ELDORADO 169 



The great flood of '53 occurred during my absence 

 in the States. A San Francisco paper of January i, 

 1853, contained the following account of it: "The 

 present winter is conceded to be the most severe ex- 

 perienced in this country since it has been populated 

 by Americans. During the last fortnight it has been 

 raining continually in the mountains and valleys and 

 we are daily in the receipt of accounts of disasters and 

 suffering in all parts of the State. The waters have 

 been unusually high, and communication through the 

 mining regions almost entirely cut off, either by snow 

 or overflowed streams. The rivers have been swelled 

 to such an extent as to inundate all the low lands, 

 causing immense damage, destroying stock and agri- 

 cultural products. Marysville and Sacramento are 

 partly inundated. Although Sacramento is well pro- 

 tected by a levee, the lower portions are submerged. 

 On the mountain streams the loss of mining imple- 

 ments has been great and all work for the present is 

 suspended. Bridges have been swept away and ferries 

 destroyed and some few lives lost. The flood has been 

 universal and the waters higher than in the memorable 

 winter of 1849. The great scarcity of provisions and 

 the consequent high prices have occasioned much suf- 

 fering and distress already and it is feared thJit many 

 will actually die of starvation. Many miners, subsist 

 entirely upon beef and potatoes, while in other portions 

 of the mines there are hundreds who have nothing at 

 all but barley and potatoes. In portions of Yuba and 

 Sierra counties the snow was already ten feet deep and 

 still falling and the miners reduced to absolute want. 

 Tn one place they held a meeting and forced a trader 

 to sell what flour he had on hand at fortv-five cents a 



