Page:California Historical Society Quarterly vol 22.djvu/260

 seen in our large Atlantic cities, the most attractive feature of the occasion was a large car drawn by six grey horses, and filled with little boys appro- priately dressed each carrying a shield with the name of a state inscribed upon each, in the center of the platform was a raised throne on which sat a beautiful little girl-'^ robed as a queen, in gold, silver and ermine, bearing the shield of California; above floated the stars and stripes, and a flag with the motto, "The bride of the Pacific, we honor her nuptials." This was beautiful indeed, and cheers upon cheers greeted its appearance wherever the procession passed. All went "merry as a marriage bell" until dusk, when a terrible disaster occurred, making a sad finale to this day of rejoicing. The boiler of the steamboat Sagamore burst as she was about leaving the dock crowded with passengers, a more perfect wreck I never saw; the num- ber of lives lost is not yet ascertained and probably never will be, neither can their names be ascertained, and many a heart at home will be made desolate by this disaster and the fate of the loved one ever remain a sealed book.

The new steamer Republic arrived last evening bringing the news that the Galindo was in the port of Acapulco, almost a complete wreck; she experienced a severe hurricane which completely dismasted her and stove all the Boats, in short swept away everything above the bulwarks.

She will no doubt prove a total loss, so that I was lucky in at least one instance in regard to the old Barque, although my self congratulation on the subject reminds me of the Irishman who broke his leg and thanked heaven it was not his neck. Well, peace to her memory. She has carried me safely many a long and dreary mile over the trackless ocean, many a pleasant hour I have passed on board of her, and many a weary one as well. Heaven save me from another such voyage!

. . . Do not tell the folks when I am coming for I would like to surprise them a little, and 'twould be very appropriate to drop in upon them on Christmas, or New Years Day, all the way from California to make a holi- day visit. o- 1

•^ Smcerely yours,

W.

NOTES

1. Cadwalader Ringgold, A Series of Charts, with Sailing Directions, Embracing Sur- veys of the Farallones, Entrance to the Bay of San Francisco, Bays of San Francisco and San Pablo. . . (Washington, 1851).

2. Harry T. Peters, California on Stone (Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, Doran & Company, Inc.), 1935.

3. The bark Galindo, Captain Macy, with 76 passengers and a crew of 12, sailed from New York on April 7, 1849. She had been "furnished in a superior manner, by Messrs. Brett & Vose." Her passenger list, as given in the New York Weekly Herald of April 19, 1849, included the following names: H. N. Adams, J. Arlington, J. E. Baker, J. D. Banker, J. N. Barker, A. Bukman, W. C. Bunting, B. Burdge, Jr., A. Coleman, B. C.