December, 1883.
THE WEST SHORE.
he tossed about hi. baby hand, in the cradle, he He came down (he South Yuba and crossed over last fellow on earth to a man g,, hung.y.
mounted hi. horse and rode away ftom the cabin, to Deer Creek, to spend the winter at the famous new. mitt . meal when I can hrln I'. ami I'm
turning every f-w yard, to throw back a Im. to "pound digging," on Cold run, and with what dogged If I like to see anyone el.e ml on.
the little group at the door until intervening trees dust he had accumulated bought the claim of a either. Can you walk little "
drew their green curtain before the scene.
The little party with which he united journeyed
rapidly southward. Up the Willamette valley
they passed, across the Calapooia mountains to
the valley of the Unipqun, on through the ruggei
ranyon to the lovely Rogue river valley, in which
man who had made enough anrl dclrcd to return
to his eastern home. There he woiked all winter.
making bat little more than "grub money," as
the liesl ground in the claim had been worked out
before he purchased It,
It was now the spring of 1850, and though he
itood not a habitation, save the rude wickiups of had already been gone a year Linger than he had
hostile savages, over Siskiyou mountain and across
the swiftly-rolling Klamath, along the base of
snow-crested Shasta, until they finally reached the
Sacramento valley. At Nye', ranch, now Mary
villc, they learned that good digging, had been
discovered on Yuba river, and turning up that
stream iillowed it to Rose bar, in the foot hills,
where now the great hydraulic mine, of Smarts
ville wash down the auriferous hills. Here each
man selected a claim and began hi. mining
career.
More fortunate than some of hi. companion.,
Peter Warren fcund a very rich claim, but after
working a few week., the river, swollen by heavy
rains in the mountains, covered the bar so that all
work had to be suspended. For three month, he
waited patiently for the water to recede, spending
all the dust he had accumulated and even running
into debt at Rose & Reynolds' trading post. He
promised, he had not yet secured the coveted liag
of dust, and he was ashamed to return without it,
Yet"
All right 1 come along to the creek ahead
here and we'll go Into camp for the night. I'll
gel you something hot to eat in a JHTy.
The new Iriend wa. at good a. his word, ami
in half an hour the two sat down to a rrpatt that
many a man leu famished than I'elet Warren
would have relUhcd, After eating they reclined
betide the biasing pile of faggots, and while
finally resumed work and soon had hi. score
cleared and laid away a .mall bag of the scale pcore. of rich diggings in that region were ills-
gold hi. claim yielded, when he wa. stricken with I covered and quickly filled with miners,
that horrible malady, the scurvy, brought upon
him by living continually upon bacon, without
vegetables or acid food. Leavtng hi. cJaim in
the possession of a man who offered to work it on
share., he hastened to Sacramento for medical
attendance. By the first of June he was so far
recovered a. to again seek the mines, having ajwnt
hi. last "pinch" of dust, though by no means capa'
ble of much physical exertion. Upon arriving at
Rose bar he found a stranger wa. working hi.
Early In the spring rumor spread through the I smoking by turns the only ple Walton pourucd,
related the story of their lives, When Warren
tpoko of his once happy home by the Willamette,
where now hit wife and little ones were no doubt
mourning for him m dead, and how he had
snuggled and suHerrd In tin mines In hi. eDml.
to get even a small sum to lake home lo them,
Watson's eye. tilled with lean, and selling his
companion by the hand the generous hearted
man vowed that half he poueued should be his
and that henceforth they were ailnera,
" Cheer up, old fellow, I'm on my way now to
the richest digging. In this whole country. Some
fi lends ol mine discovered them and tent mt
wuid, We'll laka up two claims together ami
work them fof ail they ara worth."
This arrangement waa entirely satisfactory In
Warren, who wauld have clutched eageily at the
least straw of ho, The nest day they started
out, and two day. later descended the sleep hill
near Spanish peak lo the east branch 01 the
north fork of leather river, and located two of
the lietl claims on Kkh bar, With the thought
of hi. loved ones always In hi. mind and en-
mlnei on Yuba and Feather rivers that a wonder
ful lake had been discovered away up among the
mountain peak, at the headwater, of those
streams, on whose shore gold could be picked up
by the wagon load, and that Stoddaid, the dis
coverer, would lead a select party to that SMit as
soon as the icy fincer. of lack Frost had been
unclasjied by the warm rays of the sun and the
mountain passes freed from the huge drifts of
snow. Preparations were made by hundreds to
follow in the wake of Stoddard's party and when
the new. was spread that search lor Gold lake
had really been commenced, there was a great
rush from all side. In the direction the first party
had taken. Thousands roamed through the
mountain fastnesses of Sierra and Plumas counties,
and though the golden lake was never found,
Among tlis excited crowd of adventurer, was
Peter barren, the last ounce he had being sjienl
fur an outfit. He accompanied tire hurrying and
inoohcrait crowd hither and thither, over high
,1 l vtr 1 .1 Icuuraued l' the hope that at last he would m
mountain summits, along rocky cliffs and the tuu"k ' w
aula 10 win m iuiiuiw ii.i w"ih '",
worked with tireless energy until spring, The
edge of yawning precipices, plunging through
immense drift, of .now and forded the Icy cur
rent of tumultuou. mountain torrents, until he be
came separated from all the other, and found him-
u-lfalnne amnn? the mountain summits. Ills
bouyanl spirit, of hi. companion aided In making
the winter seem short anil tlx labor Ine eihaual
log.
