State in the Union. Her 
 growth and material development, within such 
 a hrief period, is without a parallel, not only 
 in this Union, hut in the whole history of 
 the human race. 
 
 The estimated popidation and value of i-eal 
 and personal property in this State, as fur- 
 nished in the Surveyor (leneral's report for 
 the fiscal year 1S72-:1. is: Total ijopulation. 
 694,309; taxable property, $527,203,982. We 
 give the amounts tor the counties of Tehama, 
 Ventura, Marin and Mendocino at their esti- 
 mates for 1872, as they are not given in this 
 report. It will appear from this that San 
 Francisco has al^out two -sevenths of the entiie 
 population, and more than two- fifths of the 
 entire property. The production of wheat, as 
 presented in the report, was 26,089,667 bushels ; 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 377 
 
 enough wheat in a single year — when put 
 into sacks of one hundred pounds each, each 
 sack measuring three feet in length, and then 
 placed end to end in one continuous line — 
 to extend eight thousand eight hundred and 
 ninety -four miles, comprising one -third of the 
 circumfei'ence of the globe and reaching eight 
 hundred and ninety -four miles beyond ! For 
 the past two years, California has loaded 
 enough ships with her surplus wheat alone, 
 to continually whiten the seas, and to demand 
 all of the available tonnage of the world to 
 transport it to the hungry mouths in distant 
 lands. 
 
 In the same year, we produced 8,405,464 
 bushels of barley, 1,643,964 bushels of oats, 
 1,307,864 bushels corn, 82,496 bushels peas, 
 39,336 bushels r^e, 13,757 bushels buckwheat, 
 111,607 bushels beans, 91,320 bushels onions, 
 233,932 pounds castor beans, 167,586 pounds 
 pea-nuts, 1,134,756 pounds tlax, 148,084 pounds 
 cotton, 32,155,160 pounds wool, 481,804 pounds 
 hops, 29,000 pounds tobacco, 5,321,469 pounds 
 butter, 1,343,782 pounds cheese, 301,516 pounds 
 honey, 75,819 tons potatoes, 5,519 tons sweet 
 
878 
 
 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEEBS. 
 
 potatoes, 29,930 tons sugar beets, 495,270 tons 
 hav, 4,106,301 gallons wine, 274,355 gallons 
 brandy (from 28,482,514 grape vines), besides 
 the enormous quantity of grapes consumed in 
 the country, made into raisins, and shipped to 
 the East. 
 
 To show to people unacquainted with the 
 country, the pomological characteristics of Cal- 
 ifornia, we will state that we now have 1,828,- 
 887 apple trees, 956,386 peach trees, 328,719 
 pear trees, 231,107 plum trees, 146,626 cherry 
 trees, 40,247 nectarine trees, 39,801 quince 
 trees, 98,477 apricot trees, 54,321 fig trees, 
 10,760 lemon trees, 72,247 orange trees, 11,- 
 424 olive trees, 14,624 prune trees, 406,626 
 mulberry trees, 167,240 almond trees, 109,380 
 walnut trees. As to the number oi acres de- 
 voted to the raising of the strawberry, the 
 raspberry, the blackberry, the currant, the 
 gooseberry, and small fruits of eveiy known 
 varietv, we have no data, but know that the 
 area is enormous. 
 
 The number of cattle, sheep, horses, mules, 
 and other animals of a domestic character now 
 in the State, we shall not enumerate, but they 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 379 
 
 are in proportion to every other element of 
 progress. 
 
 We now have one hundred and thirty - six 
 grist-mills, producing 1,305,201 barrels of tlour 
 annually; three hundred saw -mills, sawing 
 228,672,849 feet of lumber annually ; and 
 shingle - mills, producing 80,038,500 shingles an- 
 nually. We have two hundred and thirteen 
 quartz - mills, crushing 290,310 tons of quartz 
 annually. We have coal mines, giving 145,- 
 360 tons coal annually ; and quicksilver mines, 
 which yield, at the present time, about 6.000 
 flasks annually. We have four thousand eight 
 hundred and si.xty - three miles of mining 
 ditches ; and numerous irrigating ditches and 
 canals, one of which is forty miles in length, 
 and has a capa('ity, not only for irrigating the 
 lands adjacent, but also for the transportation 
 of goods. 
 
