2266

CA - Murphys,Calaveras County - SS Central America Content and Miners Ten Commandments Lettersheet

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Western Americana Start Price:2,500.00 USD Estimated At:5,000.00 - 10,000.00 USD
CA - Murphys,Calaveras County - SS Central America Content and Miners Ten Commandments Lettersheet
Bidding is available now!
This lot contains two parts. The first part involves the wreck of the SS Central America with its cargo of $3 million in gold (the largest single shipment of gold at the time) which had catastrophic results on the Western and American financial markets. This letter, written nearly upon the fifth anniversary of its sinking, shows just how dramatic the effect on America was. The letter discusses the overland route for mail (reference obviously to the Pony Express) and that it is in ‘bad repute’. “I never thought much of the overland route – the steamer line was a shure shot – except once in a while as the Central America and Golden Gate – I sent no letter by either of these steamers”

The detailed 4pp October 1862 letter discusses the first U.S. Treasury $5 note Cutting received in his business. “There is but few of them in the Mountains yet – they do not pass current in this state for their full face, they are about 12 ½ pct in San Francisco. Gold and silver is our only currency – now though I suppose the Greenbacks will be getting thicker and thicker all the time.”

The second part of this lot is Cutting’s Miners Ten Commandments letter sheet correspondence from 1854. This outstanding 3pp letter (7/25/54) discussing the Miner’s Ten Commandments. Hutchings, 1853, Placerville. (Ref: Baird, 167)

“I send you a copy of the Miner’s Ten Commandments illustration – the illustrations are of but little account bearing but slight resemblance to an actual representation of what they pretend to convey to the ideas of a stranger – (I suppose however I might except the Elephant and the clapboard shanty) . . . perhaps I ought to tell you the whole truth so far as I know about these Commandments . . . –these however I consider very good indeed and well adopted as moral edicts for we outside barbarians and written so plain that he who runs may read and miners especially understand them. I herewith submit the Ten for your perusal and edifications – knowing you to be outside the pale of our church and perhaps standing as much in need of grace and the true means of civilization as certain other heathen of your New England tracts and teachers to bring them out of darkness and degradation”

This is certainly one of the best discussions of this letter sheet by a California miner we’ve ever seen.