Page:California Historical Society Quarterly vol 22.djvu/84



Tuesday 10th Prospect the branch about two miles above — but conclude to remain where we first located

Saturday 14th The best day's work we have done here — made fifteen dollars each — have had a slight sprinkling of rain three days in this week

Sunday 1 5th Lee went to Murpheys and returned in the evening Fair- brother joined us.

Thursday Evening, Oct 3D Mr Taft, on the opposite side of the creek just returned from San Francisco was accidentaly shot whilst unloading the waggon, by one of the men attempting to draw his gun from the waggon by the muzzel, it is a very dangerous wound in the shoulder — We have aver- aged about four dollars a day each, this week up to Saturday 5th Oct clear and pleasant all this week, no rain

Sunday 6th Lee and myself started for Murphey's, stoped at Angels Camp then at Carsons where we dined crossed over the hill to Cayute Creek up the Creek to see the two natural bridges^^ some three or four miles below Cayute diggings the first one covers about three or four hundred feet of the creek we could not pass through as we had no boat. — The entrance from the lower side is some forty or fifty feet across and about the same length to where it commences narrowing and from ten to fifteen feet high. At the upper side or where the water enters there is a regular and very beau- tiful dome some twenty five feet high. The second bridge is three quarters of a mile above about the same size as the first, the lower cavern (or where the water leaves the bridge) is nearly the size of the first but higher and very beautifully ornamented with fountains &c The upper cavern (or where the water first enters) is about one hundred and fifty feet long, and consists of a continued range of Gothic arches from twenty five to thirty feet high. All four of these caverns are more beautifuU than anything I have ever seen or read of. the whole of them are variegated with every immaginable col- our—and probably more beautifuU than any others ever described— Passed through Cayute diggings in the evening on to Viacieta [Vallecito]. took supper and arrived at Murphey's eleven O clock at night

Monday 7th Returned to the Calaveries

Wednesday i6th Fairbrother started in search of a place for winter quar- ters — of which we had heard in the summer, Lee and myself remaining at work on the bar

Wednesday 23th In the Afternoon Fairbrother returned — his search having proved unsuccessfull — Lee and myself had made two hundred and twelve dollars in the mean time which we divided with him

Friday 25th He left us for Sanfrancisco or home

Sunday 27th Lee and myself went to Murphey's — some prospect of our finding the place yet —

Monday 28th Returned