 This may be considered a pretty good show- 
 ing for a country twenty - five years after our 
 landing upon its shores, and presents an aston- 
 ishing contrast to the ideas and opinions which 
 we, in common with the rest of the world, 
 entertained at that time and for years after, 
 
.S8fl FIRST STEAMSHIP FIONEBSS. 
 
 in regard to California, as being good for noth- 
 ing but her gold, hides, horns, and tallow ; 
 and that the supply of food for its inhabitants 
 would ever be demanded from other countries. 
 This exposition may be considered as a solu- 
 tion of enigma number one. as to what the 
 country is good for. The advance of Calitbr- 
 Jiia, in material prosperity, has been most 
 remarkable. The mining interest, whic-h en- 
 gaged the attention of the people almost exclu- 
 sively at first, and for some years after our 
 arrival, has steadily declined, and the develop- 
 ment of the unlimited agricultural resources of 
 the country has received much attention. Ag- 
 riculture, the raising of sheep, cattle, and other 
 stock, has now become the leading industry 
 of the State, and manufactories are increasing 
 in every direction. 
 
 Agricultural societies have been formed, and 
 a Mechanics' Institute was established in San 
 Francisco, in 1857, which is still in a flourish- 
 ing condition. Some of the present surviving 
 pioneers took an active part in tlieir estab- 
 lishment, and the opening address, at the 
 inauguration of the first exhibition of the 
 
FIlhST tiTKAMSHlF FIONEKUS. 381 
 
 Mecliaiiics' Iii.stitute of the city of San P'ran- 
 cisco, was fleliveretl by one of those pioneers 
 — Henry F. Wiluams, P^sq. — and it con- 
 tained such substantial and reliable information 
 relating to the lesources and future prospects 
 of the country at that time, as to attract 
 attention at the East and in f^urope, and was 
 the means of causing much capital from abroad 
 to be invested in the State. 
 
 THE MINES. 
 
 The production of gold, from the soil and 
 rocks of (Jalifornia, has certainly fallen oft' in 
 amount, as compared with that of a few years 
 subsequent to 1849, the present yield being 
 about $20,000,000 annually. But the gross 
 product of the precious metals from the mines 
 on the Paeitic coast, mainly owned by peo- 
 jtle in San Francisco, and being worked on 
 Californian account, amounted in the last 
 year to about $68,000,000. 
 
 It is estimated that the amount ot gold 
 produced by California alone since 1849, is 
 not less than $1,200,000,000. This, melted 
 into a solid mass, would form a cube of 
 
382 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 nearly fifteen feet square. If coined, and 
 placed in " oaken kegs, iron bound, such as 
 are ordinarily used for shipping gold coin, each 
 keg containing $-")0,000, ten of which are 
 equal to one ton, or two tons to the 
 $1,000,000" — this $1,200,000,000 put up in 
 this manner, would weigh 2,400 tons : enough 
 to load two hundred and forty cars with ten 
 tons each, and would require six locomotives 
 to haul it ettectually over a road of such 
 gradients and characteristics as the New York 
 Central. Allowing each car to occupy thirty 
 feet, and each locomotive with tender fifty 
 ieet, it would form a gold train extending 
 nearly one and a lialf miles ; or it would 
 freight two ships of 1,200 tons each. 
 
