1857 – Young man's letter describing his voyage from New York to San Francisco,which included crossing the Isthmus via the Panama Railroad to join his father, a construction supervisor at Vallejo

Item Details

San Francisco, California, 1867, Letter

Very Good

This three-page letter, datelined “Navy Yard Mare Island / September 10^th 1857 Cal.”, was written by William Wallace Hanscom. Quite legible and in nice shape.

Hanscom wrote this letter to a friend after arriving at Mare Island in San Francisco Bay on the Steamer Illinois. It reads in part:

“We sailed from New York on the sixth of July 1857 with about 50 passengers in the first Cabin 150 in the Second and about 200 in the Steerage which all together amounted to about 400 and which was very fortunate and pleasant they the most quiet set of passengers which were ever on the Steamer Illinois. On the 13t of July we arrived at Kingston, Island of Jamaica, after a pleasant passage of 7 days, for the purpose of taking on board 400 tons of coal which detained us about 16 hours. In the mean time several of [us] started from the vessel on a tour through the City. . .. After traveling about a few minutes for the sun was so hot . . . we were very glad to get into the shade. . .. We called at the house of an English Lady who agreed to get up a dinner for us . . . and after waiting about 4 hours we sat down to a fine dinner including almost all the fruits natural to the Tropical Climate. After dinner [we] took a stroll around the City it then being cool . . . after which we proceeded on board the steamer and after a short while . . . immense quantities of fruit were brought on the wharf . . . for the passengers to purchase. . .. There is one circumstance which to a New Englander seems rather strange that is the manner in which labor is performed . . . altogether by females even carrying coal on board the vessel . . . carrying it on their heads in half barrel tubs, while the males mainly go . . . selling fruit or baskets or some other such light work. . ..”

Proceeding to the Panama Isthmus the ship stopped at Aspinwall (now Colon) which had been named in honor of William Henry Aspinwall, the Panama Railroad promoter. There, he continued 

"We immediately went on shore and to stop at the hotel. . .. The only chance they have of doing business is on the arrival of a steamer. . .. At our own expense we [obtained] rooms for the night and breakfast . . . before the cars started for to cross the Isthmus on the next morning. . .. We left Aspinwall in the cars for Panama [and there] were immediately taken on board the Steamer Golden Age. . ..”

After stopping at Acapulco to “take on provisions” and at Manzanillo “where we took on board $400,000 in silver bars and coin [we] arrived safely at the City of San Francisco . . . after a most pleasant passage of 25 days. . ..” Hanscom closes, reporting that he had contracted “Panama Fever [yellow fever] which . . . will probably take me some six months to recover. . ..”

A terrific recounting of a ship and rail journey to California from New York.

#10498