The Sierra citizen. [volume], February 03, 1855, Image 1

About The Sierra citizen. [volume] (Downieville, Calif.) 1854-185?

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Ml.
A Tight Race.
The following is ah Alabama boy’s ac
count of a famous horse-race that took
ptaoe down Smtth. The riders were a
pious old lady and a Methodist Parson, on
their way to church.
-Mam war tidin’ slowly along, thinkin’
! how sorry she was, cos Chary Dolin, who
: always led her off, had sich a bad cold,
: -an’ wouldn’t be able to ’gist her singin’ to
“ day. She war practisin’ the hymns, and
‘ had got as for as whar it says, T have a
' race to'rim,’ when the passon huv in sij;ht
l an’ in TsOOt the dodgin’ of diedapper, she
'fooad tkar war truth ia the words, for tl ie
heatin’ the boss cornin’ up behind,
‘began‘to show symptoms of runnin’; 1 jut
be beard the passun holler ‘wo! vvo!’
Ho lids boss, he thought it war mam shoutin’
the got up even; so it war a fair
face. Whoop! git out, bat it war egsitin’;
the dost flew, and the rail-fence appcered
Utrate as a rifle. Thar war the passun,‘his
legs fast to the critter’s flanx, arms lockt
round his neck, face as pale as a rabbit’s
belly, and the white flag streernin’ far be
hind—and thar war Mam, fust on one
side, then on t’other, her new caliker
swelled up round her like a bear with the
dropsy, the old lady so much surprized
she cuddent ride steddy, an’ tryin’ to stop
her colt, bat he war too well trained to
stop while he heard ‘go!’ Mam got ’sited
at last, and her eyes ’gan to glimmer like
she seen her daddy’s ghost axin’ ‘if he ever
trained up a child or a race-hoss to be
’fraid of a small brush on a Sunday,’she
commenced ridin’ beautiful; she braced
herself up in the saddle, and began to
make calkerlations how she war to win
the race, for it war nose and nose, and
she saw the passun spurrin’ his critter
every jump. She tuk off her shoe, and
the way a number ten go-to-meetin’ brogan
commenced givin’ a boss particular Moses,
were a caution to hoss-flesh—but still it
kept nose and nose. She found she war
carrvin’ too much weight for Colt, so she
’~an to throw off plunder, till nuthin’ war
left bat her' close > and the s P urs
tamtuaw’dai ? he old woman com ’
menced stripjaMf to lighten, an ’ eil v,hen
ehe found it war no use while s P urs |
lasted, she got cantankerous, •f'essun,
eaifl ahe, ‘l’ll be cost if it’s fair or gentle
manly far you, WT preacher of the gospel,
jto advantage of au old woman this
x way, usin’ spurs when you know she can’t
Wear ’em —’taint Christian-like niither,’
£nd she burst into cryiu’. ‘Wo! Miss
! VP? Stop ! Madam! Wo! Tour
app!’ — to say, when the old
woman .tide him po the back of the head,
fillin’ his mouth with right smart of a
and stoppin’ the talk, as far
as hisjßhare went for the present.
“By! this time they’d got nigh pa to the
meetinghouse, and the folks were harkin’
away on ‘Old Hundred,’ and wonderin’
what could have become of the passun
and mtLm Hibbs. One sister in a long
bsard' art another brethren in church, if
hhe’ii heered anything ’bout that New
-ftnfk preecher .runnin’ way with a wo
old enough to be his muther. The
’feiethreoa gin a long sigh an’ groaned ‘it
pin’f possible! jnarciful heavens 1 yon don’t
’spicion ?’ wen the sound of the bosses
cornin’, roused them np like a touch of the
agw, an’ broke off their parpent-talk.—
pafrTun out to see what wap to pay, but
whan he seed the houses so close together,
flu passon spurrin’, and mam ridin’ like
plose war Phase whar she cum, he knew
her fix in a second, and ’tarmioed to help
her; go sUnohin’ a aaplin’, he hid ’hind a
stamp 'bout ten Steps off, and held on for
|be bosses. Op they went in beautiful
ptyle, the: passon’s spurs telliu’ terrible,
. pad mam’s shoe operatin’ ‘no small pile ot
punkins’-*—passun stretched out the length
oftffo homes, while mam sot as stiff and
fctrate as a bull yearling in his fust fight,
jiittin’ her nag, fast on one side, next on
t’other, and the third for passun, who had
thawed the hom till little of the saddle,
and less of his teeth war left, and his
voice sounded as holler as a jackass-nicker
in an old saw-mill. But J tell you, ole
bog. Mam won the race, though she lost
e’tn amost everything else, to speak of.”