 Although the production of gold in this 
 State has recently diminished in amount, it 
 is well understood, by every intelligent person 
 here, that her placers and rocks have not 
 V)een exhausted of their rich treasures ; but, 
 that they have only as yet been scratched 
 upon their surfaces, and the amount of wealth, 
 thus far taken from them, is but a mere 
 trifle to what the}' hold in store, to come 
 
Flit ST STEAMSHIP PIONKKRS. 3 So 
 
 forth, when hil)or and capital .shall have 
 become cheapex", anti our j)opiilation lai-ger. 
 Tlie greatest disclosures of that precious metal, 
 and of the minerals of Calitbrnia. still remain 
 for a future day. 
 
 RAILROADS. 
 
 In 1S49, no one who came here, either by 
 sea or land, had the least conception that 
 such a thing as a railroad would ever be 
 built in this country, at least during his 
 lifetime. The important event which occur- 
 red nearly five years ago, in the completion of 
 the Overland railroad, was a triumph of science, 
 uit, and industry over great natural obstacles. 
 
 The binding together of the two great 
 oceans ol' our hemisphere with iron bands, waa 
 an immense undertaking. The lofty summits 
 o[ the Sierras, covered with perpetual snows, 
 and their fiearful gorges have been overcome. 
 And now their awful solitudes resound day 
 and night with the shrill shriek of the loco- 
 motives as they draw along their trains of 
 palace cars, filled with the wealth\' and intel- 
 ligent of all lands. 
 
384 FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 Now, onl\' a week fioui ocean to ocean, only 
 seven days from the Meti'opolis of the West, 
 to the Metropolis of the East. What a won- 
 derful contrast ! This shows that " human in- 
 telligence is mightier than the elements ;"- 
 that '"man is a conqueror of nature." 
 
 There are now completed, and in operation, 
 in California, including that portion of the 
 Central Pacific e.xtending from the State line 
 to Ogden, 1,9-59 * miles of railroads. 
 
 California is an immense and wonderful 
 country', the survev of the whole of which 
 has not as yet been completed. It has gen- 
 erally l)een conceded to contain an area of 
 120,000,n00 acres, or 187,500 square miles. 
 An area equal to nearly four times that of 
 the State of New York. There are still large 
 districts in the mountain regions, both in the 
 northwestern and northeastern portions of the 
 State, that have never, as yet, been explored. 
 Portions t)l" them may have been seen by 
 hunters and savages, but theii" natural charac- 
 teristics are still unknown to the people of 
 this country, and of the world. 
 
 It is said there are about 40,000,000 acres 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 385 
 
 of arable land, of which only 4,843,532 acres 
 have been inclosed, and that less than 3,000,- 
 000 acres have been cultivated. Now, when we 
 take into consideration the two great valleys of 
 the State, the Sacramento and San Joaquin, 
 really one valley, but designated by different 
 names, the whole extending in one unbroken 
 stretch, five hundred miles in length, and an 
 average of forty miles in breadth, giving 12,- 
 800,000 acres of farming land in a single 
 connected body, every acre ol' which is des- 
 tined to give a favorable account of itself, as 
 the few cultivated acres have already done, 
 we become completely bewildered in the con- 
 templation of the vastness of the future pro- 
 ducts oi" this State. 
 
 The gold previously sent out from California, 
 disturbed the values of the world — and the 
 enigma is now with us, who begin to see the 
 great future, to really comprehend the ef- 
 fects which this one State, when fully devel- 
 oped, as she surely will be, is destined to 
 })roduce upon the human family, and upon 
 the commerce of the world. 
 
 Shall we eventually feed all that portion of 
 
;-!86 FIRST STMAAfSHIl' PIOyHhUiS. 
 
 tlie world that rhought in early days that 
 we leqiiired ior ever to be ted In tlieiii ". 
 Shall we .shortly be in a position, by our agri- 
 cultural and mineral productions, to j'egulate 
 the inotietary exchanges and affairs ol' the 
 world ? These are questions which n<nv piesent 
 themselves, to the thinking mind, as possibil- 
 ities lor the future position ot" California. 
 
