The Entire Hide-Business
Is Of The Past, And To The Present Inhabitants Of California A Dim
Tradition.
The gold discoveries drew off all men from the gathering
or cure of hides, the inflowing population made an
End of the
great droves of cattle; and now not a vessel pursues the - I was
about to say dear - the dreary once hated business of gathering
hides upon the coast, and the beach of San Diego is abandoned and
its hide-houses have disappeared. Meeting a respectable-looking
citizen on the wharf, I inquired of him how the hide-trade was
carried on. "O," said he, "there is very little of it, and that
is all here. The few that are brought in are placed under
sheds in winter, or left out on the wharf in summer, and are
loaded from the wharves into the vessels alongside. They form
parts of cargoes of other materials." I really felt too much,
at the instant, to express to him the cause of my interest in
the subject, and only added, "Then the old business of trading
up and down the coast and curing hides for cargoes is all over?"
"O yes, sir," said he, "those old times of the Pilgrim and Alert
and California, that we read about, are gone by."
Saturday, August 20th. The steamer Senator makes regular trips up
and down the coast, between San Francisco and San Diego, calling
at intermediate ports. This is my opportunity to revisit the
old scenes.
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