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THE EVENING NEWS
July 26, 1873

ROMANTIC WEDDING!

THE START FROM GLENBROOK – ON THE BOSOM OF THE DEEP – AT SUGAR PINE POINT – THE YACHT “TRANSIT” – A MERRY PARTY – THE PARSON AND THE WEDDING CEREMONY – RETURN TO GLENBROOK – EVENING ENJOYMENTS – GOLD HILLERS – CONGRATULATIONS AND GOOD WISHES

GOLD HILL, July 25, 1873

DEAR NEWS: Happening to be at Glenbrook last Wednesday evening I was soon made aware that something unusual was about to occur. On making inquiries of mine host of the Glenbrook House, Uncle Horace Vesey, he informed me that on the morrow a wedding was to be celebrated away out upon the middle of the lake; that all the world were invited to be present and that a steamer would leave Glenbrook early in the morning for the scene of the nuptial ceremonies. The invitation being seemingly broad enough to include myself. I concluded to make one of the party.

The Start

Early on Thursday morning the guests at the Glenbrook were on the move. Breakfast was served at an unusually early hour, and ladies astonished their husbands and still more completely surprised themselves by being ready therefor. Young misses were merry, elderly matrons looked wise and serenely contented, while the male portion of the company smoked their cigars in blissful silence. A little way out from the shore lay the staunch steamer Governor Stanford with engine puffing, and impatient to be off. Quickly all the passengers, to the number of 100 or more, were embarked, and the strong little craft steamed swiftly over the

Bosom of the Deep.

En route to Sugar Pine Point. The day was perfect. A breeze swung gently down from tall pines towering from rocky cliffs and kissed the crystal waters lovingly. Old Sol, as he slowly climbed the heavens, tempered the fierceness of his rays, and the white cottages on the shore faded slowly into the dim distance. Arriving at

Sugar Pine Point,

We found a large number of invited guests (all the world you know) assembled. From Tahoe City, Emerald Bay, and even from the farthest extremes of the lake, they had come to witness these most novel nuptial ceremonies. All kinds of water craft known to the lake lay floating in the little bay, and speedily their occupants were transferred to the steamer. There must have been over two hundred happy passengers on board as the Gov. Stanford steamed out toward the eastern shore, closely followed by

The Yacht Transit,

In which we saw the bridal party. She is a trim built craft and her owner, John McKinney, deems her just the swiftest little flyer that cuts the waters of the lake.

A Merry Party

It was when reaching the middle of this most lofty inland sea, the steamer hove to, the yacht came alongside, and Rev. Mr. McGrath, the

Parson,

Stepped on board the little Transit precisely at 2:30 P.M. All eyes upon the steamer were now directed to the little craft, and

The Wedding Ceremony

Was quickly performed. About 20 persons were upon the yacht. The bridal couple stood in the stern of the boat. The bride was attended by Mrs. Wm H. Gray as bridesmaid, and S.W. Chubbuck, Esq., of Gold Hill, officiated as groomsman. Mrs. Gen. C.C. Batterman gave the bride away. At the conclusion of the ceremony Mr. McGrath made some peculiarly appropriate remarks, and in eloquent language wished the newly wedded couple joy and prosperity, after which all joined in three hearty cheers, not omitting the inevitable tiger. The wedding party then came on board the Governor Stanford and amid the popping of corks and the flow of generous wine and the healths of the bride and groom were given in merry toast, and with music and song the steamer returned to Sugar Pine Point, when landing those who lived upon the Western shore she quickly swung around on her

Return to Glenbrook

Passing clear around the head of the lake in the trip. Shadows stretched their long arms yearningly over the scarcely rippled surface of this glorious sea. Grim old rocks, water-worn and rounded by fierce wars with storm and tempest reared their heads wonderingly as the happy party swept along. The bald old bluffs threw back in numberless echoes joyous laughter and gay repartee, and old Cave Rock bowed his head in silent homage to the beauty and human happiness he could only witness from afar. In the shadows of twilight, with the red rays of day lying athwart the darkening waters, and lighting up the freshening waves with gleams of gold and crimson, we disembarked at Glenbrook, a merry tired party. A splendid supper awaited our arrival and soon fatigue vanished, and the

Evening Enjoyment

Was begun with music and dancing in the hotel parlor, which proving inadequate for the occasion the whole party adjourned to the large dancing hall. Care was thrown aside, fatigue passed to oblivion, and far into the night the merry revellers prolonged the day. Among the guests present at the Glenbrook last evening we noticed the following

Gold Hillers.