 We hiive now lines of luagnifieent steam- 
 ships piling to all ports ot" the great Pacific 
 C/oast, to Jaj)a.n, (Jhina, Australia, and the 
 Islaiuls of the Sea. We have telegiaphic 
 coiuuiunication with all of the civilized por- 
 tions of the globe. 
 
 The total value of the agricultuial and 
 mineral products of (Jalilbrnia, lor 1878, is 
 estimated, by ' our leading journals, to have 
 exceeded one hundred million dollars : and we 
 know that, by industry, economy in living, 
 and a lessening of our imports of useless 
 articles, we have addel to the wealth of the 
 State about thu-ty million dollars during the 
 past year. 
 
 While our friends at the fCast. in pAtrope, 
 and other lands are suiiering from the severity 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 387 
 
 of winter, depression induced by fearful panics, 
 or the terrible consequences of short crops, we 
 are more than ever before blessed with de- 
 lightful green fields, and seasonable weather, 
 ii most healthy condition of finances, and an 
 abundance of the rich products of the soil in 
 endless variety. 
 
 One great element <if future success i.s ir- 
 rigation, and no time should be lost h\ the 
 (lovernment and people, in putting into o]ier;i- 
 tion a perfect system ol' irrigation througlit)iit 
 the State, where needed, and most especially 
 in the great San Joaquin Valley. 
 
 This necessai-y requirement Iieing provided, 
 its it will be, there is really no conceivable 
 limit to the amount oj' value that can be 
 taken from the soil. The produci of wheat 
 will, in a short time, swell to one hundred 
 millions of bushels annually. The successful 
 e.xperiments, in the raising of cotton and to- 
 bacco during the past two years, have proved 
 that the cultivation of these two valuable com- 
 inodities can be profitably prosecuted to an almost 
 unlimited degree in this country ; and any line 
 of production can be pursued to any extent. 
 
'd8^ h'fRsr STEAMiJJIIP PJOyKERS. 
 
 We, the old pioneers, who have been tweiitv- 
 five yeiii\s in this country, and are cognizant 
 of it.x resources and natural (;har<icteristics, 
 know that the soil is good, and the cliiuate. 
 taking the whole year through, delightful, 
 and cannot he excelled in any country in the 
 world. We see the most delicate plants and 
 shrubs growing and bloouiing in the open air 
 evei\ month in the year. 
 
 We find the greatest of natural wonders in 
 the Yosemite Valley, the Big Trees, the Gey.seis, 
 and in the lofty mountains, and their deep 
 caiions. We know that the whole of the great plains 
 of California will yet be clothed in lasting 
 fertility and beauty ; and the now liarrcn 
 foot-hills and slopes of our mountain sides will 
 yet be covered with every variety of vegeta- 
 ble form of semi-tropical and northern climes. 
 There will yet be .seen an immense industrial 
 popidation settled over the plains, along the 
 slopes and plateaus, and towns and hamlets 
 will cluster amidst vineyards, orchards, beauti- 
 ful gardens, and wide- spreading grain and cot- 
 ton fields. 
 
 From our past experience and present knowl- 
 
FIRST STEAMSHIP PIONEERS. 
 
 889 
 
 edge of this country, we feel to sav to all 
 of our friends at the East and in Europe, who 
 possess the true spirit and energy ol" manhood, 
 in the words of our Mr. RnonKS, a California 
 poet : 
 
 " We bid \ou welcuiiie, lii-ulliers, to (."alitbriiia's shores. 
 To hei' hills of s^ohk'ti uranile mimI Iut flower- eiiiiiiu'li>'i 
 
 floors ; 
 To her streanw, whose waves run amher as they spar- 
 
 ivle to the sea, 
 Where ihe heart is ever open, and the hand is ever tree." 
 
I :>r D E X. 
 
