Page:California Inter Pocula.djvu/361

 ale in  the

town. The day  after  the  cleaning-up  ship  had  come in from  the  Islands,  some  small  watery  specimens  of the  root  were  exhibited  in  the  market,  and  on  the doorpost of  one  of  the  hotels  was  tacked  a  shingle on which  was  chalked  "potatoes  for  dinner  to-day." And early  that  morning  the  thrifty  burghers  of  the place were  out  with  their  baskets,  smilingly  asking the market  man  "How  do  you  sell  potatoes?" "A dollar and  a  half,"  the  reply  would  come. "Give me a  bushel." "A bushel!  They  are  a  dollar  and  a half  a  pound." "Oh ! ah!     I  will  take  two  pounds."

California gold  largely  increased  the  importation  of silks,  velvets,  laces,  jewelry,  and  other  articles  of luxury. It stimulated  the  building  of  houses,  and carriages, the  breeding  of  horses,  but  not  the  rearing of children ;  it  increased  the  number  of  theatres, balls, parties,  and  concerts  four  fold,  and  advanced real estate  values,  and  the  prices  of  all  commodities.

One day  a  man  having  1,500  dozen  eggs  for  sale, brought in  by  a  coasting  schooner,  hailed  a  street  mer- chandise-broker, of whom  there  were  hundreds  in those  days,  and  insisted  on  his  buying  them,  which the broker  finally  did,  at  37 J  cents  a  dozen. Right away the  buyer  began  to  sell  at  $4  50  a  dozen,  when the first  seller  exclaimed  "  What  a  fool  I  have  been ! " and securino;  the  remainder  at  the  last  mentioned price, took  them  to  Sacramento  and  sold  them  at $6  a  dozen.

When tobacco  was  down,  a  man  desirous  of  build- ing a house  on  made  ground  tumbled  in  boxes  of  it, enough to  form  a  foundation. Before the  house  was built tobacco  was  worth  $1  a  pound,  more  than  a dozen  such  houses. Wanting a  cross  walk  one  threw in sacks  of  beans,  which  shortly  after  were  worth thirty cents  a  pound.

At the  restaurants  of  the  period. Skinner's chop house on  Second  street,  Sacramento,  for  example, were heard  all  the  old  cries  of  the  cheap  eating- houses  of  Fulton,   Ann,   and  Nassau   streets,   New