Wm. H. Gray and lady, Postmaster Chubbuck and lady, Jewett W. Adams and J. B. Jackson. Others were doubtless there whose names have escaped us. This brief sketch of a novel and romantic nuptial ceremony is incomplete. The writer was too much absorbed by the day’s pleasure to take full notes of the festivities. All who were present concur in saying that there never was such a beautiful day at lake Tahoe; that there never was a happier party nor a wedding combining more of romance, novelty and unalloyed enjoyment. All the friends of the bride and groom, now Mr. and Mrs. Alf Doten, will unite with us in congratulations and this

Benediction,

May they live long and happily together, joined by the strongest claims affection forges, as years go by and shadows lengthen over the pathway of their lives, may health, love and prosperity unite to bless their union, the calm current of their lives flow clearly and unruffled as the bosom of the glorious lake which held their wedding guests, and whose transparent depths mirrored the ceremony in which their troth was plighted.

LEO.

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Hymenial Celebration. – Amid the excitement incident to the connubial festivities at Lake Tahoe, Alf did not forget the boys in the News office, as will be seen from a telegram received by Mercer & Tucker:

Glenbrook, July 25, 1873 – 7:30 A.M.

Mercer & Tucker: Send a basket of champagne over to the News office. Take a drink yourselves. ALF DOTEN

The entire force, not excepting the “Devil,” drank to the health of the chief and his fair bride. If any errors, grammatical, orthographical or typographical, are noticeable in to-day’s paper, our readers may blame Alf himself.

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HOTEL ARRIVALS. – The following is a list of the arrivals at the Glenbrook House on Thursday July 24th: Thomas P. Hawley, wife, daughter and son, Carson; J.T. Murrell, Carson; J. B. Jackson, Gold Hill; J. P. Winnie, Carson; J.W. Adams, Gold Hill; C. Wheeler, Virginia; Alf. Doten and wife, Gold Hill, Wm. H. Gray and wife, Gold Hill; W. H. Virden, Virginia; S. W. Chubbuck and wife, Gold Hill; Geo. G. Lyon, Virginia; E. W. Rail, San Francisco; Geo. B. Allen and son, Carson; W. H. Castle, Boston; J. E. McDonald, Virginia; Robert Patterson, Virginia.

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FISHING EXTRAORDINARY. -- Parson McGrath, of Virginia City. has become entranced with Lake Tahoe. He is stopping at McKinney's, and is the high-up sailor and fisherman of Sugar Pine Point. It is well known that Mr. McGrath is one of the progressives. He has become enthusiastic over the question of trout fishing and it is said that, disclaiming the slow process of hook and line, he has armed himself with a stout sapling and goes after trout therewith. He surrounds them, drives them into the shoals and inlets of the lake and clubs them to death with his stick. His success is most remarkable. Yesterday evening he caught over two hundred in this manner. N. B.-We don't vouch for the truth of this latter portion of the story, but give it as it was told us. Mr. McGrath says he is going to spend the balance of the summer at Lake Tahoe.

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THE EVENING NEWS.

GOLD HILL, : :FRIDAY, JULY 26, 1873

ALF. DOTEN, : :Editor and Proprietor.

AT LAKE TAHOE.

[EDITORIAL CORRESPONDENCE.]

A SLEEP ON THE DEEP -- WINTER AT THE LAKE-SNOW -- GAME -- ABOUT INDIANS -- SOME OF THE CHARACTERS MET WITH ABOUT THE LAKE -- EXCURSION -- LAKE STEAMERS -- EMERALD BAY -- BEN HOLLIDAY'S PLACE -- GLENBROOK-SOMETHING ABOUT SNORING -- JOLLY AMUSEMENTS -- AMONG THE GOLD HILLERS -- FUN AND FIREWORKS -- MATRIMONIAL.

SUGAR PINE POINT, LAKE TAHOE
July 24, 1873.

DEAR NEWS: The world rolls on, and so do the waters of the beautiful lake when the wind blows. The enamored Spykens still lingereth amid the piniferons shades and romantic scenes of Sugar Pine Point, but I have hopes of getting him away shortly, when we will visit Glenbrook for a few days. Since my last letter a gentleman with sandy side whiskers has added himself to our company. He is an agreeable, wideawake gentleman. and a good sportsman with either gun or fishing line. From lack of better accommodations at present, John McKinney had to quarter him in a little tent. The first night the mosquitoes kept him so unusually wideawake that about daylight he exasperatedly got into a boat, paddled away out on the lake, lay down in the bottom of the boat, and, "rocked in the cradle of the deep," slept that sound, hearty sleep only known to the virtuous, just and exhausted. When the hot sun woke him up, he found himself dritted miles away from breakfast, and came home with a good appetite. He cal culates that his nap was about five miles long.

The Lake in Winter.