 I'AOK 
 
 Austin, A 291 
 
 Basso Dk Gary 4 
 
 BalizH 1)0 
 
 Bninoh, Ziba lad 
 
 BiKniian, SaiiiiiftI 199 
 
 Brooke, I, :iO!) 
 
 Buttertield, H. F :; 18 
 
 BInsdplI, S. K :;SS 
 
 <Oo],i.iss, h). K 25 
 
 Contract with I'. M. S. S. Co. 20 
 
 ClmrlestoM 45 
 
 Cuba, Coast of 51 
 
 Chagre- K7 
 
 " lo Panama 71 
 
 " Town of 73 
 
 " Scenery 74 
 
 Cruces 88 
 
 Cholera Hi 
 
 Cape Pillar U7 
 
 Callao 119 
 
 Clerkship" with aprivilege" 142 
 
 Country and t'liniate 1-16 
 
 California, Area of. 146 
 
 Coast Kange 147 
 
 California, Ea:-tern Boundary l.'i2 
 
 " Variety of Climate l.">4 
 " Missions, Table of KV) 
 
 Carter, Peter 2.)0 
 
 Contrast — California in 1849 
 
 and 1874 361 
 
 California, Population, '49.. 365 
 
 " " in 1874... 369 
 
 " Pioduotj 373 
 
 " Products in '73 377 
 
 California Fruit Trees 378 
 
 " Manufaetories 379 
 
 " Area of 384 
 
 " .\r«ble Lands 385 
 
 '■ Steamships from... 386 
 " Curi.isities of. 388 
 
 I DoLoKKs, Mission of 13'2 
 
 Duncan, Robert 168 
 
 Data, .Meagre 201 
 
 ! Davis, W. G 2.'iti 
 
 I M'lV.yrvK, Sf'iiff \l 102 
 
 ■ Egg Trade 1-^7 
 
 I Earlier Pionei'rs 156 
 
 I Kpitaph, Singul.ar 208 
 
 I •' K-M.<i)N," Steamer, First 
 
 Voyage 34 
 
 Fallon, M j.M 
 
 I Farallones 126 
 
 j Fire Department, on Ship- 
 
 ' board 100 
 
 I First Gold Dust 76 
 
 , Florida, Coast ol'. ."lO 
 
 Foggin, F 30 
 
 • Forefathers' Day, Celebrat'n 63 
 
 FoUom, .1. L 199 
 
 Forbes, Capt. C 28 
 
 " Siek 108 
 
 G.V»lH].l,\(j S< K.>K 48 
 
 Gatun 78 
 
 Gilbert, Edward 199 
 
 Gold, Discovery of. 133 
 
 Golden Gate, Origin of name 129 
 
 Gold Dust, First seen 7i 
 

 INDKX. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Halkv,S 221 
 
 Havana 51 
 
 " Population of..... 56 
 
 Heath, H. W 200 
 
 Hero of Alexandria 4 
 
 Howard, W. D. M 178 
 
 " Dfiatli of 179 
 
 Kki.i.v, John 2:iu 
 
 1-os Anuei.ks, Fruits of 153 
 
 Liisscii, Peter 162 j 
 
 Lepsc, Jncoli P 16.") | 
 
 [iick, .laines 193 | 
 
 " ■■ Pliilantliropy of 197 | 
 
 l,arkln, Thomas () 199 | 
 
 Maushall, Gai-t. John.... 29 
 
 Moro Castlo 51 
 
 Magellan Straits, trip through 111 
 
 Marshall, J. W 199 
 
 Meniorigraphia 201 
 
 McUougall, Hon. ,Iohn 242 
 
 Morgan, E. L 336 
 
 Mine, 381 
 
 >iourUKB, in the Gulf. 57 
 
 .\,-w Orleans fiO 
 
 Natives, Simplicit.v of 79 
 
 N. Y. to Panama, via Strs... 
 
 of Magellan 89 
 
 OKI), P 237 
 
 Ord, K. B 274 
 
 PmKNIi'IA, Mother of (JoHi- 
 merce 3 
 
 P.M. S. S. Co 11-17 
 
 " " " Organization of 26 
 " " " Ships, No. of... 33 
 " " " " Lost and 
 Value of 33 
 
