Gold Rush Era Collections

PS William Willis and Burt Sneed were here in the same cabin with myself but they have both left here and gone to San Francisco, and I have not heard of them since, I will write you soon again, Yours in haste Geo. W. Wilson

Mr Thos J Hough Nashville Tennessee

San Francisco June 30th 1851 Dear Brother, I have written a letter to Malvina I told her that I would write you the next mail, I thought then that I should not have time to write before the steamer left, but I have I thought that I would give you some idea of business here for Instance the price of castings they will average 19cts for lb you can buy old Iron for 12 cts Pig Iron is from $20 per ton, they pay their moulders $8 per day. Pattern makers $8.00 & $10.00 & board, themselves board is from $10.00 to $15,00 a week at Boarding houses washing, $4.00 to $6.00 per dozen, clothing you can get nearly as cheap as you can in the States. Carpenters are getting from $8.00 to $16.00 per day I am sorry that Perry & Wolett did not agree with me for if a man gets acquainted here he stands a good chance as a better chance than transient workmen. If I understood the carpenter & Joiner business I would not think of leaving this place as Long as they (burn?) the City every three months. I went up to the mines with Mr Reynolds & staid two week I found that the mines have not mutch more than paid their expenses for the last six months in the vicinity where I went, although there are those that make their thousands , but where you find one of that class you find fifty that do not make more than $3 or $4 per day and many that dont make their board, Reynolds company did not seem fit to let me have a claim with them, unless I would give them $300.00 and that I had not got, and I was advised by some of the company not to pay it for they had their fears as to the value of their claims, therefore I concluded not to buy a claim. I fear that they will not make as mutch as Charles Exported, You need not

Say that to any body there," I dare not risk myself and left" I am a going to work tomorrow how long I shall work here, but shall stop untill I hear from (Oregon?). My health is good at present it appears to be healthy throughout the country, it is very dry up where I went it was about 70 miles from Stockton, south east among the mountains. The miners can live very well in the mines for 25cts a day provision is as cheap in the mines as they are at this place as a general thing the markets here are as well supplied here as the N York markets are I will send you the Papers from time to time that will have the prices currant in I have been talking with a Gentle-man this evening with reference to encourageing people to come to this country he tells me that he will not Encourage more than ten out of Fifty to come he says that a single man with good habits, and is prudent and make up his mind to stay here for six years he can make three or four times what he can in the States, that is if they have their health I do not want want to advise any one to come here but it is my opinion that if Perry & Wolcott (Snodbaer?) & Miles would come here they might do well, but a man has got take it rough and tumble. I am in hope to hear something favourable from Oregon I shall do what I can till I hear from there again must write and let me know how business is and every thing else of importance without fail Direct your Letters to San Francisco Give my Love to all Of Course F D (Coure?)

San Francisco Cal Oct 14th 1851 Dear Brother

Your letter dated aug 9th came to hand safely and I was verry much pleased to hear from you it seemed to me that I never should get a letter from home. glad to hear that all the family are so well. I had not received Malvinas second letter but a week previous to yours it went to the Moquelmne Hill [Mokelumne Hill] I must be brief for I am not able to sit up more than one fourth of the time I was taken last Friday and have not been out of the house since. I was taken with a severe pain in my head also through the small of my back and kidneys. it seemed to me that my head would split open, and my back would part, but I think that I shall get over it soon. I did not write Malvina any thing about it I thought it was not best. I neglected writing to you the last mail for I received a letter from Joseph Sawyer stating that there was a prospect of geting a quarter vein and if they did they wanted me to take an interest if they succeed

we shall send or come home for the necessary machinery - if the quartz is as rich as is represented it would pay well it is said to pay 9cts per lb of rock. it is a place that I went to see when I was on the hill it is about 20 miles from where the boys are now at work it is a fine place but rather bad to get there with heavy luggage there is no money lost in waiting for the companies that are at it to experiment the same as Saulters did in the manufacture of iron. as soon as that is determined I will let you know the result. I must close give my love to Mary and Fidelia and all enquiring friends hope that I shall be better able to write the next mail Respectfully yours [ A. Conre?] Keesville Esex Co N York

The Lumber Project cannot fail of being a good one Any thing that is sent from N York in the clipper ships arrives here within 4 months. I expect that Mr [Bower ?] will leave for N York on the 15th of Nov. This is last as it is eight o'clock and the mail closes at nine My health is good again Pay is here flat broke as the saying is among the miners. write often have Mary & Fidelia write tell all the boys also to write give me love to all that enquire

Respectfully yours A [Conre ?]

you will see by my writing that I think that there is money to be made here, and there is. if you had your furnace property here with all the patroning you could make a fortune in five years but it is no use to talk about that. If you can get up a company there that will send a steam engine & boiler here, with all the apparatus for a flouring mill that would pay well for there is nothing here, and there is a large amount of wheat raised in the country around. there is men every day trying to sell wheat. If Barton would send his steam engine and boilers here he might get a good price for it it should be cleaned and repaired and every thing put in order, with a good fly wheel a wooden arms also a regulator

San Francisco Oct 19th 1851 Dear Brother

I wrote to you in my last letter concerning some quartz or was waiting to hear from Sawyer & Reynolds. They wrote me that they could not make a bargain to suit the company therefore they dropped it for the present I am not anxious to go at the quartz business untill I find out exactly how to do it, and the most improved plans tried. they are experimenting every day with some new plan or mode of separating. I understand that one company have built or are building a furnace to heat the quartz in with the expectation of heating it so hot that the gold will run out, that probably will be a failure, but I think that it is not best to be in a hurry about that business this year. let others experiment as Salters did with hot pipe, but you may rest assured that the quartz is to be the big business here eventually. business here is fair at present if I had a dozen steam engines and boilers I could sell them the most dasirabl ones are from [?] to 45 & 50 horse power engines they are scarce it is not necessary to put the work on there only when it is absolutely necessary

leave every thing as it come from the hammer not filed at all, if you spend a thousand dollars in pollishing up an engine when it get here it will cost about as much more to clean it. and it will not sell any better what they want is something good and durable and work well. There is not an engine in this city of any size to be bought, fuel saving boilers would sell well here coal is so high. I think that Boardmans boilers would be the thing here from what little I know of them. the most portable kind of boilers would be the most sailable here as a general thing. As far as I am able to judge the quartz machinery is verry imperfect and altogether to light. You costings at 20 cts counts [fast ?] even in Cal Lumber is bound to be high here next summer the market is clear allmost none it is verry high. If I had two or three cargoes of such lumber as Mr Gregors & Barton I could make a pile out of it. Some of your corn crackers I think would go well here I have heard their enquired for and would say any price for them perhaps it would not pay to send them, but if you should send other machinery to this county send some of them with shaft and pulley to run with belts

I expect if nothing happens that there is a man here that will leave here for N York on the 15th of Nov to get his family and if the arrangements are made that he expects to make now, he will have machinery for a grist & flouring mill of four run of stones. it is to be driven by steam they have been trying to find an engine here but have not yet found it neither do I think they care of the capacity necessary. I told him that the best way was to have one made with boiler of suitable size. It is an object to get a boiler that will use as lttle fuel as possible. from what I know of Boardmans boilers I think that they are the kind for this county, but perhaps I misjudge You can give him more information about that than I can at present I shall have him come to Keesville if possible. I will have him write to you when he arrives at N York. I will also write you by the same mail. I can tell you one thing certain that good Eastern Pine lumber is bound to be verry high the coming season if I had two or three cargoes of good boards, such as McGregors and Roger I could make a handsome