Down East they have got to solo
ing shoes with cedar shingles, veneering
the wood with a sheepskin.— Union.
Dowuieville, Sierra County, California, Saturday, February 8,1855.
Brophy’s Pass.
Being desirous of giving all the infor
mation possible, in relation to Brophy’s
Pass, we copy from the Marysville Ex
press the following extracts from Mr. D.
B. Scott’s description of the route. Mr.
Scott is well known as one of the ablest
surveyors and civil engineers in the state,
and his opinion maybe relied on, and his
statements at once set down for truth.
“During a residence of four years in this
country, the past three of which, in my offi
cial capacity as County Surveyor, and as
a Civil Engineer, I have frequently been
engaged high up in the mountains, in the
locating and surveying of roads and canals
for mining purposes. As the most of those
surveys were made in the section of country
contiguous to, and over the summit of the
Sierra, by Brophy’s Pass, I am enabled
from intimate knowledge of the general
character, and topographical features of
the country along the western slope of
the mountains leading to it, to speak with
a degree of confidence not acquired by a
mere cursory or superficial reconuoisance.
“Brophy’s Pass is situated about in Lat.
itude 39° 30' N., Longitude 120°, being
near the eastern boundary of California,
and near due east from this place. This
point in the summit range of the Sierra
Nevada separates the waters of the Middle
Yuba river, flowing west to the Sacramen
to, from those of the North Branch of
Truckee, flowing east to the Desert. Al
though no instrumental observations were
taken by me directly to ascertain the abso
lute altitude at the summit, yet from a se
ries of levels taken, and by referring to
other known elevations and comparing
with this, I am enabled to appoximate to
the true altitude of the summit range at
this point. From those observations I in
fer that the altitude of this Pass will not
exceed 5,500 feet above tide water.”
As the route from Marysville to Gallo
ways, or to Downieville, is known to be
practicable, we will omit his description
of that.
“From Galloway’s Ranch the emigration
road continues up the general course of the
divide in an easterly direction for about 17
miles. From there it abrubtly descends
to a very low depression, (about 500 feet
above the water in the river,) and from
thence, leaving the divide to the north,
again descends to the Lower Crossing of
the Middle Yuba.
“By leaving the principal divide abbflt
10 miles above Galloway’s, jtmd following
up the southerly side,inclining towards the
Middle Yuba, a good scarped road can be
made with very light grades to the Lower
Crossing. From this crossing the road con
tinues up in a south-easterly direction thro’
numerous small valleys, crossing and re
crossing the river several times, to avoid
jutting spurs from the ridges on either side,
4 miles to Jackson’s Ranch.
Leaving the river at Jackson’s, following
up in an east direction, and on the north
side of Pass Creek, an affluent to the Mid
dle Yuba, the road gains the summit
the pass, in the distance of 5 miles* The
intermediate section of country traversed
between those points, on the north side of
Pass Creek, presents a uniform surface,
with a very gradual rise, and entirely un
obstructed by outlying ranges. The spurs
putting out from the divide to the north
subside into low ridges and table lands,
producing a good growth of grass, and
densely covered with the different descrip
tion of trees peculiar to the country and
altitude, the Danzic pine predominating.
This mountain plateau,, expanded as you
leave the river, becomes more circumscri
bed as you ascend, and finally terminates in
small valleys, connected by a flat and open
ravipe, leading to the summit.
