Jared Comstock Brown

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New York May 20 1850

Mr Brown

Sir

We shipped your son Jared in the Steamer Antilope [Antelope] to work his passage as Coal heaver he paid us fifty dollars to get him the chance and we promised him to write you as he had no time she sailed on the 18^th Saturday about three O'clock, he also desired us to give his kind love to you and all inquiring friends and if any of them feel inclined to go to California send them to us

Gooding Lucas & Co 160 South St Corner Dover

Panama New grenada Sep 21, 1850

Dear father sir

it is with pleasure that I find a few minutes Leasure [leisure] time to write to you when I Last wrote to you I was at Rio De Janeiro we Left there on the 9^th of July and when we arived [arrived] off the river Laplate [La Plata River] we had a gale it was awfull [awful] to Behold but our ship rode it out and we kept on some days Longer till we got to the mouth of the straits when it began to blow it blowed us out to sea we kept up steam But we ware [were] Blown 40 miles to Leward it was night and we did not know where we should fetch up when the day dawned we were among the Breakers within a ships Length of the Rocks But by skillful management we away again and got into the straits the straits are 500 Miles through we ware [were] 5 days a getting through we got out of coal and had to go ashore and cut wood having sailed one day a gale Brough [brought] us up again. we could not get steam with our wood and we run to leward of an island and cast anchor the wind blew so that we draged [dragged] our anchor some ways and got our cables redy [ready] to let go our anchor and run to sea but the wind went down and we took an inland passage through called Smith Channel and stoped [stopped] to cut wood every few days we stoped [stopped] at one place and the officers went on shore and shot a cow beloning [belonging] to the natives we expected to be attacked that Night so we put to sea again and we could not get another place to anchor under 90 Miles and before we got there we got out of wood and had to burn everything

could get hold of we had commenced burning the bulk head and when we ware 10 miles of the port of St. Carlo and going at the rate of 16 miles an hour we run upon a Rock which Brought us up it broke our wheel and we could hardly get in and we found when we got in that there was never but one vessel passed over that rock which was sunk then we put to sea again having sailed one day we ware obliged to put in to port again called Baldavia where a few days before a spanish vessel was wrecked and the crew and passengers ware all murdered by the natives we lay 9 days within a short distance of the shore But the storm raged with such fury no boat could go ashore after leaving there we had 5 days pleseant passage to Valpraiso the 2nd day while was repairing the when I came out on deck and what was my surprise when the first man I saw was Morgan, L.. Bingham, he had got no further he had put into Rio de Janeiro in a sinking condition after leaving there he was mate on board the vessel and while off the mouth of the straits they encountered a gale and lost Both their anchors and were putting to sea with out anchors when an English steamship picked them up and put an anchor on board of them they were 55 days in the straits and Buried one of there number there apart of there passangers were on shore and allmost starved to death after getting through the straits they encountered a gale was wecked on the coast off Lackawana where he and the others had been 2 months a trying to get of at last he and two of the passingers got a passage in the Barge Ralph Cross

of Philadelphia for California and when They got of valpraiso they encountered another gale which Blowed away there masts & they had to run in to valpraiso for repairs they had Been in port 3 weeks when we arrived and they put to sea again 3 days before we saile I went on board and staid all night with him he lost amost every thing he gave me 2 letters to put in the office here to send home I was agoing to leave the vessel at valpraiso as I could get three dollars and a half a day but Morgan wanted I should go on to San Francisco and I have staid on board you know nothing of what we have suffered we live worse than even our hogs did and unless we have different fare from here when we get to san francisco our officers had better keep out of the crews way or they will cut Conns we have suffered every thing heat and cold storms of snow and ice sleet and hail the cold in the straits was severe and the heat here is almost suffocating I expected to have got a letter from you here I find there is none and I am sorry for it I want you should write to me as soon as you get this write to san francisco this is a miserable place there is persons here that cant get away but the story that there are thousand [on the isthmus?] awaiting for a passage is all humbug there is not persons enough here to fill two vessells there is but a ver few persons here and these six or seven steamers Running here to California write as soon as you receive this

yours in F., S and G..

Jared. C. Brown

write what Charles, Martin is, a doing

Write what Jameson Thinks about the Wagons