Page:California Inter Pocula.djvu/138



reached them  when  the  pioneer  vessel,  the  California, went to  sea,  which  was  on  the  6th  of  October,  1848. The Panama  and  the  Oregon  foHowed  the  California at short  intervals. In consequence  of  the  gold discovery, and  the  distraction  in  maritime  affairs growing out  of  it,  the  original  project  of  continuing the line  to  Oregon  was  abandoned,  and  San  Francisco was made  the  terminus.

The Pacific  Mail  Steamship  Company  was  not  the first to  raise  the  shrill  whistle  of  steam  in  these  west coast waters. Organized in  England  in  1840,  was  a company  for  the  purpose  of  steam  navigation  in  the Pacific, and  two  steamers  of  700  tons  each,  the  Peru and the  Chili,  were  sent  under  the  command  of William  Wheelwright  through  the  strait  of  Magellan to the  port  of  Talcahuano;  but  this  enterprise  failed from improper  managomem:. In 1845  a  little  steam schooner, whose  machinery  had  been  put  in  by  Erics- son as a  sort  of  experiment,  was  sent  by  P.  B.  Forbes from Boston  round  Cape  of  Good  Hope  to  China, and upon  the  death  of  the  captain  the  mate  claims to have  crossed  thence  to  San  Francisco. Then the Hudson's Bay  Company  had  their  steamer  plying between Puget  Sound  and  Russian  America  before the California,  a  magnificent  wooden  side-wheel steamer of  900  tons,  entered  proudly  the  Golden Gate.

On the  1st  of  December,  1848,  as  our  history  tells us, the  Atlantic  company  despatched  the  steamer Falcon for  Chao^res  to  connect  with  the  California from Panama,  northward. The passengers  by  the Falcon were  not  all  of  them  gold-seekers,  as  rumors of gold  discoveries  prior  to  her  departure  were  so  faint as to  have  created  little  impression  upon  the  public mind. Arrived at  Panamd,  however,  they  found some 1500  eager  adventurers  close  upon  their  heels, all clamorous  for  a  passage  to  San  Francisco,  each ravenous to  be  in  at  the  rich  harvest  before  the others. All anxiously  awaited    the    arrival   o