206 
CALIFORNIA ILLUSTRATED. 
lived to reach California. He lost his health soon after his ar¬ 
rival there, and died upon reaching his native shore. 
As the steamer was being warped around, a passenger in attempt¬ 
ing to jump to the pier, missed it, and fell through the mass of 
floating ice below. He soon gained the surface, but, uttering the 
most heart-rending screams, again disappeared. He was event¬ 
ually rescued, and I jumped for the pier with better success, 
and stepping into a hack, was rapidly driven in the direction of 
Broadway. It is now midnight. Thirteen months have elapsed 
since I left, and for the last six, I have not had the least intelli¬ 
gence from home. My feelings can better be imagined than 
described, as I pulled the bell at Ho. 3 Warren street. 
One word to those about to embark for California. Take the 
least possible amount of baggage, in a trunk of the smallest pos¬ 
sible size. As no one can anticipate the circumstances under 
which they may be placed there, nor the wants of a life in Cali¬ 
fornia; it is recommended to buy nothing here, as purchases 
can be made much more judiciously in San Francisco, and other 
towns in California, and at about as fair rates, at the same time 
saving the trouble and expense of transportation. The transit 
charges, by the Nicaragua route, are fifteen cents per pound ; this 
is invariably extra, even if one has a transit passage-ticket, which 
are issued at a charge of about $25. A limited amount of bag¬ 
gage is taken down the Atlantic and up the Pacific free, but not 
across. Passengers taking the Panama route, are now landed at 
Aspinwall (Navy Bay), thence by railroad to Miller’s Station, 
saving thirty miles of river travel; thence in a row-boat to 
Gorgona, where mules are stationed in abundance to transport to 
Panama, twenty-five miles distant. Passengers are landed on 
the dock at Aspinwall, free of charge, the transit charges being 
about the same as by the Nicaragua route. 
