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Thursday, June 6 1850
The Company still toiling on for filthy gain
P.M. The same routine of duty. Evening. Spent in spinning yarns in our trading tent or visiting around the camp which has been distinguished by the name of the Vineyard Camp there being about 100 men in it from that Island
Description
 The entry from this journal are thought to have been written by Vineyard mariner William Bradley. His unique document is a combination of a ship’s log, a mining company’s minutes, and a personal diary of experiences ashore in search of gold. The journal begins with his October 6, 1849 departure on the ship Oscar from Mattapoisett, MA. The Oscar set sail for San Francisco with a “company” of men in search of gold. Unlike whaling voyages where a man’s earnings were based on the percentage of his lay, the mining companies were organized around equal shares purchased by members. All the gold discovered was to be divided equally and decisions made by the group. After a 159 day voyage, around Cape Horn, the Oscar arrived in San Francisco on March 16, 1850, where the company “went on shore and took a survey of matters…and also visited the Splendid, and Bark Sarah,” (other Vineyard ships associated with mining companies).
Using the Oscar as a floating base camp the mining company began to make preparations for the mines. The group met often, voting on a series of decisions concerning purchases and organization of labor. For example a meeting was held to “choose a Committee to by mining tools for the same…” These preparations took time and some men chose to leave the company and set out on their own. On March 27 Nathan Barstow decided to leave; the company allowed this, “having previously voted that members were at liberty to leave by giving notice,” and paying a pre-determined sum.
On April 22 they set off “for the mines in good spirits and animated courage.” Arriving at Angel’s Camp (east of Stockton) on April 26, Bradley notes they “shouldered their mining tools to find a place that would pay for working.” Things started out well; the first day of labor finding the men, “20 dollars better off than we were at noon.” Their luck did not hold. By early May, looking for better prospects, the group moved south to the Stanislaus River, joining the Vineyard Camp. On May 17, to supplement mining activities, the company “concluded to start a trading post” which “became a place of resort for the public in general.” Provisions remaining on the ship Oscar helped outfit the trading tent. However by this time “dysentery begins to make its appearance in the camp.” On June 30 Bradley writes, “-Evening passed gloomily occasioned by the sickness and death in the camp. The number of deaths 5 all from Martha’s Vineyard.” Among the dead were old Vineyard names; Athearn, Rotch, Mayhew.
Soon after, Bradley sickens with dysentery and leaves the camp, returning to Stockton to recover. Finally, on October 21, he returns to the Oscar, which is being outfitted for a return voyage. The familiarity of the ship seems comforting; he notes, “Retired to my bunk early quite fatigued.” By now whaling must have seemed an easy life compared to that in the gold fields, for on November 6th Bradley signs on to be a cooper on the Vineyard bark Sarah, (The Vineyard Mining Company) for a whaling cruise. He notes on November 15, “employed myself in coopering, first days labor performed by me for 77 days.” Bradley’s journal then reverts to a traditional ship’s log, recording the progress of the Sarah. Bradley’s log ends off the coast of Ecuador on February 24, 1851.
Questions to Consider:
1. Could the Vineyard gold seekers ties to the whaling industry give them any advantage while in California?
2. Why do you think the mining companies were formed? Do you think they were effective?
3. How does Bradley’s outlook change after his first few weeks in California?
4. Do you think whaling was more of a sure thing for a crew member rather than digging for gold?
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