The Express.
London, England, 1850-12-26 00:00:00

HEALTH IN THZ MINES.

I consider the whole of the mines where I have been
(south), to be healthy in the extreme, and lam happy
to say that cases of serious illness are very rare ; those
which have come under my notice have been in
general dysentery,of which many have died from want
of proper attention, advice, and remedies. I'oe
mining doctor* are nothing but quacks, and the suf-
ferer frequently cures himself by drinking a decoction
of the bark of the white oak, at once a simple and
efficacious remedy. The malady of the miner, how-
ever, I take to be sore hands, arising from the jar
they ricoeive in working with the crow-bar and rick.
The worst kind of whitlows prevail, and great
care is necessary, for I have known men inca-
pacitated from work for two months at a time
with this apparently trifling but really serious
malady. Cases of scurvy are becoming rare
—the miners use every precaution against this
dreadful scourge, eating raw potatoes, pickles, vine-
gar, &c., as a preventive. For the rest, the climate
must be healthy; for it is really astonishing to see
what excesses are committed, and without any bad
results. There is no doubt about the life being a
hard one—living without vegetables, eating an im-
mense quantity of salt pork, and, what is worse, pan-
cake; fried in its fat at almost every meal; flour and
water made into bread, and tnerally only half
cooked ; drinking large quantities of most in'amous
wines and spirits; working up to the knees in cold
spring water for weeks together, with a broiling sun
over heed—immense perspiration—and at night
sleeping on the ground itself, with a couple of blan-
kets, exposed to the night air, and only a tree as a
shelter (tor one-half dispense with tents). I say
again, the mines must be healthy, for all this is done
without apparently any bad results; that is to say,
for the moment, for I am —afraid many of these men
wilt have cause at a later period to regret ever having
worked in such a manner. This brings me to speak
' of

more 11-I..te'tll tot
________,.
GRAVES IN TIM itt.Nr.s.
Man, wherever
.be goes, is 0n15..m0tt,1, and flume
fore it is not astont,hing to
.s., at tt.terv.,'.. th., ~.0,44
of a miner," causing anything but !in t,' le fedinga
—the man who dies 1:1 the nitn!s ties p .ei,ire!l iiie
amdanottwihnoa dhiatesh.anyl keentostlnvettCfTeglings.
Tt4,
futtrai
ceremonies are conducted with a greet deal ~y .1, „ , ey.
and the grave in nearly every case is plateelLn the side
of a hill—if possible under some b-autiful Ire-, in the
bark of which a large era% ie tut—ere*.
times also the initials ; thi,., and the stna.l in and of
earth raised, mark tho lest mutely-place of the how.
[unite gold-seeker. It may not be out ol place bete
to mention that the males are full of doctors, w po .
called, for they are utter quack!, and most of them
are without either medicine, or tostrumenle; theteie
nothing for them to do, so they take to rnitd. g. Their
fee is nominally 16 dollars, but they are contented to
take as much as they can get.

