IMPRESSIONS OF CALIFORNIA 265 



It was 5 o'clock iu the afternoon when we cast off from 

 the California street wharf, and it had become pitch- 

 dark when we arrived at the mouth of the slough (men- 

 tioned before). Here we had the misfortune to run into 

 a schooner lying there at anchor; and, as bad luck would 

 have it, we shoved her on the mud in such an unfortunate 

 way as to completely block the passage. Repeated at- 

 tempts on our part to get her off again, failed in the 

 blinding darkness and on account of the heavy load we 

 had on board, there was nothing left for us to do but to 

 await daylight. I made the best of it by making myself 

 as comfortable as I could on my pile of mattresses. I 

 wrapped myself in my blankets and tried to get some 

 sleep; but the night being very cold, I succeeded only 

 partially. 



With the break of day we began again to pull away 

 at our schooner so as to open a passage for ourselves, but 

 with no better result than on the previous evening. 

 Things began to look dark, as we had now to await the 

 arrival of other steamers. Fortune favored us finally; at 

 8 o'clock the "Antelope" hove in sight and shortly after- 

 wards the "Wilson G. Hunt." By their united efforts, 

 the three steamers at last succeeded at about 9 o'clock in 

 floating the schooner again, and by that time the steamer 

 "Comanche" and the propeller " Archimedes" had also 

 joined us. 



We thus had the pleasure of seeing the whole fleet 

 around us; and accompanied by this noble convoy of four 

 other steamers Ave arrived at Sacramento at 2 o'clock in 

 the afternoon— or rather at the place where Sacramento 

 City used to be before the big fire. 



A scene of the wildest desolation met our eyes. Of a 

 great many buildings not even any ruins were left, — 

 not even any cinders! The terrible heat caused by so 

 many buildings burning at once— and some of them large 

 buildings (one— for instance— being a hotel four stories 

 high) reduced the ashes of everything combustible to the 

 finest powder, and this was at once scattered by the wind. 

 AVhere the city had stood there was now nothing before 