Very few people Winter here owing to the severity of the weather and the depth of the snow. Even McKinney's place is left to the care of itself during the Winter, and just enough people remain at Tahoe City, Glenbrook and the other principal points to look out for things. The lake is cold, like ice water, the year round, yet it never freezes even in the most severe Winter. In fact, the regular temperature of the water above freezing point keeps the snow melted away from its immediate border. The snow falls ten and twelve feet on the average, and al- though there is plenty of timber for building or for firewood, plenty of game in the woods and trout in the Iake, yet life here would be too monotonous during the Winter months to be worth staying for.

No Indians.

I don't know whether Indians are any sort of distinguishing feature for this locality or not, for I have not seen more than three or four since I have been here. One would naturally suppose there would be plenty of thrifty Indians all around the shores of the lake, and that their canoes would dot its blue waters or skirt its shores, but they do not. The old settlers tell me that they have never seen a canoe here yet, and that the Indians seem to have a sort of superstitious fear of the lake, although they occasionally fish in the small streams and ereeks emptying into it.

John McKinney,

The proprietor of this stopping place, is one of your large -- hearted, large -- bodied, whole -- souled sort of men, and a good specimen of a pioneer and one of the early settlers of this section. Good natured and happy, he finds lots of friends wherever he goes, and his friends generally find him about this time of the year. Jolm has been a mighty hunter, and has received rough usage in his battles with the old grizzly denizens of the woods, but he never came off second best. He likes to get after them occasionally get. Slightly past the meridian of life, he is not bad looking, and being a bachelor, John likos to have the Indies about him and do the gallant when opportunity offers; in fact, John is on the marry.

The Hunsucker Brothers.

George and John Hunsucker are also men something after John McKinney's style; but not so good looking. They own mining interests and a quartz mill over near Georgetown, California, and some good timber lands near here on the lake. They work their mining and milling interests during the Winter, but when the snow leaves this place they come as soon as possible to spend the Summer in true mountaineer style. They, too, are mighty hunters, and the bears and deer all have occa- sion to know it. The other day George was out hunting two or three miles north of McKinney's and succeeded in running down a couple of fawns by the aid of the hounds. These little beauties are only about three weeks old and the tamest, prettiest and most desirable pets imaginable.

The "Old General."

Everybody hereabout knows, or ought to know, the "Old General," otherwise W. X. Phipps. He is somewhat older in years than either of the gents mentioned, but no older in body or disposition. He came from Ohio, and is a perfect specimen of an old backwoodsman and pioneer of California. He is genial, frank and cordial in his manner. ready to take a drop of good corn juice with a friend, or show the ladies the best place to tish, and the merry twinkle of his eye does not belie his disposition. He is quite a character. His camp is a couple of miles south of here, and he like the rest is a mighty hunter. His rifle is one of the long, heavy old kind, named "Betsy," and he brought it from Ohio with him. He has peculiar theories and opinions of his own on all subjects, and it won't do to dispute or contradict him if you are desirous of his good opinion. For instance, he says the world does not turn over and over as most people think, for if it did buckets of water could not stay unspilled, or even the lake retain its contents.

An Excursion Party.

The other day eight of us, including ourself and friend Spykes, took a trip on the steamer Governor Stanford around the head of the lake. We crossed to Glenbrook, where Hauk Smith and a party of ladies and gents from Gold Hill and Virginia came on board for the same trip. Bob Lindsay was with them, and altogether a jollier set we have seldom seeu get together, some of the ladies especially. We did not land at Glenbrook, therefore only had an opportunity to observe its harbor arrangements from the steamer. There are plenty of round logs, sawed logs, rocks, and all sorts of material right there, yet strange to say no wharf or decent landing place. It is said, however, that Captain Pray is building a wharf. For the credit of the place and the accommodation of passengers we pray this may be true. At present passengers have to be boated ashore in little skiffs. There, too, we saw the little steamer Emerald, being overhauled and refitted for service on the lake, and the Gov. Blasdel (spelt with two l's) lying near by, out of service at present. We got a tolerably fine view of Cave Rock in passing and in course of time ran into Emerald Bay, the most beautiful place about the lake, and one of the prettiest in the world. Huge, grand old mountains, covered with pines and other green herbs, cast their shadows in the emerald tinted waters of the bay. while in the distance can be seen the splashing tumbling, foaming waters of the lovely cascade at the head of tne bay. Here, too, we landed upon the beautiful grounds belouging to Ben Holliday, wan- dered through fields of real grass, picked inuge boquets of wild flowers, and took a look at the outside of Holliday's fine cottage. The inside was held inviolate at present, under in- poses coming to occupy it excursionally, soon. With its surroundings of cool, splashing streamlets, green lawn, fish ponds, shady grove and luxurious verdure, it is a delightful place to spend the Summer season, yet for the Winter most of us would rather be elsewhere, nearer to the haunts of civilization. From Emerald Bay we went home to McKinney's, where the whole party landed and had a good time dancing, singing and cutting up generally for half an hour. Bob Lindsay is some on a "walk around." Vesey, of the Glenbrook Hotel, was along, and was, for the time, about 23 years of age. There were in all over thirty persons from Gold Hill present, without counting Vesey -- the rest were from Virginia. The Smith party went back to

Glenbrook.