Passage from a kew Nqvel —One of
her soft hands rested in mine, and ever and
anon she met my ardent gaze with one of
pure confiding love. Suddenly a change
came over her soft features, her fall, red
lip trembled, as if with suppressed emotion
a tear-drop rested on her long, drooping
lashes, the muscles around her faultless
mouth became convulsed, she gasped for
breath—and snatched her hand from the
warn pressure of my own, die turned sud
cenly away, buried her face in her white
fine cambric handkerchief, and—succeed.—
Shasta Courier.
An Act
To define the method of acquiring rights
to divert water from Mining or other
purposes in the Mineral Districts of this
State.
Introduced in the Assembly, January
20, by Hon. D. 0. Adkison, of Yuba.
The People of the State of California,
represented in Senate and Assembly, do
enact as follows:
Section 1. It shall not be lawful for
any person or persons to divert the water
running in any stream, creek or ravine,
within the meneral districts of this State
from its original bed to any distant point
therefrom, for mining or milling purposes,
or agricultural purposes save in the manner
hereafter provided.
Sec. 2. Every person or persons mak
ing a claim to any water running in any
stream, creek or ravine, within the mineral
districts, for the purpose of diverting such
water from its original bed to any point
distant therefrom by dam and ditch or
flume, for raining, milling or agricultural
purposes, shall immediately on making his
or their claim, cause a notice to be posted
in three public places in the township
where such ditch or flume shall commence,
setting forth the point of commencement
of such ditch or flume, its termination and
the use to which such water shall be ap
plied, and shall tile with a justice of the
peace of the township, a correct copy of
such notice with a plat of the survey of
the said ditch, its intended length, size
and grade. And shall within ten days
thereafter, file with the Recorder of the
country wherein such ditch or flume is lo
cated, a statement under oath of the time
and place of location of the said ditch or
flume, and the said place to which the said
water is intended to be diverted, and for
what purpose, and whether there are any
prior locations upon the said stream, and
the Recorder shall record the said state
ment in a book to be kept for that pur
pose.
Sec. 3. Every person locating a claim
to any stream of running water aforesaid,
shall proceed without unnecessary delay
to dig or cause to be dug, or erect or cause
to be erected, the flume by which the said
water is to be diverted, and any person or
persons claiming water under the provis
ions of section second of this act, who shall
not commence work upon their ditch or
flume, within six months from the date of
the notice of such claim, or shall neglect
or refuse to finish their said ditch or flume
within a reasonable time after its com
mencement, shall be deemed to have lost
all right to the water so claimed.
Sec. 4. In all cases where the unclaimed
water of a ravine or creek shall be in use
by mining parties in the bed of such ra
vine or creek, the rights of the parties so
working such bed shall be respected by
those persons claiming to divert said
water. Rut this section shall not be con
strued as giving any right to parties what
soever to claim the said water for the pur
pose of working the bed of the stream,
after such water has been claimed in the
manner provided for in section four of this
act.
Sec. 5. In all cases where there shall be
more than one ditch or flume running to
any distant point from any stream, creek
or ravine, the priority of claim shall al
ways prevail, but this shall not prevent
any person from diverting such water
above the commencement of any other
ditch or flume of the prior claimant with
out necessary loss or dimunition.
Sec. 6. In all cases where any person
or persons shall have located p-pd claimed
any water .privileges as hereip before pro
vided for, such persons shall be restricted
in extent and size of their ditch or flume
to that set forth in their sworn statement
as recorded, and the surplus of water, if
any there be remaining in the said stream
or from the termination of their ditch or
flume, shall be subject to be claimed and
located in the same manner as the original
stream.
Sec. 7. In all cases where disputes may
arise as to the priorty of the claim to any
waters of any stream, creek or ravine, a
certified copy of the notice filed with the
justice, or or the statements recorded in
the Recorder’s oflSce shall be evidence of
such priority.