claim, having purchased it from the man In who pack- animal weakened by wan. of food, ml Ms
charge it had been left, and aa possession in those footing on the steep side of a canyon, and rolled """ ",u" " . ..
day. wa. .11 the title requlred.Warrenwa.com- down upon the rock, a thousand feel below, f.". ll.r H " ''
pelllto look either, scattering hi. pack of provision, and tool, u, ,oung man of abllUy.
The mine, were now ranidlv fillint ut. with completely and in .uch inaccessible place, thai It br.v. and quick lo act in ' d.ng.,, g.n-
that great army of argonaut, from the east, pour- wu impossible .0 recover them. Warren .till ... .0 . 'TTl
ing into California from around . he ..ormv Horn, llrggled on until, fool-ore, discouraged and h. J 'J
c he fevet-h.un,ed I.thmus, through Nicar- t.r,y famished fo, wan, of food, he sunk down
agua, Mexico and Arizona, and over the bleak bide the trail and .banrloned him,. .0 jm r--
plain, by the way of Salt Lake and down the despair. For hour, he lay to . J. ,, B.ny of drinking
mar hy Humboldt. They made their way up ,ttte, his mind obllvlou. to hi. turrounnings w
into the mountains in March of new diggings, and I painfully acute lo it. own agony,
Warren also pushed further into the canyon, of
Ihe green-clad Sierra. He had postpned his Ac
arture for home until fall, exacting lo I able to
take with him the heavy sack of dutt he had
boied to have In the .pring. There wa. no mail
to Oregon then, and as be had met with no one
.a .
" I Irllo, partner, whal seems lo lie ine rnsnrr 1
said hearty, cheerful voice at a hand was
firmly but tenderly laid on Ihe prottrete mans
boulder. "Nothing gone wrong who rm,
. . . . . 1 1 r.
hoi? I reckon bet aooui piaym .
take wne of Ihi.," ihru.llng a fla Into hi. han.1.
cn, ana as ne nau n. - . s "'V?.. . "1 ". -mi do vot) fundi
returning thither, he had been unable to send "it . genu..K '
home a measoge of any kind. With firm de- T J mma ht fl, in,J
.ciiiuuKiiun lo win inc cotcich .u
to them In the fall, he plunged deeper into the
mountains. He prosriecled here and there, Ire'
quently finding what miner, at the preaent time
would consider splendid claim j but hi. feverish
anxiety to make a "home Wake," and the mem
ory of the richnesa of bit old claim on Roe bar,
led him to abandon them all and prospect (or
i 1. 1 his mouth, and as Ihe spirit. KkkUd
,. fcU thr. at be began gradually to eali M
cmlition and that be ha.1 lound a friend in his
mi"y- , .u.. l.
"If you always Anna ne .., i--
would like a heap of pMu T"
I reckon 70 ara Hungry,
1 uMldna- lo eat fuf two days.
'' "
i.tht dWl tell ".
better one. In this manner ihe .ummer and fall "ShoJ.)r'..,i Bui,k. lim Waue I 'hi
wora awar without findine him ready to return,
the mines ltd him Into many 1
and gambling, of which be wa. ashanl
sober, Ixsl whkh hit convivial nature would not
lrmil him tu aln.li.r. In hit eff.lt In ledum
he ("uml low" "f sli'nu'h " VVmmii,
arl swm after llM-y bul haaled 1 Hub I M
was br hw fiientl'a aid al.U l '" enlinly
from dunking ami even al.)urd Ihe game of .kr,
-l,LK had lrm kit favmlle amiwiiwril time
childhood ami whlth bad kt him cwtlanlly ol
the verge ul Unkmpliy.
One .Suwlty late In ihe n'Wi h'l li"!
at full lengih Untttb a h4; tn ii))m Iheii
pipes, Wsiien aM 1 "Tti will U my U
wk."
"Have yrmawle enough?"
Nut aa much a I wutihl like, but mf ball
will U qttll sum, and I a too aatiutw to slay
any kngi."
" How nwh do ym mho) a' laid away V
"AboM lltCM."