Bitten By The Gold Bug In Belfast

The Suliote and the first 49ers

by Charles Francis

On December 20, 1848 an advertisement appeared in the Belfast Republican Journal announcing that the bark Suliote would sail from Belfast for San Francisco on January 30, 1849. The Suliote and Belfast deserve a note in the history books because the bark was the first vessel to take 49ers bitten by the “gold bug” around Cape Horn to the new El Dorado of the West. Intriguingly, Belfast may have another tie to the fabled year 1849, besides the fact that the first ship laden with 49ers sailed from there. According to Ronald Banks, dean of Maine historians, James Marshall, the foreman at Sutter’s Mill who made the first California gold discovery, had ties to

Belfast. Because of Marshall, Belfast became one of the first if not the first community in the east to learn of the potential California bonanza. For that reason, Belfast residents and residents of other nearby downeast towns had a bit of a jump over other easterners also bitten by the gold bug. It was a small jump, however. A day after the Suliote left Belfast, the Bonnie Adele was loading passengers in New York who were bound for the goldfields.

While Bangor provided the bulk of the Suliote’s passengers — twenty-four hailed from there — Belfast and other Waldo County and downeast towns were well represented on the ship’s passenger list. Benjamin Griffin, editor of the Belfast Republican Journal, quit his position to head around the Horn. William Weeks, a Unity lawyer, did the same thing. In addition, there were passengers from towns like Brooks, Lincolnville, and Camden. One aspiring prospector who learned of the Suliote’s departure traveled from Boston to make the trip.

There were two major highlights in the pre-sailing days of that long-ago January. One involved the arrival of the 49ers from Bangor. They showed up in Belfast with their own band heralding their presence. The other involved lawyer William Weeks, who gave an inspiring talk of the wonders of the West in a local temperance hall.

While the Suliote was the first vessel to carry Mainers to the California gold fields, it would not be the last as 49ers who possessed a way with words like Benjamin Griffin and William Weeks would write home encouraging others to follow them. Hundreds, if not thousands, would do so. Some would take the long route around Cape Horn, and others would sail to the Isthmus of Panama, and then cross to the Pacific and take another ship up the coast. Some of the latter would contract yellow fever, while others would disappear never to be heard from again.

The Suliote, with her forty-six passengers, left Belfast Harbor on a bitterly cold day. Six months later, which was about the average length of time it took Maine vessels to reach northern California, the Suliote dropped anchor in San Francisco Bay. The Suliote was followed by a steady stream of vessels heading down the east coast of the

United States for Cape Horn or the Isthmus of Panama.

Sailing around Cape Horn could be a harrowing experience. Some ships went down. Crosby Fowler, caught up in the stories sent home by William Weeks, wrote home shortly before his death in the goldfields, and stated that even though they had fair sailing all the way, “it was a weary trip.” Fowler was just twenty when he left his Waldo County home and celebrated his twenty-first birthday crossing the Gulf Stream. Fowler’s friend and traveling companion, John Scribner, died on the trip and was buried at sea.

Walking across the Isthmus of Panama could be just as dangerous as rounding the Horn. For one thing, there were bandits who made a living preying on the unwary. While it was possible to hire armed guards to guide one during the crossing, it was necessary to have the wherewithal to pay them. One Uni- ty man, Anaziah Trueworthy, who, with a large group of other Waldo County men had walked across the Isthmus, died of fever off Acapulco.

Upon arrival in California, the first 49ers encountered a host of new problems. Food was expensive — a single egg could go for as much as a dollar. Unscrupulous merchants also charged premium prices for equipment and clothing. Living conditions were unsanitary to say the least. There simply weren’t enough buildings to house the hordes that arrived almost weekly. There was no law to speak of in the mining camps. Mexican authorities were doing everything to stem the tides of “gringos” descending on their shores. Thievery and murder were the order of the day. Miners had to be on constant lookout lest their gold be stolen. And, too, there were gamblers and other drifters who were ready at a moment’s notice to fleece an unsuspecting (cont. on page 50)

(cont. from page 49) miner out of everything he had worked for.

By 1852, however, conditions had taken a turn for the better. That year Jonathan Parkhurst wrote home to his family in Waldo County that, “The mode of living has greatly improved and the price of provisions greatly reduced.” He went on to describe the crop yield of the farms in glowing terms, especially those in and around Sacramento. He would eventually quit mining and become an owner of orchards.

Very few 49ers struck it rich. The real money was to be made in providing miners with goods and services. Curtis Mitchell of Unity was one of the few Waldo County men who actually made a fortune, be it a small one. Tradition has it that he came home with some $40,000. For the rest, it can be said that they represented a spirit of daring-do the likes of which has seldom been seen since.