Enter a name, company, place or keywords to search across this item. Then click "Search" (or hit Enter).
Collection: Books and Periodicals
Three Years in California by John D. Borthwick (1857)(LoC) (423 pages)

Copy the Page Text to the Clipboard

Show the Page Image

Show the Image Page Text


More Information About this Image

Get a Citation for Page or Image - Copy to the Clipboard

Go to the Previous Page (or Left Arrow key)

Go to the Next Page (or Right Arrow key)
Page: of 423

THE UNITED STATES. 3
carrying the women and children and provisions, accompanied by a proportionate number of men, some
on horses or mules, and others on foot.
In May 1851 I happened to be residing in New
York, and was seized with the California fever.
My preparations were very soon made, and a day
or two afterwards I found myself on board a small
barque about to sail for Chagres with a load of California emigrants. Our vessel was little more than
two hundred tons, and was entirely devoted to the
accommodation of passengers. The ballast was
covered with a temporary deck, and the whole interior of the ship formed a saloon, round which were
built three tiers of berths : a very rough extempore
table and. benches completed the furniture. There
was no invidious distinction of cabin and steerage
passengers—in fact, excepting the captain’s room,
there was nothing which could be called a cabin in
the ship. But all were in good spirits, and so much
engrossed with thoughts of California that there was
little disposition to grumble at the rough-and-ready
style of our accommodation. For my own part, I
knew I should have to rough it in California, and
felt that I might just as well begin at once as wait
till I got there.
We numbered about sixty passengers, and a nice
assortment we were. The majority, of course, were
Americans, and were from all parts of the Union ;
the rest were English, French, and German. We
had representatives of nearly every trade, besides