 Polk — his plan 21 
 
 PAGK 
 
 "Panama," S. S. disabled... 39 
 
 Panama, Sharks in harbor of 121 
 
 " Trip from to San 
 
 Francisco 122 
 
 Panic on the " California ".. 124 
 
 Property, llise in 134 
 
 Porterage, Price of. 13(i 
 
 Prices in 1849 188 
 
 Paty, Capt. .Tohn 160 
 
 Porter, A. A 246 
 
 Price, li. M S.SO 
 
 KussLv, Kniperor of opposes 
 
 Steam 8 
 
 Rio Janeiro lOti 
 
 Row, on hoard, about Passa- 
 ge- 121 
 
 Reception of First Steamer.. 134 
 
 Ross, Charles L 185 
 
 " " Benevolence of 189 
 
 " " Anecdote of..... 181 
 
 Radcliff, C. M 258 
 
 Railroads 38^ 
 
 Stkam Navigation, Pleas- 
 ures of. 
 
 Steam Navigation affords 
 means of recreation 
 
 Steam Navigation, Ancient.. 
 
 Steam, First Ship propelled 
 by 
 
 Steam, Development, of long 
 delayed 
 
 Steam, Connected with em- 
 pire 7 
 
 Silliman, Prof. 7 
 
 Steam Navigation of Pacific, 
 when commenced >> 
 
 Steam Navigation of Paciflc, 
 First Failure 11 
 
INDEX. 
 
 393 
 
 SteamboatjFirst leaving New 
 
 York 12 
 
 Steamships everywhere.. l.'S 
 
 Steam, Defense of our Sea- 
 coast 15 
 
 Shively, J. M 20 
 
 Slov's Line 23 
 
 Sea-Sickness 41 
 
 Savannah 4fi 
 
 Shipwreck, Almost 61 
 
 Stout, Dr. A. B 89 
 
 San Francisco, Town in '49 126 
 " " How laid out 130 
 " " Latitude of.. 130 
 " " First Census 132 
 " " Badly Gov- 
 erned 134 
 
 San Francisco, Market scene 139 
 
 Sierra Nevada 150 
 
 " " Vine Lands of 151 
 
 Sparks, Isaac J 164 
 
 Semplo, Dr. Robert 169 
 
 Sonoma, Capture of. 174 
 
 Sutter, Gen. John A 199 
 
 Stevenson, Col. J. D 199 
 
 Thompson, Capt. W. F 37 
 
 Tea Sale 141 
 
 Tulare Lake 150 
 
 I'AfiK 
 
 Tulare Valley 150 
 
 " " Fruits in 151 
 
 Thompson, D. W. C 217 
 
 VULCAN, Shops of. 14 
 
 Voyage, N. Y. to Chagres.. 34 
 Volante, Hide and Descrip- 
 tion 54 
 
 Valparaiso 118 
 
 Valleys 148 
 
 Van Nostrand, A. M 212 
 
 Van Voorhies, W 208 
 
 WocaiWAKn, J. M 22 
 
 Waterman, Capt 62 
 
 Wheeler, Mrs. O. C. Trip to 
 
 Panama 86 
 
 Willewah ' 115 
 
 Woodworth, S. E 119 
 
 Whittell, Hugh 201 
 
 Woodbridge, D.D., Rev. S.. 233 
 
 Waters, W. P 271 
 
 Willey, Rev. S. H 279 
 
 Williams, H. F 294 
 
 Wheeler, O. C 307 
 
 Yekba Buena, Village of... 132 
 
 " " First House in 132 
 
 York Roads 113 
 
 Yount, George C 157 
 
 ^^y 
 
 
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