Sec. 8. It shall be the duty of the jus
tices of the peace in their respective
townships to record in a book to be kept
by them for that purpose, the time of filing
of all such notices as may be filed with
them under this act, with the date of such
claim and the name or names of the claim*
ant or claimants, and such justice shall re
ceive for recording apd filing each notice
the sum of one dollar.
Sec. 9. This act shall take effect from
and after its passage.
SACttAjfBNTo Theatricals—A corres
pondent of the Union gives some of the
company fits. From his account they
have been taking improper liberties with
the works of Mr. William Shakspeare,
and in some instances knocked the whole
plot into “eternal smash.”
Standing Subject—The Backus Min
strels, for the critics of the Bay.
Moscow.
It is a long time since you heard a syl
lable from me, and you have perhaps come
to the conclusion that my correspondence
has ceased altogether. But you are mis
taken. The long expected working time
has at length arrived, and although its ad
vent was heralded with the cheerless blast
of winter, there is no mining district in
the State, where it is hailed with, a hcArtier
welcome than here. The roads are almost
impassable for wagons, but as far as we
are concerned, it is a matter*pf little im
portance, as our town is amply supplied
with provisions and stores at all kinds.
Unquestionably the miners were never
so well prepared for operations as now.
Many companies have tfceir timber cut
and corded up at the entrance to their tun
nels, intending to devote all their time to
mining while the water lasts.
At French Ravine they are making pre
parations for washing. They have not
water enough to work to advantage; how
ever, they will have abundance as soon as
the snow melts. You will remember that
a number of 30 and 40 pound chuhcks have
been taken out every season since ’SO. I
wonder who will be the fortunate one this
year ?
At Wet Ravine the miners are doing
well, I have just been informed by Mr. J.
Robinson that claims are paying from §lO
to an ounce a day.
At Spring Hill little or no change has
taken place. They are all tunneling in the
hill. Probably there is not a safer place
for investments in mining than there. The
hill has been prospected enough to prove
that a regular “lead” is located there. A
large amount of fruitless labor has been
done, in consequence of starting too high-
The Red Star, Blue Star, All Nations,
and Black Ball, are now at work on their
second and third tunnels. It will probab
ly take another year to complete the work-
The Middle Yuba has not paid very
well this summer; I speak more from re
port, than observation. Many companies
deserted their flumes before the season half
expired. It is indeed strange that so ma
ny well informed men, and even our most
experienced miners, will make such large
investments in these bubbles, which must
eventually involve them in ruin. “Expe
rience,” so the proverb says, “teaches a
dear school,” admitting this I can assure
you I have diligently pursued the course
of study laid down, and can pass creditable
examination. The gold washed out by the
different companies last "week, amounted to
3*90 ounces. The Hook and Bull compa
ny, took out 60 ozs., lam unable to give
the exact amount of the companies, sepa
rately, for last week, as I am unable to as
certain the fact from the foremen. I will
however do the best I can, in giving as
correct statements as possible e ,T ery week.
J. A. B.
Moscow, Jan. 1855.
Ancient Inhabitants of Nebraska.
Oo the Upper Missouri there exists a
tract of country known by the name of
Mauvaises Terres, or bad lands; at one
time, probably tue bottom of an immense
lake, in which per;shed thousands of ani
mals having now iio representatives on
earth. It appears that the waters of this
immense pond were removed by some con
vulsion of nature or other, and the sedi
ment at the bottom became indurated.
The portion of the valley thus excavated
forms a surface of ninety miies in length
and thirty in breadth. The remains of
animals which have lived and breathed
long before the advent of man on earth,
are here found in such abundance as to
form of this tract an immense cemetary of
vertebrata. The bones are said to be com
pletely petrified, and their cavities filled
with silicioos matter. They are preserved
in various degrees of integrity, some most
beautifully perfect, and others broken.