OF THE GOLD trsey.band in.
The quantity of gold is it.e.do
my
belief not one-fiftieth part has yet been extoaetee it
is a complete puzzle to the minere, and terre day
the question is asked, " Where does it all coin. from.:
this I nave neither the intention our the Unity :to
reply, for I have been equally aruezul my.cif, and I
doubt nut that long ere this your rearier s Ii re been
enlightened with numerous able trentioss on he Bab.
ject. All that I shall endeavour to do w.li be to
point out where, and in what quieti•ies it is found A:
First of all I must ask you to dispel from ;our.
mind any ideas you may have aosccietid with the
word " Mines." Up to this moment there love
been no mines or mining operations carrieet on
in California, or, at all whirs, no: inch
works as we aro accustomed to cal, mine.
in Englatd. The country where the gld is.
found is mountainous, or mere properly eery Lilly;
the scenery putting me in.. mind of wanepins of
Derbyshire, only perhaps it lb not so ru4o.a. These
hills are intersected in a manner which it would be
difficult to find in any other part of the {dohs, with
innumerable little ravines, called, in mining phrase.
ology, " gulches," some of which have water in them
during the whole season, bat the greater pert of
which are dry by the time July arrives. It is in Fuse
gulches that the greatest quantity of gold it found,
and it requires an apprecte• ship of two or
three months to know the spots where
it lies, for in numerous instances small laud .lips have
taken place, covering the original bed; and I may say
that in nine eases out of ten this lowest I, tel lies
completely to one side, or in the hill ; the ditlimlty is,
therefore, to hit this spot; for there the gold is sure
to be. The manner of proceeding is es follows :—A
small hole, called a prospeeticg hole, is duo, varying,
according to circumstances, from 3 to 6 feet in depth'
to find the bottom or ledge rock; from this one or two
panfuls of dirt arc washed, and if they Ore less this
twelve and a half cents. worth to each pan, the
hole is abandoned as worthless ; fir o eat eves
moderate wages, each pan ought to eth.t.iiu a' Mss' 25
cents worth. As soon as this trial is deeded opera-
tions are commenced by enlarging the hole, which,
on an average, is perhaps six set t square by fire feet
deep; the top dirt is thrown off, arid a ihtervsla pine
are again washed until reaching the earth contaieing
the gold, which is then carried to the raitch.ns led
washed in earnest. I should add that toe arth (or
washing lies nearly all at the b athru, varying from
one inch to one foot in depth; cud not the leas: extra-
ordinary thing is to find the gild oce.eionaliy under
a false bottom composed of very hard eck. This is
often mistaken for the real ledg, int! 120 cs are
constantly abandoned under this liner. nine—the
knowing ones frequently get a good haul from a hole
abarodoned in this manner.
A gulch wh'sh is in any way rich, thus noon pre.
sents a sorry appearance. I have seta places which
have put me in mind of a cemetery. It .le elite r hole
is made, looking like so many new gr ,v s; beautiful
trees are torn up by the roots ; rotlis and atones
strewed in every direction; thick mu dy water run-
ning in the place of the formerly pike crystal; in
tact, the gulch may be said to be eit.rely des
greyed. If all this was dry work, the search
after gold would be a healthy and a much
more profitable occupation—unfortu..w.ly, uo ro,cer
do you get down a few feet than wet( r runs is from
every corner in such a way that it is imiaosibls to
keep dry—constant baling is requisite, a..d t.e but.
tom of the hole is a mass of mud sod wet. r,:platEing
the poor miter from bead to foot at each rtr..ks of the
pick, putting one in mind of a Ler.don scerenger,
only that hero the dirt is chain dirt, it I !:I:.y be at.
lowed the exprewdon.
Some of these gulches have been rich beyond be-
lief, but the cream Las long since loco taken
off, and all this year it has bean dillieult to find
gulch to pay anything like decent wegts. Still same
parties are very lucky, and within the list three
months I have known scull holes which lure yielded
amounts varying from 20 to 200 Ounces .•f it-Id. I
am inclined to think, however, that the uvet age daily
gain of the miners throughout the sub rn mines
fur six months past has not been higb• r than 4 dok.,
though, of cows-, some have made lure. :oa.ls. And
here let me state why this average is sod at
, ;
the same time explain, for the inform r.,hl f friends
' at home, why they must not expect ill:. their rela-
tives here are rapidly accumula ing fer.u..ts. tithe
first place the population is immerse, aiol ti:' gulches
where water is running during the sumo. r t ry few,
, and nearly the whole of these have been new worked
out. Here and there are spots unt..un.ed, where
man can find a week or a forthight'e work, acd
where he will make hie eight or ten aril-.r per day.
Probably several days, perhaps a Inaelule, will than
, elapse, before he makes anything, and ,OC:nwlitlelus
, expenses, at the rate of 4, dollar per dap, are going
on ; in fact, the miner, unleea he be rely forting%
loser, while running about, the small amount acoims
lated during actual work. Were it otherw,se, were
work plenty, money would ripidly be tu ode, but it le
for this sole reason that there are them-and. wiihoet
money enough to carry them to (owe, or con tr pay
their debts.
Another species of digging is on flats, which are
spaces of level ground found occasiomaily at the beads
of gulches, and where it is necessary to dig vet]
deep, say from 16 to 35 feet. This pica well, Wit
requires from 6 to 10 men to work a hole. Water,
as a matter of course, again intrudes, std in such a
manner that I have seen .5 pumps in one hole; and I
know of others where the pumps are kept eying
night and day. Not unfrequeatly from 6to DN.
of gold will be found in a morning; but do nut let
this deceive you, fur even such sums will only give
as
average to each man of from 8 dole. to 16 dole. per
day, and such Hats are few in number.
I now come to riv. r digging ; and here again I
think it neces-ary to acquaint you that the riven
where the gold is found hardly deserve their designa-
tion, and would be more properly denominated man•
tain streams or torrents.. There are such streams
the Peak of Derbyshire. River digging commenc4
ia
July, and continnea until the rain sets iu : at all other
times they are too high, especially during the month
of June, caused by the melting of the snows above.
They are then really rivers, running et tb rate of
from five to ten knots an hoar, and, consrqueatift
with immense force: they commence falling to Julio
and the first week in September are at their lowest,
having fallen from ten to twenty feet during fir
interval. I have a poor opinion of river diggleg
generally.
Gold is found in their banks, in their bolo, and is
places called bars, which are nothing more than large,
landslips which have completely covered the ang.le"
bed. Sums of these hAve proved very rich. I haveknova
401 be. taken out of n hole on a bar on the WWI
river. This is difficult and very wet digging. It h
necessary to go to a depth of from five to tweet'
five feet, and generally a bar is composed of. lair
, heavy !gone*. I consider it the le.sviest kind Of
work. Digging in the banks is simple enough; it
can hardly be called digging. All that is regatta
is to throw away the stones, and then wash from the
top down, through three feet of sand and gravel
All depend' upon the quantity washed. The machine
must be kept constantly going; therefore, three 1„i!
an advantageous number to work : viz., cne to was
the machine, one to carry the dirt, and one to pre-
"3oo pare it. In this way it is possible to wash
bucket's of dirt a .day, yielding generally 24 dole.,
occasionally more.
To get at the beds lathe next consideration ; this is
effected by digging a new channel or race, and turn-
ing the river into it. From ten to fifty men are !.ft;
quilted for the purpoir, and difficult enough it te
frequently solid beds of rock are
.men
din
making the race, which require blast!. g, and.
uunndaceqrtuaakinetetdhiswditahngtehreouspropperoc;ss
made.t .1170 ue_otteoLly
.
queue has been, that several have boen a
seriously wounded, and the companies who have