I am most grateful to all of you who posted. I knew that there was a good chance that you would steer me in a good direction for research.
I used the term "lighters" off my own bat, meaning the kind of cargo carrying barge that would unload a vessel and take goods upriver from a seaport. Perhaps the spelling is incorrect? I remember my father telling me of hearing sailors singing aboard ships and so I wondered if they could have been on board sailing ships in the Sacramento Docks ? he hadn't worked on any other dockland.
Dad was born 1900, emigrated to the US in 1924 and died, having returned in 1932, at home here, in Ireland, in 1971, but, he had a keen memory at all times and often spoke of his days in "the States".
I'm sure that if I can get among any of those sites or publications that you recommend, I will be able to find out a great deal about Old Sacramento. (Because of the stories and reminiscences, the name has always had a somewhat romantic ring for me even though I have never been there) I have already done similar research on his other "ports of call" over there in Quebec, Canada and New York as well as San Francisco and Vancouver. As you may gather, from what I've said, , he was an "illegal" for most of the time.
Thanks again ,
beachcomber