Two remarkable species of rhinoceros—
the first ever found in America—were dis
covered here, and also a sort of panther,
smaller than the present variety, and like
wise a number of strange animals with
long manes, unlike anything which man
ever saw alive. We know, then, that
there were once individuals in Nebraska
as carious, and as strangely shaped, and
as pugnacious as any squatter whom the
present great rush of immigration will car
ry thither —Perry {Pa.) Freeman.
The Japanese.
Capt. Silas E. Burrows, who, with the
ship Lady Pierce, recently visited Japan,
met with a very friendly reception from
that exclusive nation. His ostensible ob
ject was to return to his people a ship
wrecked Japanese. The subjoined is from
their address to Capt. Burrows; we find
it in the S. F. Herald.
“It has given the Emperor, and all the
Japanese, great pleasure that yon have
returned to Japan our countryman. Dee
ze-no-skee, who was shipwrecked and' has
been residing for some time in your coun
try, where he states he has been* treated’
with the greatest kindness, and particular
ly so on board your ship, the Lady Pierce.
That you should hare made a voyage to-
Japan to restore him to his friends and*
home, without any other inducement, as
you say, except to see Japan, and to forim
a friendship with us, merits andi will ever
receive our most friendly feelings; and be
assured if any cfl your countrymen, or
other people, are shipwrecked on our
shores, we will extend to* them the same
kindness that you have extended to our
countryman, and place them aA Simoda or
Hakadada, and then open to the world
that our religion, which is so different
from yours, governs the Japanese in all
their dealings, by as correct principles ae
yours governs you. We understand what
ships of war are, also- what whaling ships
and merchant ships are;, but we never be
fore heard, till you came here, of such a
ship as yours—a private gentleman’s
pleaure ship—coming so for as you have,
without any money malting business of
trade, and only to see Japan—to become
acquainted with us, ami bring home ono
of our shipwrecked people, the first that
has returned to his- country from America*
or foreign lands.” •
[Communicated.]
Cub-bit-nary.
Died suddenly, Monday last, our dog
Cub, from the-effectsof strike 9, adminis
tered internally, by some person or persons
unknown.
Sic transit, Cubum - *n- articulo mortis, et
stomachics sursum ; which freely translated,,
means, “Cub’s gone in—turned stomach
up!”
Mr. Editor, when the great and good*
die, their virtues are remembered, and their
sins forgotten; when scoundrels peg out it
requires genius to write a fitting epitaph-
I mean a genius for embellishment. Be
lieving that a biographer with a bad mem
ory and some invention, is very much need
ed in California, I take advantage of the
late melancholy occurrence, to do justice
to the dead, and at the same time write
an obituary that with very little alteration,
may hereafter answer a good purpose; for
I am sorry to say the deceased was a most
respectable scoundrel.
But as I remarked before, sic transit!
The deceased was a native of Yuba Coun
ty, where he has a number of relatives still
living. He emigrated to Downievillc about
a year ago with the intention of going in
to the beef business. He applied himself
assiduously to the profession, until his sus
picions were aroused by an extraordinary
link of sausage, which he had reason to
believe savored of his ancestors. Immeas
nrably shocked at the idea of unwittingly
becoming a fratricide, he determined to
kill no more for Keyser, and to confine him
self strictly to vegetable diet. This reso
lution be religiously kept for about six
hours.
It was bis custom to visit regularly eve
ry butcher-shop in town, and to carefully
examine the commodities for sale there;
this he considered bb duty, particularly in
fly time, and h is due to his character, as a
dog of honor, to observe that he never di
vulged the secret of making sausages, or
how veal was manufactured from a defunct
Spanish ox.
But Cub was doomed to be cut off in
the prime of his doghood. He stood in the
way of certain loafers who were indisposed
(to work), and were going round to see if
they could n’t pick up a little—the same
individuals, it is thought, who poisoned
the watchman’s little dog, because they
had n’t courage to knock his master on
the head, and sun his moccasins by moon
light. And here endeth Cub’s eventful
history. Josh.
B&* Mrs. Brown has been taken down.
New Books.
“Kern Hall, A Thmstvw Talk.” Ur
Fanny F«bw, 1 vol., -fot* pp., 8 vo.—
DwrjwETrtßjr Bookstww.