Day before yesterday Chubbuck, Gray and us took a trip over to Glenbrook in John McKinney's famous yacht, the "Transit," in order to take advantage of the telegraph facilities that place. H. M. Vesey, or Old Vesey, as those call him who love him best, is landlord of the hotel and is doing finely. He certainly knows how to keep a hotel, and plenty of his friends succeed in finding him, for the Glenbrook was pretty well filled, yet although several parties had left that morning, including R. M. Daggett, wife and family, Congressman Kendall and wife, and other prominent individuals. Vesey never turns away anybody from lack of room, but always manages to provide well for all who come. He always has one room or one bed left. Glenbrook is a beautiful and justly popular place of resort; but more on this subject hereafter.

Snoring.

I could write considerable of a chapter on snoring after last night's experience, but will not. Rev. Mr. McGrath slept with me, and he snores most viciously. At one time he will be grinding away most sonorously like a circular saw going along regularly through a big log, and then he will occasionally throw in variations like going through tough knots, and even by variety utter a few plaintive howls like a damaged fiddle through his versatile proboscis. As a snorer he is a decided success.

Jolly.

Nearly every evening thus far we have had a grand concert of all hands in front of John McKinney's principal house. Those who can sing, have it to do, and with the assistance of Spykens on his "boxelina," the gent who plays the harmonica, and the two 'ady per- formers on the jewsharp, we manage to get up quite a chorus. Harris, the assayer, is not rheumatic all over by any means, but in his now famous "Panama jig" distinguishes himself every time. Last evening was an extra occasion in the concert line, and more of it than usual. Three new arrivals from Virginia were added to our company and there was unusual jollity over this and other circumstances. Rev. Mr. McGrath, and Mrs. General Batterman and son were the new comегs. A brighter fire of pine cones than ever was burning, and the circle of happy laces around it glowed warmly in the dancing firelight. The music and chorus rang the changes on numerous songs both jolly and sentimental. Harris just threw himself loose in his "Panama jig;" Chubbuck got excited into doing a pigeon wing. and was a brilliant success. The finale was a grand Australian cochuca, by a demoralized volunteer. When he got fully down to his work his heels and toes struck fire every clatter, and he wound up in a blaze of glory and a shower of red hot coals and cinders covering the whole company. While all this was going on, young Batterman was a department by himself down on the wharf, where he was letting off fireworks at a terrific rate, having brought along a lot of bombs. crackers, Roman candles, fizzle wheels and all that sort of thing from Virginia. He made more noise than was ever heard there before, and tried to set the lake on fire. I am told that this afternoon, out on the middle of the lake, there is going to be

A Wedding.

The romantic Spykens looks serene and happy, but says nothing, and the ladies are whispering among themselves, and all in a nervous flutter of private consultation. Even the bosom of the beautiful lake seems throbbing with new and voluptuous emotions, and quiet smiles ripple across its placid face. The festive popinjays are twittering the news gleefully from neighboring branches, and the little brown chipmunks on the pine logs, with ears and tails jerked anxiously erect, stand on tip-toe with eager expectation. I think I understand this matter. Vale Spykens.

Oh! the future is bright with Hope's dear light,
Which the soul, the senses imbue,
And radiant hues thems Ives confuse,
To color the scene more true.
The sun's warm beam, like a golden dream,
Plays soft through the Summer air;
Sweet music floats with noiseless notes,
And the breeze on the lake is fair.

ALF.
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Births.

KELSY -- In Gold Hill, July 23, to the wife of Bryon Kelsy, a sоn.

LACKEY -- In Gold Hill, July 25, to the wife of Albert Lackey a son.

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Marriages.

DOTEN -- STODDARD -- On the middle of Lake Tahoe. July 24, 1873 at 2:30, P. M by the Rev. T. H. McGrath, of Virginia City, Alf. Doten to Mary E C. Stoddard, both of Gold Hill, Nev.

SPRINGSTEAD -- WARD -- In Reno, July 22, Barent Springstead to Ellen Ward.

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Deaths.
BLACK -- In Gold Hill. July 25, Agnes, daughter of John and Mary Black, aged 1 year and 4 months.

BOWERS -- In Virginia City, July 24, Pauline L... daughter of Charles F. and Elizabeth Bowers, aged 8 months and 8 days.

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ROOMS TO RENT.

SINGLE ROOMS, FURNISHED FOR gentlemen, in the Maynard House, Gold Hill.

J. W. NOYES, Proprietor.