A story of a poor airthorest, writing
for bread; surrounded by Kttle; Hungry
footing faces, with curious- Bfac eyes r .
watching every trace of the mother's pen.
“•And so she most plod' wearily on, and 1
poor - Katy must still be in exile,, for she
hod not enough to feed her, her landlady
having raised! die rent to two* shillings.”
What a story of wasted hopes; and iron*
banded poverty, and 1 tears' dtneeft up/ i«r
told! there!
“Months passed! away, while Ruth
hoped* and! toiled! There was room-rent
to pay, little shocs-and’ l stockings to buy,
oil, paper, pens and ink to find; and now
autumn had come, she could not writo
wiiliistiffenedifingers, and Katy still away I
She must work Imrtifer—harefer I Uoodt
brawe little- Katy;: she teof.wos- bearing
and! hoping on; and! Katy prayed to* God
every night, with childish trusty to- help*
her mother to earn money, that she mighs
soon go home again;”
“And still ‘Floy’ scribbled on, thinking*
only of bread for her children, laughing*
and; crying behind her mask—laughing,
all the more when her hearti was heaviest:-,
but of this, her readers knew little, and*
would have cared less. Still her bark*
breasted the billows; now rising high on.
the topmost wave,, now merged in the
sbadows* but still steering with straining
sides* and. a heart of oak, for the nearing
port of Independence.”
But after a while the darkness broke
round “Ploy’s” house,, and “daylight did
appear.” Poverty ceased to rattle his
half-frozen.fingers on her door, and then,
bow friends- trod her threshold! Father,
brothers—all came bock to witness the
re-appearing oi the star that had, as they
thought, gone down, into a sunless sea.
Who does’nt recognize Fanny’s own,
history in the story. ȣ Ruth Hall, and.
who does not feel like caning the mongrel,
esquisite cur, who forgot his sister in the
vale of poverty ? n.
California and Missouri Stage Route.
It is a matter of extreme gratification,
V> learn that the people of Missouri arc
as much alive to the importance of a stage
route, between-their State and ours, as we
are in California*. On the 23d of Decem
ber, a meeting was held at St, Louis, in
the office of. the North Missouri Railroad,
to consider the practicability of establish
ing a line of. stage coaches &om the fron
tier line of Missouri to Sacrameuto. Tho
meeting, after a free and fall consultation
upon the subject, and hearing and weigh
ing the opinions of intelligent gentlemen,,
well acquainted with, the various routes
across the plains, unanimously adopted
resolutions in favor ef the proposed meas
ures, and that application be made at
once to the State Legislature for a charter,
and that a committee be appointed to
draft at charter, and also a committee to
correspond with parties in California who
are reported to have already taken steps
towards a similar coach line from tho
western end. The meeting then adjourned,
to meet an call of the President, when the
charter will be presented and considered.—
Marysville Herald .
A Hopeful Child— The Pioneer tells,
©f a young “mackerel catcher,” who waa~
watching his mother knitting stockings,
and listening to the marvelleus deeds of
his father, the Captain. Breaking off the
thread from the ball, he attached thereto
a table fork, and spreading himself “hav”
it into- thfr cat. harpoon fashion. Puss
went through the window, fork, stocking
and knitting needles, while the young
whaleman jumped and swore like an old
skipper; “why the devil did'nt you f*y
out, mam, I had only one iron in her ?”
Gouging —An Ohio girj lately had *<♦
fight with a pet deer. She took the crit
ter by the ho’ns, and “fit” about an hour,
but finding that was no go, the fair wrest
ler insinuated her thumb into one of the
animal’s eyes, and gouged with sn.ch energy
that the brute gin in.
Nevada Theatricals — The Jourdal
says there was a perfect jam at the Jve
vada*Theatre, on- the arrival of Mr and
Mrs. Barney Williams. The citizens
have tendered the lady a complimentary
bemfit. This way. Barney!
No. a